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This May 19, 2020 report from Inside Higher Ed highlights findings from three studies exploring the potential impact of a shift to online education due to COVID-19 on college enrollment. Facing economic constraints and health concerns, many students are changing their post-secondary next steps. A survey of parents on "their child's post-high school plan," by Civis Analytics reported that nearly half of respondents' children have changed their plan.

Looking at high school seniors, a survey of 2,800 respondents conducted in May 2020 by Carnegie Dartlet compared outcomes to data gathered in March. Of respondents, "only 2 percent of students have plans to delay presently, and 42 percent will not delay under any circumstance (up from 34 percent in March)." However, attendance may be contingent on institutions making additional financial resources available to students. The authors found that "nearly two-thirds" of respondents would be less likely to attend without opportunities like student loans, which "shift[ed] many to a neutral standing." They also found that "yearlong grants, increased scholarships or reduced tuition or fees ... significantly increasing the likelihood of...

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The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)'s Community College Voice podcast, now in its fourth season, offers information "about the power of the nation's community colleges." Of the six episodes released thus far, three cover topics related to education in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Season 4 Episode 2 (released April 23, 2020) features a conversation with AACC President and CEO Dr. Walter Bumphus and Senior Vice President for Workforce and Economic Development Jennifer Worth. Bumphus and Worth discuss "addressing online education for CTE/RTI programs."

The next installment focused on COVID-19 is Season 4 Episode 3, where CEO of the Organization of Associate Degree Nursing Donna Meyer joins Dr. Bumphus to talk about "the state of nursing education."

Finally, Season 4 Episode 6 highlights the collaboration between the AACC and the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) during the COVID-19 pandemic "to best serve their members." In this installment Dr. Bumphus is joined by AACC Board Chair and Cuyahoga Community College President Alex Johnson, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown, and ACCT Board Chair Dawn Erlandson.

Listeners can...

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) recognizes that there is much uncertainty among ATE grantees regarding how to start or to proceed with your ATE projects during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This webinar is designed to address commonly asked grant management questions to assist the ATE community and will cover such topics as no-cost extensions; supplemental funding requests; changes in project objectives, deliverables, timeline, and scope; budget adjustments; evaluation plans; and annual reporting.

Conducted in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges, Mentor-Connect, and ATE Central, the webinar will feature an opportunity to hear from experienced PIs and from NSF lead ATE program director, V. Celeste Carter. To further support the ATE community, the webinar will be followed by an ATE Central Office Hours, via Zoom, for an opportunity to interact directly with presenters and NSF program directors to continue the discussion.

This webinar runs Wednesday, June 10, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT. Those interested in attending should register to participate in advance.

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The National Center for Autonomous Technologies is participating in the 2020 STEM for All Video Showcase: Learning from Research and Practice. This showcase is in its sixth year and features over 170 federally funded innovative projects aimed at improving STEM learning and teaching. This is a week-long event (May 5-12) where researchers, practitioners, policy makers and members of the public are invited to view the short (3-minute or less) videos, discuss them with the presenters online, and vote for their favorites.

NCAT’s video “The Future Workforce Begins with a Spark” demonstrates cultivating imagination fueled with fascination, highlighting that innovation requires curiosity-based drive and diverse perspectives and ideas. That is why NCAT believes in student competitions and STEM engagement to inspire students. They strive to open doors for people, leading to a better society and an incredible future. NCAT’s video can be viewed in the showcase using the link above.

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If you registered and paid online, go to the registration page for more information and check the HI-TEC conference website often for updates. If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email the HI-TEC team at [email protected].

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Prior learning assessment (PLA) is a powerful tool for engaging non-traditional students. The task of evaluating requests for prior learning credit often falls to faculty members in community college settings. Some faculty doubt PLA because it removes students from seats in the classroom. Others aren’t sure what to say, or if they should say anything, when they identify a student whose prior work or learning experience may qualify them for PLA. This webinar demonstrates how to use PLA as a tool for building relationships with non-traditional students who are harder to engage, ensuring students are seated in future courses, and adding to successful graduate and completion numbers.

This webinar assists participants in understanding the long-term personal and institutional value of prior learning assessment. After this webinar, participants will be able to identify potential PLA candidates, develop a referral plan, and build their own methods of evaluation to determine if a student should or should not receive credit.

Susan Peek has been a Success Coach and Prior Learning Specialist at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama for almost seven years and has worked...

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The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is pleased to announce that the Community College URE Summit Proceedings Report and the report Executive Summary are now available on AACC’s website, along with additional summit resources. To view the report and resources, please go to: www.aacc.nche.edu/URESummit. 

In November 2019, 120 thought leaders, representing community colleges, four-year institutions and higher education organizations, met in Washington D.C. to discuss the role of community colleges in building, implementing, and sustaining undergraduate research experiences (URES) in STEM education and for career preparations. This report highlights the key recommendations and promising practices that came out of those discussions. 

The report and its resulting activities are intended to help expand support for building, strengthening, and expanding UREs at community colleges. ATE community members are encouraged to review the report and to share it with their networks and stakeholders.

The report is also featured in an April 13 Community College Daily article, “Sharing Ideas on Student Research Experiences.”

If you have any questions or comments, please...

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According to a January 2020 working paper from the Community College Research Center (CCRC), external, internal, and interpersonal dynamics all “have implications for practitioners, funders, and policymakers looking to enact technology-mediated advising reforms.”

This research is based on interview data from stakeholders at two- and four-year colleges, from different regions (Southwest, Midwest, and South), demographic makeups, and settings (rural, town, or city). The study examines dynamics such as state policies on college completion, centralization of advising policies and procedures, and individual advising approaches. 

Findings suggest that a large obstacle to instituting advising reform comes from economic challenges (state funding cuts, shifts in demographics and enrollment). Such changes can mean high advisor turnover or large caseloads, and can have a negative impact for the success of advising initiatives, particularly where technology-mediated reforms are concerned. The strongest positive impact came from having “a rationale and organizing framework for envisioning and enacting institutional change to promote student success.” Despite challenges, external pressures...

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Writing an NSF ATE program track proposal and need budget assistance? The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program grant proposal writing process can seem daunting to those new to the ATE program. Each year, Mentor-Connect offers a detailed cost-free technical assistance webinar highlighting all aspects of the budget and budget justification for those building competitive grant proposals for ATE. 

The purpose of this webinar is to help those who have not been funded by NSF to develop fundable proposals. Webinar Participants will learn: how to prepare a budget for their NSF ATE grant, what to include in each budget category, how to prepare a budget justification, how to align the budget and project description, and how to avoid common errors.

Join presenters on Thursday, March 12, 01:00-02:30 pm EDT. The webinar will be recorded, so sign up even if you can't attend to get a copy of the recorded presentation emailed to you. Presented by Mentor Connect.

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For the fifth year, AACC in partnership with the National Science Foundation, is inviting community college students to participate in the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). 

The CCIC is a prestigious competition where community college student teams, working with a faculty or administrator team mentor, use science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to innovate solutions to real-world problems; earn travel support to attend an Innovation Boot Camp in Washington, DC; and compete for cash awards. 

The Boot Camp provides hands-on learning opportunities and coaching designed to build strategic communication and entrepreneurial skills—and includes a student poster session on Capitol Hill, and a formal pitch presentation at the Boot Camp in front of a panel of industry professionals, to determine the first and second place winning teams. 

Diverse and interdisciplinary teams that include students in STEM, business, humanities, and other fields are encouraged to register for the challenge and apply by the March 31, 2020 deadline.