Browsing by Subject "Educational change--Maryland"

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Institutional transformation and learning at the community college of Baltimore County: a case study
(2006) Mathis, Margaretta Brédé; Roueche, John E.
The purpose of this study was to research the institutional transformation, organization and student learning occurring at The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), located in Maryland, to increase the success of all students, and close learning and attainment gaps between African American and White learners, to prepare them for careers and civic engagement within a multicultural society and a global, knowledge-based economy. A mixed methodology was used, including qualitative methods informed by quantitative data. Multiple methods and data sources were incorporated, including: a case study (CCBC was the unit of analysis); an embedded case study (CCBC’s Closing the Gap [CTG] Initiative was the sub-unit of analysis); secondary data analysis of CCBC student outcomes; observations; and archival document analysis. An open-ended protocol was developed for interviews with 14 senior leaders of the college. Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) served as the principal method for data collection and analysis; four IQA focus groups were conducted with a purposive sample of representatives from among college administrators, deans, faculty, and students; a Student Persistence, Learning, and Attainment: A Community College Inventory was gathered from non-student focus group participants. This inventory, and the researcher’s work with Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count (a national initiative to improve student success), served to help frame the questions for the study. The interplay of principles from the learning college (O’Banion, 1997) and Achieving the Dream were explored relative to the college’s learning-centered vision, its commitment to diversity, and its CTG Initiative. Using an IQA protocol, interviews were held with 25 additional CCBC representatives including administrators, deans, and faculty. The focus groups and individual in-depth interviews were performed to elicit perceptions pertaining to the key factors contributing to CCBC’s institutional transformation and learning to improve student outcomes and close gaps in achievement and attainment. They provided insights on the meanings and timbre of each affinity, and their placement in an institutional transformation system that was developed.