Learning Resources

Abstract: In an effort to remain relevant and responsive to evolving developments in higher education, academic libraries are transforming existing spaces to meet the current and future needs of their students. By incorporating the specific programmatic elements of a learning commons with a focus on the institution’s unique demographics and goals, collegiate libraries will be better positioned as collaborative and flexible interdisciplinary resources. In this article, Bond Architects describes the process and outcomes of a library planning study conducted with St. Louis Community College’s David L. Underwood Library on the Florissant Valley campus.

Abstract: University strategic planning is typically well structured with attention to both process and outcomes. However, plans are frequently not implemented in an equally process-driven manner. As a result, the product of planning efforts may not lead to the anticipated change or may even remain “on the shelf.” This article describes how Philadelphia University is using “action research” during strategic plan implementation in order to optimize campus commitment, facilitate organizational learning, and support the sustainability of change.

Abstract: Until recently, there has been no credible, reliable source for instructional cost data on a national basis for two-year colleges in the United States. To fill this need, the Kansas Study of Community College Instructional Costs and Productivity was designed and implemented as a national data collection and reporting consortium. Based on the four-year college and university Delaware Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity, the Kansas Study collects and reports community college instructional costs and faculty workload at the academic discipline level of analysis. This article analyzes aggregate national data from the Kansas Study to determine the major instructional cost drivers for community colleges nationwide.

Abstract: So, what’s happening ‘down under’ in campus sustainability? Providing an international context, our authors use Australian examples to describe planning for campus greening, learning for sustainability (curriculum), institutional learning, and competency-based training initiatives.

Abstract: The student demographics of community colleges have necessitated that districts offer a variety of programs in different learning environments. Many of today's community college students aspire to earn career-related certificates or improve employment skills and want close proximity to home or work to maintain their schedules while advancing their education. The study described in this article reviews two community college districts in proximity to one another to evaluate their student demographics and identify the trends in student movement. Both districts offer associate's degrees and certificate programs and use Internet components to serve their students, but differ in their facilities approach to providing services.

Abstract: Creating a campus master plan is the first step in the process of managing enrollment growth; however, the plan is not just a document about buildings and parking spaces and classrooms and square footage. The plan should be viewed as an investment in the future of the institution and a way to link the college's mission and vision statements to the physical learning environment. This article examines the planning process, with special emphasis on community and consensus building, using case studies from two rapidly growing community college districts in Texas and California.

Abstract: New subscribers to the Harvard Business Review receive as a bonus with their first issue a compilation of fifteen classics, which appeared in previous HBR issues. One article, “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”, by John P. Kotter, first appeared in the March-April 1995 issue and is often referenced as a guide to strategic change in organizations. It is the purpose of the article to evaluate a change process undertaken at a large comprehensive baccalaureate institution in the context of Kotter’s suggested eight steps in transforming an organization.