Description
Community colleges, like all American higher-education institutions, are held
accountable for preparing individuals to advance personally, professionally, and
civically. In recent years, an increasing number of American higher education graduates,
including those in community colleges, have proven ill-equipped to meet the demands
of a changing world. The gap between expectations and actual learning outcomes of
American community college graduates is widening. Obsolete college policies and practices have been blamed, in part, for shortfalls in student learning. With the prevalent focus of the American education system on the teacher, many students are passive participants in their own learning. These unengaged college students often become graduates who lack requisite knowledge and skills. For decades, national leaders and education experts have sounded urgent calls for higher education reform and improvement. A shift to a learner-centered focus has been suggested as a remedy to increase learning, and to help students develop the skills and abilities necessary to thrive in the 21st century. The response has been slow and progress has been minimal.
Although the problem of the declining quality of learning outcomes is prevalent
throughout all of higher education, this study focused on a single community college.
The purpose of this study was to (1) identify faculty and student perceptions of learner-centeredness and learner-centered practices at a small rural Midwest American
