ORGANIZING FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Josh Wyner writes in an editorial for The Chronicle of Higher Education that community colleges should be organized for the students they have rather than those who attend four-year residential colleges. He says that the re-envisioned version of community college would offer far greater numbers of block-scheduled programs. "Most students should be directed to enter comprehensive programs built around specific degree goals and schedules. Re-envisioned, community colleges would focus their hiring, professional development, and tenure systems on a single goal: improved teaching and learning," he concludes.

WORKING HAPPY
A lot of folks start out at a community college thinking they might try to "move up" at some point, but then they find themselves liking the work, liking their students and colleagues, and liking the lifestyle. And so they end up staying. For 30 or 40 years. So says Rob Jenkins in a piece he wrote for Inside Higher Ed earlier this year. He goes on to respond to the question what's it like working at a community college?  by saying "I take that to be a lifestyle question, and all I can say is: I wouldn't trade careers with anybody. I enjoy the work that I do, I like my students and colleagues, I believe that I've been able to make a difference in people's lives, I've found it relatively easy to maintain an acceptable balance between work and life, and I've been able to make a decent living. What more can anyone ask from a career?"
 
MAKING CLASS MEANINGFUL AND PURPOSEFUL
A research project by Trudy Hanson, Kristina Drumheller, Jessica Mallard, Connie McKee, and Paula Schlegel determined that although students want to make academics a priority, they have a difficult time balancing their school life with their need for financial and social support. Sleep was often sacrificed as students frequently mentioned pulling all-nighters for completing projects. They also note that growing up with instant gratification might result in Millennials facing difficulty planning for long-term projects. Their survey sample expressed confidence in their abilities, those in the focus group acknowledged that they take short cuts because of their time demands. Students who feel they have to learn the material in class choose which assignments should be given higher priority based on rewards and consequences, and they  determine which classes are most important to attend and pay attention to which assignments and classes can be sacrificed. Going to class is a higher priority than doing homework or studying because it is the only time students have set aside in their day to accomplish the learning of course content. For instructors, this means class time needs to be more meaningful and purposeful, because it might be the only time a student spends with the course material.

WHAT IS MISSING
James M. Lang is his book On Course, writes about the situation that is created when faculty are saddled with the "Coverage Model." This model asks the question, what do I need to cover during this semester? "The problem with the coverage model, Lang says, it that it only considers two elements in teaching: the teacher and the course material. The missing element is the student in the teaching-learning triad." He notes that this model constructs teaching as a performative act that involves pulling material out of your head and throwing it on the desks of your students. Their job is then to figure out the best way to lap it up and hold it down.