The NISOD Papers, an occasional publication, is NISOD’s version of a whitepaper series that educates our audience or explains a particular issue relevant to community and technical college educators. The NISOD Papers covers an array of diverse topics: professional development, emerging technologies, crisis communication, education reform, and more. It complements NISOD’s Innovation Abstracts, which focuses on teaching and learning topics and is directed specifically toward faculty members.

7 May, 2026

A Day in the Life of a Latina in STEM: The Potential Benefits of Holistic Financial Assistance, Mentoring, and Nontraditional REUs

2026-05-07T12:18:07-05:00

Issue No. 42 • May 2026 A Day in the Life of a Latina in STEM: The Potential Benefits of Holistic Financial Assistance, Mentoring, and Nontraditional REUs    Often, the low retention of college students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) (Kokkelenberg & Sinha, 2010; National Center for Education Statistics, 2024; National [...]

A Day in the Life of a Latina in STEM: The Potential Benefits of Holistic Financial Assistance, Mentoring, and Nontraditional REUs2026-05-07T12:18:07-05:00
10 Feb, 2026

Reverse Mirroring: Expanding Access and Retention through Course Alignment Between Career and Technical Education and Continuing Education

2026-02-12T13:10:20-06:00

Issue No. 40 • February 2026 Reverse Mirroring: Expanding Access and Retention through Course Alignment Between Career and Technical Education and Continuing Education Bridging Access and Opportunity in Rural Workforce Education  Community colleges are intentionally designed to provide affordable, accessible, and local education opportunities to a diverse student population. Specifically, [...]

Reverse Mirroring: Expanding Access and Retention through Course Alignment Between Career and Technical Education and Continuing Education2026-02-12T13:10:20-06:00
10 Dec, 2025

Developing General AI Self-Efficacy in an Online Course

2025-12-10T15:52:37-06:00

Issue No. 39 • December 2025 Developing General AI Self-Efficacy in an Online Course Introduction   The dust has yet to settle in the ongoing debate about cellphone use in schools, and now General Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is here to challenge educational practitioners. Can we use it? Should we use it? [...]

Developing General AI Self-Efficacy in an Online Course2025-12-10T15:52:37-06:00
6 Nov, 2025

Building a Program Review Structure and Capacity Within a Community College Division of Student Affairs

2025-11-06T09:49:53-06:00

Issue No. 38 • November 2025 Building a Program Review Structure and Capacity Within a Community College Division of Student Affairs  Introduction   Launching a program review structure within a community college's Student Affairs division can be overwhelming, especially for departments with limited staff, new assessment infrastructure, and heavy workloads. At [...]

Building a Program Review Structure and Capacity Within a Community College Division of Student Affairs2025-11-06T09:49:53-06:00
8 Oct, 2025

Dual Language Bilingual Education: A Path to Student Success

2025-10-09T10:04:02-05:00

Issue No. 37 • October 2025 Dual Language Bilingual Education: A Path to Student Success In the early 2000s, I transitioned from a career in higher education to pursue a path in bilingual education by accepting a position at an elementary school in Chelsea, Massachusetts, as part of the "Two-way [...]

Dual Language Bilingual Education: A Path to Student Success2025-10-09T10:04:02-05:00
27 Mar, 2025

Interactive Insights: Active and Experiential Learning in Critical Thinking Faculty Development Workshops

2025-03-27T12:08:44-05:00

Issue No. 35 • March 2025 Interactive Insights: Active and Experiential Learning in Critical Thinking Faculty Development Workshops  Introduction   Critical thinking is a vital component of postsecondary education. Active learning and experiential learning strategies in the classroom are effective ways to help students develop critical thinking skills. This paper focuses [...]

Interactive Insights: Active and Experiential Learning in Critical Thinking Faculty Development Workshops2025-03-27T12:08:44-05:00
5 Mar, 2025

Artificial Cognition Versus Human Cognition: An Educator’s Perspective

2025-04-23T15:18:34-05:00

Issue No. 36 • April 2025 Artificial Cognition Versus Human Cognition: An Educator's Perspective  As educators in higher education, it is relevant and significant that we understand the relationship between artificial cognition and human cognition.  A deeper comprehension is warranted if we are to prepare ourselves and our students for an immediate [...]

Artificial Cognition Versus Human Cognition: An Educator’s Perspective2025-04-23T15:18:34-05:00
26 Feb, 2025

Bytes of Responsibility: Building Bridges Between Innovation and Integrity

2025-02-26T13:41:08-06:00

Issue No. 34 • February 2025 Bytes of Responsibility: Building Bridges Between Innovation and Integrity  Introduction   Currently, higher education institutions are going through what experts deem as another technological revolution with the introduction of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) into common use (Parnell, 2024). This type of technology encompasses a variety of AI [...]

Bytes of Responsibility: Building Bridges Between Innovation and Integrity2025-02-26T13:41:08-06:00
12 Dec, 2024

Learning From Marginalized Community College Students Taking Honors Courses for the First Time

2024-12-13T09:19:08-06:00

Issue No. 33 • December 2024 Learning From Marginalized Community College Students Taking Honors Courses for the First Time  The variables used to secure college scholarships, particularly high GPAs and honors coursework, cause schools to perpetuate systems of inequality (Gorksi, 2018; Hagerman, 2018; Hochschild, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 2006; Lewis & Diamond, 2015; Oakes, 2005; [...]

Learning From Marginalized Community College Students Taking Honors Courses for the First Time2024-12-13T09:19:08-06:00
27 Aug, 2024

Leading With Equity: Transforming Community Colleges for the Future

2024-08-27T12:40:53-05:00

Issue No. 32 • August 2024 Leading With Equity: Transforming Community Colleges for the Future  Foreword by Dr. Edward J Leach  Community colleges stand at a critical juncture in American higher education. As engines of social mobility and workforce development, these institutions play a vital role in shaping the future of our [...]

Leading With Equity: Transforming Community Colleges for the Future2024-08-27T12:40:53-05:00