The program is rooted in "equity 360", a multi-dimension approach to embedding principles of equity into every aspect of the program, from entry requirements and instruction to completion, the labor market and post- baccalaureate studies.See CCBA eBook for more details.

Bellevue University has partnered with community colleges that offer bachelor's degrees in business to develop a 4 + 1 curriculum. This innovative plan calls for four of the baccalaureate courses to be Bellevues' MBA specialization courses which eases these students into graduate work. Students gain confidence in their ability to handle masters-level coursework while still taking classes with their known professors at the community college. Upon completion of the bachelor's degree, the student will earn a certificate of completion as well as 12 credits that would transfer into Bellevue's Master's program. Crucial to the success of this pathway is the openness of the community college leadership and faculty to partner with Bellevue to develop the needed courses, actively promote the joint program, and advise students to explore graduate-level coursework. Currently, Bellevue University has partnered with Brazosport College to offer this program and is in the process of adding new collegiate partners.

In today's digital age, the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals is greater than ever before. Community colleges play a crucial role in preparing individuals for careers in cybersecurity, but traditional classroom learning alone often falls short in providing practical, hands-on experience. Establishing a Security Operations Center (SOC) within a community college offers a solution by creating an immersive learning environment where students can gain real-world experience in detecting, responding to, and mitigating cyber threats. By integrating experiential learning into their curriculum, community colleges not only enhance the skill sets of their students but also contribute to improving the overall cybersecurity landscape. Additionally, a SOC provides an opportunity for collaboration between academia and industry, allowing students to work on live projects and internships, thereby bridging the gap between education and the workforce. Ultimately, by investing in a SOC, community colleges empower their students to enter the workforce with valuable cybersecurity experience, addressing the growing need for skilled professionals in this critical field.

With adult learners coming back to complete a bachelor's degree, Marion Technical College has built in advising into each of the RN-to-BSN courses to assist students with registration, course sequencing, and college-related requirements. With the demands of their work and home life, this cohort of students do not have the opportunity to visit the campus for in-person advising. The advising is held during the second and seventh week of the eight-week course. This process has promoted timely communication between students and their advisors and has improved student feedback, time management, and student success.

The Bachelor's Implementation in a Box provides the necessary tools and information to faculty and staff involved in the development of new baccalaureate programs. The Box is a centrally located outline of the steps, resources, and strategies needed to guide teams through bachelor's degree design and development, accreditation approval, registration and enrollment, and program review. To date, the Implementation in a Box has been used to launch eight new programs including, most recently, the RN-to-BSN which began admitting students this year for Fall 2024. Currently, three baccalaureate programs are in the planning process using the Implementation in a Box.

Lone Star College has initiated transfer pathways with other community colleges to enable students to attend Lone Star’s bachelor’s degree programs. The emergence of baccalaureate program offerings in community colleges has heralded a transformative shift in higher education, expanding transfer opportunities for students beyond traditional four-year universities. Students can finish their associate’s degree and transfer to another community college to finish their bachelor’s degree at a greatly reduced cost. The decision to transfer may be because their college may not yet offer bachelor’s degree or that their college doesn’t have the desired baccalaureate program. Articulation between colleges is an innovative initiative that facilitates seamless bachelor’s transfer pathways between colleges and opens doors to collaboration between community colleges themselves. These articulations allow for data sharing and gives each college a list of prospective students who are ready to transfer with no additional recruitment costs incurred. Lone Star’s articulation agreement excludes transfer to any programs that may present direct competition between the two colleges, hence, maintaining collaborative relationships for the best interest of all parties involved. Regardless of the benefits of this type of articulation process, the implementation of these "non-standard" agreements presents unique challenges. One notable hurdle involves navigating the intricate legal landscape inherent in establishing transfer agreements between community colleges offering baccalaureate programs. Negotiating terms that satisfy the academic standards and regulatory requirements of both institutions necessitates meticulous coordination between legal teams. Overcoming these challenges requires the creation of two separate agreements, one designating the first college as the transferring institution and the second as the receiving four-year institution, and vice versa. This articulation process not only increases enrollment into the baccalaureate programs, but it does so with minimal marketing dollars utilized. Typically, the cost per lead for marketing purposes is $200-400 for campaigns involving television/radio spots or billboards, underscoring the significant cost savings associated with this approach. This innovation transfer pathway underscores the considerable value and potential of college-to-college articulations in revolutionizing higher education access and affordability.

This BSN Consortium comprised of three Florida State Colleges - Seminole State College, Valencia College, and Lake Sumter College - secured permission from Florida to develop Registered Nurse (RN)-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs through a BSN-program development partnership. See CCBA eBook for more details.

This Promising Practice is a collaboration between South Texas College with both public and private university partners that provides BAS and BAT students the opportunity to be co-enrolled in bachelors and masters level courses. In this collaboration, students who choose the co-enrollment track take nine credit hours in South Texas College's 4000 level courses which will also count as nine credits in the various universities' master 's program curricula. Coursework in these 4000 level courses is enhanced so that assignments include research and a focus on graduate work. The college has dedicated academic coaches for the co-enrollment track that can assist students with the process. The marketing of the program by highlighting an accelerated path toward a master's degree is a key component of the success of this program. There are positive outcomes for the college and the universities who participate in this innovative program. First, the program provides recruitment opportunities for South Texas College as it has the ability to raise their own future faculty members. The universities who participate in the co-enrollment agreement have a pipeline for the graduate students coming from the college thus increasing the universities' enrollments.

Modesto Junior College created a cohort model with two eight-week sessions per semester for the B.S. degree in Respiratory Care. See CCBA eBook for more details.

West LA College began implementation of the dental hygiene BS program with a workshop for college-wide constituents that has evolved into an internal problem-solving team supporting the CCB-degree program. See CCBA eBook for more details.

Competency-based education (CBE) gives students the option to apply their existing experience and prior knowledge to attain degrees at pace that meets their needs. See CCBA eBook for more details.

This Promising Practice was designed in response to ongoing requests from academic and workforce programs in institutions of higher education (colleges and universities) in Texas and throughout the country for guidance in developing quality competency based education (CBE) programs. It consists of four mutually reinforcing steps: Step One: Disseminate general information via our website, publications, and conference activity about the CBE bachelor program development. Information is also distributed to community employers about workforce CBE programs to garner their participation. Step Two: Create collaborative meetings with various college and university departments to describe a CBE degree, needed actions for developing and implementing the degree, and the benefits of this type of degree. Step Three: Provide additional advising and materials as needed, such as South Texas College’s publication, Competency-Based Education Made Easy, which describes the step-by-step process recommended for developing and implementing CBE programs. Step Four: Ongoing follow-up is proffered upon request, which includes but is not limited to, additional virtual meetings, travel to the college/university developing the new CBE program, and specialized individual and group information sessions.

The BAS program in Diagnostic Medical Sonography accepts 10 transfer credits for prior learning in any general education category. See CCBA eBook for more details.

Culturally responsive curriculum focuses on assessing anti-bias educational practices to advance cultural responsiveness and social justice. See CCBA eBook for more details.

DACUM is a process wherein educational organizations join forces with industry to design a high-demand, workforce-oriented curriculum that emphasizes roles, duties, and tasks performed in occupations. See CCBA eBook for more details.

The digital first online practice focuses on providing all students with course content (textbooks and courseware) by the first day of class in digital format. See CCBA eBook for more details.

Students at Lake Washington Institute of Technology are guaranteed a spot in their respective BAS programs (with the exception of Nursing and Dental Hygiene) if they continue with their progress in their AS degree. Early Action Letters are sent quarterly to students who earned 30 credits (2 quarters), are in a “feeder” program, and have ≥ 2.0 GPA. The process is reviewed and revised every year based on program or procedure changes, and student feedback. Although the Early Action process does not differ from the normal admission criteria in that students must fill out an application and pay the application fee, students are rewarded if they are doing well in their AS programs. Seats in their chosen BAS programs are held for all qualifying students unless it is a limited access program or has specific admission criteria or restrictions.

Industry certifications are embedded in the Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) program utilizing a pathway design with embedded credentials. See CCBA eBook for more details.

Lake Washington Institute of Technology, like all institutions offering community college baccalaureates, are dedicated to equity and inclusion. To plan and implement successful equitable bachelor degrees, top management support and alignment with the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plan must occur. Administrative endorsement of ongoing equity analysis is also crucial. In order for the Funding, time, staff, and training are all required. Specifically, instructional administrators and staff need to develop program review processes, documents, templates, timelines, and review procedures that provide the DEI data. Enrollment services must verify quality assurance (QA) procedures to ensure data are valid and reliable to analyze any equity gaps. Institutional research must invest in the tools, training, staff, and time to create the Tableau dashboards. Faculty will engage in the equity analysis during program review to be cognizant of any potential gaps and to offer solutions to lessen equity challenges. Also, professional development must be created, implemented, and revised to implement follow-up strategies to close equity gaps. By using this process, Lake Washington Institute of Technology has actively focused on equality and inclusion in its baccalaureate programs.

This promising practice prioritizes the use of demographic data at the program level to identify and close equity gaps. See CCBA eBook for more details.

This best practice has bridged the gap between the classroom learning pace and the dynamic industry pace that transcends the tools we use in class. See CCBA eBook for more details.

Faculty members are assigned a group of students upon entry into the dental hygiene program who monitor completion of course requirements and retention to graduation. See CCBA eBook for more details.

A Google Map Tracker shows where graduates of the BAS in Teacher Education (BASTE) are teaching in the community college’s district. See CCBA eBook for more details.

Miami Dade College (MDC) is the first academic institution in Florida to be named an Apprenticeship Ambassador by the US Department of Labor. Offering several occupations, MDC hosts the highest number of Registered Apprenticeship Programs of any educational institution in the State of Florida. The College currently offers 20 Registered Apprenticeship Programs, including the Teacher Assistant Pre-Apprenticeship Program and the Teacher Assistant Apprenticeship Program, both focusing on Early Childhood Education. Building on the success of these two programs, the MDC School of Education (SOE) is pioneering a Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship Baccalaureate Program, designed to address the critical shortage of qualified teachers in our community and to elevate the standards of teacher preparation. Our program distinguishes itself through its commitment to competency-based instruction and experiential learning, innovative approaches that prioritize the acquisition of specific skills and knowledge over traditional time-based educational models, leading to high impact in educational outcomes. This program is founded on principles of rigor and excellence, ensuring that our graduates are not only well-prepared but also leaders in educational innovation. The Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship Baccalaureate Program strengthens MDC SOE’s teacher pipeline by creating a no-cost apprenticeship pathway to the teaching profession. In December 2023, MDC received the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant for the Teacher Apprenticeship Program. This award, totaling approximately one million dollars, will enhance our teacher preparation programs, enabling us to create and refine pathways that will lead aspiring educators toward fulfilling careers. In partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), MDC anticipates enrolling over 260 registered teacher apprentices over the next three years. The first cohort will be 80 students. These teacher apprentices will be hired by MDCPS as educational paraprofessionals and placed in the classrooms of highly effective mentor teachers. They will receive an annual base salary of $35,000 and the applicable Referendum Retirement Accruing Supplement. Mentor teachers will also be paid a stipend of $3,500 annually. This workforce pipeline creates a seamless pathway from education to employment that enhances both teacher preparedness and student achievement. The program effectively supports aspiring educators in their journey towards fulfilling careers, emphasizing the development of critical skills and competencies needed in today’s educational landscape. This new pathway to the teaching profession emphasizes hands-on training by working directly within classrooms to gain the necessary experience to earn a bachelor’s degree and an educator certificate in Florida in the following areas: Exceptional Student Education (ESE) K-12, Early Childhood Education (ECE) Birth-Grade 3, Secondary Mathematics Education 6-12, Secondary Biology Education 6-12. Students in the ESE program will graduate with their Reading and ESOL Endorsements. Students in the ECE program will graduate with their Reading, ESOL, and Pre-K Disabilities Endorsements. The Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship Baccalaureate Program at Miami Dade College represents a strategic initiative aimed at transforming education through a rigorous, innovative, and experiential approach. By investing in the training and development of future educators, we are investing in the future of our community and beyond, ensuring that our graduates are equipped to lead and inspire the next generations with confidence and skill.

In an era where higher education institutions are continually challenged to deliver quality programs efficiently, community colleges that offer bachelor's degrees are particularly unique entities. The need for comprehensive program reviews is paramount to ensure academic excellence, student success, and program sustainability. Using critical components of robust program reviews coupled with local workforce data, community colleges can plan for appropriate bachelor's degree programs.

Miami Dade College and Amazon Web Services (AWS) established a partnership in Fall 2022 where they worked closely together to adopt and infuse AWS cloud computing curriculum within the Information Systems Technology baccalaureate degree. This cloud curriculum is a specialization in the Information Technology BS degree. The initiative involved identifying and selecting faculty involvement, creating faculty professional development opportunities, reviewing AWS curriculum and software, modifying and creating curriculum to align with AWS, integrating AWS industry certifications within curriculum, and creating student experiential learning opportunities via AWS industry engagement events and capstone projects. The curriculum provides for the knowledge needed for both on premise and cloud computing expertise. The capstone projects occur with AWS partners thereby enhancing the capstone experience and possible job placements. Another valuable part of the partnership is “Cloud Day”, a joint event between MDC and AWS to focus on cloud computing and careers available in this field. This partnership ensures graduates from the baccalaureate in Information Systems Technology possess the skills, knowledge, and competencies sought after by employers. In addition, for working professionals graduating from the program, an industry-aligned degree provides opportunities for career advancement and upward mobility. By acquiring specialized skills and knowledge that are in demand in the job market, they can qualify for higher-paying positions, leadership roles, and new career pathways. Moreover, the MDC and AWS partnership provides students with access to industry experts, mentors, and resources, enriching their learning experience and enhancing their professional development.

South Texas College has partnered with two local universities to develop joint admissions/direct admissions agreements. Students who take advantage of these agreements have an assured path to admission to one of the partnering institutions: University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) or the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen (TAMU HECM). The two agreements are slightly different but have several common elements: students who are denied admission to UTRGV or TAMU HECM are offered admission to South Texas College to any of South Texas’ baccalaureate programs that are offered by these two universities. Upon completion of a pre-set number of credit hours and a certain GPA, these students are eligible to transition to the institution they had previously been denied. Specific university programs may have additional admission requirements. In the case of the agreement with UTRGV, these students do not even need to reapply, they just need to submit their transcript. The assured admissions requirements are also available to students who were not in the original cohort upon completion of the same number of credit hours and with the same GPA.

Numbers with Heart (NWH) links institutional data with student impacts happening at the individual level. See CCBA eBook for more details.

This promising practice showcases a complete educational pathway in biotechnology that offers stackable credentials, including certificates, an associates degree, and a baccalaureate degree. See CCBA eBook for more details.

The use of customized/personalized advising allows students to make a connection to the institution and helps them to discover their complete potential. It also gives students a point of contact for all questions. The customized advising process begins with students assigned a faculty advisor who teaches in the BAS program. The student is contacted by this faculty member at least three times a semester to help with retention and continuous enrollment. This ongoing communication between the faculty member and the student focuses specifically on the individua students’ needs and career goals. These student goals and aspirations are documented in the college’s student information system for the student and faculty advisor to utilize when course planning. With faculty knowing their students so well, they can assist them when students have questions that are not program related. This relationship helps students feel like they have an advocate on campus and a partner in their educational journey. The faculty advisor also serves as a point of contact between students and employers which helps to create job placements for students during the program and upon graduation. Because of the increased engagement with faculty advisors, students state a deeper connection to the program and are more successful.

Students in Rhodes State College's RN-to-BSN program are assigned a BSN nursing faculty member as their academic advisor. The faculty member works with students one-on-on to create a personalized degree plan taking into consideration the students' needs. The advising process is a component of the faculty member's load with each instructor having approximately10 students that they advise. This personalized practice has really helped with student performance and retention in our program.

Each bachelor’s student is assigned a dedicated advisor that connects with their students from the point of application to the college. The specified advisor is the subject matter expert for the student’s program of study and preferred campus location. The Advising and Counseling team utilizes prescriptive and pro-active strategies to positively connect with their assigned students throughout their academic journey. In addition, the advisors utilize technology-mediated advising strategies to “meet the students where they are”, including connecting with their students through telephone, email, virtual, text, and in-person meetings through appointments created in Navigate®. Appointments in Navigate® have been very successful in that there is approximately a 100% fill rate of advising appointments that are created via this software. Utilization of student data and metrics directly correlate to the review and continuation of Academic Advising and Counseling initiatives. For example, student satisfaction surveys and qualitative feedback have provided data that shows that students perceive the dedicated advisor services to be of quality and effective. Metrics tracked include advising appointment statistics such as number of appointment utilized by students, frequency of appointments, no-shows, etc. Additionally, Navigate® analytics track student usage of advising tools, resources, and technology and reveal engagement levels. By utilizing this information, decisions are made as to whether current initiatives should be expanded, revised, or be replaced. Also, the Advising and Counseling team tracks student retention by identifying specific cohorts, such as veterans, athletes, Pell eligible, and minority males. Retention rates for these cohorts have increased for each of these groups through high touch and high contact initiatives that a dedicated advising model provides.

With BAS admissions, Highline College has removed admission criteria such as essays and recommendation letters to remove elements of bias. See CCBA eBook for more details.

Eastern Arizona College was able to work through the process of proposing two new bachelor degrees, a BA in Music with an emphasis on Music Education and a BS in Health Sciences, relatively quickly and painlessly by articulating a vision and designing a clear plan before the actual proposal of the new degree. A generic flowchart was developed to plan and document the development and implementation of the degrees. Individuals included in the proposal process included the Chief Academic Officer, the Deans and Faculty from the Music and Health Sciences departments, the college’s Curriculum Committee Chair, the Registrar, the Director of Financial Aid, and the college’s Budget Director. Working together, the process of developing the degree proposals was not only collaborative but effective and timely. Three keys that have been identified as crucial in the process include understanding the importance of a feasibility study, the focus on engaging faculty in every step of the process and finding and using technology to stay organized so that no crucial steps are missed.

Within Northland Pioneer College's Career and Technical Education (CTE) division, many of the direct-to-work programs are structured to have three completion levels. The CTE degrees are designed with the first completion level labeled as the "Certificate of Proficiency" (CP), followed by the "Certificate of Applied Science" (CAS), and lastly with the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. Based on this structure, students achieve small goals that lead them, not only to an AAS degree, but then on into the BAS degree programs. Research has shown that degrees that offer different levels of completion help students to focus on the completion level in front of them instead of the entire degree which can seem intimidating and overwhelming. With the completion of each level, students feel a sense of accomplishment that helps to drive them towards continuing the next step and giving them the confidence to enroll in the baccalaureate programs.

In the planning phase for Alvin Community College's first baccalaureate degree, the entire campus leadership team and their direct reports formed a large group roundtable to identify areas requiring development. The team met monthly to clarify or investigate areas of need. Faculty, student services, industry leaders, and campus leadership jointly developed the strategic goals and objectives necessary to launch the first Bachelor of Applied Science in Business in Fall 2024. From these roundtable meetings, supervisors from each college department met with their employees to ensure that the entire college remained informed about the progress of the degree development. In May, during the second planning phase, students will be added to the roundtable to gain their perspectives on the program after their first term in the degree. The collaborative roundtable approach for planning goals aimed to promote transparency and ensure that student success remained at the core of the entire organization. Identified positives of this type of planning and development include having all stakeholders informed, which created a "deliberate calm" when changes were occurring. Potential challenges, such as those related to financial aid and accreditation, were promptly addressed, leading to a more successful outcome.

The Allied Health Center for Excellence (AH COE) provides system coordination, coaching, and mentoring to assist in building seamless educational and work-related systems in Washington, including bachelors of applied science (BAS) degrees conferred by the state’s community and technical colleges. See CCBA eBook for more details.