This brief provides an overview of how PLCs can be used in higher education. We discuss the origin of PLCs and compare them to other improvement processes in the higher education field. We then explain what a cross functional PLC is and why postsecondary institutions may benefit from using them. We end with some guiding questions to help campus stakeholders decide if this approach would be useful for your campus.
Archives: Articles/Briefs
Exploring professionalism with at-promise college students.
Postsecondary educators play a critical role in helping at-promise students prepare for careers by providing resources that illuminate hidden workplace expectations around professionalism. This brief explores how professionalism programming can both reveal dominant workplace norms and affirm the assets students bring from their own communities.
Promoting at-promise college student success through peer mentoring.
Considering college students as “at-promise.”
This brief advocates for using a strengths-based “at-promise” approach to describe and support marginalized students in higher education, moving away from deficit-oriented “at-risk” terminology. It highlights the dual focus of recognizing students’ potential and institutional responsibility to remove barriers while fostering equitable and inclusive environments for success.
Moving toward institutional culture change in higher education: An exploration into cross-functional professional learning communities
This article explores the implementation of cross-functional professional learning communities (PLCs) involving faculty, staff and administrators at three different institutional types – research, urban regional, and rural regional universities – with the goal of learning about and then implementing a culture change approach to support academic and psychosocial success for historically marginalized student groups. The action research-based study explores the research question: Do cross-functional PLCs help support institution-wide culture change? And if so, how?
Creating a student-centered campus-wide culture that supports historically and currently marginalized students.
Guidance for educators seeking to build validating relationships that promote college success for low-income students.
An ecological approach to creating validating support for low-income, racially minoritized, and first-generation college students.
Rethinking traditional approaches to major and career development: The major and career ecology model.
The article addresses challenges in higher education—such as rising costs, student debt, and concerns about career readiness—and their impact on perceptions of a college degree’s value and relevance. It presents the Major and Career Ecology Model as a novel approach that re-imagines how academic programs, career development activities, and student supports are implemented to better prepare students for their future careers.
The relationship between low-income college students’ time use and well-being: A mixed methods exploration.
The article examines how first-year, low-income students allocate their time and the subsequent effects on their well-being. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study finds that structured routines and meaningful reflection positively influence well-being, while academic and work commitments, especially among first-generation students, can detract from it.