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Navigating Course-Sequencing Decisions and Community College Pathways for Historically Underserved Student Populations.

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Title: Navigating Course-Sequencing Decisions and Community College Pathways for Historically Underserved Student Populations.
Authors: Ortagus, Justin C. (AUTHOR), Tyler, Olivia (AUTHOR), Dirghalli, Jacob (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Higher Education. 2026, Vol. 97 Issue 4, p675-709. 35p.
Subjects: Curriculum planning, Community colleges, Online education, Low-income students, Academic programs, Counseling in higher education
Abstract: Course sequencing in higher education refers to the structured order of courses required for progressing toward a certificate or degree. Community college students, particularly those from historically underserved backgrounds, face a variety of challenges associated with meeting academic requirements and completing their degree. In this study, we draw from semi-structured interviews with 80 historically underserved students and 9 advisors from a high-enrollment community college to explore how historically underserved students and their advisors consider and implement course-sequencing strategies when building students' academic schedules. Taken together, our emergent themes revealed that (1) historically underserved community college students were concerned primarily with fulfilling degree audit requirements, (2) the importance and difficulty of navigating the first semester of college, (3) the role and influence of non-curricular barriers to students' academic success, and (4) the challenges and opportunities associated with taking online courses. Our findings suggest a potential need for institutional policies or requirements designed to ensure historically underserved students meet with their advisors at set intervals and receive evidence-based advising recommendations related to appropriate ordering and combinations of courses given their academic progress, degree program, and individual goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Navigating Course-Sequencing Decisions and Community College Pathways for Historically Underserved Student Populations.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+planning%22">Curriculum planning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+colleges%22">Community colleges</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Online+education%22">Online education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Low-income+students%22">Low-income students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+programs%22">Academic programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Counseling+in+higher+education%22">Counseling in higher education</searchLink>
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  Data: Course sequencing in higher education refers to the structured order of courses required for progressing toward a certificate or degree. Community college students, particularly those from historically underserved backgrounds, face a variety of challenges associated with meeting academic requirements and completing their degree. In this study, we draw from semi-structured interviews with 80 historically underserved students and 9 advisors from a high-enrollment community college to explore how historically underserved students and their advisors consider and implement course-sequencing strategies when building students' academic schedules. Taken together, our emergent themes revealed that (1) historically underserved community college students were concerned primarily with fulfilling degree audit requirements, (2) the importance and difficulty of navigating the first semester of college, (3) the role and influence of non-curricular barriers to students' academic success, and (4) the challenges and opportunities associated with taking online courses. Our findings suggest a potential need for institutional policies or requirements designed to ensure historically underserved students meet with their advisors at set intervals and receive evidence-based advising recommendations related to appropriate ordering and combinations of courses given their academic progress, degree program, and individual goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/00221546.2024.2429978
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 35
        StartPage: 675
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Curriculum planning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Community colleges
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Online education
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      – SubjectFull: Low-income students
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      – SubjectFull: Academic programs
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      – SubjectFull: Counseling in higher education
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      – TitleFull: Navigating Course-Sequencing Decisions and Community College Pathways for Historically Underserved Student Populations.
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              Text: 2026
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