In Volume 1 we identified seven Domains, or types of knowledge and skills, that encompass both the demands of employers and the needs of community college students attempting to meet educational and employment goals. We also briefly described innovative ways in which colleges and technical institutes are imparting these competencies, based on our research of a random sample of one-third of public, two year postsecondary institutions (see “Sources of Information,” Appendix, Volume I). We observed, however, that integrating career preparation into all components of the community college is such a novel approach that faculty and administrators often have difficulty imagining how this might be accomplished. And so, in this Volume, we have gathered actual samples of course outlines, case studies and other learning activities, project/authentic assessment methods, and organizational arrangements to clarify how large and small, urban and rural colleges have integrated academic and career preparation.

Instructors and administrators have shared outstanding documents with us, and selecting, formatting, and editing them has presented challenges. In attempting to create useful, yet succinct information, we have taken liberties with the length and arrangement of the materials incorporated in Volume II of the Sourcebook. We have tried hard to maintain the aspects which offer the greatest guidance to colleges wishing to adapt novel practices for the benefit of their own students. Even so, it was not possible to include every worthwhile example we discuss in Volume I, so at the end of Volume II we have added a directory of names to contact for additional information. However, it is our strong determination to not besiege innovative faculty and campuses described in this monograph with requests for information that are essentially included in this publication; we believe these examples should be adequate to spark ideas for local programs.

We caution against the wholesale adoption of any course or approach–community colleges are local institutions, and need to respond to local conditions and environments. We offer the descriptions included in Volume I and the samples of Volume II as a creative springboard for other two year colleges to envision the possibilities that can occur at a local site.

Directions for Using Volumes I and II – Table of Contents

The Table of Contents for Volume II allows the reader to identify the Model and Description (described in Volume I: Introduction, section: “Directions for Using Volumes I and II”); the college from which this example was taken; and the Domains Assessed (described in Volume I: Introduction, section: “The Domains of Career Preparation,”). To make cross-referencing Volumes I and II simple, we noted which innovations in Volume I are accompanied by a sample in Volume II [II-"section number"] and which ones have only a name for further contact to gain descriptions beyond what is included in Volume I. Although we have separated “transfer” and “Associate degree” courses, the two are often quite similar in skill outcomes. The distinction occurs in the title of the course, academic background of the instructor, or in the way the course is structured. We suggest that readers consider “transfer-eligible” and “Associate-level” strategies together because of this substantial overlap. Note that the last four examples are not curricular, but, rather, are organizational schemes to encourage faculty knowledge and administrative skills, so they do not have Academic or Domain designation.

All of these samples depend upon learner-centered, active teaching and learning pedagogy. No curricular innovation can overcome didactic, lecture-oriented instruction.

Badway, N., & Grubb, W. N. (1997, October). A sourcebook for reshaping the community college: Curriculum integration and the multiple domains of career preparation. Volume II: Samples of career preparation innovation. Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

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