Table 1: Fluidity of Various Roles
Structure
Feedback
High School
Student
High
daily homework
Employee
Frequent
unit tests
Frequent
supervisor
feedback
Minimal
specific
approaches to
doing work
Variability Minimal
discrete
assignments
Clear
discrete job tasks
Community College
Student
Little
student-designed
schedule and time
management
Sporadic
few graded
assessments
High
independent study
Table 2: Academic Habits
Expected Behaviors and
Attitudes
Manage workflow
independently
Strategies
Organize and manage time
and time-related demands
• Use a syllabus
• Complete work without clear due dates or
that must be done over a long period of
time in increments
• Find the best time and place to study for
individual circumstances
• Plan ahead in order to carve out enough
time to complete assignments
• Study in new ways, and identify which
methods work best
Independent and reflective
note-taking
• Take notes from multiple sources
• Discern what is likely to be important
Use the “tools of the trade”
• Use tools and resources (such as CMS,
tutorial center, and library) appropriately
• Regularly access tools, even in the
absence of explicit instructions to do so
Table 3: Exhibiting Cultural Know-How
Expected Behaviors and
Attitudes
Engage in collegiate discourse
Demonstrate culturally defined
forms of respect and
commitment
Recognize that community
college is less forgiving than
high school or other venues
Strategies
• Use academic and non-colloquial language
in speaking and writing
• Engage in discussion about opinions
• Demonstrate openness to new ideas
• Participate in give-and-take with
professors
• Put forth strong effort
• Do not expect exceptions
• Adhere to rules and deadlines
• Adapt to instructors’ personal styles
Table 4: Balancing Multiple Roles
Expected Behaviors and
Attitudes
Make college a priority
Use the fluidity of the part to
their advantage
Communicate with instructors
early and often
Strategies
• Take responsibility for meeting deadlines
• “Stick-to-it-ness”
• Find a schedule that works for personal
circumstances
• Filter out distractions
• Have a plan
• Modify obligations
• Earn acknowledgement of the balancing
act by honest and frequent
communication
Table 5: Help-Seeking
Expected Behaviors and
Attitudes
Demonstrate awareness of
need
Gain knowledge of available
resources
Develop a sense of agency
Strategies
• Ask for help early
• Anticipate areas that might become
problematic in the future
• Know what resources are available
• Know when to use resources, how to do
so appropriately, and which ones to use
• Take the initiative to seek out help
• Ask for assistance rather than waiting for
it to be offered
• Advocate for oneself
From http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/defining-clarifyingrole-college-student.pdf
“They Never Told Me What to Expect, so I Didn’t Know What to Do”: Defining
and Clarifying the Role of a Community College Student, Working Paper No.
47, Melinda Mechur Karp and Rachel Hare Bork, July 2012, CCRC