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Community College of Philadelphia, a minority-serving institution, is the largest public college or university in Philadelphia. We are an open-admission institution with an enrollment of more than 34,000 students, which includes approximately 76 percent students of color and 53 percent students who are over twenty-five years of age. We offer seventy associate's degree and certificate programs in various fields, including business, humanities, allied health, liberal arts, science, technology, and social and behavioral sciences. Our main campus is located near downtown Philadelphia, and our three regional centers serve other areas of the city.
Our college chose to participate in the Association of American Colleges and University (AAC&U) Advancing Underserved Student Success through Faculty Intentionality in Problem-Centered Learning project because it aligned well with our strategic goals and interest in implementing high-impact practices, particularly those that have shown promise for underserved students. Like many US cities, Philadelphia wrestles with grave fiscal and social challenges. According to a 2014 report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia ranks first among the ten largest American cities for its percentage of residents living in deep poverty as defined by the number of residents with incomes lower than 50 percent of the federal poverty line. Not surprisingly, the city's public school system has been chronically underfunded, and many students graduate high school and enter college not fully prepared to succeed in college-level work. In line with national trends, approximately 70 percent of our incoming students need to complete at least one developmental course in writing, reading, or math before they are eligible to take collegelevel courses, and 84 percent of our full-time students and 67 percent of all students receive some type of financial aid.
We have much to gain from adopting strategies that enhance our students' learning experiences and improve their learning outcomes and chances of success. Initially, our team was focused primarily on learning about and implementing the teaching strategies that formed the basis for the project, namely, faculty intentionality and transparency and problem-centered learning. However, the connections between those practices and the college's efforts with regard to general education and assessment soon became evident. In addition to addressing our goals related to students' learning outcomes, the project offered an opportunity for valuable professional development experiences for faculty, including
1. Acquiring...