A two-part virtual learning series connecting student-centered research to ACC’s Theory of Change.
Learning Session 1: Housing, Parents, and the Data Driving the Theory of Change
Virtual Webinar | 60 Minutes
Date: Friday Nov 14, 2025 at 11 am
Join us for a one-hour virtual learning session where recent doctoral research meets ACC’s Theory of Change. Two ACC staff who recently completed their dissertations will share findings from in-depth studies on our students that directly inform the Meet Basic Needs pillar of our ToC.
Featured Research:
- Housing Insecurity & Persistence (Dr. Karen Serna)
A recent survey of ACC students revealed that 55 percent had faced challenges securing or maintaining affordable, safe, and quality housing. Dr. Serna’s research looks at how housing insecurity shapes key outcomes like GPA, course withdrawals, and retention, and what this means for student success efforts across ACC. - The Enrollment Decisions of Student-Parents (Dr. April Adams)
Parenting students can face unique challenges managing their caregiving responsibilities alongside their educational goals, particularly compared to peers without dependents. At ACC, approximately 12% of students are parenting students. Explore how student-parents make enrollment choices and how essential supports like childcare shape access, persistence, and belonging.
The session will feature each research study followed by a Q&A with the researchers.
Learning Session 2: Belonging, Engagement, and the Data Driving the Theory of Change
Virtual Webinar | 60 Minutes
Date: Friday Nov 21, 2025 at 10 am
Continue learning in our second 60-minute virtual session, focused on the Belonging & Connection pillar of the Theory of Change. This session weaves together doctoral research and institutional data on belonging, well-being, and academic success for ACC students.
Featured Research:
- ACC’s Sense of Belonging – Findings from Three Surveys of Student Engagement (Dr. Susan Burkhauser)
See where our students feel most (and least) connected, and how engagement patterns point to new opportunities for improving belonging across programs and campuses. - The Power of LGBTQ+ Belonging (Dr. Christine Hall)
Hear how LGBTQ+ students describe the campus conditions that most support belonging, mental health, and persistence—and what that means for every employee shaping our college climate.
