Education Commons^™

Lgbtq Students, Tammy R. Johnson, Daniel Weber

Tammy R. Johnson

As with any sub-population of college stu­dents, there is a great deal of variance among individual LGBTQ students in terms of their ex­pectations and desires when it comes to choos­ing or persisting at a particular college. Perhaps the one unifying objective among members of this group is a goal common to almost every student at every level of study: to find an edu­cational environment in which the student will feel valued and supported while pursuing his or her educational goals. To this end, LGBTQ stu­dents have unique needs that historically have gone unaddressed.

The Engineering Admissions Partnership Program: A Navigation Strategy For Community College Students Seeking A Pathway Into Engineering, Marcia R. Laugerman, Mack C. Shelley, Steven K. Mickelson, Diane T. Rover

Diane Rover

This paper presents the evaluation of a program designed to improve transfer outcomes for community college students pursuing an engineering degree. The program, the Engineering Admissions Partnership Program (E-APP), was designed to improve the navigational success of community college transfer students through connections to the university. These connections include coordinated academic advising, peer-mentoring, campus visits, and online social and professional networks. The objective of the study is to determine the efficacy of the E-APP and its interventions, which will be measured by increased participation rates and increased university retention rates for E-APP participants. Outcome data for the students are analyzed …

Review Of Years 9 To 12 Tasmania : Final Report, Geoff N. Masters, Kathryn Moyle, Sheldon Rothman, Hilary Hollingsworth, Bill Perrett, Paul R. Weldon, Kate Perkins, Justin Brown, Ali Radloff, Patricia Freeman, Sofi Damianidis

Ali Radloff

The Tasmanian Government is currently implementing significant reforms to improve students’ retention and attainment in Tasmania’s schools. There is a concern in the Tasmanian community however, that their students’ performances are among the lowest in the nation. Reasons nominated for these results include weak literacy and numeracy levels; low attendance rates; high anxiety around transitions between Year 10 and Year 11 by some students, especially among those living outside of the larger cities; students seeking alternative education options; and family, financial, health and carer based issues. It is against this backdrop that the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was …

Review Of Years 9 To 12 Tasmania : Final Report, Geoff N. Masters, Kathryn Moyle, Sheldon Rothman, Hilary Hollingsworth, Bill Perrett, Paul R. Weldon, Kate Perkins, Justin Brown, Ali Radloff, Patricia Freeman, Sofi Damianidis

Dr Paul Weldon

The Tasmanian Government is currently implementing significant reforms to improve students’ retention and attainment in Tasmania’s schools. There is a concern in the Tasmanian community however, that their students’ performances are among the lowest in the nation. Reasons nominated for these results include weak literacy and numeracy levels; low attendance rates; high anxiety around transitions between Year 10 and Year 11 by some students, especially among those living outside of the larger cities; students seeking alternative education options; and family, financial, health and carer based issues. It is against this backdrop that the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was …

Review Of Years 9 To 12 Tasmania : Final Report, Geoff N. Masters, Kathryn Moyle, Sheldon Rothman, Hilary Hollingsworth, Bill Perrett, Paul R. Weldon, Kate Perkins, Justin Brown, Ali Radloff, Patricia Freeman, Sofi Damianidis

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

The Tasmanian Government is currently implementing significant reforms to improve students’ retention and attainment in Tasmania’s schools. There is a concern in the Tasmanian community however, that their students’ performances are among the lowest in the nation. Reasons nominated for these results include weak literacy and numeracy levels; low attendance rates; high anxiety around transitions between Year 10 and Year 11 by some students, especially among those living outside of the larger cities; students seeking alternative education options; and family, financial, health and carer based issues. It is against this backdrop that the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was …

Review Of Years 9 To 12 Tasmania : Final Report, Geoff N. Masters, Kathryn Moyle, Sheldon Rothman, Hilary Hollingsworth, Bill Perrett, Paul R. Weldon, Kate Perkins, Justin Brown, Ali Radloff, Patricia Freeman, Sofi Damianidis

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

The Tasmanian Government is currently implementing significant reforms to improve students’ retention and attainment in Tasmania’s schools. There is a concern in the Tasmanian community however, that their students’ performances are among the lowest in the nation. Reasons nominated for these results include weak literacy and numeracy levels; low attendance rates; high anxiety around transitions between Year 10 and Year 11 by some students, especially among those living outside of the larger cities; students seeking alternative education options; and family, financial, health and carer based issues. It is against this backdrop that the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was …

Factors Affecting The Matriculation Of African American Undergraduate Students: An Exploratory Study, Leila Halawi, Andrew Knowles, Richard Mccarthy

Leila A. Halawi

In this study, a regression analysis was conducted to explore the factors associated with African American student retention and graduation. The study sample is comprised of 133 undergraduate African American MIS students at a southeastern, private university. This university uses Blackboard. Using a structure that is grounded on Astin’s student involvement theory, the results of this preliminary investigation indicated that both academic involvement and student involvement share a positive relationship with student retention.

Retention And Attrition Of Students In Higher Education: Challenges In Modern Times To What Works, Marguerite Maher, Helen Macallister

Marguerite Maher

Retention and attrition rates in higher education have long been a focus of research. This paper presents findingsof a single case study, undertaken in a School of Education, which identify important strategies that have led to attrition of five to eight per cent, compared with 18 per cent cross the education sector in Australia (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2004). Findings include: individual admissions interviews, funding of an Associate Dean Pastoral Care, course coordinators providing continuity of support, easy access for students to academic staff, well-supported, extended professional experience, senior staff lecturing undergraduates, congruence between co-curricular supports and the …

Why Did They Come Here? - The Influences And Expectations Of First-Year Students’ College Experience, Louis S. Nadelson, Carrie Semmelroth, Gregory Martinez, Matthew Featherstone, Casey Alexander Fuhriman, Andrew Sell

Carrie Semmelroth

Students’ expectations and experiences with university life are influenced by a number of variables. Many universities develop programs or promote aspects of existing programs to market the university’s image. This research was motivated by our desire to determine the relationships between first-year students’ college expectations and experiences, their awareness of the university’s programming and projected image, the influence of the programming and image on their decision to attend the institution, and the students’ personal characteristics. Our survey of 351 first-year students revealed positive perceptions of their university expectations and experiences, a mixture of influences on their decision to attend the …

Creating A Comprehensive Early Warning System To Further Student Success And Retention, Shane P. Hammond

Shane P Hammond

Student retention is critical to successful outcomes in higher education today. This completed project is about how to better track a student's performance and work with those struggling academically so that they are given the tools to better academic performance. This project reviewed the Academic Deficiency Report System at Greenfield Community College and identified flaws in the process that did not serve the students well. Based on the author's research of early warning models in the literature and best practices across the state of Massachusetts, an Early Progress Report and notification process was developed. This new version of the early …

Retrenchment In Higher Education: Public Perceptions And Marketing Implications, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Jamie Waltz, Jordan Mcknight

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

Many institutions in higher education are actively engaged in the retrenchment process; that is, eliminating, redacting or restructuring administrators, staff, faculty, programs and services in order to achieve financial stability. This research examined public perceptions of retrenchment by conducting a series of modified Delphi groups. Results suggest a public awareness and belief that retrenchment will not impact academic or experiential quality. Presented is REDUCE – a retrenchment strategy and process for university administrators and marketing professionals.

Adult Learner Considerations In Admissions And Enrollment, Tammy R. Johnson, Sonja G. Cantrell

Tammy R. Johnson

As national focus on retention and student success increases, many states and institutions are looking for ways to increase the number of students who ultimately earn degrees. Many are realizing that the non-traditional adult student population is a historically untapped demographic that can provide almost instant, positive changes in graduation rates. This group is often considered low-hanging fruit and can be targeted to quickly complete unfinished degrees. This is especially true for institutions that have a large number of non-completers with high numbers of earned hours. Many non-returners have 90 or more earned hours and simply need some encouragement and …

Adult Learner Considerations In Admissions And Enrollment, Tammy R. Johnson, Sonja G. Cantrell

Sonja G. Cantrell

As national focus on retention and student success increases, many states and institutions are looking for ways to increase the number of students who ultimately earn degrees. Many are realizing that the non-traditional adult student population is a historically untapped demographic that can provide almost instant, positive changes in graduation rates. This group is often considered low-hanging fruit and can be targeted to quickly complete unfinished degrees. This is especially true for institutions that have a large number of non-completers with high numbers of earned hours. Many non-returners have 90 or more earned hours and simply need some encouragement and …

What Matters In College For Retaining Aspiring Scientists And Engineers From Underrepresented Racial Groups, Mitchell J. Chang, Jessica Sharkness, Sylvia Hurtado, Christopher B. Newman

Christopher B. Newman

This longitudinal study examined factors that contribute to the persistence of underrepresented racial minority (URM) undergraduates in STEM fields. The primary source of data came from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s 2004 The Freshman Survey (TFS) and 2008 College Senior Survey (CSS). The sample included 3,670 students at 217 institutions who indicated on the TFS that they intended to major in a STEM field, 1,634 of whom were underrepresented minority (URM) students. Findings indicate that Black and Latino undergraduates were significantly less likely to persist in STEM majors than were their White and Asian American counterparts. Background characteristics and college …

Examining Factors Influencing Attrition At A Small, Private, Selective Liberal Arts College, Ann M. Gansemer-Topf, Yi (Leaf) Zhang, Cameron C. Beatty, Scott Paja

Cameron C. Beatty, Ph.D.

Despite a diverse body of literature on college student retention, studies focusing on small, private, selective liberal arts colleges are limited. This study utilized a mixed methodology beginning with logistic regression analyses and followed with a qualitative inquiry that included interviews with students who had not persisted. While variables impacting persis- tence at selective institutions may differ from other types of institutions, the role of student affairs in student success remains critical.

Psychometric Analysis Of The Appreciative Advising Inventory, Nancy Crone

Nancy Crone

The Appreciative Advising Inventory is an instrument created for use in academic advising. The inventory helps the advisor get to know and understand the student, which in turn allows the advisor to better assist the student. This research provides a psychometric analysis of the Appreciative Advising Inventory to measure its validity and reliability and recommends alterations to the inventory based on the results of these analyses.

Assessing The Academic, Personal And Social Experiences Of Pre-College Students, Terence Hicks

Terence Hicks, Ph.D., Ed.D.

This study examined the before-and-after effects of transitional summer programs at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, on pre-college students' perceptions, expectations, emotions, and knowledge about college. The study focused on academic, personal and social experiences, and how these changed throughout the course of the summer program. The participants (n=197) of this study were traditional, first-time, full-time pre-college students. The participants attended one of two six-week summer programs, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program (LSAMP) or the Preparation and Adjustment for College Entrance Program (PACE). This study used a pre- and post-test, two-group comparison design with a quantitative component …

Turning Data Into Insight: A Data Driven Retention Model, Oscar T. Mcknight, Wenhui Jin

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

This poster session addresses how to turn data into insight; that is, when attempting to increasing college retention rates by Student Affairs assessment and intervention. The presentation emphasizes a four part strategy and culminates in demonstrating how to construct a predictive chart or a multivariate computer program; with an overview of both simple and multiple regression models. The ultimate goal is to design interventions that will upset the prediction model and increase student retention.

Higher Education Lockout: Examining The Low Income Student Experience, Charmaine E. Troy

Dr. Charmaine E. Troy

No abstract provided.

Australian Apprentice Retention Pilot Project: Report To Megt, Justin Brown, Phillip Mckenzie, Adrian Beavis

Dr Justin Brown

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was engaged in February 2010 by MEGT to conduct research on the retention of first-year apprentices participating in the MEGT mentoring and social networking program. Sponsored by DEEWR, the Australian Apprentice Retention Pilot Project aims to improve the retention of apprentices in skills shortage trades. The project involves the provision of mentors to support apprentices at three sites: in Queensland (Logan/Ipswich); New South Wales (Western Sydney); and Victoria (Southeast Melbourne). The role of the mentors is to visit the apprentice and maintain ongoing contact through social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter …

Farther Faster: Credential To Credit, Stuart Wasilowski

Stuart Wasilowski

This report considers a number of issues related to retention and the associated issues related to persistence and degree completion among college students. The purpose of the report is to optimize existing SPCC policies that might impact retention, completion, and employability for students, families and communities long term. For the purpose of this report a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) survey was developed and administered to the North Carolina Community College System institutions. The PLA survey assessed to what extent prior learning assessment is used among the North Carolina Community College System institutions.

A recommendation is provided on a strategy to …

Reaching Out, Connecting Within: Community Service And Sense Of Belonging Among College Students, Krista M. Soria, Jordan N. Troisi, Michael J. Stebleton

Michael J. Stebleton

This study examined the relationship between students’ participation in community service and their sense of belonging on campus. Furthermore, the study explored whether the ways in which students become involved in community service yield different associations with their sense of belonging. Using the Student Experience in the Research University survey administered to students at 12 large, public research universities in 2010, it was discovered that general participation in service and becoming involved in service through student organizations, fraternities or sororities, and university departments are positively associated with students’ sense of belonging; finding service opportunities on one’s own is negatively associated …

Australian Apprentice Retention Pilot Project: Report To Megt, Justin Brown, Phillip Mckenzie, Adrian Beavis

Dr Phillip McKenzie (retired)

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was engaged in February 2010 by MEGT to conduct research on the retention of first-year apprentices participating in the MEGT mentoring and social networking program. Sponsored by DEEWR, the Australian Apprentice Retention Pilot Project aims to improve the retention of apprentices in skills shortage trades. The project involves the provision of mentors to support apprentices at three sites: in Queensland (Logan/Ipswich); New South Wales (Western Sydney); and Victoria (Southeast Melbourne). The role of the mentors is to visit the apprentice and maintain ongoing contact through social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter …

Leaders Of Today Are Challenged By Generation X Workforce Retention, Joyce K. Kutin

Joyce K Kutin RN, MSN, MOL

Many organizations today are comprised of a culturally diverse workforce. In addition to organizational diversity related to gender, ethnicity, race, or religious beliefs, there are also four different generations working side by side. Today’s workforce includes the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. The Silent Generation is known for their lifestyle approach of consistency, uniformity, conformity, law and order, hard work and playing by the rules. Baby Boomers were the first generation to grow up with television; they were the first to have broad access to news, issues, advertising, and a variety of programming. Generation X …

Writing And The World Of Work: An Integrative Learning Community Model At A Two-Year Institution, Michael J. Stebleton, Nicholas Nownes

Michael J. Stebleton

Learning community (LC) programs continue to proliferate across college campuses as a strategy to engage and retain students. Although evidence exists to suggest increased levels of social engagement among LC participants, there is an ongoing debate about the impact on student academic engagement and intellectual development. This article describes a learning community effort at a community college between an English composition faculty member and a faculty counselor who teaches a life-career planning course. A primary objective of this collaboration was to promote deeper student integrative learning. Students in the LC engaged in the process through writing, reflection, and self-assessment based …

Hot Topic #2 - Local Impact, Global Reach, Jamie Comstock

Jayne Marie Comstock

This presentation is the second in a series of Hot Topic discussion platforms used (a) to orient the Butler Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Committee to current issues in higher education and (b) to stimulate meaningful discussion regarding how Butler addresses these concerns. The Hot Topics for review during the 2010-2011 Board meetings are: Accountability: Promoting Access & Student Success; Civic Engagement: Inspiring Students to Become Agents of Change; Global Awareness: Educating Across Borders; and Generating & Allocating Resources: Becoming Market-Smart Supports Being Mission-Driven.

This second presentation combines the discussion on Civic Engagement and Global Awareness, explaining that these are …

Enhancing Student Engagement In A Multidisciplinary, First-Year Experience Course, Michael J. Stebleton, Murray Jensen, Gary Peter

Michael J. Stebleton

Three faculty members from three different professional disciplines outline strategies to engage first-year students in a team-taught, multidisciplinary first-year experience course. The theme of the discussed section is titled "food for thought…and action." Assignments are grounded in theories of cooperative and experiential learning. Tentative outcomes and students’ reactions are shared. Practical suggestions are included for educators who wish to implement comparable initiatives at their respective institutions.

Building Bridges: Community College Practitioners As Retention Leaders, Michael J. Stebleton, Leanne Schmidt

Michael J. Stebleton

Community colleges face struggles in helping students meet their academic, career, and personal goals. Student affairs practitioners can be innovators by creating initiatives to engage students. Practitioners can act as a bridge between student and academic affairs. This article explores how a group of counselors redefined their roles by designing a first-year experience effort. A program implemented at Inver Hills Community College focused on student success is highlighted. Features, outcomes, and lessons learned are outlined.

Hot Topic #1 - Access And Student Success, Jamie Comstock

Jayne Marie Comstock

This presentation is the first in a series of Hot Topic discussion platforms used (a) to orient the Butler Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Committee to current issues in higher education and (b) to stimulate meaningful discussion regarding how Butler addresses these concerns. The Hot Topics for review during the 2010-2011 Board meetings are: Accountability: Promoting Access & Student Success; Civic Engagement: Inspiring Students to Become Agents of Change; Global Awareness: Educating Across Borders; and Generating & Allocating Resources: Becoming Market-Smart Supports Being Mission-Driven.

The first presentation outlines the national conversation on student access to quality higher education by accenting …