A pilot study was conducted to determine whether a computer-generated attendance monitoring system at Vincennes University (Indiana) could increase the academic success of developmental students and of students in two occupational programs currently having high attrition rates. The matched-classes pilot study was conducted during the fall semester…

Presents seven statements synthesizing the literature on the relationship between educational advising and student retention. Provides an advisement model designed to increase institutional holding power through ethical recruitment, honest orientation, continuous dissemination of information, and a developmental approach to the advising process.…

This final report evaluates California State University's (CSU) Summer Bridge and Intensive Learning Experience (ILE) programs, which are remedial/developmental programs providing basic skills instruction, orientation, and advisement to entering CSU students at risk of dropping out. The underlying objective of both programs is to increase the…

Presents three categories of approaches to assess the impact of college supplemental instruction (SI) programs on an institution: anecdotal information; descriptive statistics; and inferential statistics. For SI programs required to justify their existence, these methods include a range of assessment devices from simple testimony to rigorous…

Reviews four types of student retention models identified in the literature (i.e., psychological, economic, organizational, and interactional). Describes and offers examples of four levels of developmental education programs, and identifies eight critical pedagogical components of developmental education. (DMM)

California State University's Summer Bridge program, a preenrollment course for underprepared freshmen that focuses on improving basic skills and familiarizing students with the university environment, has been successful in increasing first- and second-year retention rates for its first three student cohorts. (Author/MSE)

Reviews results of a study assessing the effectiveness of developmental studies program policy at a community college. Issues addressed include required remediation of skill-deficient students, enrollment in college-level courses by skill-deficient students, and differing policies for skill-deficient students depending on extent of deficiency.…

In 1984, a study was conducted to gather information regarding the rates and patterns of student transfer from Roxbury Community College (RCC) to four-year institutions. Information on the 178 students who graduated from RCC in 1981 and 1982 was obtained from the RCC Registrar's office and the four-year institutions in Massachusetts to which…

Results of a 1983 evaluation of Pennsylvania's ACT 101 programs, which provide support services to educationally and economically disadvantaged college students, are presented. Attention focuses on: the achievement and persistence of this population of students in 1975, 1977, and 1979; the attitudes of currently enrolled students; the attitudes…

A study investigated factors affecting participation, engagement, and retention of non-native English-speaking students (NNSs) in community college mainstream classes. The student sample included three classes in developmental English at a small western Massachusetts community college. Data were drawn from taped classroom observations and student…

A study of a summer bridge program's effects on low-income and minority groups students during their first year at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that such programs can facilitate transition and adjustment to university or college life and improve academic performance and persistence rates. (Author/MSE)

After studying national literature and local needs, Kutztown University (Pennsylvania) created the Student Support Services Freshman Year Program to help at-risk freshmen acclimate to the campus environment and succeed in college. The program consists of five components: academic advising/counseling; a freshman colloquium; a student-mentor…

This paper describes the development of the University of Georgia's Division of Developmental Studies--a program providing special developmental instruction to students who otherwise would not have been admitted to the school. It consists of four components: English, mathematics, reading, and counseling. The objectives of each of these components…

Drawing from studies conducted at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) between 1989 and 1991, this report offers a profile of developmental students at PGCC and an analysis of the remedial education needs of fall 1990 first-time students. The first section of the report reviews findings from a number of statewide and institutional studies…

Learning improvement programs for underprepared postsecondary students are reviewed, and a Decision Guide for Effective Programs, which summarizes knowledge needed for decision making, is presented. Research data are analyzed to identify features of learning improvement programs associated with improved grade point average and retention.…