The accountability of colleges and universities is a high priority for those making policy decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine institutional characteristics predicting retention rates, graduation rates and transfer-out rates using publicly available data from the US Department of Education. Using regression analysis, it was…

Since 1998, the Iowa Department of Education's Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation has compiled and published "The Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges." This report is designed to help Iowans understand the challenges and opportunities community colleges face in providing quality programs to meet the…

Each year, Iowa's 15 community colleges submit data on enrollment on the 10th business day of the fall semester. Some highlights from this report focus on: (1) Iowa's Community Colleges; (2) Credit Enrollment and Demographics; (3) Online Enrollment; (4) Joint Enrollment; (5) Credit Student Awards; (6) Credit Programs; (7) Non-Credit Enrollment and…

Although writing groups have a long history in higher education, they have only recently been recognized as a support strategy for doctoral students, particularly those at the dissertation stage. From the perspective of student participants, we investigate motivations for participation in and perceived outcomes of voluntary semi-structured writing…

Data reported in the Condition Report comes primarily from each of Iowa's 15 community colleges, transmitted each fall to the division's Management Information System (MIS). Upon receipt, division staff review the data for discrepancies and return summary reports to the colleges to confirm accuracy. After confirmation, data files are aggregated…

With the growing demand for improving college completion rates has come a need for more thorough information about just how well or poorly colleges and their students are performing on a variety of measures. In a growing number of states, that data is being used to improve the number of students who finish their degrees. Some states and…

This report examines the efforts of 46 European nations to harmonize (not "standardize") their higher education systems and indicates that the United States higher education system needs to adopt some of the features of the Bologna Process. Based on what can be learned from the Bologna Process, this report makes concrete suggestions for…

The title of this document is a deliberate play on the title of the biennial reports on the progress of Bologna produced by the European Students' Union, "Bologna With Student Eyes." It is a way of paying tribute to student involvement in the Bologna reforms, and marking a parallel student working participation in the state system…

Measuring the progress of students toward completing their college education is an important gauge of how well California's postsecondary education systems are meeting the needs of students and the public. This report provides an assessment of persistence as a measure of student success at California's public universities and is one of a series of…

This report is one in a series examining performance measures adopted by the Commission as part of an accountability framework for higher education in California. All measures correspond to one of four goals: (1) Student Preparation for College; (2) Affordability and Access; (3) Student Success in Progressing through College; and (4) Public…