The six-year university graduation rate for minority, first-generation, and low-income students is significantly lower than it is for non-minority students, students whose parents went to college, and students from high-income families. The problem addressed in this study was small private, faith-based institutions do not have a viable model for…

Predicting school dropout rates is an important issue for the smooth execution of an educational system. This problem is solved by classifying students into two classes using educational activities related statistical datasets. One of the classes must identify the students who have the tendency to persist. The other class must identify the…

This study sought to identify traits and characteristics of secondary agricultural education programs contributing to success. A three round modified Delphi survey technique was utilized to frame this study. The researchers utilized purposive sampling to select members for the jury comprised of secondary agricultural instructors identified as high…

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) continue to appear across the higher education landscape, originating from many institutions in the USA and around the world. MOOCs typically have low completion rates, at least when compared with traditional courses, as this course delivery model is very different from traditional, fee-based models, such as…

Purpose: This paper deals with the experiences of three European universities that have implemented transition initiatives, using the Transition Network's methodology to promote their sustainability plans. The Transition Communities' model for change is presented from a socio-educational perspective as an effective methodology for encouraging…

Purpose: Educational institutions are caught between increasing their offer rates and attracting and retaining those prospective students who are most suited to course completion. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the influence of demographic and psychological constructs on students' preferences when choosing to study in a particular…

In the 21st century, attainment of a college degree is more important than ever to achieve economic self-sufficiency, employment, and an adequate standard of living. Projections suggest that by 2020, 65% of jobs available in the U.S. will require postsecondary education. This reality creates an unprecedented demand for higher education, and…

Do librarians with different characteristics, such as type of work responsibilities or age, have different learning styles? The authors analyzed results from over 1,500 responses to a version of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire based on the Felder-Silverman Learning Styles model. This model consists of eight dimensions paired on…

We examined how the experiences--academic, financial, social, and personal--and relationship factors of military-connected students attending a 4-year institution are associated with their academic success. This multi-institution study highlights the demographic characteristics, experiences, and campus relationships that are associated with…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of professional development experiences on the career competencies of continuing higher education unit leaders (CHEULs). In the American system of higher education, a CHEUL manages an administrative unit that offers educational programs to adult learners (Cranton, 1996). To face the challenges…

Many researchers have explored the relationships between the likelihood of graduating from college and demographic and pre-college factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, high school grade point average (GPA), and standardized test scores. However, additional factors such as a student's college major, home address, or use of learning support in…

While the importance of institutional mission is acknowledged within the higher education community, there is a lack of empirical evidence investigating how missions are experienced. Using survey data from students and faculty, this study investigates perceptions of mission engagement at religiously affiliated and independent institutions.…

This study highlights factors associated with changes in earned hours for two cohorts of incoming freshmen during their first year. The objectives of this study are twofold: (a) to derive model(s) regressing the cumulative hours earned and differential hours earned on student demographic, socioeconomic, and academic characteristics; and (b) to…

The historic mission of community colleges has focused on serving the need of their local communities. From vocational training, lifelong learning courses, to the postsecondary transfer pathway; the scope of community college has remained expansive since their founding as extensions of local secondary schools. Today's community colleges enroll the…

Background/Context: Schools are integral to augmenting and diversifying the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. This is because K-12 schools can inspire and reinforce students' interest in STEM, in addition to academically preparing them to pursue a STEM career. Previous literature emphasizes the importance of…