The following evaluation considered on-time degree completion at a graduate and professional school within a private R1 institution in the southeastern united states using social and academic domains. This evaluation also considered both institutional and individual student support. Further, it explored whether student experiences are consistent…

First-generation college students without broad support networks are more likely to leave STEM majors. In rural West Virginia, the First2 Network aims to improve STEM persistence by including students in creating solutions to STEM attrition. One solution, a research program for rising first-year students in STEM majors, is discussed here. The…

In this study, we examine the short-term effects of an intervention aimed at developing teachers' responsive pedagogy in mathematics. The study analyses how an emphasis on responsive pedagogy in 9th grade classrooms over a period of seven months might strengthen students' feedback, self-regulated learning, self-efficacy and achievement in…

The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public Carnegie Foundation Research institution with 14 schools and colleges that enrolls more than 18,000 undergraduate students at the main campus in Storrs, CT. Beginning in 1999, First-Year Experience (FYE) seminars were offered to entering freshman students. Since that time, the size of the program…

This article reports that some graduate programs are switching from comprehensive qualifying exams to portfolios compiled by doctoral candidates. Five years ago the graduate program at the University of Kansas' history department was like many others--filled with small cohorts of anxious, fearful procrastinators. Doctoral students were taking an…

A study of transcripts of adult students and younger counterparts to examine patterns of credit load, stopping out, and the flow from special student status to matriculant is presented. Results support earlier findings about academic achievement, and presents new evidence that adult students' pace is generally brisker than previously assumed. (MSE)

Analysis of transcripts and survey responses of undergraduate students in one university identified three types of student extenders (full-time students taking longer than normal to complete a degree), determined by financial need, grade-consciousness, and special situations. Characteristics of these groups are compared with those posited by…

Data from a National Collegiate Athletic Association survey indicate trends in graduation rates, length of time in school, and student financial aid for men, women, minority groups, and all colleges students. Graduation rates at 298 Division I institutions for all students and for men and women athletes are presented. (MSE)

A study of long-term doctoral student persistence patterns at Cornell University (New York) indicates students are more likely to complete their degrees, and in less time, if they receive fellowships rather than research or teaching assistantships, especially if fellowships are awarded in the first year. (MSE)

A study investigated differences in the length of time taken to earn a doctoral degree in three disciplines--chemistry, English, and psychology. The clearest findings emerged for psychology, where institutional variables affecting time to degree concerned faculty accessibility and department size. (Author/MSE)