Certain student populations including youth formerly in foster care, first-generation college students, those with mental illness and substance abuse issues, and racial and ethnic minority students, face persistent challenges to their pursuit of college education, contributing to low graduation rates compared to their peers. This article details…

As we innovate, it is important to keep in mind what might be the next stage for the recipients of our efforts on their behalf. This is particularly true when innovating in response to crisis circumstances. As we address the immediate challenge of ensuring children in refugee situations have their right to education met, we need to remember that…

Learning Expectations and Academic Preparation (LEAP) was a two-year pilot offering a cohort (20 students) of our lowest scoring English and mathematics developmental students an intensive cross-disciplinary semester to accelerate through their developmental courses. Blending learning community and summer bridge best practices, LEAP incorporated…

The creation of a Sophomore Learning Community (SLC) model can help address concerns about the "sophomore slump" and sophomore attrition. While managing the logistics of a sophomore LC can be difficult, with proper faculty, staff, and administrative support, positive results can be produced. This article outlines the need for Sophomore…

There is a shortage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) educated workforce in the US, especially among minority and underrepresented groups. Recruiting and retaining STEM majors has been a major problem for universities and community colleges for many years. The Computer Science department of University of Houston-Clear Lake…

Introductory biology courses are supposed to serve as gateways for many majors, but too often they serve instead as gatekeepers. Reliance on lectures, large classes, and multiple-choice tests results in high drop and failure rates. Critiques of undergraduate science education are clear about the problems with conventional introductory science…

Students entering college face many obstacles to success. Students who received a General Education Development (GED) face additional barriers that must be addressed in order for success in higher education. The Successful Transitions and Retention Track Program employs a holistic approach to addressing the needs of GED holders entering college.

One-fourth of all ninth graders in the United States will not graduate from high school within four years, despite the fact that the 21st Century workplace requires more advanced knowledge and skills than ever before. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive strategy to keep teens in school and ensure that they graduate prepared for the future,…

Recent years have seen growing interest in electronic learning portfolios (e-portfolios) as a tool to support student learning across higher education in both public and private colleges and universities. The concept of an e-portfolio is multifaceted--it is a technology, a pedagogical approach, and a process, as well as a product. Its purpose can…

This paper discusses a proposal for a pilot project that will train undergraduate students to interact effectively with faculty. The training is targeted for both social and academic situations. The students involved in the project are opportunity program students who may or may not be on academic probation. The project is an extension of a…

Within the context of traditional quality management principles, a program designed to enhance soft skills of College Algebra students was piloted in fall 2001. Results of the pilot project include increased retention, persistence, note-taking ability, and positive responses concerning course expectations. Quality enhancement efforts in this…

Over the past twenty years, the attention that colleges and universities have paid to students' first year experience has grown exponentially. The reasons for this phenomenon include changes in demographic characteristics of the students themselves, concerns about the high dropout rate that peaks between the first and second year, and recognition…

This report describes the best practices described by national experts, some of the actions that are currently being taken by Colorado institutions of higher education and recommendations for improving programs to retain and graduate minority and low-income students. Over the course of the taskforce's meetings, it became clear that Colorado's…

In an effort to improve minority recruitment and retention, the University of Arizona collaborated with Pima Community College to launch the Exploratory Transfer Institute (ETI), a summer program to encourage minority students who were not considering transfer to do so. The ETI was conceived, planned, and implemented through a relatively complex…

Evaluation can provide the assessment information for considering program change as well as be integral to the program design and pilot test of any new institutional intervention. (Contains 4 tables.)