This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of both first-generation (FG) students and employees of an Upward Bound (UB) program. The purpose of this study is to explore how an UB program at a private university in the Midwest can aid in bridging the educational gap for FG students while faced with obstacles such as reaching, engaging,…

Promise programs have grown in popularity as a way to provide college tuition/fees and other student supports in the hopes of increasing college access and success. This chapter presents results from a comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation of the Lake Tahoe Community College Promise Program. Using rich administrative data and interviews with…

While scholars recognize that engagement in Black and other affirming campus places strengthen Black college student retention efforts (Miller, 2017; Patton, 2006b; Solorzano et al., 2000; Volpe & Jones, 2021), less is known about how these areas become important to Black students. In this instrumental case study, I use the case of recent…

The number of Black males serving in the principal position drastically declined following the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which led to the desegregation of public schools. This unexpected outcome of Brown v. Board of Education caused Black educators to lose their jobs after being deemed unqualified to serve as teachers and…

Environmental assessment of residence halls and the impact of their associated educational and developmental spaces has concerned housing and residential life professionals for a considerable time. Given this understanding, a number of approaches to conduct environmental assessment have emerged. This case study utilized and expanded upon an…

Grant programs that foster the use of open educational resources (OER) significantly reduce undergraduate student spending on textbooks per semester. The Zero-Cost Course Materials (ZCCM) grant program at the University of California, Merced (UC Merced), eliminated text costs and ensured access to course materials by replacing required commercial…

This book offers a roadmap for developing, growing, and sustaining living-learning communities (LLCs) that promote student success and enhance the undergraduate experience. Drawing on the Best Practices Model presented in "Living-Learning Communities That Work," as well as updated research and rich, real-life examples from LLC…

Inequalities in student enrolment, retention and success for specific demographic groups exist throughout the higher education sector. Although there are numerous and diverse initiatives implemented in universities to support student retention and/or success, experience and/or satisfaction, the feasibility or effectiveness of programs targeting…

Nowadays, the improvement of digital learning with Artificial Intelligence has attracted a lot of research, as it provides solutions for individualized education styles which are independent of place and time. This is particularly the case for computer science, as a tutoring domain, which is rapidly growing and changing and as such, learners need…

Peer mentoring involves a reciprocal relationship of mutual benefits to both the mentee and mentor. To help first time in college students experience a smooth transition to college and empower at-risk college students, South Central University (all names in this paper are pseudonyms) implemented a pilot study for a FYE Peer Mentor Program in fall…

College students who engage in first-year programs such as peer mentorship are correlated with increased achievement, subjective enjoyment of their university experience, sense of belonging, and campus participation. While the effects of peer mentorship have been consistent, there has been little information shared considering the characteristics…

Access to college has increased substantially over the last 50 years, but student success--defined as the combination of academic achievement and degree or certificate completion--has largely remained stagnant. The gap between access and success is particularly noteworthy for male Black and Hispanic students, whose college completion rates lag…

Across cultures, young children learn primarily within their family, with the family's culture positioning the values, language and purpose of children's learning toward the family's goals. Quality education begins within families, and at school entry age, children's learning within their families is critical to their educational success. However,…

University class size is a frequently debated topic among stakeholders given its relation to student achievement, teaching and learning, program evaluation, and education economics. However, the extant literature in both K-12 and higher education contexts regarding class size is equivocal, with some citing evidence of an adverse effect on student…

In this study, we present a case study involving two self-service dashboards providing feedback on learning and study skills and on academic achievement. These dashboards were offered to first-year university students in several study programmes in Flanders, Belgium. Data for this study were collected using usage tracking (N = 2875) and a survey…