This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) Using National Benchmarking Data to Improve Student Learning in Chemistry at Lebanon Valley College (Marc A. Harris); (2) Mutually Dependent Outcomes: Using Assessment to Improve First-Year Retention and Student Learning (Alan Bearman and Elaine Lewis); (3) Emergent…

The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in the reliabilities of cumulative college grade point averages (GPAs), estimated for unweighted and weighted, one-semester, 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year GPAs. Using cumulative GPAs for a freshman class at a major university, we estimate internal consistency (coefficient alpha) reliabilities for…

Academic and research libraries have been increasing their efforts for a number of years to demonstrate their contributions to student learning outcomes in support of the institutional educational mission. Whether through one-shot instruction or credited classes, libraries invest a great deal of time and effort in instructional programs. A key…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) Effective Leadership Assessment: A 360-Degree Process; (2) Editor's Notes: Accentuating the Positive in Our Work; (3) The Broadcast Education Association's Model Rubrics Project: Building Consensus One Rubric at a Time; (4) Building a Better…

The following article describes programs used by universities and colleges to engage students; these programs include mentoring, learning communities, and first-year success courses and programs. We begin with a brief overview of student development theory, program descriptions and citations, and article summaries for key references. Next, we…

This article uses findings from the 2012 Tuition Discounting Study (TDS) conducted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) to provide a framework for institutional researchers to develop and adapt their own custom tuition discounting definitions and formulas. Under tuition discounting, colleges and…

"The EUROCALL Review" is published online biannually by the European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL). This issue offers regular sections on: (1) up-to-date information on Special Interest Groups; (2) reports on on-going CALL or CALL-related R&D projects in which EUROCALL members participate; (3) reports…

Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) often go above and beyond the call of duty to encourage engagement and provide support to traditionally underrepresented students. This issue of Lumina Foundation Focus magazine, titled "Pillars of progress," examines MSIs and their efforts to maximize student success. Following the President's Message, In…

This study is an investigation of the derivation of scores that predict whether or not prospective first-time freshmen will apply or will enroll and whether or not first-time freshman enrollees will graduate using data from the ACT (American College Testing) assessment. Using a regression methodology, four basic scores are derived to be…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "From No Child Left Behind to Every Child a Graduate": New Alliance Report Outlines Policy Framework for…

As more students enroll at community colleges, questions are raised about whether learning is the same in the two- and four-year sectors, both overall and for sub-groups, and whether effects of student backgrounds and college experiences on learning are similar. This study used structural equation modeling with CCSSE and NSSE data from a sample…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue looks at the differences between students enrolled part-time, compared with those enrolled full-time, during their first term. The analysis addresses differences in developmental needs, as well as various outcome measures -- persistence, credits completed, and accumulated…

Enrollment forecasting is the central component of effective budget and program planning. The integrated enrollment forecast model is developed to achieve a better understanding of the variables affecting student enrollment and, ultimately, to perform accurate forecasts. The transfer function model of the autoregressive integrated moving average…

The effects of various college preparation programs, class ranking, and student background characteristics on college retention were studied. The data were obtained from the National Education Longitudinal Study:1988-2000 and NELS:88/2000 Postsecondary Education Transcript Study. The sample contained 4,445 first-time freshmen students who enrolled…

The "Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning" ("MJCSL") is a national, peer-reviewed journal consisting of articles written by faculty and service-learning educators on research, theory, pedagogy, and issues pertinent to the service-learning community. The "MJCSL" aims to: (1) widen the community of…