The goal of this dissertation was to understand how geek identity can be used to create opportunities for engagement and to build community for undergraduate students at a four-year public institution in a residential college setting. Schlossberg's theory of marginality and mattering and Astin's theory of involvement were used a framework to…

A substantial share of students studying in a face-to-face setting supplement their coursework with online courses, yet we have a limited understanding of online course-taking behavior. This study advances knowledge in this domain by examining an administrative dataset from the Pennsylvania State University. The detailed nature of our data allows…

Doctoral studies are often described as solitary and challenging endeavors, dependent on candidates' highly developed skills, self-driven nature, and commitment to engage in years of research activity. A range of university initiatives are specially crafted to support higher research degree students, for example, through digital and physical…

Traditional-aged college students examined the variables associated with teaching excellence using conjoint analysis. Educational Testing Service's Student Instructional Report (SIR), which has been shown to be related to student evaluations, was used to assess teaching excellence. The constructs from SIR were used as attributes in a survey…

On-campus college students are enrolling in online courses at a greater rate than ever before for a variety of reasons, from needing a more flexible schedule for work to keeping their degree progress on track when on-campus sections fill before they can enroll to utilizing a modern modality for coursework. In order for online courses to help…

Faced with the most drastic economic downturn since the Great Depression, public institutions of higher education have been increasing tuition, cutting programs, and finding creative ways to generate more revenue since 2008. Higher rates of housing occupancy lead to greater financial stability for colleges and universities (Mitchell &…

Students in the autism community are a currently underrepresented, yet growing, population in higher education, which strives to understand student experiences on campus and find ways to better support students with autism. This qualitative research study examined the expectations and experiences of seven students on the autism spectrum in…

The purpose of this program evaluation project was to examine how type of housing impacted campus participation and educational outcomes in students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) enrolled in an inclusive higher education (IHE) program. The participants were college students with IDD who completed postsecondary coursework…

This study reports on a survey of students in information sciences designed to test differences related to e-book formats and other factors. The results from 161 respondents suggest that strategic decision-making shapes use of different e-book and print format options for users who already have significant exposure to e-books. These format options…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student engagement and institutional strategies at Youngstown State University using National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) data collected by the Office of Assessment for the years of 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2018. A longitudinal analysis was conducted to determine if there was a…

As the national discussion about the affordability of U.S. higher education has become a pressing social topic, more university leaders are considering ways to reduce debt burdens and even tuition for today's college students. Housing is a big contributor and often an influence on cost increases for campus life. According to the College Board, the…

The "Fall 2022 Snapshot on International Student Enrollment" findings are based on responses from over 630 U.S. higher education institutions on current patterns in international student enrollment as of fall 2022. The report focuses on international students studying at U.S. higher education institutions in person or online (in the…

Understanding the factors that make college students more likely to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes is key to developing effective interventions in order to reduce these behaviors. This study sought to understand entering college students' intentions to engage in smoking and drinking behavior by examining the cognitive accessibility (ease of…

Given the challenges first-generation students face in college including lower likelihood to persist from their first to second year of college and the positive effect LLPs have been found to have on student outcomes, this study seeks to examine if and in what ways LLPs influence the first-year experiences of first-generation college students…

In March 2020, the South African President Mr Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown due to the rising cases of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, some of the higher education institutions closed under lockdown level 5 and strategies had to be developed to adapt to the "new norm". Consequently, students and the living and…