Understanding large-scale patterns in student course enrollment is a problem of great interest to university administrators and educational researchers. Yet important decisions are often made without a good quantitative framework of the process underlying student choices. We propose a probabilistic approach to modelling course enrollment…

Building upon the research findings in an earlier ACT Research Report (Westrick, 2016), this study used data from 119,131 students at 26 four-year institutions to make comparisons between STEM majors earning semester GPAs of 3.0 or higher and their STEM peers earning semester GPAs less than 3.0. The results indicate that the higher-performing…

Using date from 120,612 students at 26 four-year institutions, this report provides a description of STEM majors entering four-year postsecondary institutions and those who persist through four years of study. The results indicate that persisting STEM majors enter college with very high levels of pre-college academic achievement as measured by the…

As one of the important stakeholders in the academic process, students and their preferences should be considered when the instructor selects the various course design features. Although students are not the only stakeholders in the academic process, their receptiveness to classroom instruction is clearly a central focus of that process. This…

STUDENT ORIENTATION TOWARD COLLEGE WAS STUDIED BY ADMINISTERING A UNIFORM BATTERY OF TESTS AND QUESTIONNAIRES, INCLUDING THE CLARK AND TROW ROLE ORIENTATION INSTRUMENT (RO), TO 1,988 ENTERING FRESHMEN AT 13 SMALL COLLEGES. IN THE SPRING, 25 PERCENT OF THESE STUDENTS WERE GIVEN MOST OF THE SAME BATTERY. STUDENTS WERE CLASSIFIED INTO FOUR TYPES ON…