How can universities ensure that the first-year learning experiences are purposeful, personal, and transformative? This study explores challenges post-secondary institutions face in the ever-changing landscape of first-year teaching and learning. It spanned 18 months and included surveys, reflections, and an environmental scan of 92 first-year…

Financial aid is often linked to evidence of learning inside the classroom (students' GPA) and financial need. This mixed-methods study describes an assessment of a scholarship designed to encourage learning outside the classroom that required incoming students to live in a living-learning community (LLC). Results showed that though receipt of the…

For this study, 1,884 adjudicated college students provided their impressions of the educational value and procedural fairness of their disciplinary experiences. Results indicated that a strong correlation exists between perceived fairness and educational value. Differences in students' perceptions emerged in regards to age, gender, and GPA, among…

The primary purpose of this case study was to determine if the university under study had adequate health-related programs, services, and supports in place to develop health-literate young adults. A secondary purpose was to identify strengths and gaps in these university health-related programs, services, and supports, which, if addressed, could…

The importance of gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has continued to be an area of national concern. Research examining women's experiences in STEM has highlighted several factors, both at the student- and institutional-level, that contribute to women's continued underrepresentation in STEM, especially in…

To improve student retention in distance education, Simpson suggested in 2003 that institutions analyse their own retention characteristics and "spot the leaks." In 2008 the Centre for Distance Learning at Laidlaw College, New Zealand, employed two part-time academic support coordinators in an effort to improve student retention and…

This study surveyed 239 community college students from Southern California to determine if the role of faculty and staff advisors of student clubs and organizations of intercultural, multicultural, and ethnic origin affected student outcomes in multicultural competence and career goals. These students participated in 42 different culturally and…

Describes one university's effort to promote campus diversity through a required freshman course. Discusses the three goals set for the course, outlines the method of evaluation used, describes the course's effects on student attitudes and beliefs, and reports student and faculty satisfaction regarding the course. (RJM)

At the mid-western land-grant university under study, undergraduate academic advising is part of the teaching mission and under the purview of the academic deans. In the decentralized system used, academic advising is delivered via full-time professional advisors in advising centers serving entire colleges or multiple curricula, full-time…

A study was conducted at Jefferson College to elicit opinions from a variety of groups as to the importance and effectiveness of 24 student services functions. Questionnaires were administered to 13 administrators, 23 classified staff, 84 faculty, 90 students, and 19 student services staff, asking them to indicate which of the 24 student services…

The American workplace today is unlike any other in history because for the first time it is made up of four distinct generations. The advising workplaces on today's college campuses mirror this generational diversity. Four generations and their different perceptions of work attitudes and values, management expectations, communication patterns,…

A study was conducted to determine the differences in the perceptions of administrators, student development practitioners, faculty, and students with respect to the effectiveness of selected student services in two-year colleges in Alabama. A survey instrument, requesting respondents to express their agreement or disagreement with 57 statements…