In the United States, transferring from a two-year program to a four-year program has become an increasingly important route toward a bachelor's degree. However, the pathway has an extremely high attrition rate. Utilizing two recent institutional reforms in the University System of Georgia, I show that allowing community colleges to offer…

The qualitative case study explored the factors that foster an atmosphere of belonging for men of color (MOC) attending a 2-year Predominantly White Institution. The pressing issue is that PWI colleges make the erroneous assumption that an extension or invitation of welcome is the same as fostering a sense of belonging for men of color (MOC). This…

The United States saw nearly one million Some College, No Degree students in just five years who, against all the odds, found their way back into postsecondary education and worked their way through to ultimately earn their first undergraduate credential. This report tells a story of success and points the way to further success. Former students…

This quantitative correlational study included an investigation of potential factors effecting high attrition rates in postsecondary online courses. Online learner-instructor interaction was examined by assessing instructor response times (RTs), student satisfaction, and final course grades at an online two-year postsecondary institution. A sample…

This review of the literature summarizes recent exploration of nursing student attrition. Attrition places financial burdens on students who leave a program, results in lost revenue for the college, and compounds the existing nursing shortage. Some research investigated the student selection process, which seeks to decrease attrition by admitting…

Developmental mathematics has been under the radar within higher education for some time. The reality is that there are many proven best practices in developmental math. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles that prevent student success. Moreover, the high rates of attrition and failure have led state legislators and college administrators to…

Attrition for entry-level, non-traditional college students taking developmental reading courses is a concern for higher education institutions. Students need to complete basic developmental reading courses in order to progress in their vocational or collegiate studies. This phenomenological study followed a social constructivist approach to…

This report provides a "first look" at selected findings from the 2012/14 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/14). It is based on final data describing a nationally representative sample of undergraduates who entered postsecondary education for the first time during the 2011-12 academic year. BPS:12/14 covers the…

As pushes for increased accountability in higher education continue, postsecondary institutions are interested in identifying early on students who are at-risk of leaving their institution. With this in mind, this study sought to identify incoming first-year student information (such as that available on the ACT student record) that postsecondary…

Prevalence of academic risk (PAR) group profiles provide data enabling empirically based group-specialized prescriptions for targeted academic success interventions to increase student retention, completion, and graduation rates, while improving allocation of institutional resources. Postsecondary student attrition engenders student debt,…

This dissertation presents a qualitative case study of students enrolled in online courses and how they perceived the orientation program they completed before starting these courses. The study was based on the perspectives of students enrolled in a fully online program at a small community college in western Maine. They were interviewed…

This article describes the effectiveness of open note quizzes in improving student outcomes in an introductory Human Anatomy and Physiology course. Results are discussed within the context of a teaching strategy called LETME (Link, Extract, Transform, Monitor and Extend), which was specifically developed for at risk community college students. The…

Introductory biology courses at two-year, open enrollment colleges in America are presented in a variety of different course delivery formats. Traditionally, most students have enrolled in seated or face-to-face (F2F) lectures and laboratories. There is increased demand for courses presented online or in a hybrid format, although some studies…

This article describes a doctoral program partnership between a university and a community college district that addresses the need of employment-planning strategies for building leadership capacity in the community college system. Succession planning information is provided as a foundational framework to plan for the next generation of community…