This study focused on college students' development of conceptual knowledge in geographic information system (GIS). The aim of this study was to examine if and how students developed their conceptual knowledge during their enrollment in an introductory-level GIS course. Twelve undergraduate students constructed 36 concept maps and revised 24…

Writing skills are one of the most important skills college graduates need to possess; however, college graduates struggle to complete written communications proficiently in the workforce. Previous researchers have explained that college instructors must understand the students' fears with writing in order to create effective writing curriculum.…

Background: The constructs of interest and motivation are often identified as factors that contribute to the persistence of undergraduate college women in physics, mathematics, engineering, engineering technology, and computer science. A review of the literature regarding interest development and motivation as related to women as science,…

The purpose of this mixed-method case study was to explore the institutional practices that may influence persistence for Hispanic undergraduate students at a four-year public research university in Texas. Data were gathered from 255 students using an on-line survey and follow-up interviews with ten students and three administrators. The combined…

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that may contribute to the persistence and graduation rates of African American and Hispanic undergraduate males enrolled at regional four-year public universities in Texas. African American and Hispanic males have lower graduation rates in both secondary and post-secondary education than their White…

This research was a triangulated study of student attitudes towards instructors' rapport-building traits and their preferences amongst instructors' rapport-building practices in online learning environments. Participants were undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in courses within an educational technology program at a central Texas…

The purpose of this research was to examine the connections between personality types as illustrated by the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and the desire for social presence components within a technology based learning environment. Participants in the study were undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an educational technology program at a…

Undergraduate enrollment has grown and changed drastically over the past two decades, with a significant portion coming from nontraditional students who have returned to campuses to pursue a college degree. To better meet the needs and demands of nontraditional students, many institutions have implemented programs that allow for the awarding of…