Although study skills courses improve student retention, the impact of study skills courses on students' academic self-efficacy has not been investigated. The present study examined pre- and posttest levels of academic self-efficacy in college students enrolled in a study skills course (n = 126) compared to students enrolled in a general education…

Background: Academic and pastoral support is fundamental to the achievement of a high-quality student learning experience. Aim: This study reports on full-time undergraduate students' views on the effectiveness of academic and pastoral support in one higher education institution. The intent of the study was to explore how academic and…

Increasing numbers of underprepared students are admitted to colleges and universities with aspirations of earning a degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline. Transitioning to college is difficult for all students, but can be especially challenging for the underprepared STEM student. Many of these students are…

When the number of college access and success organizations in St. Louis, Missouri, began to grow, some leaders began noticing that organizations were not coordinating their services to reach students; rather, they were developing a tendency toward competition for limited financial resources. Student-focused organizations have the ability to…

This compilation includes materials celebrating the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Education's Federal TRIO programs. The Federal TRIO programs were named such in 1968 after a trio of programs designed to foster increased educational opportunity and attainment: Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services. Since 1968, the…

Over the past 20 years, gaps in students' educational aspirations have shrunk considerably (Roderick et al., 2008; Roderick, Nagaoka, & Coca, 2011; Kao & Tienda, 1998; Avery & Kane, 2004; Turner, 2007; Deil-Amen & Tevis, 2010). Similarly, racial and ethnic gaps in college enrollment have shrunk. The one area in which postsecondary…

The purpose of this action research was to find out if participants of a pilot PASS program found it to be helpful. The program was implemented for the first time in an institute of higher learning in Malaysia. An action research design guided the study, with surveys, documents, and reflections as primary data sources. The findings were largely…

This study explores the association between a supplemental instruction (SI) program and student performance in an introductory accounting course. SI is a proactive academic support program that is aimed at improving student learning in traditionally "high-risk" college courses by integrating learning and critical thinking strategies with…

How does a Coupon Incentive Program motivate students to seek academic support in high-risk courses? Results from this study demonstrated that the Coupon Incentive Program was effective in motivating voluntary student attendance and improving student outcomes. Recommendations related to implementation of the Coupon Incentive Program are discussed.…

Students with merit-based scholarships and strong high school GPAs typically have high retention rates. Yet, many high ability students did not need to study in high school, and never developed effective academic skills. Such students may expect to excel in college with the same limited effort. Unfortunately, institutions may unintentionally…

This article provides qualitative insights into the ways that faculty can impact retention rates of online students. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted at random with 16 faculty who teach online courses at a community college in the Northeast. Faculty were asked to describe behaviors of online students that made them feel…

Traditionally, the collegiate advising system provides each student with a personal academic advisor who designs a pathway to the degree for that student in face-to-face meetings. Ideally, this is a supportive mentoring relationship. In truth, however, this system is highly inefficient, error prone, expensive, and a source of ubiquitous student…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the adjunct faculty's perception of professional development and support services offered and needed at Tidewater Community College, a multicampus community college. This study involved adjunct faculty only. A survey was created and contained 58 survey questions. The majority of these were…

This study examined the effect of the NOVA program, a Students Support Services program at Eastern Kentucky University, on academic success for first-generation and low-income college students. An archival database was used to identify differences in the level of academic success among first-year students in the NOVA program from fall-to-fall of…

The study examined the effects of two different instructional interventions as support for scientific discovery learning using computer simulations. In two well-known categories of difficulty, data interpretation and self-regulation, instructional interventions for learning with computer simulations on the topic "ecosystem water" were developed…