This paper reflects on an educator's perceived experiences and observations on the complex process of 'passage' when students transitioning from high school into their first-year of post-secondary education often struggle to adapt to academic writing standards. It relies on literature to further explore such a process. Written communication has…

This study focuses on healthcare students' perception of an inquiry-based approach to pandemics for an online history of medicine course. The course was designed using Bateman's Humanities Model of Inquiry. First-year undergraduate students (n = 111) responded to a questionnaire that included 19 items using a Likert scale and open-ended questions…

The under-representation of women in undergraduate science courses is well-documented. One significant challenge is that women may both perceive and receive less recognition from their science peers about their abilities as scientists than men. Here we investigate the presence and nature of such gender biases in peer recognition in the discipline…

There is a growing demand for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) trained workforce in the United States. In order to remain globally competitive, the US needs to increase the STEM workforce not only in numbers but also diversity. Colleges and universities throughout the US need to not only gain STEM majors but retain them…

This study aims to evaluate the effect of adventure education programs on resilience enhancement among first-year undergraduate students. The researchers designed adventure education courses using a benefits-based management activity planning model. An analysis is conducted using quasi-experimental and pre- and post-test non-equivalent group…

The aim of this study was to develop a novel assessment tool utilizing Schlossberg's 4S model (Situation, Self, Support, and Strategies), with a specific focus on assessing the career transition of high school senior students to university. The study group consisted of high school students from five different high schools. The pilot and trial…

To successfully interact in a new language, learners must effectively take turns and manage the floor. Expectations and rules for turn-taking can differ between languages, making this more than a question of grammatical proficiency and vocabulary acquisition. In addition, the increased use of videoconferencing software in education and beyond…

This research investigates the effects of a success coaching program by examining the timing of the first appointment and the frequency of additional coaching. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity approach, we provide Local Average Treatment Effects of the program when students make appointments early in the semester. Students with appointments…

For this pilot study, the use of the digital 3D anatomy application Complete Anatomy was evaluated as a non-mandatory additional study tool throughout the semester. The aim of the study was to investigate if the Complete Anatomy usage time had an effect on final exam grades and how the app was used post-COVID-19. This cross-sectional study asked…

Developmental Education reform has been a vital topic in the field of higher education for decades. There have been several initiatives to further engage under-prepared college students and move them through gateway courses like freshman-level English and Math. One of the more emergent instructional models is referred to as co-requisite…

This article details the challenges and possibilities of assigning first year students writing assignments that require engagement with emotions and memories during the COVID-19 pandemic (Fall 2021). Using one first year writing class as a case study, the author describes the challenges that arose in writing conferences. Noting the rise in mental…

In this article, I argue for centralizing revision in FYC classrooms, thereby establishing it as the vital component of composition that it is. I show that engagement with revision in FYC courses tends to be minimal, relegated to the end of a project, or completely omitted. These low standards for revision pedagogy can result in students not…

The problem with Black male persistence and retention on the community college level is largely presented from a deficit perspective. Even though the causes include multiple factors, such as deficits in literacy and mathematics, and lack of preparation on the K-12 level, first-year writing is also a major stumbling block to persistence. These…

The Suburban Boulevard Community College (SBCC), a pseudonym, has been experiencing a low persistence rate among first-year full-time students. Further, a gap in practice exists where college administrators at the SBCC were not assessing first-year students' level of college readiness as a likely predictor of low persistence. The study was…

This paper aims to study the effects that asynchronous and synchronous instructional methods have on student perceptions and attitudes towards online education. We analyze both qualitative and quantitative survey responses from 496 students in three large (greater than 200 enrolled students) first-year calculus classes at the University of Guelph.…