Student Success In Higher Education Research Articles

The effectiveness of teaching and learning strategies used by teachers in Sulu State College

In order to ascertain the efficacy of the instructional and educational methods that are utilized by instructors at Sulu State College, the study employed a purposive sampling method to select a sample of 100 teachers from various departments of the institution. This study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of teaching and learning strategies employed by instructors at Sulu State College. The findings highlight the importance of implementing effective strategies to promote student success in higher education and the possibility of improving teaching practices and increasing student involvement, which will ultimately contribute to enhanced learning outcomes at Sulu State College and broader educational institutions.

Facebook usage by students in higher education

In this paper I measure first year student Facebook usage as part of a broader PhD study into the influence of social media usage on the success of students in higher education. A total of 906 students were asked to complete 3 surveys on Facebook usage with their peers, for two consecutive years (2011-2012 and 2012-2013). The different purposes for Facebook usage, in addition to whether or not students used (self-created) Facebook-groups, were measured and the relationship between the use of pages compared to the purpose of Facebook usage. This resulted in significant correlations between the purpose of Facebook usage and the use of different pages, as well as correlations between the purpose and use of different pages. This study hereby explores the variation in student Facebook usage and provides valuable insight into the potential value of Facebook for students in an educational setting, without the interference of teachers. It is also the next logical step in revising existing integration and engagement theories that predict student success in higher education in contemporary society.

Enhancing Psychological Well-being in Higher Education Post-Covid-19 Pandemic. The Role of AI-Based Support Systems—Bibliometric Reviews

Psychological well-being is a cornerstone of student success in higher education. However, many students struggle with mental health challenges like stress, anxiety, and depression during and even after the Covid-19 pandemic. These challenges, often stemming from academic, personal, social, or career concerns, negatively impact student learning and development. This underscores the need for robust support systems within higher education (HE). Artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a promising field in educational technology, offering students readily available guidance on their path to well-being. This research, guided by the PRISMA Statement 2015, provides an overview of AI applications in higher education through a systematic review. From an initial pool of 270 publications identified between year 2021 and 2023, finally, 24 articles met our inclusion criteria and were analyzed for the final synthesis. This paper revealed three key areas where AI-based systems can support student well-being: i) AI’s Advancement and Potential: Exploring the evolving capabilities and promise of AI in this context. ii) Building Effective AI Systems: Identifying crucial components for successful AI-based well-being interventions. iii) Barriers to Implementing AI in Higher Education: Addressing ethical considerations and challenges unique to academic settings. The conclusions and the road ahead from this research is the critical need for ethical, well-designed AI-based systems to overcome existing barriers and deliver exceptional student well-being support services. By prioritizing student mental health and providing them with the necessary tools and resources, we can empower them to achieve their full potential and thrive in their academic endeavors.

Decoding Student Success in Higher Education: A Comparative Study on Learning Strategies of Undergraduate and Graduate Students


 
 Learning management systems (LMS) provide a rich source of data about the engagement of students with courses and their materials that tends to be underutilized in practice. In this paper, we use data collected from the LMS to uncover learning strategies adopted by students and compare their effectiveness. Starting from a sample of over 11,000 enrollments at a Portuguese information management school, we extracted features indicative of self-regulated learning (SRL) behavior from the associated interactions. Then, we employed an unsupervised machine learning algorithm (k-means) to group students according to the similarity of their patterns of interaction. This process was conducted separately for undergraduate and graduate students. Our analysis uncovered five distinct learning strategy profiles at both the undergraduate and graduate levels: 1) active, prolonged and frequent engagement; 2) mildly frequent and task-focused engagement; 3) mildly frequent, mild activity in short sessions engagement; 4) likely procrastinators; and 5) inactive. Mapping strategies with the students' final grades, we found that students at both levels who accessed the LMS early and frequently had better outcomes. Conversely, students who exhibited procrastinating behavior had worse end-of-course grades. Interestingly, the relative effectiveness of the various learning strategies was consistent across instruction levels. Despite the LMS offering an incomplete and partial view of the learning processes students employ, these findings suggest potentially generalizable relationships between online student behaviors and learning outcomes. While further validation with new data is necessary, these connections between online behaviors and performance could guide the development of personalized, adaptive learning experiences.
 

Reflections and experiences of mentors, tutors and writing consultants on enhancing student Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The experiences of mentors, tutors, and writing consultants in the execution of their roles during unprecedented times, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, remain insufficiently explored and inadequately documented. This article, which adopts a qualitative research methodology with a specific focus on a rural-based comprehensive university in South Africa, delves into the experiences and reflections of mentors, tutors, and writing consultants in the course of their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic. We contend that providing safe spaces for mentors, tutors and writing practitioners to share their experiences on their roles not only during the pandemic should be central to all student support initiatives. This fosters a sense of reflection on their practices which in turn results in professional growth and development as reflective practitioners capable of enhancing student success in higher education. In assessing their work, data was gathered from a population comprising seventy-two selected mentors and tutors (referred to as MenTuts), as well as writing consultants affiliated with the Academic Development Unit (ADU) of the institution. Content and thematic analysis were employed to examine the data after coding. The reflections and experiences of MenTuts and writing consultants were both positive and negative. They expressed enthusiasm for their roles during the COVID-19 pandemic but also conveyed feelings of being overwhelmed by the challenges they faced. This underscores the need for exploring alternative approaches to mentoring, tutoring, and writing consultancy to enhance effective student learning and success in higher education during both present and future unprecedented times. Given the plethora of recent unprecedented events, higher education institutions in South Africa as well as in Africa should start undertaking innovative radical approaches for student support initiatives that are centred around engaging with mentors, tutors, and writing consultants to ensure that they are able to reflect on their experiences to enhance student learning.

Defining and Advancing a Systems Approach to Achieving Educator Wellbeing: An Integrative Review of Wellbeing in Higher Education

Educators are crucial for student success in higher education, yet they often experience high levels of occupational stress which threaten their wellbeing. Informed by a conceptual framework initially developed for addressing worker wellbeing in the healthcare sector, another sector where workers experience high levels of occupational stress, this article explores how educator wellbeing is influenced by factors within the teaching environment, institutional environment and the external environment. Through an integrative review of existing literature, this article synthesises their findings to identify work system factors, individual factors, and outcomes and consequences of educator wellbeing across these domains. The resulting framework offers practical guidance for universities to identify, assess and respond to potential threats to educator wellbeing, ultimately enhancing the prospects of student success and meeting organisational goals without compromising the wellbeing of educators.

Relatability's role in formative assessment and feedback practices of young Black academics in an access university

Transformation and diversification efforts in South African higher education system continue thirty years into democracy. Access universities play a crucial role in attracting students from previously excluded groups to higher education, specifically Black learners from poor schools with the least resources. Black lecturers in access universities, through shared cultural identities and backgrounds, carry an unspoken responsibility, beyond academic duties, to develop inclusive assessment and feedback practices. This unspoken responsibility must be carried out without compromising academic curriculum requirements and became acutely important during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Through transdisciplinary pragmatism in pedagogical practice, relatability ensures that students engage in meaning-making through participation in the development of solutions that address hyper-localised problems, thus contextualising science in real-world contexts. This study evaluates the role of relatability in the development of inclusive, transdisciplinary, and pragmatic formative assessment and feedback practices for student success in higher education. It does this by comparing the practices and experiences of young, Black lecturers in an access university. Our formative assessment and feedback methodologies and analysis of our teaching portfolios are presented to demonstrate how our personal student experiences have shaped more inclusive practices. In the discussion, we highlight the influence of unspoken responsibilities on Black lecturers to develop student outcomes beyond academic success through assessment and feedback. We seek to highlight how relatability can be leveraged to improve formative assessment and feedback practices towards strengthening inclusive teaching and learning for students’ academic success.

Health and Well-Being in Higher Education: Student Perception of an Australian University

The health and well-being of university students is a priority agenda, given the need to advance health in the university system and the United Nations Sustainability Development Goal regarding quality and inclusive education. However, current literature lacks adequate insights regarding health and well-being considerations. This study investigated students’ perceptions concerning how university students experience health and well-being. The study is underpinned using the biopsychosocial model of health and was conducted via a cross-sectional student survey with quantitative and open-ended questions at an Australian university in 2021. A hierarchical regression model with 625 respondents indicated health and well-being are significantly influenced by mental (t-value = 15.7, p < 0.001), physical (t-value = 9.48, p < 0.001), university learning (t-value = 5.16, p < 0.001), and economic (t-value = 4.78, p < 0.001) domains regardless of the demographic and study characteristics of students. Students’ perception of their health and well-being varied according to student age, the college of study, and whether they were an international student. Both the quantitative and qualitative findings supported that the mental, physical, university learning, and economic domains of students’ health and well-being are interdependent. There is a case for a proactive, continuous, inclusive, and holistic health and well-being approach to support student success in higher education.

Creating Systematic Structures to Support Student Success in Higher Education

This essay examines the importance of student success in higher education, particularly for underserved and disadvantaged student populations. This essay provides a review of contemporary trends in national postsecondary completion and strategies to enhance student success outcomes which will provide thriving economies and a talented workforce. Further, this work emphasizes the significance of approaching student success in a systematic way which engages campus leaders, state and federal policymakers, and workforce agencies.

Fostering International Student Success in Higher Education, Second Edition

The second edition of Fostering International Student Success in Higher Education provides educators and administrators with clear and accessible resources to support international students. The authors highlight the ethical importance of an asset-based approach to education, which focuses on what students can do rather than what they are lacking. The book shares many practical classroom activities that follow this approach, such as linguistically responsive and antiracist teaching methods. The book also discusses opportunities that institutions can provide to foster community-connected learning and cross-cultural interaction. Both new educators and seasoned professionals working with international students will find this book a useful guide for their profession.

Academic Coaches and Student Success in Higher Education

ABSTRACT This study utilized a quantitative survey to systematically examine Academic Coaches’ perceptions of their roles in the online higher education classroom regarding the engagement and self-efficacy of their students. Results of data analyses show Academic Coaches perceive students taking higher education courses online struggle more in the areas of self-efficacy than in student engagement. Results indicate Academic Coaches perceive their strategies to positively impact both student self-efficacy and student engagement. Results provide implications for future research and practice in the area of promoting student success in online higher education classrooms.

Understanding student success in higher education in Azerbaijan: the role of student engagement

ABSTRACT Research on student engagement in higher education (HE) has addressed the conceptualisation, measurement and criticism of the phenomenon over the last two decades, predominantly in Western countries. The conceptualisation of student engagement has received little attention in countries of a lengthy association with the Soviet realm. This study investigated student engagement in Azerbaijani universities using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) tool, under licence granted by Indiana University in 2018, to gather data. The survey was conducted among more than 430 students at eight Azerbaijani universities to explore what universities do to engage their students in learning. After a preliminary examination of the data for reliability, only the data from urban universities comprising 266 students were considered suitable for further analysis. The data were analysed to look at descriptive statistics and to identify linkages between student activities and student outcomes in Azerbaijan through bivariate correlation and regression analysis. The study revealed that, according to the NSSE categories, a supportive student environment and the quality of interactions, combined under the campus environment theme, and student–faculty interactions were essential elements for student learning, success, satisfaction and engagement in academically challenging practices.

Defining occupational therapy practice for students in higher education: A census from practitioners

Increasing rates of anxiety and depression, higher numbers of students with diverse needs, and a decrease in life skill readiness at the point of transition to higher education settings has led institutions around the world to consider novel approaches to improving student retention and success. Occupational therapists, trained in physical, mental, and psychological impacts on function, can address barriers to student success in higher education environments/institutions, especially for students not responding to available campus programs and resources. However, there are no commonly defined roles, training qualifications, or practice guidelines that guide the work of occupational therapy (OT) practitioners in higher education settings. To create a standardized model of OT services on a higher education campus, a more detailed practice area description is needed. This mixed methods study describes a group ( N = 58) of globally practicing OT professionals on post-secondary campuses through a detailed census of practice. OT professionals articulated their roles and experiences on campus along with their beliefs about successful OT practice. The results of the census provide a path toward the design and implementation of OT services on higher education campuses at the individual, faculty/staff, and institutional levels. Further implications for practice and research are discussed.

Forensic archeology as a high‐impact practice

High-impact practices (HIPs) are educational modalities that focus on experiential and deep learning to affect student success in higher education, particularly among students matriculating from historically underserved communities. HIPs are designed to provide students with the intellectual and practical skills to succeed in an increasingly unstable global world beyond college. Utilizing a private-public partnership forensic archeological contract project, this paper examines how this venture employed a HIP-based contractor model that hired students as a professional archeological field crew and provided them with a living wage, transportation, and room and board. It also provided students without the means to participate in international fieldwork with the wherewithal to do so, supporting underserved students and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. Utilizing this HIP-based contract model resulted in greater student investment and collaboration in a fieldwork situation more akin to the real world, where students learned to solve problems, communicate, and network in an international setting, resulting in new opportunities, such as professional jobs, and academic projects and publications. The paid contractor model ensured students with limited resources could participate, broadening the type of student who can receive this type of training, expanding diversity in forensic anthropology. These models are not limited to forensic archeological fieldwork; they can also be applied to forensic anthropology laboratory projects. Utilizing HIPs and employing a more equitable contractor model contributes to student professionalization, strengthens professional prospects beyond the university, and contributes to DEIB initiatives, all of which benefit forensic anthropology as a subdiscipline.

Perspectives on Contributory Factors to Student Success in Higher Education at a University in South Africa

Over time, many students that enroll in programmes at the university end up dropping out without completing their studies. This trend is worrisome as it points to a defeat of the objectives of entering and graduating from the university. Therefore, this study explored the perspectives of contributory factors to student success in higher education at a South African University. The study addressed one objective namely, participants’ understanding of factors that contribute to student success in higher education. To address this objective, a qualitative case study design located in the interpretive paradigm was employed to generate data through a semi-structured interview from twelve participants purposively selected from undergraduate and postgraduate students. Of these twelve participants, four represented First Time Entering (FTEN) students, four (4) second year and third year respectively and four (4) postgraduate students across two faculties, namely the Faculty of Education and School Development and Faculty of Economics and Information Technology Systems , Komani campus,Walter Sisulu University, South Africa. The data was analysed thematically. The results revealed the following themes, namely, no student left behind, the need for an enabling environment, students as partners, data-informed practices, assessment for sustainability, and a multi-dimensional approach for success. With these findings, the study concludes that addressing the needs of all students collectively, creating an enabling environment, involving students as partners, the use of data-informed practices, and assessment for sustainability among others all impact students’ success in higher education. Thus, as part of the contribution to the body of knowledge, these findings highlight factors that contribute to the debate on students’ success in higher education. Key Words: First Time Entering Students (FTENs), Higher Education, Enablers of Student Success

Examining the implementation of language policy for access and successof students in higher education in South Africa

The multilingual nature of South African universities requires a multilingual approach towards both administration and academic practice for inclusivity and language equity. While almost all universities in South Africa have language policies, as required by the National Language Policy for Higher Education, a significant impediment to language inclusivity and equity is the implementation of these policies. The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of a language policy for students’ access and success, and the extent to which African languages are used as academic languages at one historically Afrikaans university (HAU). The study employed a mixed methods approach using probability and purposeful sampling. The findings show that the university’s promotion of monolingualism impedes students’ access to knowledge and limits their academic achievement. Various ways of improving students’ access to knowledge to promote their academic success are discussed. The results also show that African languages continue to be marginalised as academic languages at the HAU. The central recommendation is for a more multilingual approach at this university to increase students’ equitable access to content knowledge and academic success.

Self-Regulated Learning Strategies as Predictors of Perceived Learning Gains among Undergraduate Students in Ethiopian Universities

Despite increasing focus on the importance of self–regulated learning for undergraduate students in universities in recent years, very little is known about its specific features in universities in developing countries, in general, and Ethiopia, in particular. This study examined the relationships of self-regulated learning strategies (SRLSs) with perceived learning and further assessed the relationships within the SRLS components in Ethiopian public universities. For this, the authors adopted Pintrich’s self-regulation theory as a guiding framework and used structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. The sample used in the analysis pooled survey data from three randomly selected public universities and included volunteer undergraduate students having a major in Business and Economics and Engineering and Technology fields (n = 1142; male = 700 and female = 442), with mean age = 21.98 and SD = 2.50. The results indicated that the student SRLS and perceived learning gains scores were average values in terms of the magnitude of those measured variables. A two–step hierarchical regression analysis showed that the five components of SRLS that emerged from SEM analysis significantly predicted students’ perceived learning over and above the control variables (ΔR2 ≥ 0.38 and 39%) for the total samples. Moreover, the regression results showed that greater predictions were observed for the help–seeking component (0.35 ≤ β ≥ 0.47) than others, significantly positively predicting the perceived learning for the total samples. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that the SRLSs are relevant mechanisms to aid student success in higher education. The implications of the study are highlighted.

Artificial Intelligence for Assessment and Feedback to Enhance Student Success in Higher Education

The core focus of this review is to show how immediate and valid feedback, qualitative assessment influence enhances students learning in a higher education environment. With the rising trend of online education especially in this COVID-19 pandemic, the role of assessment and feedback also changes. Earlier the assessment part is not considered the main focus in learning and teaching in HEIs, but now with the increase in online education, it is observed that the paradigm is shifted toward assessing those activities of students that enhance their learning outcomes. A lot of research work has been done on developing assessment strategies and techniques that can support learning and teaching effectively. Yet, there is limited research that looks at how methods applied in learning analytics can be used and possibly constitutes the assessment process. The objective of this work is to provide an exploratory and comparative study of how assessment and feedback practices can enhance students learning outcomes using AI. The key contribution of this study attempts to capture an outline of the most used artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for student success. The results showed that I-FCN performed better than other techniques (ANN, XG Boost, SVM, Random Forest, and Decision Trees) in all measured performance metrics. Also, the result of the comparative analysis study will help the educators, instructors, and administrators on how they could take the advantage of a data-driven approach, design less pressurized, more valid, reliable, constructive assessment findings, and connect the power of assessment and feedback to enhance the learning outcomes.

Virtual exchange: a promising high-impact practice for developing intercultural effectiveness across disciplines

Virtual Exchange (VE), a pedagogy that uses technology to facilitate online, collaborative work among students and their peers in other countries, is viewed as a high-impact practice contributing to engaged learning and student success in higher education. This study investigates the impact of various types of VE on the intercultural effectiveness skills of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in courses across disciplines. The relationship between VE and intercultural skills for minority and non-minority students was also investigated, along with the relationship between dosage (length and duration) of VE and intercultural skills. Results indicate VE positively impacts the development of intercultural skills of students and that there were no differences when the data are disaggregated by individual classes or disciplinary areas. There were no significant differences for minority and non-minority students and for the impact of dosage, but further research is recommended for these two important topics. Findings of this study underline the generalizability of VE across disciplines and its suitability for providing wider access to international experiences for all students.

PROMOTING ACADEMICS’ CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THROUGH A PEDAGOGY OF DISCOMFORT

Promoting the continuous professional learning of university academics is key to the enhancement of student success in higher education (HE) and therefore a defensible practice. It is a practice that is predicated on the understanding that there is an inextricable link between student success and academic staff competence. Consequently, universities across the world have and continue to initiate various staff development programmes that are meant to enhance the competencies of academics as facilitators of learning. This concept paper examines how academics’ continuous professional learning can be enhanced through a practical framework known as the pedagogy of discomfort. The framework refers to a process that disrupts established and cherished practices in teaching and learning. The article explores how the pedagogy of discomfort can be nurtured through community of practices (CoPs) so as to raise the profile of teaching and learning. Examples are drawn from a new comprehensive university in South Africa. The article is derived from the author’s teaching experience in HE as well as current local and international literature and journal articles on academics’ professional learning. The main contention articulated is that academics need to invite their peers on a regular basis to critique and question their current teaching practices and ways of doing things as a means of invigorating their competences.