Student Success Outcomes Research Articles

Applying systems principles to achieve greater integration of student support at a decentralised institution

The role of student support in enabling successful student outcomes is widely acknowledged. However, student support functions and the structures within which they reside often emerge independently at universities, and are seldom designed with integration in mind, leading to systemic inefficiencies. This paper draws on systems thinking to develop a framework to guide the assessment and improvement of student support. Following an exploratory case study design, we collected data on staff and student perceptions of student support by conducting semi-structured interviews and a focus group in a single faculty within a South African university. These data are analyzed alongside several documents produced by the faculty that refer to, and are part of, student support. We map four student support functions used by students within the faculty. These are: orientation, student advising, peer mentoring, and career advising. The analyses reveal that student support in the faculty does not constitute an integrated system and that this creates challenges in communication, continuity and efficiency of student support within the faculty. This paper argues that by adapting existing support structures to closer approximate an integrated system we can increase the efficiency of student support without the need for complete redesign or a significant increase in resources or staff capacity.

A mixed-methods study of the effectiveness and perceptions of a course design institute for health science educators

BackgroundMost health care professionals get their start in academics without formal teaching training. As such, institutions encourage participation in opportunities to address gaps in faculty’s knowledge of pedagogy and learning theory in order to promote both successful student and patient outcomes. This study aimed to examine the reception of a faculty development program focused on teaching participants the basics of course design.MethodsApplying a mixed-method approach, this retrospective study used pre/post-tests, assignment grades, self-assessment questionnaires, and focus groups to elucidate the impact of the faculty development intervention on course design. The participants (n = 12) were health educators from a private all-graduate level university with campus locations across the United States, including in the Southwest and Midwest. In the Course Design Institute (CDI), the participating faculty learned evidence-based instructional approaches and techniques to implement contemporary teaching practices.ResultsThe data from the pre/post-tests and focus groups suggest that participants learned about topics including instructional alignment, learning goals and objectives, instructional strategies, assessment planning, feedback approaches, communicating expectations, and adult learning theories by participating in this course. The final deliverable scores indicate that the CDI graduates were able to apply a backward design process to plan their own instruction. Data from both the survey and the focus groups suggest that participants were satisfied with the experience and particularly appreciated that the course was relevant to them as educators in the health sciences.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that the CDI was influential in developing the faculty’s knowledge of the course design process, promoted the application of course design and pedagogy skills amongst CDI graduates, and positively impacted self-reported attitudes about their teaching abilities. In addition, feedback from participants indicates that they recognized the value of this program in their own development and they believed it should be a required course for all educators at the institution.

A Pilot Evaluation of a University Health and Wellness Coaching Program for College Students.

Poor mental well-being has been associated with negative student success outcomes among college students. Health and wellness coaching programs have been implemented in college campuses to address gaps in well-being support services. This pilot study evaluated a health and wellness coaching program at a large, urban university. A total of 499 students expressed interest in the program with 120 responding to a retrospective survey about their experience. Findings revealed that most students attended coaching for issues related to time and stress management or factors that commonly influence stress. Overall, students who participated in coaching were successful at improving their self-efficacy toward behavior change, changing their behavior, and achieving their goals. Students reported attending an average of four sessions with number of sessions attended being associated with increased confidence and motivation. In addition, autonomy, competence, and relatedness felt within the relationship with the coach were correlated with increased motivation, confidence, and readiness for behavior change. There was some relapse in terms of goal attainment observed with 17.4% of students who met their goals being unable to maintain progress. The program participants appeared to have enjoyed the process with 96% of students saying they would recommend the program to a friend. Health and wellness coaching programs may alleviate the burden of stress and other subclinical mental health concerns as well as decrease the number of students requiring services from more intensive mental health resources on campus.

Removing the Graduate Record Examination as an Admissions Requirement Does Not Impact Student Success.

Background: The predictive validity of components of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) on student success is inconsistent, and the test itself has been shown to be a barrier for prospective students historically underrepresented in graduate programs. Policy Options and Recommendations: We analyzed three admissions cycles for the Master of Public Health degree at the Boston University School of Public Health before (2016, 2017, 2018) and after (2019, 2020, 2021) eliminating the GRE for diversity and quality of applications, student success, and employment outcomes. We observed increases in diversity (e.g., 7.1% and 7.0% self-identified as African American/Black and Hispanic before eliminating the GRE as compared to 8.5% and 8.2% after), but no loss of quality, as measured by undergraduate grade point averages (GPAs) (e.g., median undergraduate GPA before and after eliminating the GRE of 3.4). We also saw no difference in performance in required core courses (e.g., more than 93.5% of students earned passing grades in required courses before and 94.5% after eliminating the GRE) and graduate employment (i.e., 93.1% employed within 6 months of graduation before and 93.8% after eliminating the GRE). We recommend removing the GRE as an admission requirement for the MPH as a step toward diversifying the public health workforce. This change alone is necessary but insufficient. We also need to develop support programs, tailored specifically to the needs of our future students, to ensure their success. Conclusion: Eliminating the GRE as an admissions requirement for prospective students does not result in loss of student quality or worse program performance.

Predicting Student Academic Performance at Higher Education Using Data Mining: A Systematic Review

Recently, educational institutions faced many challenges. One of these challenges is the huge amount of educational data that can be used to discover new insights that have a significant contribution to students, teachers, and administrators. Nowadays, researchers from numerous domains are very interested in increasing the quality of learning in educational institutions in order to improve student success and learning outcomes. Several studies have been made to predict student achievement at various levels. Most of the previous studies were focused on predicting student performance at graduation time or at the level of a specific course. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the recently published studies for predicting student academic performance in higher education. Moreover, this study aims to identify the most commonly used techniques for predicting the student's academic level. In addition, this study summarized the highest influential features used for predicting the student academic performance where identifying the most influential factors on student’s performance level will help the student as well as the policymakers and will give detailed insights into the problem. Finally, the results showed that the RF and ensemble model were the most accurate models as they outperformed other models in many previous studies. In addition, researchers in previous studies did not agree on whether the admission requirements have a strong relationship with students' achievement or not, indicating the need to address this issue. Moreover, it has been noticed that there are few studies which predict the student academic performance using students’ data in arts and humanities major.

Drawing from pedagogy to policy: reimagining new possibilities for online art learning for generalist elementary teachers

Distance-learning studies have seen an incredible growth in the last 20 years. The majority of these were at postgraduate level. Fewer were undergraduate and even fewer were in initial teacher education training. Within these, there are even fewer examples of art education courses as it was frequently argued that the experiential aspect of these courses could not be translated into a remote learning-teaching environment. Nevertheless, Higher Education is moving rapidly toward an expansion of distance learning. The article discusses characteristics of online learning in the field of art education for elementary school teachers. It focuses on lessons learnt during the Covid-19 Emergency Remote Teaching in the context of preservice elementary generalist teachers and how the pandemic has accelerated the “digitalization” turn. It discusses opportunities for experiential, collaborative and active learning that are transformative enough to overturn stereotypes and promote perceptions of self-efficacy in art learning. Further, it affirms necessary aspects of presence in an online environment – social, cognitive and teacher presence – to achieve successful student outcomes for non-art specialists. Drawing from pedagogy, the implications of the study offer policy recommendations to Higher Educational Institutions on how to support both teacher educators and pre-service teachers in the context of art learning.

The strategic role of community college presidents in activating student success outcomes

AbstractUsing statewide, local‐level, and institutional data, presidents identify an area of opportunity to serve their communities using strategies that increase college access, enrollment, retention, transfer, and program alignment to the labor market. This article reveals how data informed specific actions to improve student success of a diverse set of community colleges signaling key strategies that practitioners can emulate.

Two Dimensions of Professor-Student Rapport Differentially Predict Student Success Outcomes: A Replication of Wilson and Ryan (2013)

Background Professor-student rapport is associated with various important student success outcomes, highlighting the need for a good measure of this construct. Objective The current study attempted to replicate the components of the Professor-Student Rapport Scale (PSRS) reported in Wilson and Ryan (2013). Method 760 undergraduate students completed the PSRS and several student outcome measures. The sample was split in half to conduct both an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The predictive validity of the factors that emerged was then assessed. Results The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) did not replicate the components previously reported. Instead, we describe the emergence of two distinct factors: “Professor Cares about Students” and “Professor Creates an Engaging and Constructive Atmosphere.” The factor structure exhibited adequate model fit in the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and significantly predicted five of the six student and course outcomes examined. Conclusion We argue that the two factors reported herein better capture and elucidate professor-student rapport than the components previously identified. Teaching Implications There appear to be two critical pieces to establishing professor-student rapport. Students must perceive their instructor cares about their individual success/well-being, and is competent at creating an overall atmosphere conducive to engagement/learning.

The influences of student- and school-level factors on engineering undergraduate student success outcomes: A multi-level multi-school study

BackgroundGiven the relatively low graduation and retention rate in undergraduate engineering programs in the United States, the factors that influence student success outcomes need to be examined. However, limited research systematically studied both student- and school-level factors and how they influenced undergraduate engineering student success outcomes. We gathered responses from 458 engineering undergraduate students in a cross-sectional multilevel multi-school (14 schools) survey. These 14 schools included both large state universities and liberal arts colleges. The survey measured various student-level factors, including demographic, skills, and personality variables, along with seven school-level factors, such as student–faculty ratio and school type (i.e., public versus private). The data were analyzed using the hierarchical multilevel modeling approach.ResultsThe results showed that female students reported better outcomes than male students, racial minority students reported better outcomes than White students, but first-generation students reported poorer outcomes. Communication competency was associated with student learning outcomes, GPA, and program satisfaction, whereas conflict management preferences were not significantly correlated with any student success outcomes. The results of the school-level factors’ influences on student success outcomes were not consistent, but some factors, such as student–faculty ratios and diversity rate, were significantly related to some student outcomes.ConclusionEngineering education is a complex, multi-faceted issue that requires more collaborative and systematic research. We hope our findings help educators understand the different factors that could potentially influence engineering students and inform better program design and policymaking.

Aligning digital literacy and student academic success: Lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic

In this paper the alignment of computer and digital literacy as well as student academic success were examined. Lack of adequate functional digital literacy training and the unreadiness of higher education institutions for the impact of random shocks such as COVID-19 pandemic has gravely affected teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to make the case for preparedness of students to meet the needs of technology jobs by mandating and aligning digital literacy and student success. As COVID-19 Pandemic was spreading through the communities of the United States, institutions of higher education transitioned to fully online teaching and learning. Prior to the pandemic, fully online education was secondary to face-to-face format. Only about 20% of classes were fully online while 80% were face-to-face. Digital literacy was given a token treatment as a percentage of the entire curriculum and relegated to only the departments of computer information systems and computer sciences. Faculty, students, staff, families, and communities were not trained for the intensity of fully online education as the only format. Many of them never heard of most of the digital literacy tools. Both faculty and students were forced to learn the use of computers and digital literacy tools to survive the spring 2020 semester. Low-income families were left to the operational schedules of local libraries, many of whom did not have internet presence. The institutions provided limited training for faculty and students to meet the urgency of the time. Faculty and students were forced to purchase expensive tools and hardware to withstand the intensive demand of teaching and learning. Many students were overwhelmed by the pressure of the new way of learning; some dropped out of school while many performed very poorly in their examinations which negatively impacted their overall grade point averages. One year later in spring 2021, the student success outcomes have barely changed. At the same time, technology is advancing despite the raging COVID pandemic. Millions of technology-enabled jobs remain unfilled while millions of university graduates are unemployed. There continues to be a mismatch between current job requirements in the industries and graduating students’ skills. This paper discusses the indispensable value of building computer and digital literacy training into all undergraduate curriculums. We argue for mandated computer and digital literacy exit skills assessment test for all graduating students irrespective of their discipline. We also make the case for increased institutional investment in faculty training in computer and digital literacy readiness. There are a number of remedies suggested to address the speed of advancement in technology, faculty and student functional mastery of basic computer and digital literacy skills. We conclude that all institutions must be proactive rather than reactive to systemic shocks by preparing students for academic success and technological readiness for today’s job markets

Usage of warmers, time fillers, and coolers in english for specific purposes classes

Knowledge, creativity, assessment, learner agency and time management are the key aspects of every ESP ('English for specific purposes' here and after) class because they help students be active participants in the learning process, evaluate their knowledge on the given topic or their progress in mastering a language. Effective classroom management and discipline are the paramount factors for successful student outcomes. When classes end significantly earlier than is planned, instructors may be exposed to the danger of living a spare time when students can misbehave or be bored. Thus, it is advisable to be preplanned for such instances, which can pop out at one point or another. When they occur, an instructor doesn’t have to panic but be equipped with activities (like starters, fillers and coolers) that can absorb extra time without stopping the learning process and engage the attention of students on the lesson. In this article, we highlight the importance, types, ways and precautions of usage warmers, time-fillers and coolers for the conduction of a successful English class, which are the handful tools for establishing vivid and knowledgeable atmosphere in the classroom and can be beneficial for both sides of the educational process. Moreover, we base our study on ESP classes where we must pay attention not only to basic phonetics, lexis, grammar and business English but also to special vocabulary, grammatical constructions suitable for a particular speciality of a taught group. The article also focuses on introducing warmer, time filler and cooler activities from a theoretical point of view, highlights the benefits of usage of these types of activities in the classroom, outlines the features and methods of their use and provides examples of implementation of these exercises during ESP classes.

‘The gap between the ideal and the reality’: barriers to the implementation of an English professional development programme in China

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a critical element in successful educational systems, teacher quality, organisational effectiveness and student outcomes (Borg 2015). However, what has ...

Enablers of the interpersonal relationship between registered nurses and students on clinical placement: A phenomenological study

Aim/objectiveThe aim of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences (nature and extent) of the interpersonal relationship between RNs and students during clinical placement. BackgroundIn Australia, as elsewhere, nursing students’ clinical placements are facilitated and supervised by registered nurses (RNs). There is evidence of positive teaching and learning interactions between RNs and students influencing student placement outcomes. Comparatively, little is known about the value of interpersonal relationships between RNs and students in the contribution to positive placement experiences. DesignA descriptive phenomenological approach was used to investigate the interpersonal relationship between RNs and students from the perspective of the lived experience of the RN. MethodIn depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten RNs and analysed using Colaizzi’s seven-step analytical approach. ResultsStudy findings revealed that RNs are committed to building positive interpersonal relationships with students to enhance learning and achieve successful clinical learning outcomes. Positive relationships are enabled through factors encompassing three overarching themes; Getting to know the student is essential; Effective communication is a reciprocal process, and Mutuality of engagement and commitment is critical. Vital to the relationship was the capacity to know the student, communicate with them openly and effectively, and have a mutually engaging, committed relationship with them. ConclusionsThe establishment of positive interpersonal relationships is important to the RNs who facilitate and supervise the clinical learning of nursing students for meaningful learning and successful student outcomes. Key findings included that getting to know the student is essential, effective communication is a reciprocal process, and mutuality of engagement and commitment is critical to building a positive relationship. Findings can be utilised to advise professional development for RNs who work with students on clinical placement with regard to the importance of developing positive interpersonal relationships with students and the characteristics that enable that to occur. The primacy of the relationship, brought about through RNs requirement to facilitate student clinical learning needs acknowledgement. Also, the importance of the interpersonal relationship for RNs and students needs recognition by both, to help them achieve success in clinical placements through effective interpersonal and professional relationships which promote good learning opportunities.

Athletic Training Educators' ConferenceApril 29–May 1, 2021

Athletic Training Educators' ConferenceApril 29–May 1, 2021

Reorienting the Field of Human Rights Education

Review of: Foley Jr., W.J. (2021). Suggestions for critical awareness, accountability, and transformation in human rights education. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 23(1), 77-89.
 The examination of critical approaches to human rights and the focus on community engaged spaces to enact human rights are rich contributions of Foley's article. He also presents innovative approaches and methodologies to ensure student success and positive outcomes for all stakeholders involved. Going forward, more detail about the role of critical human rights in the higher education sector may be beneficial.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Inclusive Pedagogy Increase Retention and Success Outcomes of STEM Students

AbstractThe i‐NATURE (Indigenous iNtegration of Aquatic sciences and Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Undergraduate culturally Responsive Education) is a culturally relevant, project‐, and place‐based curriculum that included extensive applied research experience contextualized for specific Indigenous communities. The program developed a model for incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into STEM undergraduate education which included direct participation of several Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. After implementation of the i‐NATURE model, we tested whether the inclusive pedagogical strategies used in our intervention improved retention and learning outcomes for the students who participated in the i‐NATURE program. We report a highly significant difference in annual retention and mean course grade point average in the Environmental Science and Studies Programs pre‐ and post‐implementation of the i‐NATURE curriculum. We also report an increase in student interest in pursuing STEM careers and the impacts of the i‐NATURE curricula on two undergraduate participants. This study indicates that academic and research experiences in STEM higher education programming, that incorporates cultural relevant ways of knowing and is reflective of Indigenous community values, can improve student success outcomes and garner interest in pursuing STEM careers.

Purpose-driven leadership and organizational success: a case of higher educational institutions

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the relationships between organizational purpose, leadership practices and sustainable outcomes for universities in emerging economies. We propose that a strong sense of purpose is a fundamental and defining feature in the leadership practices of these institutions, which ultimately contributes to their success.Design/methodology/approachThe authors present a research model that defines the relationships between a sense of purpose, leadership practices, student success outcomes, alumni involvement outcomes and societal reputation outcomes. Over 200 higher education administrators in India participated in the study.FindingsThe institutions' sense of purpose directly relates to their leadership engagement practices and their student success outcomes. Student success outcomes are a crucial linkage between leadership engagement practices and alumni involvement outcomes to achieve their societal reputation.Practical implicationsAs competitiveness intensifies, educational institutions under resource constraints must differentiate their organizational practices. This paper demonstrates how their core purpose and leadership actions result in achieving effective outcomes and overall sustainable societal reputation.Originality/valueThere is a significant difference between having an organizational purpose and enacting that purpose through their leadership practices. These results highlight the cascading effect from the institution's fundamental sense of purpose to their leadership practices and the positive outcomes of student success, alumni involvement and societal reputation.

Persistence of Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Fields: Are Summer Bridge Programs Sufficient?

Disparities in undergraduate STEM degree completion across different racial/ethnic groups have been a topic of increasing national concern. This study investigates the long-term outcomes of a STEM intervention program designed to increase the academic preparation, achievement and persistence of under-represented minority students.In particular, this study examines the extent to which participation in a STEM intervention program can impact the long-term persistence and graduation of first-time in college under-represented minority students. Using discrete-time competing risks analysis, results demonstrated that participants of the intervention program had a lower probability of drop out and higher probability of persisting in a STEM field of study compared to non-participants of the program. Additionally, descriptive results demonstrated that participants of the STEM intervention program had higher rates of graduation in any field compared to non-participants of the program, while program participation was not a significant predictor of six-year graduation. Findings highlight the importance of early academic preparation in Calculus and total credit accumulation to student success outcomes of URM students enrolled in STEM fields. Recommendations from this study focus on early intervention efforts, particularly in the areas of mathematics, that ensure URM students are adequately prepared with the skills needed to succeed in a STEM field of study.

Aligning digital literacy and student academic success: Lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic

In this paper the alignment of computer and digital literacy as well as student academic success were examined. Lack of adequate functional digital literacy training and the unreadiness of higher education institutions for the impact of random shocks such as COVID-19 pandemic has gravely affected teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to make the case for preparedness of students to meet the needs of technology jobs by mandating and aligning digital literacy and student success. As COVID-19 Pandemic was spreading through the communities of the United States, institutions of higher education transitioned to fully online teaching and learning. Prior to the pandemic, fully online education was secondary to face-to-face format. Only about 20% of classes were fully online while 80% were face-to-face. Digital literacy was given a token treatment as a percentage of the entire curriculum and relegated to only the departments of computer information systems and computer sciences. Faculty, students, staff, families, and communities were not trained for the intensity of fully online education as the only format. Many of them never heard of most of the digital literacy tools. Both faculty and students were forced to learn the use of computers and digital literacy tools to survive the spring 2020 semester. Low-income families were left to the operational schedules of local libraries, many of whom did not have internet presence. The institutions provided limited training for faculty and students to meet the urgency of the time. Faculty and students were forced to purchase expensive tools and hardware to withstand the intensive demand of teaching and learning. Many students were overwhelmed by the pressure of the new way of learning; some dropped out of school while many performed very poorly in their examinations which negatively impacted their overall grade point averages. One year later in spring 2021, the student success outcomes have barely changed. At the same time, technology is advancing despite the raging COVID pandemic. Millions of technology-enabled jobs remain unfilled while millions of university graduates are unemployed. There continues to be a mismatch between current job requirements in the industries and graduating students’ skills. This paper discusses the indispensable value of building computer and digital literacy training into all undergraduate curriculums. We argue for mandated computer and digital literacy exit skills assessment test for all graduating students irrespective of their discipline. We also make the case for increased institutional investment in faculty training in computer and digital literacy readiness. There are a number of remedies suggested to address the speed of advancement in technology, faculty and student functional mastery of basic computer and digital literacy skills. We conclude that all institutions must be proactive rather than reactive to systemic shocks by preparing students for academic success and technological readiness for today’s job markets.

Impact of an intensive multi-disciplinary STEM enrichment program on underrepresented minority student success

PurposeThis study examines the impact of participation in a STEM Enrichment Summer Bridge Program, funded by the NSF Houston-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, on undergraduate student success outcomes, particularly for under-represented students.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses propensity score matching and logistic regression analysis to examine the effects of participation in the STEM enrichment program on graduation and retention in STEM after matching on baseline socio-demographic and pre-college characteristics.FindingsThe analysis found that program participation had a significant effect on increasing both the graduation rates and retention of under-represented minority students in STEM fields. In addition, results indicated that program participation had a particularly strong impact for Pell-eligible students in terms of course grades.Research limitations/implicationsData obtained for this study were limited to a single Hispanic-serving/Asian-serving institution, and therefore are not necessarily representative of the graduation and retention trends of the larger population of underrepresented minority (URM) students across the nation.Originality/valueThis study uniquely adds to the existing body of literature surrounding the retention of URM students in STEM fields by accounting for baseline variables, such as pre-college academic achievement and socio-demographic characteristics, that could lead to bias in estimating results. Specifically, this study addresses limitations of previous studies by comparing participants and non-participants of the STEM enrichment program who are matched on a selection of baseline characteristics.