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Science and engineering departments face high student attrition due to perceived difficulty of courses in these disciplines. To subdue student attrition, students need to be guided by individual tutors to help them learn, practice and test their understanding of concepts. However, due to the exorbitant cost and time involved, this is not practical. In this article, we argue that computer-based tutors authored by teachers can serve as a useful tool to assist student learning in challenging scientific concepts. About 8,000 fine-grained interactions with our tutor by 72 students in two countries--USA and Philippines--were analysed in the framework of learning curve theory to estimate prior knowledge, learning rate and residual error rate to gauge tutor efficiency. Computer-based tutors accelerate learning and such tutors are viable, effective, and facile options to improve student learning.

This study aims to explore the current published research on Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs), outlining the types of papers, countries where studies were performed and institutions devoted to this field. Also, it intends to classify the reviewed literature following a general categorisation of MOOCs, and to identify the main trends and topics of interest for LMOOC researchers. Results show that there is still a lack of LMOOC-related articles in CALL (computer assisted language learning) journals, since most of the publications in the period reviewed (2012-18) are conference papers. The country in which most studies have been done so far is Spain and Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) is currently the most active institution in this area. Within the taxonomy established, the most popular categories of studies focused on LMOOC participants or providers and case studies. Systematic review of the published literature indicated that research trends in LMOOCs studies comprise: 1) conceptualisation of LMOOCs and their distinctive features; 2) attempts to find the most suitable model for language teaching and learning beyond the xMOOC/cMOOC dichotomy; 3) suitability of LMOOCs for languages for specific purposes (LSP) courses; 4) focus on the learners and their motivation and experience throughout the course; 5) reflection on the new role of the teacher; 6) instructional design and how it affects participants' learning and possible attrition; and 7) importance of social learning in LMOOCs. Nevertheless, LMOOCs is still an emerging field in need of further serious studies.

This paper provides an overview of best practices and challenges for deans and department heads of online programmes in the ever-changing world of higher education. It concentrates on the challenges for small private universities and tertiary education institutions in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Department heads must consider new roles and innovate constantly to offset the impact of global competition in online and distance learning. These changing roles include innovation in managing programme enrolment, retention, marketing, and the creation of innovative offerings to meet student needs to prevent obsolescence. Other topics discussed include potential alternate sources of revenue, partnerships, and how service and research can lead to new opportunities for small tertiary providers.

Online learning has become a widespread method for providing learning at different levels of education. It has facilitated the learning in many ways and made it more flexible and available by providing learners with more opportunities to learn information, further access to different learning resources, and collaboration rather than face-to-face learning. In spite of these benefits and rapid growth of online education, success and persistence in such courses is one the important aspects of online learning research and it relies on different factors. Therefore investigating the reasons of students' dropout of an online education course or program and its contributing factors is essential in this area. One of the biggest barriers in online learning system is lack of interactions. In learning, interaction between students themselves, with the course content, and course instructors is important for conveying information, enhancing teaching quality, giving directions, and many more functions. The aim of this research is to review the literature to propose a clearer picture of studies have been conducted regarding online interaction and factors that impact it in online education systems.

One of the major issues that concerns tertiary institutions around the world is the student retention rate. In general, higher rates of completion give more positive image about the academic, administrative and financial statues of these institutions. However, improving the student completion and retention rates can be a challenging task. One way toward this goal is utilising strategies and techniques that are informed by the findings of theoretical models and empirical studies. Therefore, this paper reviews some of the contemporary studies in the student retention literature from different higher educational contexts around the world followed by a list of the variables that are commonly linked to the student retention phenomenon in higher education and a discussion of the factors that are most frequently associated with student attrition as reported by these studies. A summary of the factors associated with the student attrition phenomenon suggested that, the central factors were the quality of students' institutional experiences and their level of integration into the academic and social systems of their academic institutions. These factors relate to students' experiences with the administrative system of their academic institution, including the admission, registration and disciplinary rules and policies and the availability and quality of student services and facilities.

The number of online programs in the higher education sector has increased dramatically in the last decade, and with it, an increase in attrition has become a recurring problem worldwide. Literature suggests that elements of culture, motivation, learning management systems and online pedagogy play a major role in attrition rates in the higher education sector. Using an interpretivist paradigm with qualitative case studies from six countries, the researcher explores online lecturers' successful engagement strategies on these four main thematic areas. Results provide a range of strategies that can be applied by lecturers to increase engagement and minimize online attrition.

The purpose of this research is to determine whether nontraditional undergraduate students in the US who enroll in distance education classes are less likely to have an enrollment gap (enrollment gap=part year enrollment). Previous research has shown that preference for distance education classes is significantly greater among nontraditional than among traditional undergraduate students; nontraditional students invariably have a greater number of competing demands (work and family) on their time. Since distance education courses provide students with more convenient and flexible class schedules, nontraditional students, who have time or location constraints that prevent them from enrolling in face-to-face classes during a semester or quarter, may be more likely to enroll in distance education classes in order to stay enrolled for the entire academic year. Based upon this rationale, we predicted that enrollment in distance education classes is significantly related to a decreased likelihood of an enrollment gap among nontraditional students. To test this prediction, we used data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS) conducted in 2008. The NPSAS 2008 used a complex survey design to collect data from a nationally representative sample of about 113,500 postsecondary undergraduate students in the US. Results confirm our prediction, and show that enrollment in distance education is significantly related to a decreased likelihood of an enrollment gap among nontraditional students, but not among traditional students. Results also show that five of the seven dropout risk factors (identified by previous research to decrease 6-year graduation rates) are each significantly associated with an increased likelihood of an enrollment gap. These results suggest that the offer of distance education classes could increase degree progress and possibly completion rates for nontraditional undergraduates who are at high risk for dropout. (Contains 7 tables.)

While politicians and other pundits may not agree on how to improve schools, there is agreement that many areas require attention from improving student achievement, to ensuring effective instruction. As school districts struggle with these and other complex issues, there is a growing demand for executive level leaders who have knowledge and understanding of assessment, effective pedagogy, and organizational change. Many universities have weighed in on the school improvement debate by starting new doctoral programs. However, the last few years, a discussion about the need for doctoral programs to meet the demands of working educators has been occurring nationally. There are critics who question the need for the doctorate in education (Ed.D.) or the design of such programs. The demand for Ed.D. programs has been steady and is expected to continue in order to meet the call for leaders who have both the knowledge and skills gained from intense study in a doctoral program and extensive administrative experience. However, program demand does not directly relate to completion of degrees. Rates of doctoral student attrition in the U.S. are not easily calculated. As more educators begin doctoral studies, and more faculty (both full time and part-time) take on advising students through a dissertation, learning from the experience of successful doctoral graduates and advisors could be especially helpful to programs seeking to improve the graduation rate of Ed.D. programs. This article reflects the lessons learned through an appreciative inquiry conducted by the co-authors--a dissertation chairperson and two successful graduates of Ed.D. programs. (Contains 8 footnotes.)

Student retention has remained, over many decades, a strong area of concern in postsecondary education, for good reason. Retaining students is a key factor in an institution's maintenance of its stability and reputation, and it helps students and society to avoid the all-too-common consequences associated with a lack of education, including underemployment and poverty. Remedial and developmental education offerings are an important response to student attrition. Remedial and developmental education is one response to attrition recently adopted within the School of Language and Liberal Arts at Fanshawe College, in the form of a Writing Program. An examination of the literature on retention strategy, best practices, and remediation's place within the area of retention hold promise to guide future action in this area. This article presents the author's conclusions that focus on remedial/developmental education within the framework of retention efforts. These conclusions differ from those of the remediation critics. In addition to surveying the literature linking remediation and retention, the author also examines the theoretical framework behind much of the research on retention and catalogues some of the best principles and practices documented in these interrelated fields.

This article provides a meta-analysis on the effect of academic probation, student-faculty mentoring and need-based grants on various student outcomes. Using 25 (quasi-) experimental studies, we find that academic probation has a significant negative effect on retention (d = -0.17), while it does not have an effect on graduation. Student-faculty mentoring, however, has a positive significant effect on both retention (d = 0.15) and graduation (d = 0.10). Need-based grants are proven to have a positive significant effect on enrollment (d = 0.05), retention (d = 0.05) and graduation (d = 0.05). Based on the general effect sizes of each intervention, student-faculty mentoring has the largest influence on student outcomes. The latter intervention improves retention and graduation of the treatment group by, respectively, 8% and 5% compared to the control group.

This article introduces the Special Class for the Gifted Young (SCGY), an early college entrance program in mathematics and science in China, which has been a focus for media coverage and public discussion of accelerated education in China. We first describe the admission policy and academic programming of SCGY and delineate its distinct features. Next we summarize findings regarding the long-term trajectories and accomplishments of its graduates. We then present our interview studies with graduates of SCGY and raise a set of questions for future research. The evidence shows that, when admission policy, academic programming, and student support are fashioned to optimize student learning and growing experiences, early college entrance programs can be effective ways of producing a pipeline of talents to the benefit of society while also benefiting the individuals involved.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes and potential solutions to, student attrition. With student attrition rates reaching between 30 and 50 per cent in the United States, and over 20 per cent in Australia, the inability of higher education institutions to retain their students is a significant issue. This paper cites key risk factors which place students at risk of non-completion, which include mental health issues, disability, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Furthermore, first year students and higher degree by research students are susceptible to attrition. The capacity of a student to develop a sense of belonging within the higher education institution is recognised by this paper as a being a critical factor determining student retention. The creation of a caring, supportive and welcoming environment within the university is critical in creating a sense of belonging. This can be achieved by the development of positive student/faculty relationships, the presence of a well resourced counselling centre and the encouragement of diversity and difference.

While South African higher education has, in many respects, achieved remarkable achievements since 1994, a series of serious problems continue to beset the system, and a low internal (high attrition rate) and external (alignment with the employment market) efficiency. There also exist the problems of large scale youth unemployment and the policy of dual education and training which is not delivering results. Internationally one unique higher education has evolved these very same problems the Community College. This article traces the international track record of the community college and comes to a positive assessment as to its fit to the South African context.

Doctoral education in the United States had been scrutinized because of high-attrition rates reported as an average of 50 percent. Emerging from Lovitts (2001), this research examined students' attendance at Mock Orals (MO) and its relationship to their academic and social integration, cognitive maps, goals, rates of attrition, and retention in a doctoral program at a private metropolitan university. In contrast to the traditional dissertation model, the MO--activities designed to prepare doctoral students for their oral-defense presentations by engaging them in periodic bi-annual practice presentations. Data indicated that 87.5 percent of matriculated students had been graduated--a higher than the national 50 percent completion rate by more than one third. Conversely, 12.5 percent of the students were Non completers.

Sixty doctoral students and 34 faculty members were interviewed in departments identified as having high and low doctoral student completion rates at one institution in the United States in order to examine the cultural contexts and structures that facilitate or hinder doctoral student completion. This paper outlines the differences in understandings of doctoral student attrition by role and by department using attribution theory. Implications for policy, practice, and further research are included.

Tracking students into different classrooms according to their prior academic performance is controversial among both scholars and policymakers. If teachers find it easier to teach a homogeneous group of students, tracking could enhance school effectiveness and raise test scores of both low- and high-ability students. If students benefit from learning with higher-achieving peers, tracking could disadvantage lower-achieving students, thereby exacerbating inequality. Debates over tracking reached their high point in the United States in the 1990s. An influential report published in 1998 by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation argued that the available research did not support the contention that tracking doomed impoverished students to inferior schooling, nor did it support universal adoption of the practice. Over the last decade, patterns in grouping students have changed markedly in the U.S.; high school students are no longer placed in rigidly defined general-education or noncollege tracks but have the flexibility to move between course levels for different subjects. These changes may have assuaged some critics, but the broader debate over tracking remains unsettled. The authors shed light on these issues using data from Kenya. In 2005, each of 140 primary schools in western Kenya received funds from the nongovernmental organization International Child Support (ICS) Africa to hire an extra teacher. One hundred twenty-one of these schools had a single 1st-grade class and used the new teacher to split the students into two classes. In 61 randomly selected schools, students were assigned to classes based on prior achievement as measured by test scores. In the remaining 60 schools, students were randomly assigned to one of the two classes, without regard to their prior academic performance. The results showed that all students benefited from tracking, including those who started out with low, average, and high achievement. At the tracking schools, the test scores of students who started out in the middle of their class do not seem to be affected by which section (top or bottom) the students were later assigned to. In other words, any negative effects of being with lower-achieving peers were more than offset in tracked settings by the benefit of the teacher being able to better tailor instruction to students' needs. (Contains 2 figures.)

Doctoral student attrition in the United States has reached alarming proportions, with reported rates of approximately 50% across disciplines (Nettles and Millett 2006). Attrition rates of underrepresented populations have been reported at higher rates across disciplines (Council of Graduate Schools 2004), pointing to a disparate experience for these students. Socialization has been shown to be a determining factor in doctoral student success and retention (Turner and Thompson 1993) while not necessarily reflecting how the socialization experience differs by disciplinary and institutional contexts. Through this qualitative study I sought to understand the effects of the socialization process upon doctoral student success and retention in the disciplines of chemistry and history at two institutions. Results highlighted a disparate experience for women, students of color, students with families, part-time students, and older students. Suggestions for policy, practice, and further research are included.

Student retention is an ongoing issue for most engineering programmes in the United States. Although engineering continues to be regarded as a promising profession, many students beginning in an engineering programme will not successfully complete their engineering studies. In an attempt to understand student perceptions of issues that relate to retention, a research project was undertaken at Oregon State University. The current paper provides a description of a survey that was developed to help decision makers understand student concerns related to retention. The development of the survey is described along with previous research supporting the survey construction. Analyses of data from the initial administration of the survey are provided to illustrate how the survey can be used to develop programme-level recommendations. (Contains 7 tables.)

This study investigated attrition and degree completion behavior of first-generation college students. Based on the findings, first-generation students were at the highest risk of departure during the second year, followed by the first year. These students were also 51% less likely to graduate within 4 years than students with college-educated parents were. (Contains 5 tables, 2 figures, and 6 endnotes.)

The authors present the findings of a qualitative study (N = 33) of doctoral student persistence in counselor education programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2001). Using in-depth interviews with students representing 17 different doctoral programs, the findings revealed factors that influenced students' decisions to persist or leave their counselor education doctoral programs. A key determinant in attrition or persistence decisions was a match between the students' goals/expectations and the faculty members' expectations and goals for the program. Implications of the findings for program selection, recruiting, and student retention are discussed.

Achievement data from a longitudinally matched student cohort from a large school district in the southwestern United States were analyzed to investigate sample exclusion and student attrition effects on estimates of student, school, and district mathematics performance. Use of 2- and 3-level longitudinal growth models to estimate the growth trajectories of middle school students revealed that mathematics performance differed across 2 sample conditions. Relative to the achievement outcomes associated with a sample that included all students from the longitudinal cohort, district and school achievement were generally higher and student group performance more similar in the smaller, more advantaged student sample used for district accountability reporting. Further investigation of the school performance estimates showed that cross-sample changes in student achievement outcomes were closely related to the proportion of students from special student populations who were excluded from the district accountability sample. The achievement differences and the differential patterns of association demonstrated in this study suggest that conclusions drawn about district and school performance and relationships between student characteristics and student achievement outcomes may depend to some degree on which students are included in an analytic sample. Investigators seeking to take advantage of longitudinal designs in school effectiveness research are cautioned to closely examine their data for nonrandom student attrition and document the impact of sample exclusion and student attrition effects in the research and accountability reports that are produced from longitudinal data sets.

Individual semester-by-semester undergraduate grade point average for each of the eight semesters of the collegiate academic life cycle for five entire student cohorts for the classes of 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 at a large, private university in the northeast (N = 12,663) reveal a "check-mark" pattern: students' grades fell in the second semester, rose thereafter, and slumped in the last academic term. Attrition and participation in the Greek system explain over half of the longitudinal change in academic achievement. A comparison of the five cohorts of students indicates a rate of grade inflation comparable to that obtained for multischool studies covering the period 1960 to the late 1990s.

Few women and even fewer African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans complete doctoral degrees in mathematics in the United States. This article proposes a framework for understanding the small numbers of women and students of color who persist in doctoral mathematics based on the notion that academic and social integration are critical to persistence and that integration develops through particular types of participation in the communities of practice of graduate school. An integrated summary of previous research on attrition and persistence of doctoral students identifies particular obstacles faced by women and students of color in doctoral mathematics and directs attention to ways in which faculty and others involved in doctoral education can work to improve the persistence rates, experiences, and diversity of their doctoral students. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables, and 7 notes.)

Research was conducted to explore predictors for online higher education student attrition. This research was conducted using results from the SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator to track students in their degree programs. In addition, student outreach was conducted with an experimental group of at-risk students to determine if additional academic support promoted retention. Results demonstrated that verbal and physical learning styles and personal attributes such as procrastination increase the likelihood for attrition, while clear reasons for pursuing a degree and typing skills decrease the likelihood for attrition. Outreach to identified at-risk students did promote greater levels of student success and persistence. Recommendations for future research include comparing results from online and traditional student groups to determine if similar at-risk factors influence the likelihood of student withdrawal, and examining the characteristics of students who withdrawal before completing their first course. Moreover, qualitative research should be conducted to more deeply understand the reasons associated with online program attrition.

Higher education officials have long been familiar with the concept of "summer melt," where students who have paid a deposit to attend one college or university instead matriculate at a different institution, usually presumed to be of comparable quality. In previous research, drawing on longitudinal data from various urban school districts throughout the U.S. as well as from a nationally representative survey, the authors document summer attrition rates ranging from 10% to 40% among high school graduates who had been accepted to college and who had indicated their intentions to enroll in college as of graduation. Summer melt is particularly pronounced among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This article discusses why text messaging is a promising approach to improve students' access to high-quality, accurate college information and to connect them to professional support when they need assistance.

Purpose: The extant research on student attrition and retention has relied on models that focus on factors over which universities may have limited control and thus not lead to actionable practices. To address this shortcoming, the authors applied organizational support theory (OST) to test the association between students' perceptions of justice, perceived organizational support (POS), perceived professor support, organizational identification, and intention to quit. Design/methodology/approach: Using items from validated scales, a survey was used to collect data from students in the college of business at a southwestern public university in the United States. A final sample of 316 observations was fitted to a structural equation model to test the study's a priori hypotheses. Findings: The authors found that professor support and procedural justice had direct positive effects on POS. Distributive justice and interactional justice indirectly influenced POS through professor support. In turn, POS had decreased students' intention to quit and increased their organizational identification. The antecedents of POS indirectly influenced intention to quit and organizational identification. The determinants in the model accounted for 12% of the variance in students' intentions to quit, and 25% of students' organizational identification. Originality/value: This study contributes to the student attrition literature where few studies have applied OST to student populations despite the strong link between POS and intention to quit in employment settings. In this study, the authors provide evidence of the suitability of the OST framework to predict students' intentions to quit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do parental priorities for what children should learn in school differ depending on the type of school chosen by parents? Does this, in turn, have potential implications for the future of Catholic schools in the United States? This article considers these questions in the context of the long-term decline in enrollment in U.S. Catholic schools. Specifically, the article considers three questions: 1) What are the priorities of parents for what their children should learn in school in the overall population? 2) Do these priorities differ between different groups of parents, including parents with children in Catholic schools and parents willing to consider Catholic schools for their children but not having enrolled their children in one? And 3) Are there individual parental characteristics associated with particular views about what children should learn in schools? Implications of the findings are discussed, specifically concerning targeted efforts to attract new students. The analysis is based on a market research survey implemented in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the failure of the diversity in education framework in the U.S. in light of the high attrition rate for African American law students. Topics discussed include the role of the lack of continued support for Affirmative Action programs in the attrition rate, history behind the creation and implementation of the program which was inspired by the employment equality movement, and the extracurricular pressures facing African American law students.

This paper investigates the relationship between graduate business programs and the use of cohorts. The empirical results demonstrate that these cohort programs have significantly higher retention and graduation rates than the average university in the United States. With increasingly greater demands on private universities, it is becoming more important to retain recruited students. The paper will illustrate that these cohort programs can offset trends in declining enrollments. The paper will examine a Corporate Sponsored Executive MBA, Fast Track MBA program, Master of Finance, and an Executive MBA program. Using 389 – 464 observations, the authors find that retention and graduation rates are statistically higher than the national Business School average, assuming the highest standard deviation from the authors’ study. This is surely an underestimate of the true volatility of the comparative national data set, yet the data set finds a statistically significant difference (p-value< 0.01) between the data sets. This has strong implications for administrators attempting to maintain enrollments and retention rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While enrollment in Catholic schools is rising in the global south, it is declining in many Western countries. Providing a quality and holistic education experience remains essential in both developed and developing countries, especially for disadvantaged groups. But in addition, in developed countries, trade-offs may have to be confronted to stem the decline in enrollment that affects the financial sustainability of schools. Building on a presentation made at the closing plenary of OIEC's World Congress in New York, this paper focuses on the United States where enrollment in Catholic schools has been dropping for more than 50 years. In the absence of state support for Catholic schools and in a context of rising operating costs and therefore tuition, the decline in enrollment is due in part to a lack of affordability of schools given high out-of-pocket costs paid by parents. But other factors related to perceptions about Catholic schools also play a role. To stem the decline in enrollment, market research can help, including to assess how favorably Catholic and other types of schools are perceived in the population. The paper relies on data collected for the National Catholic Education Association to compare favorability ratings by type of schools and assess factors associated with these perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines patterns and relations between gentrification and urban schooling across U.S. cities using longitudinal data from 2000 to 2014. The first section presents new statistics on the incidence and distribution of gentrification occurring around urban schools in the United States as a whole. Of the roughly 20% of urban schools located in divested neighborhoods in the year 2000, roughly one in five experienced gentrification in their surrounding neighborhood by 2014. However, there exists considerable heterogeneity in the prevalence of gentrification across U.S. cities, with exposure rates ranging from zero in some cities to over 50% in others. The second section finds evidence that gentrification is associated with declining enrollment at neighborhood schools, especially when gentrifiers are White. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As college completion rates are a top priority for institutions and other stakeholders, understanding college student persistence is important. Some perceive students making an early decision about a major as necessary for success in college, arguing that enrolling as undeclared contributes to student attrition. Previous research about undeclared students and persistence, however, is limited, conflicting, and dated. For this longitudinal study, logistic regression analyses were conducted using institutional records for 4,489 first-time in college, full-time enrolled students from the Fall 2010 cohort at a large research university in the Western United States. The results show no difference in persistence between students who matriculate as declared versus undeclared majors, which has implications for advising practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]