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Explores the relationships among the number of credits earned in the first and subsequent years of enrollment, the pace at which credits are earned, and bachelor's degree attainment. (Author)

Findings from national studies along with more frequent calls from those who employ college graduates suggest an urgent need for colleges and universities to increase opportunities for students to develop quantitative reasoning (QR) skills. To address this issue, the current study examines the relationship between the frequency of QR activities during college and student and institutional characteristics, as well as whether students at institutions with an emphasis on QR (at least one QR course requirement for all students) report more QR activity. Results show that gender, race-ethnicity, major, full-time status, first-generation status, age, institutional enrollment size, and institutional control are related to the frequency of QR activities. Findings also suggest that such activities are indeed more common among institutions that emphasize QR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broad overview of the purposes, issues, and challenges associated with classifying institutions of higher education is presented, drawing on the experience of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's widely used classification of colleges and universities in the United States. The Carnegie Classification serves as a convenient example to illustrate general issues and challenges related to classifying institutions of higher education. The presentation is organized around three fundamental questions that should be considered in the design of a classification system: (a) Why classify? (b) How to classify? and (c) What secondary uses and consequences can be anticipated? The article concludes with a short list of recommendations that may help inform a nascent classification effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]