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Addressing non-medical factors that adversely impact mental health, wellness, and academic persistence is important to increasing access to college for vulnerable college students. This systematic review synthesized 63 articles on interventions to address college student SDOMH challenges. Researchers found that SDOMH themes were addressed in intervention studies at different rates, specifically, healthcare access and quality (n = 27, 42.3%), education access and quality (n = 24; 37.5%), social and community context (n = 11; 17.4%), economic stability (n = 3; 4.7%), and neighborhood and built environment (n = 1; 1.6%). Implications for higher education stakeholders conclude.

Online higher education has been a success in part because it is less costly to students and governments than conventional education, so both students and governments receive higher returns on their investment than in conventional higher education. However, many online institutions appear to have considerably lower graduation rates than conventional education--the so-called online education deficit that reduces its advantage. This deficit can be reduced through online education institutions investing money in both their course design strategies and their student support, including teaching. This article focuses on student support and suggests that if support increases student retention, institutions will receive a financial return through increased income. It argues: if that increase in income can then be managed to be greater than the original investment, institutions will make a positive return on the investment--that is, a surplus. That surplus can then be reinvested in further student support and potentially increase student success still further. The article then determines what those returns on investment might be in various scenarios depending on institutional funding arrangements. These determinations produce a series of formulae in which actual financial figures can be substituted to calculate those returns.

The dropout rate is the most significant disadvantage in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC); most of the time, it exceeds 90%. This research compares the effect of cognitive bias, gamification, monetary compensation, and student characteristics (gender, age, years of education, student geographical location, and interest in the course certificate) on dropout. We use survival analysis to identify the predictors of dropout and its related factors. The results showed the lowest dropout (74.2%) for cognitive bias and gamification. The results showed that the Peanut effect bias favors the lowest risk of drop up. Likewise, the findings showed the interest in the final certificate as a predictor of retention to complete a four-week MOOC.

The pilot study reflects perceptions from higher education students in an experimental new online teaching program at a mid-sized Southeastern United States University. The research focused on the effectiveness of an embedded tutoring pilot program in online and hybrid learning management systems (LMS). The research was focused on information technology students' (n=46) perceptions of comfort, confidence, and utilization of the pilot program to understand its value in student retention. The research notes student comfort, confidence, and utilization of the program. Additionally, it supports the notion that the program can construct student retention aspects by reducing anxieties and stress from distance learning spatial inconsistencies. The findings suggest similar results or parallel considerations of students' perceptions in the literature on embedded librarian programs. However, the results fail to mirror students receiving more significant levels of self-efficacy.

Colleges and universities across the United States face continual pressure to meet enrollment and retention goals, as budgets in this performance-based environment continue to become more important. On-campus student involvement, such as in undergraduate leadership development programs, has been shown to have a positive influence on both student retention and success. A survey was utilized to examine leadership self-efficacy and engagement of undergraduate students that participated in campus-based leadership development programs and explore some motivators (contributing factors) and barriers (detracting factors) to involvement in those programs. One emergent theme within contributing factors to participation was alignment with personal goals (74.7%), whereas, a theme for detracting factors was lack of time to invest in the leadership opportunity (51.1%). Exploration of which factors contributed to and detracted from leadership development participation showed that contributing factors were a positive and significant predictor of leadership self-efficacy. For every one unit increase in contributing factors, leadership self-efficacy score increased by [beta] - = 0.38 standard deviations. This study encourages leadership educators to examine their own leadership development programs and build recruitment strategies to increase engagement among student demographics such as male students, non-White students, and first-generation college students. In the future, researchers could consider including students that did not participate in leadership programs to gain more valuable insights on the motivators and the barriers that students face to participation in these programs.

Florida State University (FSU) has a long-standing commitment to promoting success for all students. FSU's strategies for student success and equity have resulted in increased and more equitable graduation rates and record fall-to-fall retention rates. This article provides an inventory of student success and equity initiatives at FSU. The inventory covers FSU's holistic practices designed to support students of all backgrounds, including targeted practices for students from historically underrepresented groups. The article also highlights and describes in detail salient student success programs and practices at FSU. This article aims to serve as a guide for those in higher education who seek to understand and learn from FSU's systematic efforts to promote and sustain student success and narrow success gaps. It also offers a profile of how to effectively implement a comprehensive and interconnected network of student success initiatives that respond to the critical needs of students and deliver impactful results.

Universities are increasingly turning toward data-driven technologies like data dashboards to support advisors' work in student success, yet little empirical work has explored whether these tools help or hinder best practices in advising, which is in many ways a relationship-based enterprise. This mixed-methods study analyzed whether and why the release of a student success dashboard impacted proactive and/or developmental advising at a large public university. After quantitatively demonstrating no measurable changes in advising practice following the release of the dashboard, qualitative evidence from interviews with advisors was used to interpret and explain the disconnect between the tool and the advising community. This study places scholarly attention from a practitioner perspective on the largely structural challenges to integrating retention software into advisors' work in supporting their students' success, with implications for the successful implementation of data-driven student success tools more broadly.

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.

In some European countries, the educational attainment of the Roma population is very low compared to the majority society. This study focuses on what supports the higher education pathways of Roma youth by using empirical data. Thirty-one Roma students, whose academic advancement was supported by a Roma Student Society, and ninety-three students who did not receive support participated in the study. The students in the control group got further subdivided into three groups based on their socioeconomic backgrounds, so four groups in total were included in our analysis. The research was conducted using mixed methodology: we analyzed the texts of reflective essays and data derived from a questionnaire. The results show that the students in the support group have significant external and internal capital in all areas, except for financial capital, which is offset by the social capital provided by their schools and university. It is important to highlight the supportive role of family, in which there is no difference between the Roma Student Society members and the students in the control groups with higher socioeconomic status. In the control group, a minority group emerged with a similar social background as the supported focus group, and they noticeably remain invisible to the institution. Our research also draws attention to the importance of creating and developing an inclusive learning environment that results in significant social capital, not only to retain low socioeconomic groups but also to retain groups with higher social status.

Universitas Terbuka is a public university in Indonesia that implements an open-distance education system. The quality and success of higher education in Indonesia are indicated by the gross enrolment rate (GER). Modelling student retention is one indicator of the value of the GER. The chances of distance learners' retention in a certain period can be determined through survival analysis, namely the "Cox model" or "Cox proportional hazard model". The limitations of the Cox model pose new problems in modelling that involve more than two types of covariates and the presence of random effects. The problem that arises is the non-proportional hazard. The cause of non-proportional hazard is time-dependent covariates, so that individual risk changes over time. Another reason is the presence of random effects, both observed and unobserved. In this model, there are two random effects, namely, the unobserved random effect and the observed random effect. Thus, the model is called the mixed effect model of non-proportional hazard. Based on the characteristics of the covariates observed, appropriate survival analysis for modelling distance learners' retention is a mixed model on the non-proportional hazard. The covariates involved in very complex modelling include time-independent covariates, time-dependent covariates, and unobserved random effects. The results of the analysis with the mixed model on non-proportional hazard showed that the covariates that significantly affected the distance learner's retention were: educational background, age, grade point average, marital status, scholarship, independent learning culture, number of credits taken, and number of courses taken each semester.

Holistic admissions practices require evaluating an applicant's credentials in light of the opportunities available in their high school context. High school grades, test scores, and course taking are clearly related to college grades, retention, and graduation. But does performance in high school context also relate to college success? Building a unique dataset of 2.3 million students in a Midwestern state, we find that contextualized indicators of high school grades and standardized tests are strongly associated with student success in college, validating their use in holistic admissions. Contextualized grades have a stronger and more consistent association with college success than contextualized test scores, and may be most helpful at test-optional, test-free, and broader-access colleges that have yet to adopt holistic admissions practices.

Transparency in teaching and learning (TILT) methods have been shown to be an effective intervention for student retention, particularly for minority, low-income, and first-generation college students. TILT methodologies are purported to yield positive outcomes regardless of course subjects and course modalities, but there has been little research on specific disciplines and the online format. This study analyzed transparent teaching in what is traditionally considered one of the most difficult subjects in higher education, i.e., foreign language. Drop, withdraw, and fail rates nationally attest to the challenges that foreign language students face. Taking courses online can also contribute to lower rates of student success. Given these considerations, this project focused on employing TILT practices in online college Spanish. This study compared groups of online Spanish students (N = 110) enrolled at a regional campus in sections of Elementary Spanish I and Second Year Spanish I. The students were divided into control and transparent teaching (TT) test groups. The TT groups took newly created versions of the courses designed with TILT methodology. The control groups completed the older version of the course without TILT interventions. Both groups completed post course surveys to assess the effects of transparent teaching. Results indicated that students who took the transparent teaching version of online Spanish had increased awareness of employer valued skills, an expected outcome of TILTing the course.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of students on the importance of developmental relationships related to teacher satisfaction and retention. It involved the use of a 20-question survey that was focused on perceptions of on-ground undergraduate students on components of The Developmental Relationship Framework from the Search Institute. Cronbach's Alpha, T-tests, and a Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. Independent T-tests and the Mann-Whitney U Item Analysis discovered no significant differences in mean scores of survey questions and the demographic variables. While the statistical results were not significant, areas for further research were identified.

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between two content formats of the basic communication course (BCC) and first-year college student retention over a 4-year period (N = 5,653). Chi-square and logistic regression models indicated students who completed the BCC were more likely to be retained than those who did not complete the BCC. While completing the BCC was associated with retention for both formats, the hybrid BCC was more consistently related to retention than the public speaking BCC. Students from certain demographic groups who completed the hybrid BCC were retained more frequently than students from the same demographic who did not complete the hybrid BCC. Demographics for the public speaking BCC revealed a different retention profile. Implications and future directions concerning the BCC are discussed.

Data from a moderately-selective state university in the Midwest is used to cross-examine the most appropriate data analytical techniques for predicting versus explaining college student persistence decisions. The current research provides an overview of the relative benefits of models specializing in prediction versus explanation with particular emphasis on estimation methodologies, model specification by estimation technique, and model diagnostics, including classification tables and measurements of the goodness of fit. The predictive validity of a model of college student retention estimated using logistic regression is compared with that of discriminant analysis estimated using cognitive and non-cognitive predictors of retention. Key contributions to the literature include a unique analysis sample, a unique set of independent variables, and statistical estimation methodologies that build upon traditional frameworks, including machine learning techniques. The currents study ends with a discussion that will allow leaders in higher education and policymakers to make better data-informed decisions surrounding prediction and explanation so that they can proactively intervene with the most appropriate attrition-minimization policies.

The aim of the study was to determine the retention/retention rate of primary school pupils (I-V) who belong to the "scheduled tribes" (ST). It also aimed to compare these parameters by gender and educational sector. A descriptive survey method was adopted and Ganderbal district (J&K, India) forms the study area. The primary data on these parameters were collected from Chief and zonal education officers. The data was analysed with the help of percentage statistics and visualised with tables, pie charts and bar charts. The study revealed that the overall and GRR of tribal students at primary level was low at 80.49% and 75.87% respectively. In addition, the study revealed notable observations in terms of sex and zonal differences. The GRR of boys was low in contrast to that of girls (overall 75.52%, ST students 67.36%). It is noteworthy that Hariganwan zone had the lowest GRR for both tribal and all students as compared to Kangan, Ganderbal and Tullamulla zones.

Student retention and lack of encouragement are post-secondary institutional barriers that play a critical part in why African Americans are represented in small numbers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) (National Science Foundation, 2017). Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have always promoted a supportive learning atmosphere for African American students. Living learning communities (LLC) were created to improve academic outcomes and to encourage social engagement. The findings of this study suggest that an LLC at an HBCU plays an integral role in sustaining programmatic retention of STEM majors and improving the academic as well as in social outcomes of first-year science and technology students.

This qualitative study reports the university experiences of Quebec students whose parents were born in Latin America. The analysis, which looks at students who have either persisted in school or discontinued their studies, underscores the importance of cultural capital and, especially, an understanding of the student craft for school retention. The students report a low sense of affiliation with the university, and a perceived lack of support and care from the university and its social actors. Our interpretation of the data highlights self-blame for the challenges faced in university concurrently with the implementation of strategies to meet the challenges of the institution. We conclude by emphasizing how important it is for universities to support students better, adequately inform them about their options and the institution's inner workings, and form a community with students in a spirit of care.

Following the institution's strategic goal to make it an affordable campus, institutional administrators advocated using open educational resources (OERs) to reduce the cost of attendance and improve low retention rates in gateway courses. In this project, researchers invited faculty members to systematically design, develop, and deliver three general education (GED) courses with OERs to promote and test innovative pedagogical approaches for student success and retention. The project also aims to enable students to complete and earn their degrees seamlessly and affordably. The purpose of this paper is to describe the initiative, disseminate information to instructors, administrators, and other scholars on the effective practices to integrate OERs into GED courses, and show the effectiveness of OERs in increasing students' learning experiences, instructors' teaching experiences, and student retention.

To understand retention, evaluation of guided pathways implementation is an important tool. In an effort to help students succeed, colleges often give students a specified set of core courses and a specific or even prescribed pathway to complete their general education requirements. Retention efforts are always a topic with administrators at community colleges across the United States. The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) incorporated GP into retention efforts in the fall of 2015. Over the past 4 years, CCBC has incorporated more activities focusing on increasing knowledge about GP. The pathways are Arts; Business, Law and Education; General Studies; Humanities and Social Sciences; Science and Health Careers; and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Vincent Tinto's framework is often presumed to be inappropriate to the study of student persistence at community colleges because social integration is considered unlikely to occur for students at these institutions. Community college students are thought to not have the time to participate in activities like attending concerts, joining clubs, or exploring art galleries that would facilitate social integration. This study examines student and faculty perceptions of GP at CCBC and whether they help with retention of the students for sequential semesters. I interviewed students who were enrolled in English 101 for the first time starting in the fall of 2015 through 2018. I also interviewed full-time faculty who taught English 101 on the same campus.

Although more effort is being placed on retaining Aboriginal youth in the public education system, failure to respect cultural differences continues to dominate the typical high school classroom. A recognition of this cultural disconnect is needed in order to see any change in withdrawal rates of Manitoba's Aboriginal students. The author discusses current models of practice, assessment, cultural differences, and holistic beliefs in an attempt to discover a way to incorporate two different educational beliefs that will keep all students in school.

Introduction: Educators in public schools are required to serve students in their least restrictive environment. While many evidence-based practices (EBPs), defined as practices and strategies shown by research to have meaningful effects on outcomes for autistic students are documented in the literature, less is known about EBP use among educators in public schools. Methods: Eighty-six general and special education teachers and para educators completed a survey about familiarity, training, and EBP use for included autistic children. Results: Across roles, educators reported familiarity (98.8%), use (97.7%), and training (83.7%) in reinforcement. They reported the least familiarity with behavioral momentum (29.1%), training in both video modeling and peer-mediated instruction and intervention (18.6%), and use of video modeling (14.0%). Follow-up interviews (n = 80) highlighted mixed understanding of EBP definitions and use. Discussion: Implications for inclusive education are discussed including autism-specific EBP training within pre-service teacher preparation programs.

While a growing body of research supports active, student-centered approaches to teaching, the implementation of such methodologies in the undergraduate STEM classroom has not been widespread. In an effort to increase student success in an introductory course for biology majors, we developed Biology Boot Camp, a peer-led program based on active, collaborative learning. Program participants attended weekly study sessions led by Boot Camp Coaches who had been trained extensively in both course content and pedagogy. During Boot Camp sessions, Coaches engaged students in activities designed to encourage the development of higher-order cognitive skills represented by the upper levels of Bloom's taxonomy (analysis, evaluation, and synthesis). A primary goal of the program was to transform students into active, engaged learners who understand the difference between superficial and deep, meaningful learning. Biology Boot Camp strove to cultivate motivated learners, to promote biology content mastery, and to develop problem-solving skills necessary for future leaders and visionaries in rapidly evolving STEM fields. In this study, we examined the impact of Boot Camp on student success, and we determined that participation in Biology Boot Camp improved academic performance as demonstrated by exam grades, pre-test/post-test gains, and final course averages.

Student engagement within education has been an area of increasing interest over recent years as one of the factors that needs to be taken into consideration when addressing one of the main issues in education--school dropout. The objective of this paper is to provide oversight of how being engaged in the educational trajectories of young people who are at risk takes place. This will involve applying the theory of life course as the main driver of the research. A qualitative method is used which adopts a biographical and narrative approach via semi structured in-depth interviews. The main results have revealed that: 1) there are stages in which events that facilitate positive or negative engagement are more predominant; 2) generally, there are more negative critical events that result in a decline in the quality of student engagement; 3) there are several factors that stand out in each of the stages of the student trajectories.

Students experience challenges with persistence, retention, graduation, and overall academic success in colleges and universities, particularly when courses are taught by adjunct instructors. Using a sample of 21,274 student results in three different general education disciplines from 2010 to 2019, the authors found that there was a disparity between adjunct and full-time faculty members in those key outcomes. The purpose of this study is to analyze data about student persistence, retention, and academic skills and its relationships with type of instructor (adjunct or non-adjunct) to consider the means by which the results may help to respond effectively to negative indicators in those areas. In addition to including adjunct instructors in professional development and student engagement activities on campuses, strategically hiring full-time faculty may result in gains that offset the higher financial outlay for those instructors.

Two studies examined the relationships between motivational orientation, college student success, and first-year retention. In Study 1, 523 college students completed measures of motivational orientation and student success. Results indicated that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were positively related to college GPA, student-university match and adjustment to college. In contrast, amotivation was negatively related to these dependent variables. Study 2 examined a mediational model in which motivational orientation, most consistently amotivation, predicted lower college student GPA and poorer college match. These, in turn predicted a decrease in first-to-second-year retention among 385 first-year college students. These results suggest that colleges may wish to address amotivation among students as a way to enhance student success and retention.