The goal of this research was to examine the effects, if any, the programs available from an Academic Support Services unit of a small, private, liberal arts college might have on the grade point averages of students admitted on probation over two major semesters. The assumption was that the students who utilized the services of the Academic Center for Excellence would demonstrate more increases in GPA than students who did not utilize the services. The literature review of this study found that, although there were many factors and student characteristics that could predict and explain student achievement in course work, GPA was a good predictor and the only real measure of a student's performance. The programs designed to offer support are demonstrated to aid students in improving their academic achievement. The results of this study suggest that GPA is a good predictor of a student's academic achievement and a primary method of assessing student academic achievement. However, there was no apparent impact of the support services unit on the grade point averages of the students admitted on probation. Suggested uses for the study included the development of freshman orientation programs that integrate the student into academic life and a retooling of counseling and advising programs.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology / Fred O. Bradley / The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the impact of student support services on the engagement and satisfaction of undergraduate non-traditional students at Kansas State University. For the purposes of this study, student support services were defined as non-academic departments or offices providing support services to students. The research questions were: (1) How do the experiences of non-traditional students, when utilizing the services of university student support staff, impact their engagement and satisfaction? (2) How do non-traditional students regard their experiences with student support services at Kansas State University? (3) What types of programming do student support services at Kansas State University provide for non-traditional students? (4) What level of involvement with student support service functions do non-traditional students find as enhancing their learning experience? Following the completion of in-depth interviews of 20 non-traditional students, five student support staff members and observation of five student support staff offices, the researcher identified the emergence of six themes related to the engagement and satisfaction of non-traditional students: (1) commitment - student’s perceptions of efforts to engage and satisfy them through a commitment of university resources, (2) expectations - demonstration of investment in the students and validation of their presence on campus by communicating clear expectations, (3) support - provision and utilization of support services that promote student success (4) involvement - perceptions of the relationship between student and support staff and opportunities for academic and social integration, (5) learning - efforts to enhance the learning experiences of non-traditional students, (6) feedback – gathering of suggestions for change and improvement to the non-traditional student experience. These themes captured the experiences of non-traditional students while utilizing student support services. Students who develop or experience a positive connection with a student support staff member or faculty member reported that those experiences leave them feeling engaged in the life of the university and satisfied with their student role. Non-traditional students were confused about what student support services were available and how to utilize them. When students seek the help of support staff, the student often left feeling as though the staff do not understand their needs. Student support service offices did not differentiate between programs specifically for non-traditional and traditionally-aged students. Students could identify student support service staff as connectors as playing the role of; academic advisor, admissions representative, financial aid advisor, housing staff member, faculty member or others who take the opportunity to engage with the student.

Since 1968, the federally funded TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program has assisted students who are either low income, first-generation, or have disabilities with services designed to improve the success of these participants in college. To achieve this goal, the services offered, such as the tutoring services at a participating 2-year college in the southeastern United States, must be effective. Guided by Tinto’s theory of academic integration, the purpose of this retrospective prediction study was to ascertain whether the amount of documented time receiving tutorial services, college placement test scores, race/ethnicity, gender, and age were predictive of student success as measured by grades in 2 levels of remedial math courses and 1 remedial English course. Nonprobability sampling of remedial course tutoring recipients produced samples for Level 1 math n = 43, Level 2 math n = 49, and English n = 25. Ordinal logistic regression analyses indicated that time spent in SSS tutoring during the first 5 weeks of a semester positively predicted grades for all 3 remedial courses. In addition, female gender was negatively correlated with grades for the Level 1 remedial math course, and college placement scores were predictive of success for both remedial math courses. Age and race/ethnicity were not significant predictors of student success for any of the courses. Based on these findings, a recommendation to implement a remedial summer bridge program was developed for the local college to provide recent high school graduates with the opportunity to get a head start on their remedial education and aid them with their transition into higher education. The summer bridge program will influence positive social change by strengthening the services of TRIO SSS at the local college, thus positively affecting the education and lives of students who take part in these services.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of the requirement for the Doctor of Education Degree in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of Zululand, 2018. / The vision of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is about increasing enrolments and marketing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as viable institutions. The first college entrants often have hurdles that can challenge qualification completion, placing them at high risk of dropping out. The focus of the study was to determine the level of contribution student support services may have on the academic success of first college entrants. The study was carried out in two public TVET Colleges, purposely selected. Data were collected from a sample of 172 respondents of which 100 were first-year students, 20 entry-level lecturers, 20 Campus Management Team members, 2 Student Support Service Managers, 10 Student Liaison Officers, 10 SSS-SACs, and 10 Career Development Officers, purposively and randomly selected. Thirty two participants were purposively selected from SSS unit personnel for qualitative data collection. The study used questionnaires and structured interviews as data collection instruments. Validity was warranted through the judgement of experts in the SSS unit, CMT and lecturing staff, and made possible by allowing them to have access to the instruments of data collections. Reliability was determined by ensuring that an audit trail was done, and it was made available to all participants. Post-positivism paradigm was employed as the study utilised mixed methodology which incorporate both quantitative and qualitative approaches in one study. The findings of this study revealed that, students with learning challenges are not adequately supported to better cope with the college lifestyle. It was also discovered that, opportunities provided by the campuses for academic support were not enough to support the first college entrants. Findings revealed that (100 %) respondents agreed that opportunities provided by the campus for academic support were not enough to support the first college entrants. It was evident from the findings that (62, 2 %) percent respondents disagreed that a major share of SSS budget was allocated for academic support programmes. Equality of opportunity and outcomes is constrained by inadequate funding to address under preparedness (conceptual, knowledge, academic literacy and numeracy) for higher education programmes of especially indigent students. The findings revealed that over eighty percent respondents disagreed that they were satisfied with technological facilities. Furthermore, a majority of participants interviewed remain resolute that the existing infrastructure does not allow effective rendering of support services to students. The study concluded with a recommendation of an initial student integration model, which supports Tinto’s (1993) model of student integration. Adding to that, this study recommended that further research be conducted on academic support focusing primarily on private TVET colleges for comparison purposes, as the present study focus was mainly on public TVET colleges. The study is significant in the sense that its’ findings would provide insight into the TVET college governance councils, management at all levels, SSS managers, SSS units at campus level and policy makers to understand the role of a SSS unit, and the positive impact it may have on students’ academic success.

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The purpose of this study was (a) to determine which student support service resources should be included in an Online Wellness Resource Center (OWRC) available within an online course and (b) to create a paper-based schematic for such a prototype. To address these research questions, a needs assessment was conducted to determine whether learners perceived a need for access to wellness resources. Finding that they did express this need, the assessment then identified the specific wellness resources to include in the OWRC. A schematic was then created for OWRC development, incorporating the results of the needs assessment. The specific contribution of this study is its ability to provide a model that other institutions can follow to establish their own OWRC / Ph. D.

Academic policies in higher education address institutional academic standards and student requirements including academic underachievement. Academic probation is one academic policy designed to alert students they are not meeting the minimum academic standards of the institution. Institutions offer a variety of student services to support institutional retention efforts and student persistence to graduation; however, there is little research that addresses academic policies and their role in the success of the college student (Brawner, Frillman, & Ohland, 2010). This qualitative case study was an exploration of the perceptions of undergraduate students and the administration by examining the policy of academic probation at one 4-year, private, small liberal arts college in southwest Virginia. The study explored what the institution intended the purpose of academic probation to serve and the perception of the policy by students who were placed on academic probation. Interviews were conducted with 1 undergraduate student who was currently on academic probation and 2 administrators of the institution who were familiar with the policy of academic probation. Survey questions were administered to 5 additional students on academic probation. A document review of the policy of academic probation was conducted. The findings of this study demonstrated that 3 students and both administrators viewed the policy as a way to alert students to refocusing their attention on academics in order to raise their GPA and meet the academic requirements needed for graduation. The study also revealed that students who were placed on academic probation did not feel they had sufficient knowledge of the policy before they were placed on probation.

College students who are from low income families, have disabilities, or are the first in their family to attend college are more likely to struggle socially and academically in a college setting. Promoting college graduation within these disadvantaged populations is critical for increased life wellness. Previous researchers studied to see if when students wrote about their personal beliefs if it would lead to higher levels of academic confidence and better academic performance (as measured by grades). This study expanded upon those previous studies to look specifically at whether a values-affirming writing intervention provided to at risk students in a federally funded college opportunity program would affect academic confidence, semester math grades, and overall semester academic performance (as measured by GPA). While there was no impact on semester math grades or overall semester academic performance, the values-affirming writing intervention did benefit students’ academic confidence. This study suggests more research on writing about personal beliefs within a federally funded college opportunity program may be beneficial in identifying methods of improving retention rates and college degree attainment for certain populations of at-risk students. A values-affirming intervention for at-risk students may be one protective factor universities can implement to help these students succeed.

No description available.

No description available.