<p> This study examined students with learning disabilities&rsquo; use of academic consultation, a specific academic support, during the first year of college and the relation it had to completing the undergraduate degree. Forty-one participants were recruited via e-mail, telephone, and social media in order to request their consent to have the researcher access their academic and support services records. Results indicate that the number of academic consultant meetings attended during the first year of college did not have a significant impact on overall GPA or GPA at the end of the third semester. Those who used test accommodations during their first year were more likely to graduate in four years than those students who did not use their test accommodations during the first year. The findings suggest incoming first year students with learning disabilities should be aware of the importance of seeking out and registering with the disability office on campus in order to arrange for their test accommodations.</p>

<p> Knowing the perceptions of college students regarding their safety on campus from an active school shooter can be valuable when campus police and security, college safety boards, and other members of the college community are designing policies and emergency plans to protect the college. However, few studies have been conducted to examine perceptions of students regarding fear of a school shooter on a university campus. To address this gap in the literature, this particular study was conducted to specifically inspect the perceptions of students regarding fear of a school shooter on a university campus in Missouri. This study resulted in a record of how the fear of a school shooter is perceived by college students from a variety of viewpoints. A qualitative, grounded theory design was selected for this study and was framed through the perspective of values theory and human and campus ecology theories. Interviews with 25 university students in Missouri were conducted. Data analysis resulted in the emergence of four major themes: (a) contentment, (b) partnership, (c) communication, and (d) maintenance. Overall, students in this study felt a great degree of contentment and desired to reduce their fear of an active shooter by creating a partnership with campus police, communicating better, and rejecting stricter gun laws.</p>

Abstract This study commences a process of developing a scale for the measurement of service quality in higher education in South Africa and also examines the relationship between the measures of service quality on the one hand and some other related variables such as intention to leave the university, trust in management of the university and the overall satisfaction with the university. Using structured questionnaires, survey data was collected from students (n = 391) in two South African universities. Findings indicate that the 52-item measure of service quality in higher education is a multidimensional construct loading on 13 factors with a high reliability coefficient (0.93) and some construct validity. Significant relationships were also found between service quality in HE and other study variables—intention to leave university, trust in management of the university and overall satisfaction with the university. Some further research directions were suggested and policy implications of findings discussed.

<p> America's postsecondary education system currently supports nearly 11 million people, but only 33-37% of these students will actually graduate with a Baccalaureate degree (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt &amp; Associates, 2005; OECD, 2009). Researchers have been examining various aspects of America's "persistence puzzle" for the past 30 years. The majority of these studies have focused on the academic and social environs of first-year, native students enrolled in large university programs (Braxton, Sullivan, &amp; Johnson, 1997), where America's transfer student populations have been restricted or excluded (Townsend &amp; Wilson, 2009). These restrictions represent a rather significant oversight in the current literature, given that approximately 52% of America's first-year postsecondary students are enrolled in community college programs (Cejda, 1997; Keener, 1994) and that nearly 40% of today's graduates will transfer between several institutions before obtaining a baccalaureate degree (NCES, 2005). Furthermore, the majority of these studies have relied on quantitative methods/data, which address persistence as an outcomes, rather than a series of events/experiences that contribute to a student's decision to withdraw (Tinto, 1993). As a result, we know very little about the psychological and environmental challenges students face as they transition between institutions (Laanan, 2004). Even those studies that have referred to the "transfer shock" students experience during their transition have failed to explore the methods, attributes, stresses (both psychological, social &amp; cultural), or the strategies students employ to relieve these stresses (Holahan, Green, &amp; Kelley, 1983; Laanan, 2001). </p><p> This study examined the adjustment process of vertical transfer students who recently transferred to a four-year, Research I, Baccalaureate university in the southeast United States. It applied Adelman's (2006) definition of a vertical transfer student as: someone who began his or her postsecondary education in a community college, earned a at least 10 college credits and then transferred to a Baccalaureate university. This definition was then applied to a specific group of vertical transfer students who recently transferred from a single, local community college, less than three miles from the university, as these students represent approximately 43.3% of the total incoming transfer student population at the Baccalaureate institution (OIR, 2012b). The primary goals of this study were to define the transfer student experience, assist future transfer students with their transitions, and assess the quality/effectiveness of current programs so that staff, faculty and administrators could align and/or improve cooperative persistence programs that exist between these two institutions. After all, the rigors these students face during their adjustment to life as university students will have a significant impact on their persistence and/or success (Astin, 1984, Tinto, 1993, Townsend &amp; Wilson, 2009).</p>

<p> Higher education has taken pride in the holistic development of students. However, research has shown that there is a void or lack in addressing students&rsquo; holistic development; more specifically, the lack or void is in addressing the spiritual development of students (Love &amp; Talbot, 1999; Stewart, Kocet, &amp; Lobdell, 2011). There remains little research on programs that directly and explicitly focus on spiritual development, especially in public institutions of higher education. It is important to study such programs to understand their components and implications as possible models and best practices for addressing spirituality in higher education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how a four-year, public institution of higher education addresses students&rsquo; spirituality through the use of an interfaith center, reflection room, and student organizations focused on religion, faith, and spirituality.</p><p> A multi-case study methodology design was used to implement this research study. There were three cases being studied &ndash; an interfaith center, a reflection room, and student organizations focused on religion, faith, and/or spirituality. Each case involved interviews with student users, interviews with staff, and a review of documents. Based on the theoretical framework and research questions, data accumulated from the data collection process were analyzed for emerging and convergent themes that relate to how these spiritually-related services impact students&rsquo; development.</p><p> Research findings concluded that these spiritually-related services do address various measures of spirituality in students. However, there are areas in which spiritually-related services could improve to address more measures of spirituality. Additionally, there are some negative factors that need to be addressed to improve the efficacy of existing services. Some of these factors include visibility of the services provided and more specific training for staff. Recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are presented as ways for public institutions of higher education to implement and address spirituality among their students.</p>

For about three decades now the world’s economic systems have mainly embraced a neoliberal paradigm. The precept of this paradigm is, more egocentric than the capitalist philosophy of homo economicus, that it is not enough to have the market determine all human or institutional relations, but that there should be nothing which is not the market. Neoliberalism would see surrendered to the market to be commodified all the services communally provided for its citizens by the state, such as healthcare and education. Neoliberalism and its many approaches mount formidable pressure on states to fall to its sway. The environment created by neoliberalism is a challenge to states, like Sweden, that still believe in the central provision of essential social services so that the enjoyment of such services would not depend on the economic status of the individual citizen, because in the long run the state would benefit from having it so. This research studied, given this environment, whether the provision of higher education in the welfare state of Sweden could be commodified. An extensive review of relevant literature was done to define the problem and establish a theoretical frame. From there a questionnaire was designed and administered to Swedish universities. The responses were used to formulate questions for semi-structured interviews with parliamentarians and university vice-chancellors. The research found, among other things, a transformation from an inward-looking system to one of increasing globalisation; from detailed state planning and control to a broad degree of freedoms to act. There is a lack of desire for universities to be fully independent of the state; a desire for broadened entrepreneurialism, especially in the areas of conversion of research results into products and co-operation with the private sector. There are statutes that hinder some entrepreneurial activities or limit the universities’ ability to make money from them; a vehement stand against the commodification of higher education for natives, but qualified openness for some categories of foreign students paying for their education in the country. There is diminished solidarity-thinking and the use of global educational contacts as a means to support the country’s export sector. There is no indication that the possibility exists in the foreseeable future for higher education in Sweden to move from the sphere of public good to private good since an overwhelming majority of those most closely associated with legislation, policy formulation and execution are against the commodification of higher education.

The thesis investigates the way ideas are developed and framed in group interaction tasks on British undergraduate programmes for Malaysian students. The introductory chapter of this thesis states the three major aims of the study - educational, linguistic and cross-cultural. The study aims to investigate the role of talk in constructing valuable educational knowledge in group discussion tasks, the role of language in mediating the process of generating ideas, and the way knowledge is constructed by students from different socio-cultural educational backgrounds and what this tells us about the socio-cultural view of knowledge students might have been socialised into. The thesis proceeds with a discussion of the methodological issues involved in data collection, analysis and description. This is followed by a discussion of the theoretical parameters on which the study is grounded and the educational linguistic approach which is adopted in the study. Each of the three following chapters of the thesis addresses each of the aims of the study. The findings arising from the study are illustrated with reference to various group discussion tasks recorded and interview data. The thesis concludes with a review of the implications of the findings of the study for pedagogy and research.

<p> Institutions of higher education, states, and government agencies are seeking avenues for increasing access, improving learning outcomes, and increasing student retention. The majority of chief academic officers polled indicate that online learning is key to the growth of their institutions, while simultaneously indicating concern that online learners are less likely to succeed and persist. A common construct for how institutions can facilitate student success and persistence is the notion of engagement. Since 2000, campuses have relied upon the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to guide institutional policies and practices supporting student success. The research on the applicability of the NSSE to online learning is scarce. This ex post facto quantitative study explored the relationship between scores on the ten NSSE Engagement Indicators and two widely used measures of student success: grade point average (GPA) and persistence. </p><p> The study sample comprised students from five public state institutions that had administered the NSSE during the 2013 and 2014 cycles. Statistical tests were employed to examine potential differences between online and non-online learners. A small significant difference in GPA was discovered, with online learners having a higher average GPA than non-online counterparts. There was no significant difference in rates of persistence between the groups. Regression analyses revealed no statistically significant relationship between Engagement Indicator scores and either GPA or persistence. </p><p> The study findings did not support assertions in the field that online learners are less likely to succeed than non-online learners. The findings were contrary to previous research on the role of engagement in the equation of student success and persistence. Differences in NSSE scores between online learners and non-online learners offered evidence of how those groups may be distinct. The study suggests the need for delineating NSSE results based upon different groups of students, and brings into question the applicability of the engagement construct for online learners. The need to clearly and consistently define &ldquo;online&rdquo; becomes a critical aspect of the discussion. Recommendations for policy and practice are offered, including the importance of addressing attrition bias, and a caution on making inferential interpretations with descriptive statistics from a survey.</p>

<p> Employers, parents, legislators and researchers have expressed concerns that students are graduating from college at low rates, take too long to graduate, and do not possess the proper knowledge or skills to be successful at work or wherever life may take them. Many claim that the curriculum at colleges and universities no longer meets the needs of the students, employers, graduate programs, and society at large. One of the many potential solutions is reforming the undergraduate curriculum.</p><p> This research examines the factors that motivated two institutions to reform their curricula in efforts to improve student success. Both of the institutions are relatively small liberal arts educational organizations, one public and the other private. Each institution has differing missions and goals and is at a different point in its development. The study attempts to describe what was important enough to motivate them to change their curricula and why it mattered.</p><p> This research investigates the reforms of the two institutions in a case study manner, drawing upon published information and personal interviews to analyze what took place. The inquiry centered upon six basic questions. 1. What was the impetus for changing the curriculum? 2. What was the process used in changing the curriculum? 3. What changes were made to the curriculum? 4. What student outcomes were achieved? 5. How did the curriculum reform impact the institution? 6. What lessons were learned through the reform process? </p><p> Reforming a curriculum is a long, complex process, requiring input and consensus from many stakeholders, especially faculty. The manner in which each organization gained faculty endorsement for the reform is analyzed. Actual changes made to the curricula are documented. The research explores student outcomes and the impact that the reform had on the faculty and institutions. Then the researcher attempts to obtain indications that the improvements made by the institutions are achieving the intended goals. Learning is a complex phenomenon to assess, and every organization is challenged to find a way to assess learning effectively.</p><p> The research reports on what took place, what was learned, and what other potential curriculum reformers can expect if they, too, embark upon reform. The study shows that faculty and strong faculty leaders (often cited in the literature as causes of ineffectual curricula) are crucial to the reform process and without adequate assessment, the true results of a reform cannot be known. Much remains to be learned about the extent to which curriculum reform can improve higher education and in fact be a cure of societal maladies. Opportunities for improvement abound. The researcher attempts to identify similarities and differences, seeking fundamental conclusions. In this manner the study proposes to be used as a resource for other educational organizations interested in either improving or completely revamping their curricula.</p>

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