The process of enrolling and completing the courses needed to earn an undergraduate degree involves complex interactions between individual students and institutional policies and procedures, especially because student and institutional priorities do not always align. Traditional social and behavioral statistical methods are ineffective for modeling these interactions. Simulation and algorithm-based modeling approaches have been underutilized in higher education, but their adaptability can accommodate the complexity of the degree attainment process. The purpose of this research was to design, develop, validate, and apply a multi-method Course Enrollment Simulation Model (CESM), which mirrored the process of college students enrolling in courses required for a specific undergraduate degree program. Simulated output from the model included graduation outcomes, like six-year graduation rates and average terms for students to obtain the degree, which are metrics commonly tracked by institutions of higher education. As proof of concept, data from a Fall 2015 student cohort and graduation requirements for an undergraduate computer science program at a large public university were used to create and test the CESM. The model integrated elements of discrete event simulation, agent-based modeling, and microsimulation methods into one architecture. Monte Carlo experiments were used to assess the validity of the model, which was more accurate than comparable inferential statistics. Finally, the CESM was used to evaluate summer enrollment policy options intended to improve graduation outcomes in a computer science program, finding that the effectiveness of the proposed policies depended on student factors as well as course requirements of the degree program. This dissertation is formatted as a collection of three studies, each organized into a publishable manuscript.

In 2000 Campion High School, a Catholic, Jesuit, single-sex secondary school created and adopted the Grad-at-Grad statement as the school‘s expected school-wide learning results (ESLRs) and has articulated a need for a comprehensive, reliable assessment of these graduation outcomes. This case study used interviews, a survey, and participant observation to understand how the school has implemented and assessed the ESLRs since their inception. The study also thematically compared Jesuit educational philosophy to current theories of educative assessment and outcomes-centered curriculum development. Findings reveal that the school relies on a random, individual approach to curricular incorporation and has not incorporated the outcomes at the departmental level. Teachers at the school provide good role models for the Grad-at-Grad outcomes, and the Campus Ministry and Community Service programs provide meaningful learning experiences in relation to the outcomes. The school uses a variety of traditional assessment measures to assess students‘ growth toward the graduation outcomes. The study concluded that the school is in the middle of the implementation process and should utilize more professional development and the current theories of educative assessment and outcomes-centered curriculum design as it continues to implement and assess the ESLRs.