Describes approaches for obtaining and evaluating information on the aspects and effects of the college environment. (HS)

Reviewing environmental measures of college environments and making environmental measures more useful are purposes carried out within a framework of four decision-making categories requiring environmental information, considered from input, contextual, and output perspectives. (JH)

A description of several different approaches used to obtain information about college environments is given. Those seeking such information include high school seniors, college administrators, student personnel workers, counselors, and college presidents. Guides published detailing this information include the "American Universities and…

Item and scale responses of students in 42 colleges to the College Student Experiences Questionnaire were examined to determine the frequency of student involvement in a variety of college activities. Results suggested that most students were primarily involved in studying and classwork, and did not engage in many extracurricular activities.…

There is a need for theories of how college environments operate. Criteria for theories are proposed, with emphasis on the production of testable theoretical predictions. Three approaches appear unusually promising: role theory, organizational psychology, and social ecological analysis. The advantages of using such theoretical approaches are…

Assessments of campus climates can be difficult and be accomplished by several methods, according to purpose. However, a well-designed survey can yield comprehensive and substantive data about the characteristics of people in the institution, workings of programs and policies, and interaction of these elements to inform institutional decision…

Ways that educators can improve the campus environment to promote student learning are examined, with special attention on collecting the correct facts before trying possible remedies. (Editor/LBH)

Draws on current research to note complexity of dissertation process within general context of students' graduate careers, by summarizing previous research on degree completion, analyzing tasks involved in completing dissertation, and considering implications for programs and faculty. Discusses importance of a positive faculty-student nexus of…

Considers the various roles that a faculty advisers plays in the three identified stages of a student's graduate education: beginning, middle, and the dissertation stage. Looks at each stage as a process of educational and developmental change. Focuses on faculty sponsorship, peers, financial assistance, intellectual interests, comprehensive…

The correlates of average departmental annual research journal publication rates of faculty were examined in three disciplines: chemistry, history, and psychology. Variables studied included factual information about each department, faculty perceptions and ratings, and graduate students' perceptions and ratings. (Author/MLW)

Students knowledge and skills cannot be fully understood without assessing the ways they are influenced by other aspects of postsecondary education. These aspects are described in a "map" consisting of points that depict the flow of students through institutions and experiences from precollege to adulthood. (Author/MLW)

This study of graduate and professional school students attempted to find out how students enter graduate and professional school and to assess their reactions to their experiences there. Following an introduction, the report includes: (1) a description of the sample students and how their current activities were related to their plans as seniors,…

A comprehensive guide to the use of environmental assessments for understanding and improving student and faculty life is presented. Environmental assessments are examined as tools for academic decision-makers in understanding the extent and quality of the communication among its members, their sense of community, their emphasis on academic rigor,…