Background: Undergraduate engineering students experiencing distress are less likely than peers to ask for professional help. A population-specific instrument to facilitate the identification of factors that influence mental healthcare utilization could guide development and testing of interventions to increase help seeking. Purpose: We used mixed…

Latina community college students face significant barriers in achieving their educational goals, particularly transferring to 4-year institutions. Despite comprising a large and growing demographic within community colleges, their unique needs and experiences often remain unaddressed. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of…

American-Indian and Alaska Native students attending Midwestern Regional University (MRU) are experiencing graduation rates lower than the national average. This dissertation in practice attempts to solve this real-world problem by providing a voice for the indigenous students at MRU so that services and policies can be adjusted to increase the…

Gateway courses are foundational, college-level courses that apply to a student's program of study or to a college's general education requirements. These courses are typically considered first-year or lower-division courses and serve as a basis for more advanced studies. Research has demonstrated that completing gateway courses in two key…

As a result of additional stressors encountered by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionately greater impact on college students with ASD than the general college population. To address the unique concerns this population encountered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this qualitative study…

The research presented here was completed in partial fulfillment for the doctorate in education degree for the University of Dayton school of Education and Health Sciences. This research identified a problem in practice at the University of Akron of declining international student enrollment, sense of satisfaction, and feelings of institutional…

This dissertation investigated the persistence of African American college students with disabilities in higher education, focusing on academic, social, and institutional factors influencing their success. Using a qualitative approach and insights from interviews; findings revealed that comprehensive academic support services, social integration,…

California community colleges are undergoing massive systemwide policy reform with the goal of transformational change that increases student success. Their open-access nature makes them the most accessible higher education system for historically underserved communities. As a result, community colleges serve as a gateway to higher education for…

This study focused on the problem that students attending on-ground programs retain significantly higher than students in online programs. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine what difference, if any, existed in the grades and persistence of adult online students who used student support services and those who…

This paper discusses the impact of a series of professional development workshops for peer leaders to enhance the student learning experience at an Australian enabling education institution over the period of three years (2019-2021). It reports the impact of these workshops on peer leaders' professional development and, more importantly, on…

Violence is a significant issue impacting the physical, mental, social, and economic health of our learning communities. For decades the discipline of peace education has explored the effects of nonphysical violence on students and educators, as well as ways to create more peaceful, less violent, and equitable educational practices. While…

Under-resourced community college students struggle to meet their basic needs, often facing food and housing insecurities, all while trying to focus on their studies. A handful of institutions have increased the graduation rates of their under-resourced student populations by creating holistic models that provide a variety of financial, academic,…

Under-resourced community college students struggle to meet their basic needs, often facing food and housing insecurities, all while trying to focus on their studies. A handful of institutions have increased the graduation rates of their under-resourced student populations by creating holistic models that provide a variety of financial, academic,…

The purpose of this descriptive study utilizing survey research was to understand student perceptions about how private institutions support the persistence of first-generation college students. First-generation college students refer to those students whose parents or guardians have earned a four-year bachelor's degree but may have some…

The academic success of student-athletes is a hot topic on college campuses. This exploratory action research study seeks to understand the best ways to support student-athletes at a small, private college with a large student-athlete population. Utilizing the Whole Student Theory of Advising (WSToA) framework, student-athletes were surveyed and…