"STEM21: Equity in Teaching and Learning to Meet Global Challenges of Standards, Engagement and Transformation" is designed to contribute to discourses about how STEM teaching and learning can become more equitable, serving the needs of readers across the STEM educational spectrum. "STEM21" is meant to problematize the status…

The concept of leadership has been explored in many contexts, yet it is not a role that is expected as part of a college education. "Peer Leaders" are in a unique position because they are responsible for leading a group of students to learn. This phenomenological case study explored the experience of "leading" by Peer Leaders,…

First-year experience courses, although common on university campuses, are conducted in a variety of formats. This article outlines strategies and activities used at a large urban commuter campus in a first-year experience sequence run by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics for the College of Science. The course, designed for freshmen…

This paper describes the Integrated Core (IC), the University of Utah's version of integrated curricula. We begin with a rationale for the IC, providing a background on the unique student demographics, and University-wide requirements that propelled our design. Our IC focuses specifically on active living, sustainability, and social justice as…

This study sought to explore the lived experiences of five female, first-generation, low-income students who attend a metropolitan commuter university, and investigate how a structured undergraduate research experience exerts influence on the women's academic and social involvement. A qualitative case study with a narrative and grounded…

As student persistence efforts remain stagnant and the level of accountability grows for higher education, the classroom environment could offer some assistance toward improving academic integration and subsequent institutional commitment. The process of student persistence at four-year commuter colleges and universities differs from the process…

The purpose of this study was to expand the literature on student persistence in community colleges through three research innovations. First, the literature on student persistence in community colleges was expanded by applying theory to the identification and testing of predictors. Second, it was expanded by validating retention prediction…

While higher education institutions seem to be utilizing social media more and more, there still exist enormous challenges in trying to understand the new dynamics generated by social media in higher education, particularly for the context of community colleges. In March 2011, the author and her colleague Dr. Regina Deil-Amen (Associate Professor…

Many urban and commuter universities have their sights set on students who are unlikely to connect with the college and likely to fail unless the right strategies are put in place to help them graduate. In efforts to improve retention rates, commuter colleges are looking to an unusual suspect: residence halls. The author discusses how these…

Black and commuter students are disadvantaged when it comes to higher education. Although black students are enrolling in college more than they did in previous years, fewer are earning degrees compared with their counterparts. Research asserts that students who live on campus are more engaged compared with students who commute. This is troubling…

Carroll Community College connects students to their peers and to educators who share similar academic, personal, and career interests. Students get involved in hands-on experiences inside and outside of the classroom. The results include higher retention, reduced student anonymity, and an institutional commitment to student success.

This study sought to conduct an assessment of a transfer retention program at a four year, commuter institution, and to examine its influence on the retention and academic performance of transfer students. A mixed methods case study utilizing both institutional quantitative data and qualitative interviews investigated the influence of this program…

This study assessed the influence of cultural orientation and cultural ft of 121 Latina undergraduates' help-seeking attitudes. Mexican and Anglo orientation, cultural congruity, and perceptions of the university environment did not predict help-seeking attitudes; however, differences emerged by class standing and self-reported previous counseling…

This article reports on an Irish study that examines the teaching of large, introductory-level sociology courses at a research-intensive university. The study's aim was to ameliorate some of the problems associated with large classes by applying key lessons from the U.S. literature to an Irish setting. Overall, the initiative was successful;…

College success requires more than the ability to master college-level academic skills. Students must learn to navigate an unfamiliar campus, satisfy bureaucratic requirements, meet new expectations (Shields, 2002), and engage in new types of interpersonal relationships (Dickie & Farrell, 1991). Academically vulnerable students--those who are most…