In the spring of 2021, the Community College System in which the author works was in the middle of a planned three-year pilot of math and English self-placement ("Direct Enrollment") procedures. Concerns about the significant English language learner (ELL) population at one institution led to the development of a corequisite support…

While there is growing research identifying the academic and nonacademic challenges to the wellbeing of Chinese international students, there is little discussion about the differences in and challenges of the assessment they experience. This gap appears to come from a tacit assumption that assessment is universal worldwide, or that students will…

The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) is dedicated to advancing racial justice and economic mobility by dramatically and equitably increasing the number of students earning postsecondary credentials with labor market value. Managed by Jobs for the Future, the SSCN has worked since 2012 to develop, implement, and scale student success…

Historically, students attending school in rural and regional New South Wales have experienced poorer outcomes than their peers attending metropolitan schools. The lack of coordinated support services for students with complex support needs compounds this issue. Wraparound models of support have been successful in improving outcomes for students…

This forum piece discusses the relevance of insights from the field of developmental education in terms of the disruption of face-to-face learning and the important implications on the notions of college readiness for those whose educational experiences have been altered unexpectedly. The concept of college readiness, now more than ever, should be…

There is growing evidence that out-of-school factors, such as physical and mental health, family support, and social and emotional development, significantly affect student learning (Berliner 2009). To address challenges related to poverty, schools are being charged with serving as a focal point in providing and coordinating support services for…

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of higher education institutions in profound ways. After the restrictions of movement under lockdowns imposed in response to the pandemic from 2020, higher education institutions were forced to think creatively and quickly about how to respond to arising challenges of completing the academic year and…

Centralised student support such as academic advising, career guidance, and wellbeing services are important elements of the first-year student experience. While some studies have investigated how use of these services relates to student outcomes, there has been little focus on how they might influence student engagement. The current study…

Peer educators, central to the work we do in academic support and more broadly in higher education, have deep impacts on student learning, development, and success. The ways that academic support professionals in the field make sense of their relationships with peer educators can impact the structure, function, and efficacy of support programs and…

Merriam-Webster states that belongingness entails "close or intimate relationships, and a sense of belonging." Humans have a basic and universal emotional need to be an accepted member of a group. In terms of a university setting, Gleiman (2015), states "Ultimately, engagement through the sense of belonging can be one of the most…

Mathematics and statistics support (MSS) is now firmly embedded in the learning and teaching infra-structure of most UK universities and in many universities worldwide. In common with other higher education activities, in response to restrictions put in place to reduce the spread of Covid-19, MSS transitioned rapidly to online delivery in spring…

Methods: The Brandman University Strut Learning platform offers a set of analytics that can be utilized by Academic Coaches, Tutorial Faculty, and Administrators as student performance metrics. Reports summarizing that data have indicators for student progress in the program, competency, and learning activity level, as well as topics and subtopics…

In Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) programmes, students provide academic and social support to fellow students. Recent PAL iterations include drop-in programmes to improve higher education students' general academic literacy in an open, non-judgemental, learning environment led by experienced students. The majority of the PAL literature, however,…

In this article, the author shares the story of Kristin, a low-income single mother raising her six-year-old son Max in Southern California. Taking 13 college credits, Kristin bartended nights and weekends, while raising Max on her own. The author met Kristin while studying the experiences of low-income mothers enrolled in college in the…

University students frequently use campus Facebook Confessions pages to engage with their peers about their university experiences. This article explores the utility of Confessions pages in providing novel data to aid the development of student services generally, and academic skills support in particular. Through a qualitative thematic analysis…