The Utah Board of Higher Education has implemented a strategic plan to increase access to higher education and facilitate students' pathways to meaningful careers. A key initiative of the plan allows students to earn college credit for knowledge and skills acquired outside traditional college settings, such as through rigorous academic study…

Employability skills and capabilities are equally important as academic and technical knowledge in the current job market. Consequently, universities are increasingly focusing on providing employability skills to their students. While universities in Australia are experimenting with various methods for employability embedding, we could not find…

The STEM Transfer Partnership (STP) initiative seeks to create systemic change within STEM degree pathways in Washington through collaboration between teams of faculty and staff from nine pairs of two-year and four-year institutions across the state. These teams are supported by Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) to work together to…

Observers of education often assume measuring non-continuation -- or, more colloquially, "drop-out" rates -- among students must be straightforward. In fact, there are numerous different ways to measure the phenomenon of non-continuation that make it challenging to discuss. This paper addresses the following questions regarding…

College students need both a rigorous liberal arts core curriculum and a faster track to graduation that would saddle them with less debt. This brief report discusses the concept of a three-year undergraduate degree in which requirements are shortened from 120 credit hours to 90 credit hours, and students complete 27 credit hours of core…

The research on students who do not graduate from high school has traditionally focused on students who drop out before their expected graduation date. This ignores the experiences of "persisters" or "persisting students"--those who remain enrolled in high school on or beyond their expected graduation date, but have yet to earn…

Inclusive, quality education promotes understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among individuals and communities. Education holds the potential to reduce the likelihood of conflicts by fostering critical thinking, encouraging open dialogue and creating economic growth opportunities. The world urgently needs to recognize the role of…

This article shares the key feature of a successful general education curriculum reform effort: the creation and approval of Guiding Principles that governed both the process of reform and the design of the curriculum. The author pays special attention to the role of Guiding Principles in shaping the design and content of curricula. The Guiding…

Almost every state offers some kind of college tuition assistance for students from low-income families who attend in-state colleges and universities. This aid is important: It can make all the difference as to whether students finish a degree program that can help pave their way to a well-paying job and meaningful career. In New Jersey, residents…

This paper examines the adoption and outcomes of shortened parts of term--referred to as SPOT--across nine diverse higher education institutions, drawing on insights from a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders involved in SPOT implementation. The white paper explores the motivations behind the adoption of SPOTs, along with the strategies…

This report provides a synthesis of advice from community college presidents across 15 states, including North Carolina. The advice focuses on recommended areas of innovation that rural-serving institutions should consider in order to align with the changing nature of work and the workforce. While the nature and nuance of innovations at each…

To strengthen teacher preparation in the Republic of Palau, Public Law 10-32 (enacted in 2018) requires all teachers in the country to hold an associate's degree in education or in the subject area they will teach by the end of 2023. This policy change required many current teachers and those interested in the teaching profession to enroll in an…

Curriculum prerequisite networks have a central role in shaping the course of university programs. The analysis of prerequisite networks has attracted a lot of research interest recently since designing an appropriate network is of great importance both academically and economically. It determines the learning goals of the program and also has a…

Too many policies and practices aiming to improve college access and admissions overlook an important group of prospective enrollees: current college students. Substantial policy attention is placed on supporting college applications and decisions for those applying straight from high school. Even though one million students switch into a new…

The increasing costs of college have led higher education institutions to place greater emphasis on the implementation of curricula changes that facilitate timely degree completion. Institutional barriers to timely degree completion may be found in course registration processes and course availability, program design, and university-wide resources…