This study used publicly available information to identify institutional controllable variables that influence graduation rate and to group colleges using these factors. The dependent variable for the correlation analysis was the six-year graduation rate of the fall 1993 freshman cohort (as reported by US News and World Report) at more than 1,400…

In 1997-98, all Acadia University (Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada) freshman undergraduate students were required to lease IBM laptop computers for use in their programs. With corporate support from IBM, the campus was wired so that students could have cross-campus and off-campus access to a host of network software as well as the World Wide Web.…

A follow-up study of 146 recipients of bachelor's degrees in psychology yielded information about: course work; grade point average; fields of interest; graduate study plans; occupational use of psychology; type of job; value of faculty help; and characteristics of faculty who were influential in their lives. (Author/MH)

Data from a national faculty survey were used to calculate and suggest standards for lower-division class size to aid college planning. Factors considered included sector (public/private), Carnegie classification, institution size, discipline, student level, and instructional method. Results support formation of comparative distributions for class…

A study of Brigham Young University (Utah) graduates, 1980-88, looked at patterns in change of major among transfer students and those entering as freshmen. Results are reported concerning early statement of major, open vs. specified major, gender differences, academic achievement, frequency of change, and time to graduation in each year's cohort.…

A study of 557 medical students investigated gender and age differences in: undergraduate science and cumulative grade-point averages (GPAs), medical college admission test scores, admissions interview ratings, medical school GPAs, and standardized medical achievement test scores. Dramatic differences were found in pre-admission performance, with…

A survey of 114 institutions of higher education with early childhood education programs found that approximately a fifth of associate, master's, and doctoral degree programs and approximately a third of bachelor's degree programs required coursework in preschool mainstreaming. Less than 25% of the programs required field experiences in…

Presents a qualitative analysis of interviews with 103 students who transferred from a public community college to a public state university. Finds that many students enrolled at the community college with a specific intent other than earning the associate degree. Adds that faculty and students at both institutions also influenced the number of…

This study examines the skills that recent technical communication graduates and managers believe technical communication students need before entering business and industry as new technical communicators. Through questionnaires and interviews with recent graduates and managers of technical communication departments as well as an analysis of the…

The emergence of Foundation Degree programmes in response to employer workforce development needs provides a rich environment for the study of undergraduate curriculum innovation in the context of cross-sector partnerships in post-compulsory education. This article presents the findings of a case study of foundation degree development by consortia…

Concerns for social justice have called Catholics and others to be compassionate and supportive to children with disabilities by establishing schools and other learning opportunities to nurture this population. Special education as a field has developed over the past 40 years. This study examines the incidence, context, and nature of special…

This study investigated predictors of Harvard University (Massachusetts) student ratings of courses. Data were drawn from 33,180 evaluations of 1,114 undergraduate courses in 47 departments. Predictors examined at the student level included satisfaction with the course, perceived course difficulty, whether the course was in the student's major,…

This annual, national study of student charges at public, four-year institutions of higher education in the United States surveyed 572 colleges and universities in 1994. Approximately 93 percent, or 533 institutions, responded. The findings included the following: (1) college and university tuition and fees remain on the rise though rates of…

This report examines the effects of feedback, through the use of computer-assisted instruction, on the problem-solving abilities of "at-risk" college students, i.e., students identified as academically disadvantaged. Study subjects were 30 male and female undergraduate students aged 18 to 23 years. The study used two computer-assisted…

This study investigated the predictive relationship between initial student attitudes, admissions test scores, years of high school math taken, and the student's subsequent achievement in introductory college chemistry. A group of 179 students who began as new freshmen during the same fall semester and took an introductory chemistry course during…