The transition into college remains one of the most formative and complex phases in an individual's life. Institutions of higher learning have responded to the challenges facing first-year students in myriad ways, most often by offering summer orientation programs, dynamic living-learning environments, tailored academic and psychological support…

Purpose: The purpose of this directory was to identify, describe, and evaluate evidence that the education practices improve academic performance, close the achievement gap, and improve persistence towards graduation for low-income, first-generation, and historically-underrepresented 6th grade through college students. Method: The sample for the…

The purpose of this study was to examine faculty and student perceptions of what factors are contributing to drop-out rates in a Northern Indiana higher educational facility and to study whether or not the drop-out prevention programs that are in place are effective. Survey links were sent out to all adjuncts and some full-time faculty at a local…

Hazing, associated with initiation, aims at taking newcomers from novice status to a status of functional and acknowledged members of a new group. However, the process is often dangerous, injurious, and usually secretive. Hazing may occur as an unauthorised component of institutionally sanctioned orientation programmes commonly held for new…

A study by Kenney, Kenney, and Dumont (2005) identified a supportive learning environment as one of the five indicators for collegiate student engagement, a concept that extends beyond the classroom to permeate the entire educational environment. A student's level of engagement can be impacted as early as orientation and registration, when he is…

Minnesota's Intervention for College Attendance Program (ICAP) is a program of competitive grants awarded to postsecondary institutions, professional organizations and community-based organizations. Funded programs focus on increasing the access and success of groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education by strengthening their…

This study presents a project undertaken to address a potential problem in getting new students to engage with their academic life. In September 2009, a new course design was introduced into the BA (Hons) Education program at the University of Wales, Newport. The course team was keen to ensure this new development did not lead to a fragmentation…

This report provides descriptive national data on the prevalence and characteristics of services and support programs for military service members and veterans at postsecondary institutions in the United States. This survey provides the first nationally representative data on this topic. The data presented in this First Look were collected for the…

Minnesota's Intervention for College Attendance Program (ICAP) is a program of competitive grants awarded to postsecondary institutions, professional organizations and community-based organizations. Funded programs focus on increasing the access and success of groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education by strengthening their…

This best practices piece is based on key research into high school transition strategies. It draws on two studies of high school reform models conducted by MDRC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization, which shed light on promising strategies to support ninth-grade students. Increasing the capacity of high schools to provide extra help…

Minnesota's Intervention for College Attendance Program (ICAP) is a program of competitive grants awarded to postsecondary institutions, professional organizations and community-based organizations. Funded programs focus on increasing the access and success of groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education by strengthening their…

This paper describes a new student orientation program at the University of Puget Sound (Washington) that involves an outdoor adventure program. New students entering the University embark on a 3-day outdoor adventure program called "Passages," as part of their orientation experience during the week prior to the beginning of the fall…

This study looks at when individuals consider postsecondary education, how they approach their decision, the different paths they decide to follow, the roles other individuals play in the process, and what information students seek and consider in their decisionmaking. This report focuses on the types and sources of information used during the…

This study surveyed the regional cluster doctoral students in Nova University's Programs for Higher Education to determine their orientation needs and then developed a comprehensive orientation manual. Needs assessment survey forms were received from 24 regional cluster students (out of 29 survey forms sent) as well as 9 South Florida local…

Results of evaluating the June 1987 orientation program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington are discussed and compared to findings of the 1986 orientation program evaluation. Items that were ranked as the four highest and four lowest aspects of orientation are identified. Orientation leader effectiveness is also assessed, along with…