The problem with Black male persistence and retention on the community college level is largely presented from a deficit perspective. Even though the causes include multiple factors, such as deficits in literacy and mathematics, and lack of preparation on the K-12 level, first-year writing is also a major stumbling block to persistence. These…

Placement and support of students in first-year mathematics courses at institutions of higher education has long been a consequential issue. In a bid to address it, many systems and institutions of higher learning have elected to implement a co-remediation framework in place of pre-remediation, due in large part to the prohibitive cost of the…

Many institutions of higher education offer research opportunities for undergraduates, but community college students often do not get to benefit from this high-impact educational practice. There are several reasons for this problem, including that community college faculty and students have limited time availability for research and the mission…

Research on first-year college students (FYCS) indicate that faculty, including part-time, non-tenure track faculty (PTNTTF), play a vital role in meeting the academic needs of FYCS to facilitate their academic success. However, the literature on PTNTTF suggests that the departmental culture they experience may impact their ability to meet…

This study examined the relationship between selected demographic, academic and family related factors on the persistence rate among college students attending an urban university in the southern region of the United States. Although there is no conclusive explanation for what affects persistence of first-year students nationally; increasing…

This retrospective quasi-experimental design research compared student achievement of students in two active learning environments. One is referred to as Student Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-Down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP), and the other is referred to as traditional classroom environments. Student final course grades of physics…

Purpose: Research shows that family is influential to African Americans in college choice (Chapman "et al.," 2018; Chapman "et al.," 2020; Freeman, 2005; Hines "et al.," 2019; Lowry, 2017; Williams, 2018). However, it often overlooks unique, African-rooted characteristics of African American families and culture. This…

This dissertation explores the experiences of first-generation, Black male college students in a predominantly white, urban commuter institution in the United States. It focuses on understanding their challenges and developing strategies to enhance their connection to the educational environment of a university. The central research question…

Objective: To examine reporting trends of students identifying as LGBTQIA+ following changes made to the ACHA-NCHA-II survey about gender identity and sexual orientation. Methods: Data were analyzed from two sources for the purpose of triangulation: the ACHA-NCHA-II 2016 survey specific to our university and an electronic audience response survey.…

Urban universities with a predominantly commuting student population face distinct challenges in fostering social connections. Commuting students spend less time on campus and have fewer opportunities for organized and spontaneous social interactions with other students. The campus experience for commuter students tends to center around the…

The ScienceReady preparatory course is an intensive study designed to improve beginning university undergraduate students' understanding of medical/scientific concepts, and reduce their anxiety about studying the science component of their enrolled programs. Its goals are to stimulate students' science curiosity and provide the fundamental…

Starting university is a significant life-event, commonly involving detachment from existing social networks and emotional stresses that increase risk of drop-out. The developmental need to form new peer relationships is prominent during this period and is correlated with successful adaptation. This study investigated the role of alcohol in the…

As students transition from one phase of the education pipeline to the next, support programs are often put in place to make the transition and onboarding process as smooth as possible. While support programs for first-year students entering college directly from high school are common place at most institutions, onboarding practices for transfer…

This study explored how research-based physics tutorials help students use argumentation in a small group-work activity. The participants were four first-year non-major physics students taking algebra-based introductory physics course in an urban university in the southeastern region of United States (US). The content analysis was conducted to…

In researching student learning experience in Higher Education, a dearth of studies has investigated cognitive, social, and material dimensions simultaneously with the same population. From an ecological perspective of learning, this study examined the interrelatedness amongst key elements in these dimensions of 365 undergraduates' personalised…