College bound students are faced with not only navigating a new environment but also faced with finding their "place" in a new community. Educators have a role to support students' academic growth, self-efficacy (Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020; Bandura, 1977), and sense of belonging (Brady et al., 2020; Hurtado & Carter, 1997) on…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has required faculty and students to adapt to an unprecedented challenge and rapidly transition from traditional face-to-face instruction to distance learning formats through virtual classrooms. While most campuses trained faculty to ensure quality and maintenance of the curriculum through virtual classrooms,…

It comes as no surprise that college students are experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety. Liu, Stevens, Wong, Yasui, and Chen's (2019) research "point to an urgent need for service utilization strategies, especially among racial/ethnic, sexual, or gender minorities. Campuses must consider student experiences to mitigate stress…

In 2015, the University of Southern California (USC) began a longitudinal, mixed-methods evaluation of the Thompson Scholars Learning Communities (TSLC), a comprehensive college transition program that provides students with multiple, integrated types of support. The evaluation as a whole examined whether, how, and why TSLC, as implemented at the…

This tip sheet offers strategies to college faculty and staff to support students from foster care to succeed in college.

Traditional-age college students face a host of challenges during the transition from home to campus. Perhaps one of the most substantial challenges--one that relates directly to adjustment and quality of life--involves the formation of new relationships, and the awareness, development, and establishment of boundaries between their own emerging…

Ways that college faculty can increase students' learning by reducing stress are identified by three members of the University of Utah School of Medicine faculty. Consideration is given to the impact of stress on learning and the causation, recognition, and reduction of stress. The value of feedback and control, teacher-student interaction, and…

California State University's Summer Bridge program, a preenrollment course for underprepared freshmen that focuses on improving basic skills and familiarizing students with the university environment, has been successful in increasing first- and second-year retention rates for its first three student cohorts. (Author/MSE)

A study at Illinois Benedictine College compared the advising of freshmen with that of upperclassmen. Upperclassmen rated advisers highly on academic dimensions such as knowledge of major courses and graduation requirements. Freshmen saw advisers as concerned about their college adjustment, helpful with referrals, and interested in their general…

A study investigating the effect of a freshman seminar on students' social and academic adjustment to college (the University of North Carolina (Charlotte) found that seminar participants (n=150) had higher grades and participated in more out-of-class contacts with faculty than did a matched group of non-seminar students. (Author/MSE)

The training manual for establishing a college student mentoring program was developed to help educators enhance the educational experience of newly enrolled college students, particularly first generation and minority students. The manual first defines the terms associated with the mentor concept in order to ensure congruence in the terminology,…

Designed to help instructors create a supportive learning environment for older than average students, this guidebook outlines the special needs of adult students and offers advice on instruction and course management. Each chapter of the instructor's manual corresponds to a chapter in "Time for College," a book designed to teach adult students…

This curriculum guide offers a broad range of activities for a one-semester college freshman orientation course covering topics chosen based on research findings and a survey of vocational rehabilitation counselors and college instructors who teach deaf and hard of hearing students. Instructional activities stress "active doing" rather than…

The guide presents concepts and approaches to prevention of alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse among college students, focusing on the role of faculty in prevention efforts. Sections discuss why faculty should get involved, the impact of AOD abuse on academic performance, the rationale for taking an environmental approach to prevention, helping…

The range of problems, issues, and practices pertaining to international educational interchange in higher education are reviewed in this handbook for campus-based personnel and the community at large dealing with the 300,000 foreign students in America. Needs and obligations of both students and institutions are spelled out, and guidelines are…