In Miyamoto et al. (2015, this issue) the authors looked to substantiate the presence of the spacing effect, referenced from the psychology literature, in several MOOCs. Their secondary analyses constituted a robust, empirical finding on the correspondence between session distribution and certification but with only a coarse, analogous…

Reports the outcomes of student focus groups to determine students' perceptions and expectations of general education and their reasons for choosing particular courses and study methods. Indicates that students' prospective major affects their views about the purposes of general education. (DMM)

Results of a 1992 survey showed that up to 39% of adolescents and colleges students may be affected by nonclinical depression. While research shows that depression is related to achievement, it is not yet clear how depression and achievement are related. However, current data do indicate that depressed individuals may show a general malaise about…

Designed to help poorly prepared students perform better in college and to help prepared students perform at higher levels, this paper presents a series of specific suggestions for students regarding study activities, course choice, thinking behavior, and time allocation. The suggestions include the following: (1) eliminate diversions during study…

These days it seems as if nearly everyone in college is receiving A's, making the Dean's List, or graduating with honors. What is more interesting is that college students in general are spending fewer hours studying, while taking more remedial courses and fewer courses in mathematics, history, English, and foreign languages. Students everywhere…

Research on the effects of teaching study strategies, in situations where students could choose study methods used in everyday courses, is reviewed. Among the few studies meeting rigorous criteria, none investigated whether students could adapt study tactics beyond the training context. Cautious recommendations are made for concept mapping,…

Discusses the limitations of "The Academic Ethic and College Grades: Does Hard Work Help Students to 'Make the Grade'?" by William Rau and Ann Durand. States that it is partly a replication of the author's research, performed with three colleagues, on the association between the amount of studying by students and their grades. (CMK)

Responds to the article "Students' Effort and Reward in College Settings" by Howard Schuman. States that there were two reasons why the author and Ann Durand did not copy Schuman et al.'s research design: (1) key questions on study hours contains serious flaws; and (2) the research lacks a theory. (CMK)

The current stage in an on-going research program of student learning is summarized. With two more years to run, provisional research provides the beginnings of a model of student learning which is neither static nor mechanistic. Recent research has placed emphasis on describing how students learn and how learning is affected by the academic…

A noted poet and professor offers advice to African American students on making the adjustment to a predominantly white college or university. Issues addressed include attendance patterns and study habits, relationships with faculty, cultivating friends and self-esteem, participation in campus life, and dealing with racism. (MSE)

Five articles on higher education in Australia and New Zealand are presented, along with two review articles. "Australian Higher Education Research and Society. Part I: Post-War Reconstruction and Expansion, 1940-1965" (D. S. Anderson and E. Eton) is a review of research on higher education in Australia and New Zealand since World War…

Suggestions for faculty who are attempting to improve their advising skills without the benefit of a formal program are offered. Good advisement is always a process composed of timely responses in areas relevant to student education. The scope of advising may encompass the following: describe the intent of the general or liberal arts part of the…

The Learning Support Center (LSC) at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, has developed the Three R method--resources, retention, and renewal--of helping high risk students understand the material in their classes and remain in the university. The first method, resources, involves four types of resources--state-of-the-art equipment, qualified…