Fluctuations in financial and enrollment conditions have caused the faculty at Cerritos College (California) to be periodically subjected to intense pressure and to be held responsible for high student withdrawal rates, alternating with periods of administrative indifference. Concomitantly, college policy on non-punitive student course withdrawal…

As part of a student retention project conducted at Spoon River College (SRC), specific populations served by SRC were identified; strategies to increase retention of particular student populations were developed; students in need of assistance were identified; and a transfer graduate follow-up study and two cohort tracking studies involving all…

This report presents the findings of a research study conducted by Alvin Community College (ACC) as a subcontractor for Project FOLLOW-UP, which analyzed orientation and exit interview effects and their relationship to follow-up research on selected withdrawing and graduating students at ACC. Subjects of the study were 595 ACC students, 257 males…

A follow-up study was undertaken at Yavapai College to determine why students stopped attending class and if possible to help them return to class. Instructors identified student "walk-outs" and notified Special Services staff who attempted to contact the students. In spring 1982, 129 walk-outs were contacted to determine why they had stopped…

A follow-up study of students entering Howard Community College (HCC) in 1978 was conducted to obtain information on student outcomes three and one-half years after enrollment. A questionnaire developed by the Maryland Community College Research Group and the Maryland State Board for Community Colleges was sent to 592 students who entered HCC in…

This report details the development and implementation of a follow-up system, by Western Texas Community College (WTCC) as a subcontractor for Project FOLLOW-UP, relating student flow patterns to educational goals. Phase I of this project involved establishment of a data base which included elements designed to reveal an adequate picture of…

In Spring 1980, a study was conducted at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) to determine selected information about students who indicated during Fall semester registration that they intended to return the following Spring, but who failed to do so. One aspect of the study involved a comparison of returning and non-returning students with…

In this follow-up study, information was obtained regarding the educational and employment patterns of students who withdrew from Bucks County Community College, their reasons for withdrawing, and their evaluation of the college's programs and services. The questionnaire used (a copy of which is provided in an appendix) was similar to the one used…

A follow-up study was conducted at Sierra College (California) to determine why students who dropped out of all of their classes during fall 1984 left the college. The dropout population included 1,549 students, of whom only 374 (27%) returned to college in spring 1985. A survey instrument was sent to all withdrawing students, requesting…

In spring 1987, a study was conducted at Monroe Community College (MCC) to determine the factors which influence attrition and retention, with particular focus on the reasons why students who have not graduated fail to return for succeeding semesters. Questionnaires were mailed to 452 former students, requesting information on students' rankings…

The survey instruments that are a part of an ongoing systematic process of information gathering at Delaware County Community College (DCCC) form the bulk of this manual. Designed to familiarize the faculty and staff with the process of survey use for decision-making, the intended populations and the possible applications of data are described.…

In January 1985, Glendale Community College (GCC) began a student follow-up system of data collection called TEX-SIS (Texas Student Information System) designed to evaluate instruction as well as student satisfaction with programs. Five major areas dealing with students were studied: student educational intent, student withdrawal (course, college,…

This brief focuses on student attrition and retention in the two-year college. An introductory section discusses the definitions of attrition used in studies of student persistence; and how these definitions, which often include students who are actually completers in terms of their own educational goals, may exaggerate attrition rates, which are…

In February 1994, a study was conducted at Macomb Community College (MCC), in Warren, Michigan, to determine the reasons that students failed to return to MCC. A computer-generated random sample of 1,585 names was drawn from a population of more than 13,000 students identified as non-returning students (NRS's), i.e., who had not enrolled in any…

In October 1990, Johnson County Community College (JCCC) conducted a study of students enrolled during the previous 12 months who did not re-enroll in the fall of 1990. Surveys were mailed to 1,746 former students, requesting information on reasons for discontinuing study at JCCC, educational experiences and objectives, level of satisfaction with…