Outdoor orientation programs (OOPs) use wilderness or adventure experiences as a transition of incoming first-year students to college and university settings. We explored resilience and flourishing outcomes from two OOP trips in Virginia and North Carolina using the Brief Resilience Scale, the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, and a thematic…

Online graduate degree program offerings are increasing in popularity, and online graduate students need support to acclimate to their degree programs. Online orientations have been effective in undergraduate programs; however, there is limited research on the effectiveness of online orientations in online graduate degree programs. The problem…

This action research study followed a sample of first-generation, first-year college students through the summer 2021 orientation process at Towson University (TU), a large public institution in Maryland. Little recent research has been conducted to understand the student experience of the orientation process. First-generation college students are…

Background: The transition to medical school marks a very stressful time for matriculating students. Despite this challenging transition period, intellectually rigorous pre-matriculation programs are not a common component of the curriculum at many medical schools across the country. Students are often not given the opportunity to learn about the…

Background: Undergraduate outdoor orientation programs facilitate students' transition into college. Research has yet to be conducted on the few programs at medical schools, which may have unique benefits given the specific challenges of transitioning to medical school and high rates of burnout among medical students. Purpose: This mixed methods…

Freshman orientation programs are essential in facilitating the successful transition of high school students to college. At Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), these programs have become essential for supporting and advising students as they begin their academic journey. However, the extent to which faculty members of freshman…

This study examined an intervention designed to improve sense of belongingness for new students at a medium-sized, four-year, public university in the Eastern United States. A randomized controlled trial was used to assess the impact of The Connection Project, a novel, 9-session intervention in a sample of 128 first-year students (77 treatment, 48…

Higher education institutions have affirmed their commitment to antiracism but differ in how and when they introduce those values to graduate students. Engaging in a conversation about race and racism can be uncomfortable for some students, especially before trust has been established. A graduate school in the northeastern United States instituted…

College students with disabilities continue to experience various challenges in their transition into postsecondary education. However, limited research has focused on their initial transition, despite the significance of its impact on college students with disabilities. This qualitative study examined first-semester transition experiences among…

Online learning continues be the largest growth sector in higher education (IPEDS, 2019), however, students enrolled in fully online programs are retained at a lower rate than students enrolled in traditional face to face programs. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study is to determine if online students who participate in an online…

Inequalities in student enrolment, retention and success for specific demographic groups exist throughout the higher education sector. Although there are numerous and diverse initiatives implemented in universities to support student retention and/or success, experience and/or satisfaction, the feasibility or effectiveness of programs targeting…

Ninth grade students who attend Boundary High School (BHS) encounter a host of academic, social and emotional challenges commonly associated with the transition from middle school to high school. To the extent BHS ninth grade students navigate these challenges during this vulnerable time in their educational journey determines their overall…

In recent years, an increasing number of universities have qualified as Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), thanks in part to significant growth in the numbers of Latinx students who are enrolling in bachelor's degree programs. A greater proportion of this student population is completing bachelor's degrees and continuing into master's and…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore how students experience the New Student Orientation Experience (NSOE) and how they perceived it prepared them for their 1st semester of college at a large public university in the United States, Arizona State University (ASU). Institutions of higher education are under pressure to operate more…

Latinx community college students have lower persistence and completion rates than White and Asian students (Causey et al., 2022). Results of a systematic literature review found the following root causes for these low retention rates: financial barriers, lack of institutional support, educational preparation, psychosocial considerations, and…