This study examines the concept of Meaningful Digital Learning using a Grounded Theory research framework to provide a definition for it and identify its main characteristics. The concept of Meaningful Digital Learning was studied from the perspective of 10 undergraduate students in the College of Education at Southern Connecticut State…

The 17-institution Connecticut State Colleges & Universities System (CSCU) formed a systemwide open educational resources (OER) Council in 2017 that was primarily focused on the adoption of no-cost or low-cost (NOLO) course materials as a means to provide equitable access to learning materials. The CSCU consortium of library directors…

Background/Context: Several studies have investigated state political and economic factors that explain differences in levels of state appropriations for colleges and universities. Few studies have considered how stakeholder beliefs or taken-forgranted assumptions about various institutions may impact budgeting decisions for specific campuses. A…

In this article, I describe a few personal favorite contributions of Dr. Marcia Gentry, one of the most successful graduates from our doctoral program at the University of Connecticut, as well as a dear friend and collaborator. Marcia focused her life's work on the need to serve underserved and often-neglected populations in our field and…

This article presents an analysis of a teaching concept we developed based on the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) (Council of Europe, 2018), that not only provides opportunities to practice communicative skills but puts a major focus on democratic competences. Mathematics students and TEFL (Teaching English as a…

The importance of quality instruction in motivating students in higher education cannot be overemphasized. Without quality instruction, students' motivation to learn recedes. Five focus groups of graduate students aided the data collection for this study. More than one-third of the 119 participating graduate students involved in this study claimed…

A high incidence of college students required to complete non-credit remedial courses and the associated cost burden for students, colleges and states has been of great public concern. Connecticut legislators have intervened to revamp college remediation by passing the bill, Public Act 12-40 (PA 12-40) which impacts institutions in the Connecticut…

This paper is the third in Pioneer Institute's "UMass at a Crossroads" series. This report takes a closer look at the university's growing dependency on increases in tuition and fees and expansion of out-of-state and international student enrollment to support continued expansion of the university. The first report examined whether…

Who we are and what we like are increasingly known pieces of information. This data, collected in aggregate and individually, is used to target marketing efforts ranging from the coupons on the grocery receipt to the online ads people see to the promotional offers sent in the mail. Even when marketing is not personally targeted, general…

Best practice in curriculum development and implementation requires that discipline-based standards or requirements embody both curricular and programme scopes and sequences. Ensuring these are present and aligned in course/programme content, activities and assessments to support student success requires formalised and systematised review and…

In 2012, the State of Connecticut enacted Public Act 12-40, legislation that dramatically changed the way remedial education was theorized, designed, and delivered at community colleges and regional state universities in Connecticut. One of the most controversial features of this legislative movement was that it appeared to establish a…

This study examined the perceptions of Connecticut librarians at the secondary and post-secondary education levels regarding Information Literacy (IL) resources and instruction at the two levels; the competencies of their high school seniors and university/college first-year students; their familiarity with their respective institutions' IL…

How will higher education fare under a President Donald Trump? According to this author, the campaign's misogyny shouldn't sit well with a student body that is now majority female, its disavowal of climate changes won't impress research universities, and the xenophobia won't help economies and cultures bolstered by foreign enrollment. The number…

In December 2010, the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) staff surveyed public universities in other states to learn how they have dealt with cuts in state funding. All of the institutions CPEC surveyed have increased tuition and or fees at least once in the last two fiscal years, and many project additional increases. All have…

Increasing the participation of minority groups at public colleges and universities is a longstanding goal of the Board of Governors for Higher Education, as first outlined in its 1983 "Strategic Plan to Ensure Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Connecticut Public Higher Education". The minority groups defined by the plan are:…