In the last 40 years in much of the western world dropout rates in higher education have remained almost unchanged. Although student retention seems to be the most studied and discussed aspect, nearly every empirical study on the causes of dropout in higher education and even more the impact of retention actions carried out by universities, in…

The resources needed to conduct high-quality and large-scale survey research are often beyond the reach of institutional researchers and higher education analysts. However, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provides many national student surveys that researchers can utilize. We outline four NCES studies--the High School…

Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) are an integral part of evaluating course outcomes. They are routinely used to evaluate teaching quality for the purposes of reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT), annual review, and the rehiring of adjunct faculty and lecturers. These evaluations are often based almost entirely on the mean or proportion…

This five-year study of graduating seniors at Elon University (n = 1,858) compared student outcomes measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement across five study abroad groups: no study abroad, semester, short-term (three-week), two short-terms, and semester plus short-term. Both short-term and semester programs were positively…

Video game play is a pervasive recreational activity, particularly among college students. While there is a large research base focused on educational video game play and uses of games in the classroom, there is much less research focused on cognitive strategies and entertainment video game play. The purpose of this study was to investigate…

Consistently women have been unable to attain senior leadership roles as fast as their male counterparts particularly within higher education. Scholars have studied the under-representation of women in senior leadership positions within higher education but have not studied the phenomenon at faith-based institutions or within the Assemblies of God…

Organizational environments continually change. Organizations that do not meet the demands for change do not survive. The required changes differ for banks versus universities, suggesting that leaders in each type of organization need to use unique styles to adapt to their unique environments. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to…

This study describes research examining the expectations and experiences of PhD students undertaking a PhD in off-campus research institutes and hospitals that are affiliated with an Australian research-intensive university. Much of our knowledge of the expectations and experiences of PhD students in Australia stem from those that undertake…

This study examined the relationship between students' satisfaction in the newly developed Learning Management System "Acadox", and their perceptions of its usefulness, and ease of use. The study used a descriptive correlational design to examine the relationships among variables, as they exist in their natural settings. To measure…

Objective: To examine the association between nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications (NMUOTC) and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). Participants: University students surveyed on NMUOTC and NMUPD between August and December 2011 (N = 939). Methods: Cross-sectional data analysis of online survey. Results: The majority of…

In this study, an online survey was constructed based on the extant literature on college student success. The survey was used to collect data from a sample of college students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors in order to examine their learning experiences and to identify the factors that may influence their persistence…

Transformative Learning Theory is a framework proposed by Mezirow (1991). It asserts that through reflection, active learning, and placing ourselves in uncomfortable situations students are able to develop their understanding of the world and of themselves, allowing a potential change to their perspectives and frames of reference. On the other…

Almost half of current academic staff will need to be replaced within three years in the Australian academic workforce. Literature suggests that casual academics are a potential solution, yet they are frequently excluded from the career development opportunities that would allow them to fulfil an ongoing academic role. Most academic development…

Different types and levels of motivation can play an important role for graduate students to continue their studies. The current research study was one of the few studies that examined if domestic and international graduate students differ on their level of different motivational orientations to continue their education. This study employs a…

This study investigated the correlates of two measures that capture students' perception of the religious and spiritual campus climate. It focuses on how the factors, religious identity and attending a religiously affiliated institution, influence students' perception of the respect for their beliefs and comfort in expressing their views on…