During a research study conducted over four semesters, students enrolled in an introductory programming class at a commuter campus used the pair-programming approach for both in-class labs and out-of-class programming assignments. This study was a comprehensive assessment of pair-programming using multiple measures of both quantitative and…

"Lumina Foundation Lessons" is an occasional publication in which the foundation shares the results of its grantees' work on strategies to improve the persistence rates among Indiana's underserved college freshman and sophomore populations. This issue, the first in the series, contains the following articles: (1) Summer Transition…

A study investigated how long it takes Frostburg State University (Maryland) (FSU) commuter students to drive to courses and how long they were willing to commute to pursue their educational goals. Students and graduates of two local two-year colleges, potential matriculants at FSU, were also asked how long they were willing to drive. Little…

A study was conducted to assess the effects of a new class scheduling system at Harford Community College (HCC), which substituted 75-minute classes twice a week and 150-minute classes once a week for regular three 50-minute classes in order to save energy by reducing student travel to college. The study sought to determine the effects of these…

The ability of Vroom's expectancy motivation theory to predict student satisfaction with the college environment, student participation at school, and student academic performance was studied. Specific objectives of the study were as follows: to test the ability of Vroom's valence model to predict student satisfaction, to test the ability of…

Institutional bonding was examined at a public, urban commuter college with exceptionally high attrition and visibly low morale. Changes in bonding and attrition were measured 6 years after a 2-year effort to develop school identity and student feelings of membership. It was found that a simple index of campus morale is provided by level of…

As part of a multi-phase, multi-method study of the House Plan at Cypress College in California, this study surveyed three student populations as to various House Plan aspects. Questionnaires were given or mailed to 135 students attending graduation rehearsal in June 1976, 256 students eligible for graduation, and 280 alumni who graduated in June…

Youngstown State University is a predominantly commuter campus. A six-page questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2,000 students in the fall 1976 focusing on attitudes and opinions concerning commuting and associated problems, activities, and student services. Specific areas surveyed include demographic data; general university programs,…

This study examined the effects of race on the experiences and outcomes of first-year students at York University (Ontario). Data were collected through a survey of 1,093 students at their time of entry in September 1992 and a survey of 1,129 students conducted in February-March of 1993. The study found that students' socioeconomic backgrounds…

The relationship between community college transfer students' experiences at an urban, doctoral-granting commuter university and their enrollment intentions was studied using Bean and Metzner's conceptual model of attrition for nontraditional students. Of 300 community college transfer students at a state-supported urban university who were…

This study compared the experiences of first-year students in different disciplines at York University (Ontario). Surveys of 336 students in the faculty of pure and applied science, 802 students in the faculty of arts, and 793 students in Atkinson College, the evening college of the university, were conducted during February-March of the first…

This study examined the effects of race on first-year retention at York University (Ontario). Data were obtained from student surveys conducted in 1993, 1994, and 1995, involving a total of 1,864 first-year students, along with administrative records. The study found that the number of black students who left the university because of poor…

Creating a college culture that encourages cultural pluralism requires removal of barriers in the environment. Colleges must (1) not assume that students need to assimilate into their existing culture; (2) extend their geographic and social boundaries; (3) provide support systems; and (4) help faculty understand different culture-based student…

A study of 141 first-year science students at York University (Ontario) shows that integration/involvement variables are important in explaining a number of desired outcomes, including satisfaction with grades and program, social values, educational attitudes, achievement gains, and intent to continue in the program and/or institution. (MSE)

This study examined the academic and social experiences of first-year science students at "Big U," a large multi-cultural and multi-racial commuter university located in a large Canadian city. A total of 498 incoming science students were surveyed in September, November, and February-March of the first year. Response rates for the…