Universities are increasingly turning toward data-driven technologies like data dashboards to support advisors' work in student success, yet little empirical work has explored whether these tools help or hinder best practices in advising, which is in many ways a relationship-based enterprise. This mixed-methods study analyzed whether and why the…

Women of color are historically underrepresented in STEM, specifically the field of engineering (National Science Board, National Science Foundation, 2019). In considering ways to assist in women of color's retention and persistence in engineering, it is necessary to recognize the role internships, a form of experiential education, at the…

The volume of articles, books, and studies about increasing the retention, persistence, and graduation of undergraduate college students is nothing short of prolific (Seidman, 2005). However, only modest gains in undergraduate graduation rates have been made nationally (Chen, 2012; Seidman, 2005). Six-year graduation rates at all four-year…

Athens State University is an upper-division university that serves junior and senior undergraduate students, as well as graduate students. 100% of the students enrolled transfer from another institution. The sustainability of ASU requires policies and procedures that make the transfer process seamless and foster student success. As funding for…

The Chancellor of the Oklahoma state system of higher education has focused on two overarching objectives: expanding workforce development efforts and creating paths to a better life for Oklahomans. Oklahoma public institutions and elected officials are partners in developing an educated, engaged workforce prepared to meet the state's current and…

The Division of Student Engagement and Enrollment Services at Old Dominion University (ODU) submitted a Request for Assistance to examine the challenges sophomore students face that can lead to attrition. A doctoral research team conducted a exploratory, sequential, mixed-methods study consisting of a literature review, focus groups and interviews…

Professional Identity is a concept that has been explored over the years in a number of disciplines, but with little attention paid to engineers. A more specific component of professional identity is engineering identity, which warrants further investigation due to positive impacts on retention. The purpose of this study was to investigate how…

Online learning in higher education continues to grow due to the flexibility it offers learners. Adult learners choose online learning at a rate much higher than residential learning. Adult learners in the online environment tend to be retained at a lower rate. To counteract lower retention rates, understanding student needs through targeted…

First-generation, low-income students currently complete higher education degrees at lower rates than their peers. It is well established that focusing on a students' academic and social integration during their first four semesters can aide in their degree persistence. This study aims to provide ways in which higher education professionals can…

The Chancellor of the Oklahoma state system of higher education has focused on two overarching objectives: expanding workforce development efforts and creating paths to a better life for Oklahomans. The Regents are working closely with public colleges and universities across the state to advocate for investment in higher education and ensure the…

Strengths-based education initiatives have been implemented at higher education institutions world-wide as efforts to enhance student retention and degree completion. The Oklahoma State University (OSU) College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) joined the institutions utilizing strengths identification and development…

Transfer students are an important population in higher education, and this has prompted a significant amount of research on their completion and success. Yet research on transfer student college choice and factors involved in the decision-making process remains fairly limited. Using a case study approach, the current research aims to identify and…

Many undergraduate architecture programs have experienced high attrition levels, dating back to the 1940s (McClure, 1948). Despite this longstanding nature, many architecture faculty consider it an indicator of the quality of the program, not a problem to fix (Wiencke, 1994). However, the recession in 2008 had far-reaching effects, greatly…

Our nation's competitive edge is highly dependent on the success of STEM education and the ability of information technology (IT) graduates to find jobs. The School of Information Technology at Illinois State University (ISU) is strategically positioned to offer S-STEM scholarships to talented, financially disadvantaged students in the IT…

Background: Peer-cooperative learning has been shown in the literature to improve student success in gateway science and mathematics courses. Such studies typically demonstrate the impact of students' attending peer-led learning sessions on their learning or grades in an individual course. In this article, we examine the effects of introducing a…