Participants were 318 college students from two small, Catholic liberal arts institutions in the Upper Midwest. Variation (i.e., having friends with varied interests and activities) of an individual's social network was measured by a researcher-developed inventory, the Social Network Variation Scale (SNVS). Social network strength was measured by…

Gateway testing is an important pedagogic tool employed by many university mathematics departments in calculus and precalculus courses. With a goal of ensuring that students attain needed basic skills in courses with a conceptual "reform" orientation, these tests provide an efficient means of assessing a large volume of student work,…

Professors are often the first to introduce students to career-specific ethical dilemmas. Standard teaching methods for ethical classwork are mundane, typically involving lectures and case studies; however, research concludes that students have the best results from educational experiences when able to influence course composition. The authors…

This study examined co-teaching -- two teachers collaboratively leading one course -- in undergraduate applied psychology courses. Previous research has established potential benefits of co-teaching on student success; however, none have examined students' perspectives on co-teaching in applied psychology courses. The present study hypothesized…

As student retention, persistence, and degree completion become important to the survival of Christian higher education, research on the influence of academic advising continues to emerge. Little research exists, however, on faculty perceptions of faculty advising models, specifically at small, Christian institutions where employing professional…

Much of existing assessment and instructional design strategies revolve around the use of learning objectives. Learning objectives are used by faculty, by instructional designers, by accreditors, by assessment offices, and by students. But even as the use of learning objectives becomes more widespread, the definition and purpose have remained…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what impact, if any, a spiritually-focused Living-Learning Community (LLC) had on the spiritual development of 16 student participants at a small, faith-based college. LLCs are considered a high impact practice (HIP) because they promote a high level of student engagement (Kuh, 2008). College in…

Statistics for teacher evaluations in seated and online classes show a glaring difference in both quantitative and qualitative scores. The generalized analysis of the quantitative and qualitative elements of the same course, instructor, assignment as grouped by learning environment provide an opportunity to inform future practice. In this…

This article examines the impact of prison tours on students' understanding of prisons, their ability to empathize and understand the viewpoints of others, and their attitudes toward punishment. The research participants were undergraduate students enrolled in various sections of an introductory criminology course. Students in some sections of the…

This profile describes the first three years of initiating new writing-intensive seminars for the General Education curriculum at a small, career-focused, Catholic University. The primary reason for implementing the program was to initiate new writing-intensive seminars to replace existing writing-intensive General Education introductory courses…

Only 10% of nontraditional students (NTS) persist to graduation (Headden, 2009; PHEAA, 2015), resulting in 38 million dropping out before completing a degree (Zaiss, 2012). Their unique characteristics place them at greater risk of attrition. Attrition risk increases as they move from minimally to highly nontraditional (NT; Horn, 1996; Levin,…

Disciplinary identity, or connection to a particular academic discipline, is constructed through a developmental process across a scholar's academic life course. Using unique data from an online survey of students at four different types of colleges and universities, this study investigates the extent to which disciplinary identity among…

The 2014 Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) report, "Strengthening the STEM Pipeline: The Contributions of Small and Mid-Sized Independent Colleges," demonstrated the critical role this sector of higher education institutions plays in preparing its students for success in obtaining undergraduate and graduate degrees in science,…

Undergraduate biology programs in smaller liberal arts colleges are increasingly becoming focused on health science fields. This narrowing of focus potentially decreases opportunities for these students to explore other sub-fields of biology. This perspectives article highlights how one small university in Connecticut decided to institute a…

This paper describes the academic consultation services offered to students with disabilities (SWD) at a small university. Each SWD is entitled to meet regularly with an academic consultant. The consultants are trained in offering a variety of services, including organization/time management, note-taking/reading comprehension strategies, goal…