The Transition Class is an alternative model to the traditional college sequence of developmental courses. Offered as an option to prospective students before they complete the college application and financial aid procedures, the 12-week Transition Class is nongraded and free of charge. By taking the class before they fully matriculate in the…

This report presents the findings for private four-year colleges that participated in ACT's 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey. The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. Appended are: (1) Data for Private Four-Year Colleges and Universities; and (2) What Works in Student Retention: Instrument. (Contains 15…

Analysis of questionnaire responses of minority, foreign, and white graduate students at the Oklahoma State University (OSU) found that most had a positive perception of their university environment. The questionnaire was sent to a total of 920 potential respondents, of whom 284 (31%) returned completed and usable instruments. The instrument…

Immigrant and refugee students at the University of California, Berkeley, were surveyed in spring 1980 to assess their needs. Of the 311 mailed questionnaires, 208 responses were received. The data were analyzed by language group, class level, and immigrant/refugee status. The major areas of difficulty for these students were the large amount of…

This paper presents an overview of online student services being used by 19 vocational education and training (VET) and higher education institutions in Australia. Information was gathered though site visits between July and September 2000 about online support services for prospective students, enrolling students, enrolled students, and graduating…

A study using focus groups and interviews of 132 traditional and nontraditional college students examined factors and experiences in the transition from work or high school to college. It looked at differences between traditional and first-generation college students; the role of family, high school friendships, and peers; and developmental…

A study was conducted at Golden West College (GWC) in California to analyze the relationship between first-time students' participation in the college's assessment and orientation programs and their fall-to-spring persistence at the college. The study sample consisted of fall 1991 students who had declared either transfer, degree, or certificate…

White, Black, and Hispanic students were studied during their transition from school or work to a community college. Students (N=71) at the College of Lake County (CLC) in Illinois attended focus groups formed according to race or ethnic group (White, Black, or Hispanic) in the spring and fall semesters to discuss their goals, experience, and…

A survey was conducted at Mesa College in San Diego, California to assess student satisfaction with the college's matriculation services. The in-class survey was administered over a 2-week period to a random sample of classes based on an 8% sample of the student population. The results of the study, based on a 78.7% response rate, included the…

This monograph contains 14 papers on all aspects of college and university student and family orientation programs. The papers are: (1) "Orienting Today's Students" by M. Lee Upcraft; (2) "Theoretical Perspectives on Orientation" by Michael Dannells; (3) "Trends and Issues in Orientation Programs" by Gerry Strumpf and…

Provision of orientation programs is of primary importance in postsecondary education in order to help students assess themselves in relation to the challenge presented by their chosen program and institution and to develop the skills necessary to meet that challenge. Open institutions using distance teaching methods have a special responsibility…

In 1987, the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges initiated a three and one-half year evaluation of the statewide matriculation program, a legislatively mandated effort to assist community college students in identifying and achieving their educational goals. This report evaluates the implementation of matriculation during the…

Programs providing academic support services in colleges and universities and the evaluation of these services are reviewed. Attention is also directed to the need for opportunities in higher education for students with marginal high school academic records, and responses to the need by institutions of higher education. It is suggested that there…

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to find ways to help themselves and/or others adapt to new situations (including school and community facilities). The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at…

A program was developed at Mercy College, Detroit, to reduce attrition among conditionally admitted, full-time (CAFT) students--about one quarter of entering students at this small, urban, four-year college. The very high attrition rate among CAFT students (95%) was found to be unrelated to academic performance or program quality, and solutions to…