This study focused on the relationship between living arrangement (residential vs. commuter) and the academic performance (grade point average) of first-year, full time undergraduate students at one public, 4-year university in the Southeast. Additionally, we analyzed five educationally effective practices as described by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE): level of academic challenge active and collaborative learning, student–faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus environment, to identify possible mediators to the relationship between living arrangement and academic performance. We found commuter students earned higher grade point averages than residential students; however, students in both living environments benefited from participating in high levels of academic challenge. While the results of this study challenged the perception that commuters as a group achieve academically at lower levels than residential students, our findings supported prior literature. Our results suggest the amount of time and energy students invest in the college experience relates to students’ academic success, regardless of living arrangement.
Presumably, high school students in dual enrollment courses can earn up to the equivalent of two years of postsecondary credits prior to graduating from high school. But what if dual enrollment courses are not equivalent to similar courses offered on the college campus? If dual enrollment course rigor is not on par with that of traditional college courses, the less rigorous dual enrollment courses, while representing an opportunity for significant cost savings, could put students at a distinct disadvantage, rendering these students less likely to succeed in traditional college courses and, hence, less likely to complete a four-year degree. A significant portion of dual enrollment coursework is offered at the high school campus by high school faculty who have adjunct status at the community college. Concerns about the quality and equivalency of dual enrollment courses have been raised since these courses' inception.Carol Dougan (2005), who has served as a community college faculty member, dean, and vice president, described what she believed were fundamental problems when assessing the efficacy of dual enrollment courses:In my 15 years of teaching in the arts and in business, many high-school-age students attended my classes. Rarely did their work approach the quality or reveal the level of understanding that I expected of my students. It seemed to me that students with little life experience and maturity dragged down the level of discourse in my college classes . . . faculty members told me of their struggle to maintain quality and integrity in their dual enrollment classes.
Stakeholders at institutions across the United States are continuously looking for ways to improve the academic success and retention of students. We used logistical regression in an examination of noncognitive, cognitive, and demographic factors as predictors of academic success and retention of Division I first-year student-athletes. The results indicated that high school GPA is the best predictor for academic success. The Transition to College Inventory index, self-confidence, institutional commitment, and independent activity focus can be used in the prediction of academic success. Retention was most accurately predicted by students' first-year cumulative GPA. University advisors can use the results of this study to enhance the resources designed to improve the academic performance and persistence of student-athletes.
Public higher education is currently experiencing a decline in financial support from state governments, an acceleration of enrollment growth, and a shift from a transformational to a transactional student relationship. Private institutions are also struggling with increasing operational costs, and decreases in revenue from endowments and fund-raising, all of which have dictated record high tuition rates. Institutional leaders faced with rising costs and falling resources have fewer options from which to choose in order to maintain the fiscal health of their institutions. Outsourcing provides the benefits of services provided by specialists with expertise, and the availability of the economies of scale to reduce the cost side of an institutional ledger. If institutional mission is clearly defined, and the academic program delivered is directly linked to this mission and approved by the faculty, online courses and those drawn from open educational resources can provide counters to the fiscal challenges of the twentyfirst century.
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