The University Experience Course: A Longitudinal Study of Student Performance, Retention, and Graduation

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between participation in an extended orientation course and student academic performance, student retention, and student graduation. Ten years of participants in Ohio University's freshman "University Experience" course were compared with comparable nonparticipants. In the comparison of student academic performance, the effects of students' prior academic achievement and students' measured academic aptitude were controlled. First-year retention and four-, five-, and six-year graduation rates were compared. In most years of the study, participating students' year-end GPAs were higher than nonparticipants', retention rates were higher, and four-, five-, and six-year graduation rates were higher. The purpose of the course is to help students adjust to the demands of the university environment and develop long-term academic skills, which these results support. Student motivational effects are also discussed.Over the past decade, research on extended orientation courses for first-year students has supported the hypothesis that such courses help new students adjust to college life (

Applying Best Practice Online Learning, Teaching, and Support to Intensive Online Environments: An Integrative Review

“…Research, albeit limited, has consistently shown that orientation programs have improved student retention and academic performance both on-and off-campus (House and Kuchynka, 1997;Williford et al, 2001;Wilson, 2005). When looking specifically at online courses, the factors that contribute to a successful orientation include comprehensive overviews of the course structure, recommended time commitments and expectation of students, familiarization with required instructional media and software, and guidance on the communication tools needed for student-staff interactions.…”

Understanding How First-year Seminars Affect Persistence

“…A large body of literature indicates that first-year seminars have a positive impact on student academic and social integration, key concepts of persistence proposed by Tinto (1975Tinto ( , 1993. For example, researchers have shown that seminar participants earn, on average, higher grades in other first-year classes and are less likely to be placed on academic probation (Cannici and Pulton, 1990;Chapman and Reed, 1987;Davis, 1992;Fidler, 1991;Williford, Chapman, andKahrigh, 2000--2001); they have higher frequencies of participation in campus activities or services (Cannici and Pulton, 1990;Davis-Underwood and Lee, 1994;Fidler, 1991); and they report more out-of-class connections with faculty members (Davis-Underwood and Lee, 1994;Fidler, 1991;Maisto and Tammi, 1991).…”

“…Usually researchers use enrollment records connected with curriculum records to compare the persistence rate for first-year seminar students with the persistence rate for students who did not enroll in a first-year seminar. Most studies show a positive gain in persistence for students who enroll in the course (Bedford and Durkee, 1989;Fidler and Moore, 1996;Hyers and Joslin, 1998;Murtuza and Ketkar, 1995;Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991;Strumpf and Hunt, 1993;Williford et al, 2000Williford et al, --2001. For example, a longitudinal study of ''University 101'' at the University of South Carolina, a ''model'' course ranked by U.S. News and World Report (2002) as one of the best first-year seminars in America, showed positive retention rates for 11 of the 16 years studied (Fidler, 1991).…”

A Multi-Level Assessment of the Impact of Orientation Programs on Student Learning

“…The few empirical articles that we uncovered established that, if offered, students not only attended these programs but credited them with strongly influencing their expectations of the collegiate experience (Mullendore and Banahan 2005) and in improving adjustment, rates of performance, retention and graduation (Fidler 1991;Fidler and Hunter 1989;Nixon and Martin 1994;Williford et al 2001). Although understanding these programs for their influence in helping students achieve these outcomes is important, it is equally critical to examine how the programs facilitate other outcomes related to student learning.…”