scholarly journals Measuring the Effect of Student Loans on College Persistence

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-60
Author(s):  
David Card ◽  
Alex Solís
Keyword(s):  
Degree Completion ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
College Completion ◽  
First Year ◽  
Secondary Schooling ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Socioeconomic Gaps ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Tuition Costs

Governments around the world use grant and loan programs to ease the financial constraints that contribute to socioeconomic gaps in college completion. A growing body of research assesses the impact of grants; less is known about how loan programs affect persistence and degree completion. We use detailed administrative data from Chile to provide rigorous regression-discontinuity-based evidence on the impacts of loan eligibility for university students who retake the national admission test after their first year of studies. Those who score above a certain threshold become eligible for loans covering around 85% of tuition costs for the duration of their program. We find that access to loans increases the fraction who return to university for a second year by 20 percentage points, with two-thirds of the effect arising from a reduction in transfers to vocational colleges and one-third from a decline in the share who stop post-secondary schooling altogether. The longer-run impacts are smaller but remain highly significant, with a 12-percentage point impact on the fraction of marginally eligible retakers who complete a bachelor's degree.

Mass Instruction or Higher Learning? The Impact of College Class Size on Student Retention and Graduation

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric P. Bettinger ◽  
Bridget Terry Long
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Class Size ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Secondary Schooling ◽  
Long Run ◽  
College Class ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Instrumental Variables Approach

This paper measures the effects of collegiate class size on college retention and graduation. Class size is a perennial issue in research on primary and secondary schooling. Few researchers have focused on the causal impacts of collegiate class size, however. Whereas college students have greater choice of classes, selection problems and nonrandom sorting make it difficult to estimate causal impacts. Using unique data and exogenous variation in class size, we estimate the impacts of class size using a sample of nearly 60,000 four-year college students. Using an instrumental variables approach to control for selection bias, the results suggest an increase in collegiate class size leads to an increase in dropout rates and a reduction in on-time degree completion, but no change in long-run degree completion.

A Nested Analysis of Factors Affecting Bachelor's Degree Completion

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. DesJardins ◽  
Dong-Ok Kim ◽  
Chester S. Rzonca
Keyword(s):  
Degree Completion ◽  
College Major ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
First Year ◽  
University Of Iowa ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
The University ◽  
Nested Analysis ◽  
Sequential Nature

The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of selected factors on retention, graduation, and timely bachelor's degree completion at The University of Iowa. An additional purpose was to identify the stage-varying effects of selected variables. Reflecting the sequential nature of bachelor's degree completion, this study focused on three stages of students' progress to graduation: 1) dropout vs. persistence in the first year, 2) graduation vs. failure to graduate among first year persisters, and 3) graduation in four years or less vs. graduation in five years or more. We found that college academic performance, pre-matriculation academic achievement, and college major were the most important variables in explaining success at The University of Iowa. We also found fairly consistent results across the three models.

scholarly journals Words Matter: The Impact of “Catchy” vs Conventional Course Titles on Student Interest

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Flaherty ◽  
Bruce G McAdams ◽  
Joshua E LeBlanc
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Nous Avons ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Student Preference ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Conventional Counterpart

Anecdotal evidence suggests that post-secondary institutions in Canada and beyond are experimenting with the practice of substituting conventional, discipline-centred course titles with more creatively phrased, learner-centred titles. However, we could find no scholarly research to affirm, challenge or guide this practice. This study represents a preliminary foray into that research. We surveyed 368 business undergraduate and graduate students at a mid-sized Canadian university to address, and explore the implications of, this question: "Does a catchy course title elicit more student interest than its conventional counterpart?" Our findings provide some, but not unqualified, support for the practice of using catchy course titles as a way of attracting student interest. We found the most significant influence on student preference toward conventional or catchy course titles to be year of registration (first year and fourth year students showed the most interest in catchy course titles; graduate students and those registered in second and third year showed a preference for conventional course titles). Implications regarding marketing and pedagogy are discussed, as is the need for further research. Des preuves non scientifiques sembleraient suggérer que les établissements d’enseignement supérieur du Canada et au-delà sont en train d’essayer de substituer les titres de cours conventionnels centrés sur la discipline par des titres centrés sur l’apprenant et formulés de façon plus créatrice. Toutefois, nous n’avons trouvé aucune recherche savante qui pourrait affirmer, mettre au défi ou guider cette pratique. Cette étude représente une expérience préliminaire dans cette recherche. Nous avons fait un sondage auprès de 368 étudiants de premier cycle et de cycles supérieurs en administration des affaires dans une université canadienne de taille moyenne afin d’explorer les implications de la question suivante : « Est-ce qu’un titre de cours accrocheur attire davantage l’intérêt des étudiants qu’un titre plus conventionnel? » Nos résultats présentent un certain soutien non qualifié à cette pratique qui consiste à utiliser des titres de cours accrocheurs dans le but d’attirer l’intérêt des étudiants. Nous avons trouvé que l’influence la plus significative sur la préférence des étudiants entre les titres conventionnels et les titres accrocheurs était l’année d’inscription (les étudiants de première et de quatrième année étaient davantage attirés par les titres de cours accrocheurs; les étudiants des cycles supérieurs et ceux inscrits en deuxième et troisième année semblaient préférer les titres de cours conventionnels). Les implications en matière de marketing et de pédagogie sont discutées, ainsi que la nécessité de faire des recherches plus avancées sur la question.

scholarly journals How Do Their Initial Goals Impact Students' Chances to Graduate? An Exploration of Three Types of Commitment

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven S. Graunke ◽  
Sherry A. Woosley ◽  
Laura L. Helms
Keyword(s):  
Degree Completion ◽  
Academic Major ◽  
Institutional Commitment ◽  
First Year ◽  
Educational Goal ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Students Success

Although previous research has not consistently shown that uncertainty about academic major negatively impacts graduation, commitment is largely believed to affect college students' success. We investigated the impact of institutional commitment, commitment to an educational goal, and commitment to an academic major on the probabilities of graduation for a cohort of first-time first-year students. Results indicate that students with high institutional commitment and commitment to an educational goal were the most likely to graduate within 6 years, while commitment to an academic major was negatively associated with probabilities of degree completion. Suggested implications for advisors include fostering educational development, enhancing a student's bond with the institution, and encouraging students to explore academic major options. Relative emphasis: * theory, research, practice

scholarly journals Information Literacy from High School to University

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Cavanagh ◽  
Dianne Oberg ◽  
Heather Buchansky ◽  
Marc D'Avernas ◽  
Kate Johnson-McGregor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
School Library ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Library Impact ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact

The Ontario School Library Impact Project (OSLIP) investigated the impact of school libraries on the development of key information literacy skills in students entering post-secondary education, using online surveys and qualitative interviews. The project found that first-year university students are challenged by the demands of post-secondary course research assignments. These findings support previous research indicating first-year university students are challenged by new demands for research skills. Unfortunately, opportunities to develop those skills are inconsistent among school boards in Ontario. This is a multifaceted problem confronting both school librarians and academic librarians as well as their teaching partners.

scholarly journals FIRST-YEAR COMMON ENGINEERING CURRICULUM FOR THE BC POST-SECONDARY SECTOR

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Dick
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
First Year ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Secondary Sector ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Consultative Process

Abstract – Demand for engineering education has grown in recognition of its importance to the provincial economy, while engineering education capacity continues to lag.  Engineering schools in British Columbia traditionally offer a common first-year of study that provides a foundation of science, mathematics, and engineering design before students specialize in second year. The British Columbia Council on Admission and Transfer (BCCAT) Engineering Articulation committee believed this transition served as a natural transfer point and undertook a year-long consultative process to establish the feasibility of developing a common, first-year engineering curriculum within the BC post-secondary sector. This study found that although there exists some diversity within the first-year engineering programs at accredited receiving institutions, sufficient curriculum overlap allowed for a sector-wide common first-year engineering curriculum. This proposed curriculum suggests a content framework for students in all regions of the province to begin the first year of engineering studies at their institution of choice, and subsequently transfer to any of the major research institutions for degree completion.  

scholarly journals Income and financial aid effects on persistence and degree attainment in public colleges

2004 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia C. Dowd
Keyword(s):  
Financial Aid ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Student Persistence ◽  
Degree Attainment ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Public Colleges ◽  
First Year ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Bachelor's Degree Attainment ◽  
Positive Effect

This study examined the distribution of financial aid among financially dependent four-year college students and the effectiveness of different types of financial aid in promoting student persistence and timely bachelor’s degree attainment. The findings of descriptive statistical and logistic regression analyses using the NCES Beginning Postsecondary Students (1990-94) data show that subsidized loans taken in the first year of college have a positive effect on persistence. The first-year distribution of aid does not close the income gap in bachelor’s degree attainment. Living on campus and first-year grade point average are the most important predictors of timely degree completion.

scholarly journals Measuring the Impact of a Weeklong Fall Break on Stress Physiology in First Year Engineering Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayesha Khan ◽  
Heather Poole ◽  
Elliott A Beaton
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Nous Avons ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Student Stress ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Lower Ratio ◽  
The Impact

Canadian post-secondary institutions are increasingly introducing a fall break into their term calendars, with the stated goal of reducing student stress and improving academic success. We conducted a pilot study around the time of this fall break during which we collected saliva samples to measure the ratio of two metabolic hormones (cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)) from first-year male engineering students in order to document possible changes in their stress levels before and after the break. Participants self-identified a particular day in the week prior to the break that they considered to be most stressful, followed by a day in the week after the break that was perceived to be equally stress-inducing. A control sample of student engineers was recruited from another university with equivalent academic rigour but without a fall break. Students who experienced the fall break exhibited a marginally lower ratio of cortisol to DHEA after the break than did those who did not experience the break indicating a difference in psychological stress. Since fall breaks are now increasing in popularity, we make the recommendation that it is imperative to empirically investigate their impact on student mental health. Un nombre de plus en plus grand d’établissements post-secondaires introduisent un congé d’automne dans leur calendrier, avec l’objectif déclaré de réduire le stress des étudiants et d’améliorer la réussite académique. Nous avons mené une étude pilote aux alentours de ce congé d’automne au cours duquel nous avons recueilli des échantillons de salive auprès d’étudiants mâles de première année en génie afin de mesurer le ratio de deux hormones métaboliques (le cortisol et la déhydroépiandrostérone - la DHEA)) et pour documenter les changements possibles dans leurs niveaux de stress avant et après le congé. Les participants ont identifié eux-mêmes un jour spécifique de la semaine avant le congé qu’ils considéraient comme étant le plus stressant, suivi par un jour particulier de la semaine après le congé qu’ils percevaient comme étant aussi stressant. Un échantillon témoin d’étudiants en génie a été recruté dans une autre université où la rigueur académique était équivalente mais où il n’y avait pas de congé d’automne. Les étudiants qui ont bénéficié d’un congé d’automne ont manifesté un ratio plus bas de cortisol par rapport à la DHEA après le congé par rapport aux étudiants qui n’avaient pas bénéficié d’un tel congé, ce qui indique une différence de stress psychologique. Étant donné que la popularité des congés d’automne est en augmentation, nous recommandons qu’il est impératif d’établir empiriquement leur impact sur la santé mentale des étudiants.

Exploring the Impact of School Factors on Expectations to Complete Post Secondary Education Among Black Girls

2021 ◽  
pp. 001312452110484
Author(s):  
Sandra R. Kalu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
High School ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
College Completion ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Lifetime Earnings ◽  
The Impact

Obtaining a college degree can enhance many aspects of one’s life including health outcomes and lifetime earnings. Given the racial opportunity gap that remains prevalent in the education system, and the gendered racial biases held against Black girls and women, they face many obstacles on their path to higher education. Considering the relationship between higher education and financial status, when these obstacles hinder their academic success Black women face serious economic issues that adversely impacts their livelihood and the wellbeing of their families. Still, there remains limited investigation into the indicators of college completion among this population. Assessing indicators related to college completion during their high school years can support educators in recognizing and monitoring students who require extra support early in their academic careers. This study uses an intersectional lens to investigate whether various school factors predict intent to complete college among this sample of Black high school girls ( N = 1,811). Findings show that teacher bias, school discipline, and school resources are significant predictors of college expectations among this sample.

scholarly journals Role-Playing Gamification Technologies with Adult Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Kirsten Fantazir ◽  
Murray Bartley
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
First Year ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Criminal Justice Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this quantitative scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research study was to examine the impact Classcraft had on adult criminal justice students in a face-to-face context in a western-Canadian institution. Specifically, the role-playing digital game was integrated into a first-year applied English and investigative writing course; learners earned points, received “real world” prizes, and completed random, content-related challenges with their teams. Using a survey with Likert-style and open-ended questions, it was determined that most elements of Classcraft motivated and engaged participants. The most impactful finding was that Classcraft promoted teamwork and problem-solving abilities. While little research has been conducted in adult post-secondary settings related to the implementation of Classcraft, it is evident more research is required in other post-secondary learning contexts.

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