Blog
September 4, 2024
Improving Holistic Credit Mobility to Help Adult Learners Succeed
A New RFP from Ithaka S+R and Complete College America
Today’s postsecondary students accumulate credits from various sources of learning, and most attend multiple institutions on their path to earning a credential. This presents challenges for the states, systems, and institutions as they work to support these students on their educational journeys. To help the higher education community find solutions, Ithaka S+R and Complete College America are launching a coalition of institutions committed to advancing comprehensive methods of credit transfer. We call this approach holistic credit mobility. …
August 27, 2024
Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Highlights from the 2024 Kessler Scholars Collaborative Annual Convening
Last month, leadership and staff from the 16 partner institutions of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the annual Kessler Scholars Summer Convening. The Kessler Scholars Collaborative brings together campus partner staff each summer for an annual convening designed to build community, foster opportunities for shared learning, and support the growth and advancement of first-generation students. The 2024 convening was co-hosted by the Collaborative and the University of Pittsburgh, and included representatives from Ithaka S+R, the Aspen…
August 22, 2024
Exploring the Landscape of College Instruction
Highlights from the 2024 US Instructor Survey
We are excited to announce the publication of the 2024 US Instructor Survey. This survey, adapted from our longstanding US Faculty Survey, provides a detailed snapshot of over 5,200 faculty members from different disciplines, institution types, ages, and titles across the US at four-year institutions. This new report offers a comprehensive overview of how college instructors across the country are navigating and shaping the current educational landscape. Overall, we heard that instructors are increasingly adopting innovative, technology-driven teaching…
August 21, 2024
Increasing Adult and Latino Adult Student Success
New Report from Ithaka S+R and CAEL on the Latino and Adult Student Success Academy
Latino student enrollment at postsecondary institutions has increased significantly over the past few decades. Between 1980 and 2020, the number of Latino students enrolled at a degree-granting institution in the United States grew from 470,000, representing just four percent of students enrolled in a postsecondary institution, to 3.7 million students, representing 20 percent. Despite this tremendous growth, Latinos are less likely to be enrolled in college or have a bachelor’s degree than Asian, White, and Black Americans. However,…
August 15, 2024
Three Questions for Tommaso Bardelli
Last month, Ithaka S+R welcomed Tommaso Bardelli as our new principal of justice initiatives. In this interview, we asked Tommaso about his past experience in the higher education in prison space, challenges and opportunities in the field, and the future of the work.
Topics:
August 6, 2024
Using Student Data to Tackle Attrition and Boost Student Success and Retention
Despite gains in higher education enrollment in the 2023-24 academic year–the first increase following years of enrollment declines–an impending drop in the country’s college-going population threatens the prospect of future enrollment growth and stability. To that end, colleges and universities need timely and data-driven insights on the drivers of attrition and the policies that might impede or support progress to better meet the needs of students and increase student success and ultimately retention.
August 2, 2024
The Role of the Law Library in Serving Incarcerated Individuals
Announcing a New IMLS-Funded Project
Access to legal information is both a legal right and crucial need for people who are incarcerated, yet little comprehensive data exists regarding how that information is provided or about the quality or accessibility of services available to individuals in prison. While anecdotal evidence suggests that law librarians are playing a key role in bridging this service gap, there is a lack of information about best practices and models, as well as about the state of the profession’s capacity to…
August 1, 2024
New Report on Library Collaborations in Collection Development
Although libraries have a long tradition of working together to improve their collections and related services, collaborations should not be viewed as a panacea. As the landscape of scholarly resources evolve, to be effective and tactical, collaborations need to carefully balance their collective and institutional priorities while remaining responsive to the user needs and behavior. Today, we share a new report on the governance and business characteristics of collaborative collection development initiatives. We intentionally focus on governance models as…
July 30, 2024
Using Student Data to Understand the Economic Value of a Liberal Education
Announcing a New Project
The question of the economic value of the liberal arts and sciences has long captivated the public imagination and vexed stakeholders across the higher education landscape. Proponents argue that exposure to a liberal education prepares students to think critically, communicate effectively, and adapt flexibly to the changing demands of the labor market. Critics argue that without the technical or “hard” skills sought in our increasingly technology-driven economy, students will not succeed in the job market and earn high wages. Now,…
July 25, 2024
Academic Freedom in the Classroom
Results from a New Survey of Faculty Members
To what degree are faculty facing challenges to academic freedom in their instructional practices? Are there topics they avoid when talking to their fellow faculty or students? Do they feel safe on campus and supported by their institution? These are some of the topics we probed in a special section of a national survey of US Faculty fielded earlier this year.
Topics:
July 23, 2024
Next Steps in Student Mobility
Ithaka S+R and Complete College America Partner to Support Student Success through Holistic Credit Mobility Policies, Practices, and Technologies
The typical postsecondary student of 2024 accumulates credits from multiple sources and attends multiple institutions before earning a credential. Yet many of our state, system, and institutional policies and practices have not adapted to this reality. To help address this challenge and support the higher education community in better serving today’s mobile students, Ithaka S+R and Complete College America are collaborating on a new, multi-faceted project, with funding from Ascendium Education Group. Through conducting research, launching a cohort of networks…
July 18, 2024
Defining Undergraduate Research Across Disciplines
Takeaways from ConnectUR
Identified as a high-impact practice by the American Association of Colleges and Universities in 2008, undergraduate research, scholarship, or creative activity is known to be especially transformative for underrepresented students, who are likely to face more barriers to participation. While most scholarship and funding of undergraduate research experiences is centered on the sciences, universities are making efforts to provide equivalent experiences for undergraduates in the arts, humanities, and social sciences—especially in the first two years of undergraduate study.
July 17, 2024
Institutions Are Shifting Practices to Comply with a Ban on Transcript Withholding
A new national ban on most transcript withholding took effect this month. The policy, which was announced in fall 2023, is intended to ensure students can access their academic records and minimize the number of credits which are stranded. The new rules direct institutions not to withhold transcripts for any academic terms in which a student received federal financial aid, if the student has fully paid or has a payment plan in place for any unpaid balance. This national ban…
July 16, 2024
Exploring Basic Needs Support Across Public and Community College Libraries
New Report Released
We are excited to announce the publication of a new report for the Maximizing Public-Academic Library Partnerships project, funded by ECMC Foundation. The project explores how community college and public libraries facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration to create and sustain productive partnerships that promote basic needs services and information. The first phase of the project focused on examining the landscape of basic need services advertised on library websites. The inventory analysis of websites surveyed eight basic needs categories: Technology,…
July 9, 2024
Digital Innovation in Dual Enrollment
Insights from the Digital Innovation for Equity & Excellence in College Admissions Cohort
The inaugural 2023-24 cohort of the Digital Innovation for Equity & Excellence in College Admissions (DIEECA) community seeks to open additional postsecondary pathways for the pool of well-prepared, diverse high school graduates in the United States. Composed of 12 highly selective colleges and universities from the American Talent Initiative, these institutions are leveraging technology solutions to devise novel strategies that enhance the recruitment and enrollment of students from low- and…
June 20, 2024
How Are Faculty Using Generative AI in the Classroom?
Findings from a National Survey
Since the commercial release of ChatGPT in 2022, generative AI has had an undeniable impact on higher education, reshaping student learning methods, prompting concerns regarding academic integrity, and sparking larger questions on teaching and learning. It is therefore vital to understand how instructors are currently using (or not using) generative AI in their classrooms to support teaching. To gain insight into how instructional practices are evolving, Ithaka S+R fielded the triennial survey of postsecondary faculty with a focus on…
Topics:
June 6, 2024
Announcing a New Report on Assessing the Civic Campus
In collaboration with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), we are publishing a new report assessing the link between civic engagement, higher education, and participation in democracy. The report draws on studies from the past few decades and focuses on how researchers and practitioners define civic engagement, the nature of the relationship between higher education and civic behaviors and attitudes, the equity implications of civic education, and what the research says about the effectiveness of different…
Topics:
May 22, 2024
Enhancing College Fluency
First Case Study Report Available
We’re excited to announce the publication of the first case study in the College Fluency Capacity Building Project. Co-led by the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) Library and Ithaka S+R, this IMLS-funded project explores the evolving role librarians play in fostering college fluency and aims to help librarians address the changing information needs of the students they serve. For students, navigating the higher education landscape takes more than just attending and passing classes; it also requires a…
May 21, 2024
Research Study on E-Book Publishing
Announcing a New Project from Ithaka S+R
The landscape of scholarly monograph publishing has become increasingly complex, with some business models straddling digital and print realms and others guided by the principles of open access. While the transition towards e-books has prompted numerous publishers to establish proprietary platforms for hosting their content, distribution and aggregation services remain pivotal within this ecosystem.
May 15, 2024
Restoring Trust in Higher Education Requires Colleges and Universities Being Trustworthy
As numerous surveys make clear, America’s trust in higher education institutions continues to decline, a sentiment that is coming from all political directions. The chaos on college campuses across the country in response to pro-Palestinian encampments, leading to conflict with police, student and faculty arrests, and canceled commencements, will further erode the public’s support. These events have highlighted the tensions on campuses between commitments to free speech and the right to peaceful protest and policies protecting against harassment and…