Topic: Student learning and outcomes
Blog Post
July 7, 2025
Preparing Students for an AI-Infused Workforce
Reflections from the University of Baltimore’s 2025 AI Summit
On June 3, 2025, the University of Baltimore hosted its second AI Summit, organized by the university’s Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, and Technology (CELTT). The event, as described by the organizers, was “an in-depth exploration of artificial intelligence’s transformative impact across sectors, with a particular focus on workforce development, educational adaptation, and responsible innovation.” A key strength of the summit was its commitment to bridging the gap between what is happening with AI in the classroom and…
Blog Post
July 2, 2025
How States Use IPEDS Data to Strengthen the National Postsecondary Education Data Infrastructure
Ithaka S+R and SHEEO Collaborate on New Initiative
Ithaka S+R is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a new grant from Lumina Foundation to assess how state higher education agencies use the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to support their systems, inform policy and planning, and advance credential attainment and other postsecondary education goals.
Blog Post
July 1, 2025
Informing Postsecondary Education Policy
How Researchers Are Using PSEO Data
In "How Researchers Use the PSEO Data to Study Postsecondary Outcomes and Inform Policy," we examine how scholars, systems, and agencies leverage PSEO to answer key policy questions. This report was commissioned by the PSEO Coalition, which brings together state, system, and institutional partners committed to expanding access to and use of PSEO data as a foundational tool for data-informed decision-making.
Research Report
July 1, 2025
How Researchers Use PSEO Data to Study Postsecondary Outcomes and Inform Policy
A report for the PSEO Coalition from Ithaka S+R
This literature review summarizes key findings from research and practical applications related to PSEO data. By examining how PSEO data has been used in higher education research and policy, this review lays the groundwork for a national research agenda that strengthens understanding of the links between education and workforce connections, student success, and the economic value of postsecondary credentials.
Past Event
June 30, 2025
Tracking the COVID Class
How Cohort-Based Interventions Distinguished the College Journey for First-Generation Limited-Income Students Entering Fall 2020
At the 2025 NASPA Conference on Student Success in Higher Education on June 30 at 10:10am, Ithaka S+R’s Ifeatu Oliobi will join Gail Gibson, Kristen Glasener, and Shakima Clency of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, as well as Carlota Deseda-Coon of Syracuse University, in a session sharing how cohort-based support distinguished the experience for first-generation limited-income students through the Kessler Scholars Collaborative. Learn more about the session.
Past Event
June 29, 2025
Developing College Fluency
Strategies for Supporting Student Navigation and Success
At the NASPA Conference on Student Success in Higher Education, Melissa Blankstein, Elmira Jangjou, and jean amaral will lead a session on college fluency, sharing insights from Ithaka S+R work. “For me the college is just so big…you get bounced back and forth…you get lost in bureaucracy.” Most of us have heard similar stories from our students as most may not know what programs and assistance are available nor how to access them, impacting their well-being and academic success.
Blog Post
June 10, 2025
Applying AI Literacy to Student and Faculty Personas
Insights from our AI Literacy Cohort Workshops
This May, we hosted the first workshops for our Integrating AI Literacy in the Curricula cohort, a group of 45 colleges and universities committed to promoting AI literacy as a core learning outcome on their campuses. In the first half of the workshop, we facilitated a discussion of information literacy and AI literacy frameworks. In the second breakout session, participants selected one of six provided personas and hypothesized about the risks, benefits, and needs of AI use for…
Upcoming Event
August 12, 2025
From Roadblocks to Roadmaps
Implementing Smart Transfer Policies and Practices Across States
On August 12, 2025, at the Higher Education Policy Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ithaka S+R’s Martin Kurzweil will participate in a panel session exploring the critical intersections between state policy and higher education transfer student success, focusing on Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina. As states strive to enhance degree attainment and workforce readiness, effective transfer policies are essential for improving student outcomes, particularly for historically underrepresented and nontraditional students. This session will highlight innovative state-level policies, cross-sector collaboration, and…
Blog Post
June 9, 2025
The Divided State of AI in Higher Education
To help libraries and centers for teaching and learning adapt their expertise in data, digital, and information literacy to AI literacy, we launched the Integrating AI Literacy into the Curricula cohort project. We held the kickoff meeting in April, welcoming participants from all 45 institutions involved in the project. Participants shared their observations and experiences with current AI literacy initiatives at their institutions, including challenges and successes. Several interesting themes emerged from these discussions. When it comes to AI…
Blog Post
June 5, 2025
Examining the Critical Role of Technology in Holistic Credit Mobility
Notes from the Cohort's Second Virtual Convening
In February 2025, Ithaka S+R and Complete College America launched the holistic credit mobility acceleration cohort. This community of practice comprises 11 state higher education and university systems, as well as institutional consortia, that are collaborating throughout 2025 and into early 2026 to identify best practices, policies, and technologies to advance credit mobility nationwide. This is critical to student success, as recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse demonstrates that transfer pathways are becoming increasingly non-linear, multidirectional, and…
Past Event
June 12, 2025
From Debt to Degrees
Strategies Drive Re-Enrollment
Join us on June 12, 1 pm CST for “From Debt to Degrees: Strategies Drive Re-Enrollment,” a webinar covering actionable strategies to tackle institutional debt and transcript holds while creating pathways for adult learners to successfully return and complete their degrees. Discover what’s working—from debt forgiveness to success coaching—with insights from ReUp Education, Ithaka S+R, and Ohio’s innovative College Comeback Compact. Panelists include Brittany Pearce (Ithaka S+R) and Ben Shoemaker (ReUp). Register to join the webinar.
Past Event
May 30, 2025
Civil Discourse as Pedagogy
Managing Divided Classrooms
At the National Council for Faculty Senate’s annual convening, Ioana Hulbert will lead a session on civil discourse as pedagogy and managing divided classrooms, sharing insights from Ithaka S+R research on civic education and engagement. The session will take place on May 30, 2025 at 10:30am.
Blog Post
May 13, 2025
From Chaos to Continuity
Bridging Basic Needs and Postsecondary Access for Adult Learners
Higher education is undergoing a profound transformation, with adult learners representing a growing and influential segment of the student population. Balancing employment, family responsibilities, and academic commitments, these students encounter unique challenges that significantly impact their educational trajectories. Among the most pressing barriers to success is basic needs insecurity, which encompasses food and housing instability, childcare access, physical and mental health access, transportation and technology needs, alongside financial insecurity. Despite the existence of numerous, public, state, and institutional resources…
Blog Post
May 6, 2025
College Literacy and Fluency
What We Learned From Our Latest Webinar
For many students, the hardest part of college isn’t the classes—it’s figuring out how college works. From navigating confusing admissions processes to registering for classes and understanding financial aid, higher education can often feel like a maze of unfamiliar terminology and siloed systems. The result? Too many students miss critical deadlines, misunderstand key processes, or struggle to advocate for themselves in an unfamiliar and bureaucratic environment. This challenge disproportionately affects students who are already navigating complex life circumstances: first-generation students,…
Blog Post
May 5, 2025
Examining the New Carnegie Student Access and Earnings Classification at Four-Year Colleges and Universities
A bachelor’s degree remains a key lever to achieve economic success. Median earnings disaggregated by educational attainment demonstrate the importance of a bachelor’s degree for securing a job and making strong earnings. The difference in median weekly earnings of a person with a high school degree ($930) compared to someone with a bachelor’s degree ($1,543) adds up to an additional $32,000 over one year. This wage premium grows even larger as a person advances in their career. Despite…
Past Event
May 20, 2025
Providing Credit Transfer Visibility to Improve Credit Mobility
In a Tuesday Session with DXtera Institute, Emily Tichenor and Chris Buonocore from Ithaka S+R/JSTOR Labs will discuss the Transfer Explorer project. This spring ITHAKA launched a new, public, non-profit, national credit mobility website to help address the many challenges college students face when they move between institutions or attempt to transfer credits they earned in high school or elsewhere. Currently in its beta release, Transfer Explorer will expand in 2025 to contain data from a growing number of…
Past Event
April 30, 2025
Open Codes, Open Minds
Navigating AI and Open Education in College Instruction
At the Cal Poly Humboldt Library Innovation Summit, focused on “Digital Humanities, Polytechnics, & AI,” Ithaka S+R’s Mark McBride will present a hybrid Zoom session on navigating AI and open education in college instruction. The session will take place at 10am on Wednesday April 30, 2025. See the full schedule for more details.
Blog Post
April 23, 2025
Collaborating with the PSEO Coalition to Advance Research on Postsecondary Outcomes
Ithaka S+R is proud to announce a new engagement with the Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Coalition. As a research collaborator, Ithaka S+R will work closely with the Coalition’s leadership and member institutions to develop a robust research agenda that leverages PSEO data, alongside other federal data sources, such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and American Community Survey (ACS), to explore critical questions about postsecondary outcomes and workforce dynamics. This collaboration will focus on generating…
Blog Post
April 17, 2025
How Is Kentucky Supporting Adult Learner Engagement?
A New Brief Shares Lessons Learned
Across the nation, there are 36.8 million individuals under the age of 65 with some college and no credential. Approximately 557,000 of these learners have stopped out from Kentucky colleges and universities. Re-enrolling adult learners with some college, no credential is a growing priority across the US and in Kentucky. Credential completion helps individuals get high paying jobs, brings in new tuition revenue for institutions, and helps regions develop a workforce needed for a healthy economy. Individuals and…
Issue Brief
April 17, 2025
Supporting Adult Learner Engagement in Kentucky
Addressing Administrative Holds, Past Due Balances, and Targeted Supports
Ithaka S+R and Kentucky CPE worked together to understand how administrative holds and unpaid balances affect institutions and adults with come credit, no credential. This reportsummarizes our key findings and offers potential solutions for institutions and states across the country, using examples from Kentucky. Part one covers administrative holds, part two focuses on past due balances, and part three discusses how institutions can adjust to the changing landscape of administrative holds.