Topic: Student learning and outcomes
Blog Post
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…
Blog Post
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.
Issue Brief
July 11, 2024
Evaluating the Kessler Scholars Program
Findings from the Academic Year 2022-23
Ithaka S+R has served as the external evaluation partner for the Kessler Scholars Collaborative since 2022 when the network expanded to 16 institutions. The evaluation is a five-year, mixed-methods, formative assessment, which aims to support implementation and maximize impact across the entire network and at each of the 16 participating institutions. This Ithaka S+R evaluation builds on an evaluation of the program's initial years gathered by the Center for Education Design, Evaluation, and Research (CEDER) at the University of Michigan.
Past Event
July 19, 2024
Chess or Tic-Tac-Toe: Strategies to Build Bridges in Civic Engagement
Ithaka S+R’s Ioana Hulbert will participate in a panel discussion at the AASCU 2024 Summer Meeting for Academic and Student Affairs Leaders. On Friday, July 19 at 8:30-9:20am, the session will focus on strategies to build bridges in civic engagement, with Catherine Copeland, Timothy K. Eatman, Steven Koether, Elizabeth Parmelee, and Willie Redmond. She will share more insights from Ithaka S+R’s recent collaboration with AASCU on the link between higher education and civic engagement in a poster session on…
Blog Post
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…
Issue Brief
July 9, 2024
Leveraging Digital Innovation in College Admissions and Dual Enrollment
Many selective colleges and universities are considering alternate strategies to enroll diverse student bodies following the 2023 US Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious admissions. Developing high-quality online courses for college credit, and offering them to students at lower-income high schools in a hybrid format, has the potential to both increase the pool of well-prepared, diverse high school graduates and create a direct recruitment pipeline for these institutions, and others.
Past Event
June 7, 2024
AI Powered Student Engagement and Success
Ithaka S+R’s Claire Baytas presented at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) webinar as part of the AI Powered Student Engagement and Success series, for the Council on Information Measurement and Analysis (CIMA) and Council of Student Affairs (CSA). The slides and recording are available on the APLU website.
Past Event
June 27, 2024
Evidence-based Practices to Advance Adult Student Success
Join Brittany Pearce and Dr. Chris Kacir at the SHEEO Communities of Practice: Student Success conference on June 27 for a session at 11:30-12:15 on evidence-based practice to advance adult student success. The session will highlight the growing population of adult learners, discuss some of the unique challenges to supporting this population, and share evidence-based interventions and initiatives that support access and student success, and make the case for developing strong relationships between SHEEO agencies and organizations committed to…
Research Report
June 20, 2024
Generative AI and Postsecondary Instructional Practices
Findings from a National Survey of Instructors
Understanding how instructors are (or are not) using generative AI in their classrooms is vital because most college and university guidelines leave decision making about how, when, and if generative AI use is permitted to the discretion of individual instructors. To gain insight into evolving instructional practices, we included a short four-question section dedicated specifically to generative AI as part of a national survey of instructors.
Past Event
July 9, 2024
Transfer Data Transparency as a Catalyst for Change
AACRAO Technology & Transfer Virtual Summit
Transfer process information is often inaccessible. What happens when details like transcript evaluation time, transfer credit applicability rate, and time to degree for transfer students are made visible to all? Institutions improve those outcomes. In a session at the 2024 AACRAO Technology & Transfer Summit, Ithaka S+R’s Martin Kurzweil and Queens College of CUNY’s Christopher Vickery will show how CUNY’s transfer information was brought into the light of day with positive effects. The presentation will include a demonstration of…
Blog Post
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…
Upcoming Event
August 6, 2024
Aligning Policy and Practice to Address the Barriers Students Encounter from Institutional Debt
At the 2024 SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference, Ithaka S+R’s Brittany Pearce, Maggie McGrath (Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland), Drew Felberg (Stark State College), and Mike Duffey (Chancellor, ODHE) will discuss two innovative projects aimed at addressing institutional debt in Ohio that impacts student enrollment, persistence, and completion rates, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. View the full schedule and join the session on August 6 at 2:00-2:45 pm ET.
Upcoming Event
August 6, 2024
Universal Credit Transfer Explorer
States Collaborating to Open the Black Box of Credit Mobility
Losing credits when transferring to a new institution prevents many college students–especially Black and Hispanic students, older students, and lower-income students–from earning a degree. To support these students and the institutions that serve them, Ithaka S+R and three SHEEO agencies are launching a non-profit, national, credit mobility website in mid-2024. Unique among similar services, the “universal credit transfer explorer” will show how credits earned elsewhere transfer and apply toward degree programs at the multiple destination colleges and universities featured on…
Research Report
June 4, 2024
Assessing the Civic Campus
The Link Between Higher Education and Democracy
This landscape review focuses on the link between higher education, civic engagement, and democratic attitudes and behaviors. We explore three research questions: 1) What is the impact of postsecondary education on civic engagement and democratic attitudes and behaviors? 2) How have researchers defined, operationalized, and measured civic engagement in the context of higher education? 3) How are postsecondary institutions and key stakeholders institutionalizing civic engagement as part of their curricular and co-curricular programming?…
Upcoming Event
August 7, 2024
Engagement to Enrollment
State Approaches to Support Returning Adult Learners
Adult learners with Some College, No Credential (SCNC) frequently experience barriers to enrollment when they return to college, including administrative and financial challenges such as student account holds and past due balances. While many states have passed laws that prohibit or limit the use of transcript holds in recent years, new regulations from the Department of Education limit transcript withholding nationally as of July 2024. With this policy change as a foundation to the session, leaders from three states that…
Blog Post
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…
Case Study
May 22, 2024
Navigating Higher Education
Insights from the College Fluency Initiatives at Sinclair Community College
To further examine and develop effective strategies to foster college fluency, the Borough of Manhattan Community College Library (BMCC) and Ithaka S+R have partnered on the College Fluency Capacity Building initiative with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The first case study from this research initiative examines Sinclair Community College in Ohio, a pioneer in developing college fluency with faculty and staff.
Past Event
June 10, 2024
Colleges and Universities Working to Improve the Student Academic Experience and Outcomes
2024 Opportunity Institute
The 2024 Opportunity Institute is hosted by Georgetown University and Penn State, in collaboration with the American Talent Initiative. This annual three-day Institute brings together colleges and universities nationwide to engage in dynamic discussions and spur strategic initiatives that identify and mitigate key barriers to student success. Participants will have an opportunity to attend workshops, provocations, and office hours with experts; work with their teams to advance institution-specific equity projects’ and connect with colleagues from a wide range of institutions…
Past Event
June 10, 2024
Colleges and Universities Working to Improve the Student Academic Experience and Outcomes
2024 Opportunity Institute
The 2024 Opportunity Institute is hosted by Georgetown University and Penn State, in collaboration with the American Talent Initiative. This annual three-day Institute, from June 10-23, brings together colleges and universities nationwide to engage in dynamic discussions and spur strategic initiatives that identify and mitigate key barriers to student success. In a virtual session, participants will have an opportunity to attend workshops, provocations, and office hours with experts; work with their teams to advance institution-specific equity projects’ and connect…
Past Event
July 16, 2024
The Library and Institutional Success
The Chronicle of Higher Education and Ithaka S+R are partnering to provide library leaders a professional development program tailored to their unique challenges and goals. This two-week virtual program is designed to empower participants to develop their leadership skills and drive institutional success. The first week of this program will offer librarians a chance to dive into three core seminars. These high-level, large-format seminars will include insights on national trends, the higher ed business model, and the library’s role in institutional initiatives.