Topic: Student learning and outcomes
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…
Past 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.
Past 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?…
Past 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.
Blog Post
May 9, 2024
From Debt to Degrees
Evaluating the Ohio College Comeback Compact
Across the US, the number of individuals who started college but stopped out before attaining a degree has continued to grow. Research shows that earning an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or a targeted credential has wide-ranging benefits, from increased lifetime earnings to improved health outcomes. Postsecondary institutions and regional economies also benefit when students re-enroll and complete programs. Returning students face unique challenges to re-enrollment and completion, and this is especially true for students with past-due balances at their…
Research Report
May 9, 2024
Removing the Institutional Debt Hurdle
Findings from an Evaluation of the Ohio College Comeback Compact
This report provides findings from the evaluation of the pilot year of the Ohio College Comeback Compact, an institutional debt cancellation program being implemented at eight public institutions in northeast Ohio. Administrative holds preventing re-enrollment leave students unable to realize the benefits of a postsecondary credential. Fortunately, a number of initiatives and policies, including the Ohio College Comeback Compact, have sought to alleviate this barrier for students.
Research Report
May 9, 2024
Second Chances
A Qualitative Assessment of the Ohio College Comeback Compact
While the rise of institution-specific debt forgiveness programs and state-level policies limiting transcript withholding is encouraging, a regional or national approach could benefit returning students on a wider scale. In response, Ithaka S+R developed a regional solution, the Ohio College Comeback Compact, which launched in August 2022, to address the problems posed by institutional debts and provide stopped-out students with an opportunity to complete their credential and have their debt forgiven.
Past Event
June 24, 2024
Benefits of Summer Engagement and Transition Support for Incoming First-Year Students
Insights From the Kessler Scholars Program
First-generation students often enter college with limited knowledge of that environment. Targeted summer programs that introduce campus resources, build community, and prepare these students for college can foster belonging and ease the college transition. In this session at NASPA’s 2024 First-Generation Student Success Conference, staff at Bates College and the University of Dayton will share their experiences of implementing summer programs for Kessler Scholars, and leaders from Ithaka S+R and the Kessler Scholars Collaborative will share the benefits of…
Blog Post
May 2, 2024
The NCAA Transfer Portal Chaos Says a Lot About the State of Credit Mobility
Will the Changes Institutions Are Making to Ease Transfer for Athletes Benefit All Mobile Students?
As the semester draws to a close and the glow of March Madness and College Football Playoff victories fade in our memories, the eyes of all college sports fans have been on the NCAA spring transfer portal. The college football and basketball transfer portals, which closed this week, had several live trackers on major sports sites so eager fans could see which athletes were looking to leave their current college or university and where they may land. This included…
Past Event
May 9, 2024
Virtual Forum: The Strategic Value of Libraries
As higher ed faces more challenges, how can libraries play a greater role in student success and in other institutional goals? Today they are offering strategic value to a campus as hubs for student services, learning technologies, and academic innovation. How can libraries—and librarians—continue to play their pivotal roles on campuses in the current environment, where enrollment and budget issues abound? Join the Chronicle of Higher Education for a forum on Thursday, May 9, at 2 p.m. ET, featuring…
Blog Post
April 24, 2024
AI Chatbots in Education
A Comparative Analysis at Bryant University
A recent survey conducted at Bryant University reveals an interesting trend: while students and faculty are increasingly adopting AI chatbots, staff members seem to lag behind. This guest blog post delves into the possible reasons behind this disparity using the 77 faculty, 111 staff, and 224 student responses collected between November 2023 and February 2024.