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Topic: Student learning and outcomes

Past Event
February 20, 2024

Expanding Access to Adult Learners with Institutional Debt

Achieving the Dream Conference 2024

Join us at the Achieving the Dream annual conference in Orlando, Florida for a session on the Ohio College Compact presented by Ithaka S+R’s Joanna Dressel and Brittany Pearce. The Ohio College Comeback Compact is a novel approach to re-enrolling adult learners with some college, no credential (SCNC) who stopped out with institutional debt that inhibits their return to higher education, whether back to their original institution or to a new institution. The Compact permits these students to…
Blog Post
January 22, 2024

Announcing a New Project on Higher Education, Civic Engagement, and Democracy

Political polarization, mis/disinformation, and the lack of civil deliberation are affecting campus climates across the country, while at the same time trust in colleges and universities is on the decline. Against this backdrop, how are higher education institutions thinking about their role in stewarding democratic principles and civic engagement, and what are they doing to shape informed, active citizens? To begin answering those questions, today we are thrilled to share that Ithaka S+R is collaborating with the American…
Blog Post
January 18, 2024

Understanding ROI on Postsecondary Education

Using Data to Support Strategic State Investments

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) recently shared findings from their annual survey, shedding light on the top ten policy priorities among the public executives in each state responsible for overseeing postsecondary education. Topping the list were three key areas: (1) supporting workforce and economic development, (2) ensuring adequate funding for public colleges and universities, and (3) addressing the growing concern among students and the public regarding the value of a college degree. States need better data…
Past Event
February 22, 2024

ACT Community of Practice: Collaboratively Designing a System-wide Student Transfer Tool

National Institute for Transfer Student Success Annual Conference

At the National Institute for Transfer Student Success Annual Conference, this session will spotlight how the ACT Community of Practice has been vital in the development, enhancement and implementation of CUNY Transfer Explorer. Presenters Pooja Patel, Emily Tichenor, Rocio Rayo, and Tracy Newton will give a brief background of the Community of Practice’s inception and discuss how the model has fostered collaboration across colleges within CUNY and across systems between CUNY and SUNY. Examples of activities, discussions, and contributions…
Past Event
February 21, 2024

The Enormous Benefits of Credit Mobility Transparency: CUNY Transfer Explorer as a National Model

National Institute for Transfer Student Success Annual Conference

Having faculty work together to articulate courses and programs across institutions is notorious for taking years to complete, if it completes at all. In a session at the National Institute for Transfer Student Success Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO, Ithaka S+R’s Martin Kurzweil will join Lexa Logue and David Wutchiett to describe an alternative approach for facilitating student transfer consisting of obtaining high-quality credit transfer information and then making it public, enabling students intending to transfer and those persons…
Blog Post
November 16, 2023

Supporting College Teaching

Providing excellent instruction is a key priority across colleges and universities in the United States, but the on-the-ground experiences and needs of college teachers are often taken for granted. When approached thoughtfully, evidence about how faculty teach can be used to make meaningful interventions into their day-to-day activities, which in turn benefits their students. Today, we’re publishing a new issue brief intended to serve as a resource for institutions working to improve their support for college instruction through cross-unit…
Issue Brief
November 16, 2023

Who Cares About College Teachers?

An essential step to refining an institution's underlying strategy for advancing teaching and learning excellence is to understand the models for instructor support at universities and how evidence about teacher practices and needs is used to inform those services. This paper outlines which units on campus have instructional support mandates and how those units typically engage with teachers both at their own institution and nationally.
Past Event
November 30, 2023

Comprehensive Recruitment and Transfer Advising Tools for Student Success

Promoting Transfer Equity and Transparency in Higher Education

At the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association Downstate Meeting, Ithaka S+R’s Emily Tichenor will join Nechelle Calhoun, Lexa Logue, and Chris Buonocore in a panel on recruitment and transfer advising tools for student success. The session will include a presentation on the Ithaka S+R Articulation of Transfer Credit (ACT) project as well as a demo of CUNY T-Rex Transfer Explorer and Universal Transfer Explorer. The panel is scheduled for November 30 at 10am ET.
Blog Post
November 3, 2023

Revisiting Student Success

Insights from the 2023 NISOD Fall Virtual Conference

The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) hosts an annual fall virtual conference to bring together faculty, librarians, and student support services personnel to exchange best practices aimed at enhancing student success in community and technical colleges. The conference schedule focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, holistic student supports, and teaching across different modalities. Sessions highlighted insights from faculty and staff across different departments on how to improve students’ educational experiences and equip them for success…
Blog Post
October 19, 2023

Assessing the Effectiveness of Transfer Associate Degrees in Washington

In the state of Washington, 45 percent of bachelor’s degree earners at its public universities transfer from a Washington community and technical college (CTC), similar to the average transfer rate nationally. Considering how many students in Washington take this path to a credential, it is important for the state to understand how various transfer pathways and transfer degrees impact student outcomes.
Blog Post
October 12, 2023

Veterans Enrollment: What Do the Data Show?

In 2019, Ithaka S+R published a paper discussing the underrepresentation of student veterans at high-graduation-rate institutions and outlining the various barriers—ranging from financial aid policies to transfer credit limitations—that prevent veterans from enrolling in such institutions. As we explained in that paper, these barriers partly explain why, as of 2015-16, only one in 10 veterans using GI Bill benefits were enrolling at institutions with graduation rates above 70 percent, while approximately one-third of veterans were using GI Bill benefits…
Blog Post
October 12, 2023

Student Veteran Blog Series

Introduction and Overview

The ending of the formal COVID-19 public health emergency offers an opportunity to reflect on how the upheaval of the past few years has impacted many facets of life and society, including higher education. At Ithaka S+R, we are taking this opportunity to revisit some of our previous work focused on the experiences of student veterans (see note on language below) that was completed just prior to the…
Blog Post
October 10, 2023

Understanding the Impact of Work-Based Learning

Ithaka S+R to Evaluate a 25-Institution Pilot Program with the Council of Independent Colleges

Colleges and universities are under increasing pressure to better prepare students for the world of work and integrate career preparation into their degree programs. There are many avenues to pursue in these efforts, including enhancing career services offices, revising general education curricula, and coordinating academic offerings with local workforce needs. One particularly promising approach is offering more experiential learning opportunities, like study abroad, service-learning, and undergraduate research. These experiences allow students to apply what they…
Blog Post
September 27, 2023

After Successful Pilot, the Ohio College Comeback Compact Moves to Full Implementation

The Ohio College Comeback Compact successfully concluded its pilot year, demonstrating proof of concept for a novel program aimed at re-enrolling college students with stranded credits and settling the institutional debt they owed their former institutions. The Compact is advancing to a full implementation at the eight original public colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio for the 2023-24 academic year. And, with generous support from Lumina Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation, Ithaka S+R will be…
Past Event
November 8, 2023

Four Perspectives on Re-Enrolling Adult Learners and Supporting Them Through Completion

In this session at the CAEL Conference on November 8 at 1:40-2:30pm ET in Key Ballroom 1, panelists will discuss the challenges they see and their approaches to supporting adults to complete their postsecondary education. Ithaka S+R’s Liz Looker will speak on stranded credits and Ithaka S+R’s projects to support adult learners seeking to complete their credentials, including the Ohio College Comeback Compact. Other panelists include Steve Ast, Mike Krause, and Dr. Mark Sorrells. Learn more about the…
Blog Post
September 6, 2023

Assessing Open Education Resources Programs

New Research Project

Today we are excited to announce that Ithaka S+R is embarking on a one-year research project, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, to assess the impact and implementation of open educational resources (OER) programs at public institutions of higher education. Through the project, we will develop a framework to guide sustainable OER adoption and implementation. At their core, OER initiatives aim to increase student learning outcomes by reducing costs. Our project aims to explore how OER strategies…
Blog Post
September 5, 2023

Parental Income, State Funding, and Access to Higher Education

Questions about who gets into America’s most prestigious colleges and why have been at the center of American discourse recently. In June, the Supreme Court struck down the use of race-conscious admissions practices in higher education. And soon after the Court’s decision, a federal civil rights complaint was filed against Harvard University for its use of legacy admissions, which disproportionately benefits white, affluent students. New research by Opportunity Insights adds to the conversation with a robust…
Past Event
October 5, 2023

Expansion of the TX SSPI & Assessing Potential for Impact

Texas Conference on Student Success

Throughout 2022, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and Ithaka S+R collaboratively built the Texas Student Success Program Inventory (TX SSPI), an online resource that organizes information about innovative and impactful student success programs in Texas. In the second year of the TX SSPI, the inventory has expanded to include new programs, piloted new features such as Groups, changed the way new programs can be added or existing entries updated, and hosted a new rubric tool to help…
Past Event
August 14, 2023

Embracing Digital Transformation in Higher Education

Shaping the Future of Teaching & Learning

Ithaka S+R’s Mark McBride will deliver the keynote address at Fredonia’s 17th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference, Digital Transformation: Leveraging Technology for Student Success, on Monday, August 14. The keynotes session will reflect on the steps higher education has taken in adopting digital technology into the campus ecosystem, including the affordances of digital learning and the increasing demand from students for higher education to take a digital-first approach to teaching and learning. Largely due to previous exposure…
Past Event
July 20, 2023

Allocating Resources to Scale and Sustain Digital Learning and Student-Centered Initiatives

AASCU Academic Affairs Summer Meeting

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in leveraging digital learning solutions to promote effective teaching and learning practices, while at the same time use digital technologies to connect with students, building closer ties and establishing a sense of community. These interests has been driven, in part, by concerns around the affordability of a college education, particularly course materials, as well as the need to promote more personalized and engaging learning experiences for students. What is often lacking…