While there is considerable research on the first-year experience, much less has been written about the impact of assessment and feedback practices on that experience. This paper explores how formative assessment and feedback might be used to enhance the first-year experience and enable students to develop the skills needed for self-regulated…

Illustrates the practical results of the five classification proposals presented in this volume. Each classification model has been applied to a common sample of colleges. Authors review the key implications of this collective exercise. Argues that local constructs demand a more sophisticated database at the national level. (Contains six tables.)…

Approximately 632,700 graduate students were enrolled in science, engineering, and health (SEH) programs in the United States as of fall 2010, a 30% increase from approximately 493,300 students in 2000, according to the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS). The growth…

Discusses survey results from 269 colleges, including 96 two- year, 85 four-year, and 88 universities about their use of technology in running and operating their facilities. Results show that colleges get high marks for thinking about automating various facility functions, but low marks on implementation. Technology use in security, building…

States that the national teacher shortage has made it imperative for two- and four-year colleges to collaborate in facilitating transfer of education majors. Warns that the current upheaval leaves administrators, faculty, and advisers unsure of the latest information. Adds that students are vulnerable to misinformation, unsatisfactory advising,…

Portals are taking off on campuses nationwide. According to "Campus Computing 2006," the Campus Computing Project's survey of 540 two- and four-year public and private colleges and universities across the US, portal deployment for four-year public residential universities jumped from 28 to 74 percent of responding institutions between the…

Television shows have been a traditional outlet for language practices in second language classrooms around the world. However, the only criteria that teachers seem to have to choose said shows are that they are in English and native speakers are involved. This may lead to choosing materials for the sake of watching or selecting materials that do…

Using data gleaned from catalogs and bulletins for a sample of 28 tribal, 33 historically black, and 30 "mainstream" colleges, the author analyzes the number of courses that focus explicitly and exclusively on African American or American Indian cultural perspectives--"ethnocentric" content--in 1992 and 2002. Negative binomial regression analyses…

An annual survey finds that states, overall, allocated about 7 percent, or $3.7 billion, more money for college operations and student aid this year than last. Two-year colleges, historically black public universities, and student aid received particularly large increases. The good economy and legislators' willingness to invest in higher education…

The transfer function is one of the defining missions of community college systems, and it is of great importance to understand the experiences of the students who are or have been on the transfer path. Along these lines, it is essential for both sending and receiving institutions to know how their efforts to assist students with the transfer…

Assessing the quality of undergraduate student learning continues to be a priority in U.S. postsecondary education. Although variations in outcome assessment practices have long been suspected, they have not been systematically documented. To follow up the 2009 National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) report on institutional…

In 2002, the Policy Center on the First Year of College (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education) sponsored a project to recognize colleges and universities as "Institutions of Excellence" in their design and execution of the first year. Thirteen colleges and…

Considers how faculty research can arise from student inquiry and be enhanced by faculty-student collaboration. Suggests ways that faculty who wish to do research or must do it to satisfy institutional expectations may be able to integrate it into their classroom teaching roles. Concludes that "learning from our students" is a win-win situation.…

Describes a program for preparing community college teachers and for satisfying inservice needs of those already teaching in the two-year college. (TO)

The cost of four years of undergraduate education, including living expenses, now averages nearly $80,000 at public colleges and over $100,000 at many private institutions. Tuition and fees have risen steadily since 1980, fueling concern that college is becoming prohibitively expensive for many families. This Congressional Budget Office (CBO)…