With the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008, more than 1.4 million service members and their families became eligible for higher education benefits, and veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan enrolled in colleges and universities in record numbers. The first wave of research about these new student veterans focused primarily on describing their characteristics and the transition from military service to civilian life and the college campus. This new edited collection presents findings from the second wave of research about student veterans, with a focus on data-driven evidence of academic success factors, including persistence, retention, degree completion, and employment after college. An invaluable resource for educators poised to enter the next phase of supporting military-connected college students.

Senior capstone experiences, one of a number of high-impact educational practices promoted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, provide students with an opportunity to integrate and apply what they have learned throughout their undergraduate years. Participating in capstone experiences have been linked to engagement in deep learning and gains in personal and social development, practical competence, and general education. The 2016 National Survey of Senior Capstone Experiences is an institution-level study designed to gather a national profile of campus efforts to promote student success in the senior year. This research report presents findings related to institutional priorities for the senior year, the types of capstone experiences offered, and the organization and administration of select capstone experiences.

Published in partnership with NODA, the Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education

Family members of new college students are often unsure what to expect and how to best help their students succeed in higher education. Focusing on the unique needs of commuter students, this brief guide describes typical challenges in adjusting to college, support services and opportunities offered by colleges and universities, and strategies family members can use to encourage student learning and success. A glossary of college terms is included.

$4.50 each when purchased in multiple copy pack of 100.

Published in partnership with NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising

Academic advisors help students learn to make the most of their college years, not merely by completing requirements toward a degree but also by growing intellectually and developing all aspects of their identity. Yet, many professional and faculty advisors are new to academic advising and may feel ill-equipped to do more than help students register for classes. This new edited collection provides an overview of the theory and best practice undergirding advising today while exploring the transition challenges of a wide-range of first-year college students, including those attending two-year colleges, coming from underrepresented backgrounds, entering underprepared for college-level work, and/or experiencing academic failure.

First-year seminars have been widely hailed as a high-impact educational practice, leading to improved academic performance, increased retention, and achievement of critical 21st Century learning outcomes. While the first-year seminar tends to be narrowly defined in the literature, national explorations of course structure and administration underscore the diversity of these curricular initiatives across and within individual campuses. What then are the common denominators among these highly variable courses that contribute to their educational effectiveness?

This collection of case studies--representing a wide variety of institutional and seminar types--addresses this question. Using Kuh and O’Donnell’s eight conditions of effective educational initiatives as a framework, authors describe the structure, pedagogy, and assessment strategies that lead to high-quality seminars. Introductory and concluding essays examine the structural conditions that are likely to support educational effectiveness in the seminar and describe the most commonly reported conditions across all cases. What Makes the First-Year Seminar High Impact? offers abundant models for ensuring the delivery of a high-quality educational experience to entering students.

Published in partnership with the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education

First-year seminars and learning communities are two of the most commonly offered high-impact practices on U.S. campuses. The goals of these initiatives are similar: helping students make connections to faculty and other students, improving academic performance, and increasing persistence and graduation. As such, it is not surprising that many institutions choose to embed first-year seminars in learning communities.

This volume explores the merger of these two high-impact practices. In particular, it offers insight into how institutions connect them and the impact of those combined structures on student learning and success. In addition to chapters highlighting strategies for designing, teaching in, and assessing combined programs, case studies offer practical insights into the structures of these programs in a variety of campus settings.

Less is known about the second college year compared to other transition points, and fewer high-impact initiatives and curricular programs tend to be offered to sophomores. To increase our knowledge of this important, but sometimes neglected, year on the collegiate journey, The National Survey of Sophomore-Year Initiatives and the Sophomore Experiences Survey was undertaken. Researchers explored sophomore student characteristics, institutional efforts to support sophomores, and student perceptions of their learning and development. Divided into three sections, the report offers an overview of each survey instrument and an integrated discussion of findings and their implications for practice and ongoing research. The research report provides useful tools for institutions looking for benchmarks to create new sophomore-year programs or restructure existing initiatives.

Foundations for Critical Thinking explores the landscape of critical-thinking skill development and pedagogy through foundational chapters and institutional case studies involving a range of students in diverse settings. Establishing a link between active learning and improved critical thinking encourages all higher education professionals, in whatever context, to join the ongoing conversation regarding the state of today’s college students’ critical-thinking ability. Faculty will find strategies for developing successful teaching techniques to prepare students to face the challenges of a global economy and lead creative, productive, and fulfilling lives. Staff and administrators working with students in a variety of capacities will find insights for moving critical thinking development beyond the classroom.

Welcoming Blue-Collar Scholars Into the Ivory Tower is the first volume in a series designed to explore how institutional policies, practices, and cultures shape learning, development, and success for students who have been historically underserved or given limited consideration in the design of higher education contexts. Using the theory of social reproduction as a lens, Krista Soria explores working-class students’ access to and experiences in the academic and social spaces of the campus. Chapters focusing on the classroom and social settings offer recommendations for transforming the learning environment to better support students from working-class backgrounds. Strategies for increasing access, including precollege support networks, and creating inclusive campuses are also addressed. This compact, accessible volume provides both the theoretical grounding and the practical strategies educators need to create a welcoming environment for this underserved population.

Published in partnership with NODA, the Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education

Parents and family members play a critical role in the success of new college students, but those who never attended college or who have been away from it for a while may lack critical information about the purpose, goals, and structure of higher education today. This brief guide offers parents and families an overview of the college experience, especially in the first year, and suggests strategies for helping their students succeed. A glossary of key terms is included. Grounded in the student success research and practice literature, the guide is ideal for use in orientation programs, recruitment events, and family weekends.

$4.50 each when purchased in multiple copy pack of 100.