Investigating IS Student Retention Factors

Student retention represents a continuous challenge that institutions attempt to address (Braxton, Bray, and Berger, 2000). In addition, the business community faces the problem of finding the talented workforce to fill the growing amount of open IT positions. In order to attract students to IT field, it is important to examine students’ motivation in choosing a major and their retention intention. In this study we surveyed literature on student retention and consult faculty’s view on IS enrollment issues. We contribute to the literature in the following ways: 1) develop IS student retention factors, 2) discuss the implication of IS student retention factors, 3) serve as a tool to assess IS students retention rate

Review of the factors influencing the satisfaction of learning in online courses at Marshall University

The purpose of this study is to determine what factors influence online course satisfaction. Additionally, the study investigates differences in demographics between traditional student populations and those students attracted to online courses. Research questions were defined for investigating relationship between student satisfaction in the online course with the of the amount of learner interaction and feedback, the reason students enrolled in the course, faculty expertise in online technologies, the course pace, the combination of instructional strategies used in the course, and the students prior experience with the online course product. Additionally, course retention data was calculated as a secondary satisfaction indicator. To achieve this purpose, the Flashlight Current Student Inventory and Flashlight Gap Analysis surveys were utilized in the study. Standard research methodology was used to collect, analyze, and report on the data. The research population for this study was 1129 Marshall University students enrolled in 50 online courses during the fall 1999 term. The responses indicate that students enrolled in online courses are more likely to be older than traditional students, and have a higher percentage of females. Overall, student satisfaction with online courses was medium to high. The data implies the student satisfaction is influenced by the amount and type of learner interaction and feedback, the reason why a student takes a course, faculty technical expertise, the pace of the course, and the type of instructional strategies employed in the course. The data did not support the notion that a student\u27s expertise in the online course delivery product called WebCT influenced student satisfaction. The retention rates for online courses exceeded the traditional course rate

Library impact data: investigating library use and student attainment

Analytics are increasingly being used to uncover new narratives and demonstrate new types of value and impact for libraries and their institutions. This section will explore some of the current opportunities that institutions are exploiting with the use of analytics and the innovative services and tools they are developing

Motivation, Belonging, and Support: Examining Persistence in Counseling Programs

The rising racially and ethnically minoritized population in the U.S. challenges counselor educators to train racially and ethnically diverse counselors; therefore, there is a need to better understand the factors that affect persistence and retention of diverse students in counseling programs. The researchers examined the role of motivation (Academic Motivation Scale), sense of belonging (Campus Connectedness Scale), and social support (Student Academic Support Scale) on the persistence (3-item persistence measure) of 396 master’s level counseling students, including investigating differences between White and minoritized students. Pearson’s correlations results revealed intention to persist was positively correlated with motivation (r(394) = .44, p \u3c .01), belonging (r(394) = .39, p \u3c .01), and social support (r(394) = .01, p \u3c .05) and ANOVA results showed no significant differences were found between White and minoritized students. Counselor educators can improve student experiences by implementing strategies to create a diverse and inclusive community

Investigating American Cancer Society Volunteer Experience

The nonprofit sector is crucial for a vital economy, and volunteers are at the core of many of these organizations. Research has shown many different factors related to nonprofit organization success, including volunteer management, recruitment, and retention techniques. This study adds to the current literature by investigating the American Cancer Society Relay For Life Advisory Team and explores what factors have led to the retention of these high-level volunteers, what skill-based trainings have they received throughout their volunteer career with the American Cancer Society, and what sentiment do the volunteers have toward receiving spokesperson training, facilitation training, and coaching training. Using a single, descriptive, instrumental case study design, an open-ended response questionnaire was disseminated to 31 current Relay Advisory Team volunteers. Through using coding analysis, four major themes were identified from the responses to the question “why did you begin to volunteer for the American Cancer Society?: having a personal connection to cancer; someone asked them to get involved; participants were looking for a way to give back and make a difference; and participants were looking for a sense of community and belonging. In analyzing the question “why do you continue to volunteer for the American Cancer Society?” three major themes were identified: the desire of a cure for cancer to be found, participants felt that the American Cancer Society is a reputable organization, and a belief in the mission of the American Cancer Society. Lastly, the volunteers had received a range of trainings in the past, and had a positive sentiment toward receiving spokesperson, coaching, and facilitation trainings in the future. The finding of this study can be used to inform American Cancer Society volunteer recruitment and retention techniques

Examining undergraduate student retention in mathematics using network analysis and relative risk

Higher education faces challenges in retaining students who require a command of numeracy in their chosen field of study. This study applies an innovative combination of relative risk and social network analysis to enrolment data of a single cohort of commencing students from an Australian regional university. Relative risk, often used in epidemiology studies, is used to strategically investigate whether first year mathematics subjects at the university demonstrated a higher risk of attrition when compared to other subjects offered in the first year of study. The network analysis is used to illustrate the connections of those mathematics subjects, identifying service subjects through their multiple connections. The analysis revealed that attrition rates for eight of the nine subjects were within acceptable limits, and this included identified service subjects. The exception highlighted the issue of mathematics competencies in this cohort. This combined analytical technique is proposed as appropriate for use when investigating attrition and retention at faculty and institutional levels, including the determination of levels of intervention and support for any subject

Irish pre-service teachers’ expectations for teaching as a career: a snapshot at a time of transition

Recent graduates of teacher education programmes in Ireland are entering their careers at a time characterized by an erosion of teacher autonomy, increased bureaucratic demands, and narrower curriculum specifications. These changes are typical features of what Sahlberg (2011) has termed the global educational reform movement (GERM), and evidence suggests that they can have a negative impact on teacher morale, and on how teaching as a career is perceived. This, in turn, can have detrimental effects on teacher recruitment and retention. This study examined the career expectations of two cohorts of Irish pre-service teachers (n=491) at the point of transition between college and work. The data gathered were also used to investigate if recent changes to the B.Ed. programme are associated with any changes in career expectations. Overall, teachers indicated strong expectations on issues such as doing a worthwhile job, feeling satisfied with pupil achievement and fulfilling personal needs, however, expectations with regard to the adequacy of salaries were low, and appear to have diminished further throughout the period 2014 to 2016

An evaluation of Te Rau Puawai workforce 100: Addressing the recruitment and retention of Maori students in tertiary education institutions: A literature review

To evaluate the Te Rau Puawai programme, the Ministry of Health commissioned the Maori and Psychology Research Unit of the University of Waikato in July 2001. The overall aim of the evaluation was to provide the Ministry with a clearer understanding of the programme including: the perceived critical success factors, the barriers if any regarding Te Rau Puawai, the impact of the programme, the extent to which the programme may be transferable, gaps in the programme, and suggested improvements. To achieve this end, a review of relevant literature was undertaken to provide a framework to understand the patterns that arose from the information that we collected as part of this evaluation. The review of literature is presented in this technical report

Teacher Stability and Turnover in Los Angeles: The Influence of Teacher and School Characteristics

Analyzes how teacher and school characteristics - including demographics, quality and qualification, specialty, school type (public, magnet, charter) and size, academic climate, and teacher-student racial match - influence teacher turnover

Impact of e-learning on learner participation, attainment, retention, and progression in further education : report of a scoping study

Recent and ongoing work has assessed progress in the provision of Information and Learning Technologies (ILT) to support e-learning in the UK further education (FE) sector. On the whole, this indicates that a strong infrastructure is in place with targets for student and staff access to Internet enabled computers being met in most colleges. Some investigations have been undertaken to review the extent of use of ILT for learning and teaching. These have, however, been at a relatively basic level, for example purely quantifying use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) for storing course documentation. The Scottish Centre for Research into Online Learning and Assessment (SCROLLA) and the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow undertook a scoping study of the impact of e-learning on participation, attainment, progression and retention in further education. This study was intended to inform the development of a research design for a later large study of impact