Development of a Maximum Admissions Index for Freshman Admissions to the University of Washington.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lunneborg, Clifford E.

A new technique has been developed for admitting new freshman students at the University of Washington. Previously, an Admissions Index (AI) was used, in which the high school grade point average (HSGPA) was assigned twice the weight of the composite verbal and quantitative scores from the Washington Pre-College Test Battery (WPC). To offset the…

A Study of Freshman Composition Programs in Texas Two-Year Institutions of Higher Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schustereit, Roger Clinton

A study of the three aspects of composition in freshmen English programs with regard to five groups of students in Texas two-year institutions of higher learning was conducted. The three aspects of composition were the aims, forms and media; and the five students groups were transfer, terminal technical/commercial, adult and remedial. Aims were…

Gender Difference and Student Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Elizabeth A.

An exploratory study examined gender differences in writing in the essays of five male and five female freshman composition students. The findings suggest parallels between the writing and speaking behaviors of men and women students and between student writing and the work of male and female professional writers. The male students made few…

Teaching Freshman Composition at a Science College: The Trouble with "Pharma-English"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirszner, Laurie G.

1978-01-01

The author's experiences teaching writing to students in a technical college point to the need for such students to have a general writing course rather than one restricted to technical writing. (MKM)

Why Students Find Writing to be Torture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newkirk, Thomas

Five pressures make writing difficult for freshman composition students: the pressure of perfectionism, the pressure of interesting an audience, the pressure of length, the pressure of finding an appropriate topic, and the pressure of time. Teachers can help students deal with these pressures through individual conferences with each student and by…

All the Exquisite Details of a Coffee Mug.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsen, Dave M., Jr.

1999-01-01

Describes a three-part exercise used in a first semester freshman composition class, intended to show students the world of details in even the most ordinary, everyday objects by having students write about a plastic coffee mug. (SR)

A Study of the Relationship of Intuition to Performance in Freshman Composition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Covner, Thelma Crockin

To learn more about the relationship between personality type and the writing skills of college freshmen composition students, a study was conducted to explore the hypothesis that essays written by students who were N (intuitive) preference types would be judged better in overall quality than those written by S (sensing) preference types.…

Student Attitudes and Academic Background as Predictors of Achievement in College English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

House, J. Daniel; Prion, Susan K.

1998-01-01

This study investigated the predictive relationship between student attitudes and their subsequent achievement in a freshman composition course. Results indicated that academic background and student attitudes were significantly correlated with subsequent grade performance. Attitude variables were more closely related to overall grade performance…

Writing Response Groups: From Power Trips to Empowerment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Virginia

A study examined the effectiveness of writing response groups in changing the power relationships students maintain to empowering relationships in which students challenge authoritarian attitudes and generalizations. Subjects were three students in a freshman composition class at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Recorded conversations…

Translating Information Literacy: Online Library Support for ESL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lombard, Emmett

2016-01-01

This article describes information literacy struggles of ESL college students within the context of four information literacy components: Identify, Locate, Evaluate, Use. Experiences from an online freshman composition course are used to illustrate these struggles, along with techniques academic librarians use to help ESL students from a distance.

Evaluating One-Shot Library Sessions: Impact on the Quality and Diversity of Student Source Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Kristina; Nicholas, Thomas; Hayes, Tish; Appelt, Christopher W.

2014-01-01

This article examines the presumption that library research workshops will increase the quality, quantity and diversity of sources students use. This study compares bibliographies of research papers written by freshman composition students who received a library research session to those of students who did not receive any library instruction. Our…

Classroom Research: Writing Assessment in Paired and Separate History and English Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Messina, Susan; White, Diane

In fall 1991, Solano Community College (California) undertook a study comparing the writing skills of students in an integrated course combining history and freshman English composition with students in unpaired history and English classes. Students were divided into three groups: the integrated class and two control groups, one taking history…

A Teacher Essay as Model for Student Invention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wess, Robert C.

A teacher-written essay comparing writing to farming served as a process model for analogical student themes. This assignment, given to 39 students in 2 classes of a first course in freshman composition, produced complete analogical essays in all but 4 cases. The essays, questionnaire responses, and retrospective essays on the writing of the…

Speaking, Writing, and Performance: An Integrated Approach to the Word.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stracke, J. Richard; Snow, Sara

To provide students with a rhetorical stance and motivation, a college freshman composition class adopted the ideas of the "radical" literacy educator, Paulo Freire, who believes that literacy should allow students and teachers to become truly conscious of the world. Class projects were initiated in which the students had as much…

Journalogue: Voicing Student Challenges in Writing through a Classroom Blog

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Suneeta

2017-01-01

This study qualitatively analyzes the challenges presented by international undergraduate students in a freshman composition course at a large Midwestern university in the US. 15 students were divided into five groups, of three members each, with varying proficiency levels in writing. They were asked to submit reflections as journal/blog posts, on…

Linking Classes: Learning Communities, "High" Culture, and the Working Class Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Ginger G.; Buczinsky, Christopher

2013-01-01

How do you teach the humanities to working class students living in the shadow of a BP oil refinery? Calumet College uses freshman learning communities that link humanities, social justice, and English composition classes to provide a foundation for college success to predominantly first-generation students who are often underprepared for…

Self-Evaluation in Holistic Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Michael S.; Roswell, Barbara Sherr

To link writing assessment more closely to writing pedagogy, a project added a process instrument--a self-evaluation or "postwrite"--to a formal holistic writing assessment. Subjects were 348 freshman composition students at Goucher College. The postwrite asked students, after they had finished writing an essay, to answer four questions…

The Impact of Microcomputers on Composition Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hocking, Joan

To determine whether computer assisted instruction was just a fad or a viable alternative to traditional methods for teaching English composition, a microcomputer was used in a traditional college freshman English course. The class was divided into small groups: some went to the computer lab, while others worked in the classroom. Interactive…

Writing for the Whole Person: A Transpersonal Approach to Freshman Composition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellettiri, Leonard

This text, written for students and teachers of English Composition, incorporates writing instruction with concepts of transpersonal psychology in a holistic and cosmic approach to writing. The text comprises nine units, which include teaching materials, group and individual exercises, and writing assignments. Unit I presents techniques of…

A New Freshman Composition Pedagogy for Christian Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florin Crider, Amy Leigh

2017-01-01

Freshman composition instructors at Christian institutions face a disturbing predicament: competing pedagogies, administrative pressure to prove freshman composition's merit, public clamoring for greater return on the college investment, technology redefining what "writing" is, a postmodern audience, and most concerning, the challenge to…

Computers, Invention, and the Power to Change Student Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strickland, James

A study examined the quantity and quality of ideas produced in freshman composition students' writing to determine whether computer assisted instruction (CAI) stimulates invention as well as or better than current invention instruction in traditional classrooms. Two CAI programs were used: QUEST, the systematic program that examines an item/event…

Students' Perceptions of Effective Teaching Strategies in a Developmental Writing Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorsey, Carrie S.

2014-01-01

This dissertation explores student perceptions of effective teaching strategies in a developmental writing course and their perspectives of how well the course prepared them for the freshman college composition course. Three research questions guided the study. Research Question 1 asked which teaching strategies developmental writing students…

Memory: A Step toward Invention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cypert, Rick

Freshman composition students were given six assignments designed to help them examine, analyze, and put their memories into context so that the students could use their memories to begin exploring and creating their own "truths" through language. Two essential types of memory were identified: (1) natural memory, memorizing word for word, which…

Peer Review Methods for ESL Writing Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soares, Colleen J.

2004-01-01

This teacher research shows how peer reviews change draft papers. In the majority of cases, final papers improved in content. The study analyzes data collected from 40 intermediate/advanced nonnative speakers of English enrolled in freshman composition for international students at a large private university. It also examines student reflections…

Constructive/Constructing Dialogue: Students, Teachers and the "Self" in the Writing Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgkins, Deborah

As current scholarship in composition is becoming increasingly influenced by post-structuralist theories of discourse, two approaches to teaching freshman composition compete with one another. At the heart of the controversy lies the question of the place of academic discourse in this pedagogy. The social constructionist approach (supported by…

Composition and Science: A Symbiotic Relationship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coward, Pat; Taylor, Jo

Critical thinking skills were taught to students in a lower-track freshman English class through the use of cross-disciplinary subject matter. Given a set of three transmission electron micrographs, or photographs of magnified tissue used in histology and pathology, students were asked to support their conclusions on which two of micrographs A, B,…

Using the ACRL Framework to Develop a Student-Centered Model for Program-Level Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gammons, Rachel Wilder; Inge, Lindsay Taylor

2017-01-01

Information literacy instruction presents a difficult balance between quantity and quality, particularly for large-scale general education courses. This paper discusses the overhaul of the freshman composition instruction program at the University of Maryland Libraries, focusing on the transition from survey assessments to a student-centered and…

A Case Study of a Reluctant Word Processor: A Look at One Student in a Word Processing Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sloane, Sarah

A case study examined the writing problems of Jay, a freshman composition student at the University of Massachusetts, to determine how teachers should handle students whose composing styles are not suited to writing with word processors. Interviews, classroom observation, and careful analyses of Jay's essays in progress and logsheets were…

Freshman seminars. Do they help pre-nursing students adjust to college life?

PubMed

Raingruber, Bonnie

2004-01-01

One purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify challenges pre-nursing students face as they enter college. A second purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Freshman seminar in helping students develop a sense of belonging on campus. An interpretive analysis was completed of 20 student essays focused on these challenges and the effectiveness of the Freshman seminar. Students reported that three major challenges confronted them as they transitioned from high school to college. These challenges were to "make the space on campus my own," "get used to the way things are done in college," and "get a sense of who I really am." The Freshman seminar helped pre-nursing students settle into a new environment and better prepare themselves for nursing school. Strategies used in the freshman seminar are also applicable to service delivery settings.

An Experimental Study of Freshman English in the Small Community Junior College Using Disparate Methods of Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newcomb, Mary Jane

To determine the effect of diverse methods of instruction on the written composition of students in a small community junior college, 133 subjects (both transfer and terminal students) were given 10 weeks of instruction in one of three methods--programmed instruction (covering three assigned programmed texts), developmental reading (stressing…

FRESHMAN ENGLISH AT EIGHT UNIVERSITIES--SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (EDWARDSVILLE), TUFTS, AND WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITIES, AS WELL AS THE UNIVERSITIES OF NORTH CAROLINA, SANTA CLARA, SOUTH FLORIDA, AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

NELSON, BONNIE E., COMP.

FOR A REPORT ON COLLEGE PROGRAMS IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION, THE ASSOCIATION OF DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH OBTAINED SYLLABI AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FROM DIRECTORS OF FRESHMAN COMPOSITION AT 66 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. AMONG THE DATA ASSEMBLED FOR THE FULL REPORT (AVAILABLE AS TE 500 190) ARE THE DESCRIPTIONS OF FRESHMAN ENGLISH PROGRAMS AT EIGHT…

The Influence of High School Academics on Freshman College Mathematics and Science Courses at SUNY Oswego

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayali, Tolga

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationship between 2011 freshman college mathematics and science grades and freshman students' high school academics and demographic data, exploring the factors that contribute to the success of first-year STEM majoring freshman students at State University of New York at Oswego. The variables were Gender, Race, SES,…

Juxtaposition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogins, James Burl; Bryant, Gerald A., Jr.

This anthology, intended for college freshman composition courses, is organized around eight "domains," each a major contemporary concern. The domains are "hot issues", feminism, ecology, student life, work, leisure, the arts, and "cold continuing causes" (issues that, while not "hot," are still important). The contents of each domain include…

Mining the Popular Culture: The Mass Media and Freshman Composition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McRae, M. W.

The study of mass media and popular culture in a composition class allows students and teachers together to develop a critical awareness of television and advertising. Jerzy Kosinski's book, "Being There," a novel about the impact of television, is a beginning point for the study of television. Using that book as if it were a collection of events,…

An Investigation of the Relationship between Language Learning Strategies and Learning Styles in Turkish Freshman Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balci, Özgül

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the language learning strategies of freshman students and their learning styles. This study is a descriptive research and employs a relational screening model. Participants of the study were 328 freshman students majoring in different fields at Necmettin Erbakan University Ahmet…

Misconceptions on Classical Mechanics by Freshman University Students: A Case Study in a Physics Department in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stylos, George; Evangelakis, George A.; Kotsis, Konstantinos T.

2008-01-01

This paper presents results of an empirical research study on Newton's laws classical mechanics and its perceptions on freshman students at the Physics Department, University of Ioannina, Greece. Results and outcome measures reveal misconceptions on students' perceptions in consideration of the fundamental concepts in freshman Physics education.…

The Effects of Individually Prescribed Instruction on Achievement, Self-Concept and Study Orientation Among Engineering Students Enrolled in English Composition at Oklahoma State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minars, Edward J.

This study was concerned with a description of the Pre-Professional Individually Prescribed Instructional (PIPI) model introduced into the curriculum of the College of Engineering at Oklahoma State University and its relationship with achievement, self-concept, and study orientation among freshmen engineering students enrolled in Freshman English…

What Is Good Writing? Proceedings of a Conference at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, Connecticut, December 6, 1980).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheidley, William E., Ed.; And Others

The focus of the conference proceedings in this booklet was evaluation of student writing at various levels and in various fields. The booklet contains a schedule of activities; a description of the morning session, which included a panel discussion on evaluating writing in college freshman composition courses; examples of students' papers, with…

Coherence and Cognitive Style.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, James D.

A study investigated the relationship between cognitive style and coherence in discourse. The primary hypothesis was that coherence would vary bimodally by cognitive style classification. Forty-four freshman composition students from three west coast colleges completed the Culture Fair Intelligence Test, the Group Embedded Figures Test, and the…

Darwin, Dogs and DNA: Freshman Writing about Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Michael C.; Pirrto, John

1994-01-01

Describes a successful interdepartmental program at a major research-oriented university that melds freshman writing with freshman biology. Extensive, repeated feedback on individual student writing projects from two instructors appears to work synergistically so that student learning is significantly enhanced. Particulars derived from five years…

Freshman Sexual Attitudes and Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nutt, Roberta L.; Sedlacek, William E.

At the University of Maryland, 758 randomly selected incoming freshman students were administered an anonymous poll regarding their sexual attitudes and behavior. Results showed that the Maryland freshman generally resembled other U.S. college students in their sexual experience. Approximately half (52% of males, 46% of females) reported that they…

Mistakes Made by Freshman Students of Science Teaching and Their Reasons during the Proving Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gökkurt, Burçin; Erdem, Emrullah; Basibüyük, Kani; Sahin, Ömer; Soylu, Yasin

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the mistakes made by freshman students of science teaching during the process of proving and the reasons for these mistakes. To this aim, the study, which was conducted via the case study method, was performed with 52 freshman students who were studying at the department of science teaching in a state…

Innovation Abstracts, Volume XVI, 1994.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roueche, Suanne D., Ed.

1994-01-01

This volume of 30 one- to two-page abstracts highlights a variety of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the community college. Topics covered in the abstracts include: (1) music in the biology classroom; (2) pairing English as a second language and freshman composition students in writing activities; (3) moot court exercises in…

Composition and the Study of Popular Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulcaire, Terry; Grady, Frank

A required freshman English course at Berkeley was designed on the assumption that: (1) students have already developed a set of sophisticated skills for reading popular culture texts--movies, television, and commercial literary genres--against and in terms of one another; and (2) these skills are not categorically different from those inculcated…

Designing an English Curriculum for Prisons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schell, John F.

Teaching composition in a prison is different from teaching composition in a traditional freshman composition classroom. Since most prison inmates have a high school equivalency degree earned while in prison, a developmental writing course offered prior to the standard freshman composition sequence is probably necessary. Such a class may include a…

Freshman year mental health symptoms and level of adaptation as predictors of Internet addiction: a retrospective nested case-control study of male Chinese college students.

PubMed

Yao, Bin; Han, Wei; Zeng, Lingxia; Guo, Xiong

2013-12-15

A retrospective nested case-control study was designed to explore whether freshman year mental health status and level of adaptation are predictors of Internet addiction. The study cohort was 977 college students at a university in northwest China. In the first college year, the students' mental health status and adaptation level were assessed using the Chinese College Student Mental Health Scale (CCSMHS) and the Chinese College Student Adjustment Scale (CCSAS). In the following 1-3 years, 62 Internet-addicted subjects were identified using Young's 8-item diagnostic questionnaire. Controls were matched for demographic characteristics. Using logistic regression analysis, freshman year mental health status, including factors such as somatization, anxiety, depression and self-contempt, and freshman year adaptive problems were found to be causal factors and predictors of Internet addiction. Freshman with features of depression, learning maladaptation and dissatisfaction could be an important target-intervention population for reducing Internet addiction. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

College Retention Initiatives Meeting the Needs of Millennial Freshman Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Patrick; Thompson, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

The qualitative study explored the opinions and perceptions of freshman, sophomores, and freshman students that dropped out of the university to understand the obstacles and enablers that millennial freshmen faced transitioning into a college environment. To understand these factors the study posed the question, how do the participants (i.e.,…

Impact of a Freshman Academy on Student Performance at a Comprehensive Public High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez, Jose Angel, Jr.

2012-01-01

Previous high school research has highlighted the importance of students' freshman year. Limited research has supported the implementation of a smaller learning community, also known as a freshman academy. The theoretical framework of the study was based on stage environment fit, adolescence development and smaller learning community theories. The…

The Effects of a Freshman Seminar Paired with Supplemental Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yockey, Frances A.; George, Archie A.

1998-01-01

A three-semester study investigated the effects on academic performance of a freshman seminar paired with a core sociology course. Students in the paired course achieved higher grades in the course and higher grade point averages for the semester of intervention than did nonparticipating control group students. After two years, freshman seminar…

The American Indian: A Freshman Investigative Seminar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullman, Christopher E.

As a recent curriculum innovation replacing Freshman English, the Freshman Investigative Seminar consists of 12 or 13 students meeting for one semester of five weekly class hours, directed by faculty from different disciplines. Its objectives are to lead the student to learn how to gather information from various sources, how to keep accurate…

Freshman Student Perceptions of Academic Programs and Academic Advising. Report No. One. Freshman Appraisal of Pre-Registration Information and Summer Orientation. Freshman Study. Report No. Two.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zink, Mary S.

An effort was made to determine freshmen student perceptions of academic advisory programs, pre-registration material, and summer orientation. To ascertain these perceptions a questionnaire was sent to all freshmen on the Orono Campus of the University of Maine. Approximately half of the students found the summer orientation program to be helpful,…

Darwin, dogs and DNA: Freshman writing about biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, Michael C.; Piirto, John

1994-12-01

We describe a successful interdepartmental program at a major research-oriented university that melds freshman writing with freshman biology to the significant benefit of both disciplines. Extensive, repeated feedback on individual student writing projects from two instructors, one a humanities professor, one a biology professor, appears to work synergistically so that learning by the students is significantly enhanced. Particulars derived from five years of experience with intensive, student-centered strategy are included.

Comprehensive Freshman Advising. The Ursinus College Freshman Advising Program: Three-Year Follow-Up.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chambliss, Catherine

In 1982, Ursinus College instituted a new Freshman Advising Program (FAP), involving: a greatly expanded role for the advisor; postponement of the declaration of major; greater emphasis on student-centered developmental advising; a focus on the transition needs of freshmen; a focus on the problem of false starts and student encounters with…

Promoting skill building and confidence in freshman nursing students with a "Skills-a-Thon".

PubMed

Roberts, Susan T; Vignato, Julie A; Moore, Joan L; Madden, Carol A

2009-08-01

Freshman nursing students returning for their second semester after summer break benefited by reviewing previously learned clinical skills presented in a Skills-a-Thon. Skills stations were established and facilitated by faculty and senior students. Senior students were first trained in mentoring and specific steps in skills competencies. Freshman students demonstrated skills in various mock clinical situations including catheter insertion, sterile dressings, medications, and physical assessment. The strategy reinforced learning and provided an opportunity for students to experience risk-free skills performance among peers. Freshman students gained proficiency and appreciated guidance by senior students without the pressures of testing. Seniors benefited from a condensed version of the program to review their own skills prior to the event. Responses were positive, with students reporting improved performance and confidence with hands-on application in a non-threatening environment. Nursing faculty observed improvement in skill performance and competence, and plan to offer future events. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.

Identifying Sources of Bias in EFL Writing Assessment through Multiple Trait Scoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmani-Nodoushan, Mohammad Ali

2009-01-01

For purposes of the present study, it was hypothesized that field (in)dependence would introduce systematic variance into EFL learners' performance on composition tests. 1743 freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior students all majoring in English at different Iranian universities and colleges took the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). The…

The Relationship Between Responses to Science Concepts on a Semantic Differential Instrument and Achievement in Freshman Physics and Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothman, Arthur Israel

Students taking freshman physics and freshman chemistry at The State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB) were administered a science-related semantic differential instrument. This same test was administered to physics and chemistry graduate students from SUNYAB and the University of Rochester. A scoring procedure was developed which…

[Depression and stress management in medical students. A comparative study between freshman and advanced medical students].

PubMed

Jurkat, H B; Richter, L; Cramer, M; Vetter, A; Bedau, S; Leweke, F; Milch, W

2011-05-01

International studies have indicated a high prevalence of depression and a lack of coping with stress in medical students. Freshman and advanced medical students were investigated using a specific questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) with a response rate of 100%. Of the subjects studied 81.1% did not have any depression, 13.1% slight and 5.8% clinically relevant symptoms of depression. The severity of symptoms was highly associated with subjective appraisal of stressors. Coping skills of first year students significantly influenced the depression symptoms calling for preventative measures even in freshman medical students.

The Freshman Year Experience. Helping Students Survive and Succeed in College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Upcraft, M. Lee; Gardner, John N.

Guidelines to enhancing the freshman year experience are presented in the following chapters: (1) "A Comprehensive Approach to Enhancing Freshman Success" (M. Lee Upcraft, John N. Gardner); (2) "Who Are Today's Freshmen?" (Arthur Levine); (3) "A Historical Look at the Freshman Year Experience" (John Orr Dwyer); (4) "Understanding Student…

Gender differences in licit and illicit substance use reported by incoming freshman college students.

PubMed

Mostert, Christy Harwell; Eisen, Stan

2008-11-01

College-aged students use both licit and illicit drugs, with adverse physiological and societal effects. The time period when people begin to enter college is known as emerging adulthood, and it offers more opportunities for young people to obtain and use drugs, especially alcohol. However, some drugs are used more often by one gender than the other. This study surveyed 813 students enrolled in a freshman orientation class at Christian Brothers University from 2000-2003. The participants were asked to rank their use of certain drugs on a scale showing how often they have used that drug during their life. A total of 18 licit and illicit drugs were included on the survey. Charts were made for each year depicting the average amount of use of the drugs by males and females. The composite chart showed males tended to use cigarettes, chewing tobacco, beer, hard liquor, marijuana, inhalants, and anabolic steroids more often than women. However, women drank more wine coolers than men.

Freshman Year Dropouts: Interactions between Student and School Characteristics and Student Dropout Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zvoch, Keith

2006-01-01

Data from a large school district in the southwestern United States were analyzed to investigate relations between student and school characteristics and high school freshman dropout patterns. Application of a multilevel logistic regression model to student dropout data revealed evidence of school-to-school differences in student dropout rates and…

The Freshman Year Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, John N.

1986-01-01

The movement to enhance the freshman year experience by changing the way institutions treat, welcome, assimilate, support, and inform freshman students is discussed and illustrated. The potential importance of the movement to admissions officers and registrars is emphasized. (MSE)

The Impact of a Freshman Academy on Science Performance of First-Time Ninth-Grade Students at One Georgia High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Vivian Summerour

2011-01-01

The purpose of this within-group experimental study was to find out to what extent ninth-grade students improved their science performance beyond their middle school science performance at one Georgia high school utilizing a freshman academy model. Freshman academies have been recognized as a useful tool for increasing academic performance among…

Students' Written Arguments in General Chemistry Laboratory Investigations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Aeran; Hand, Brian; Greenbowe, Thomas

2013-01-01

This study aimed to examine the written arguments developed by college freshman students using the Science Writing Heuristic approach in inquiry-based general chemistry laboratory classrooms and its relationships with students' achievement in chemistry courses. Fourteen freshman students participated in the first year of the study while 19…

Detracked--And Going Strong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bavis, Peter

2017-01-01

In 2010, Evanston Township High School in suburban Chicago, Illinois, dramatically changed its freshman year for incoming students. The school detracked freshman English, history, and biology courses for the vast majority of students, thus removing barriers for historically under-represented student groups and providing greater access and…

What Research with Computers Can Tell Us about the Uses of Reading in Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Christina

Writers who compose on computers have often complained of the difficulty they have in evaluating and correcting their work on the screen, particularly if the changes necessary are large, structural ones. A study of six freshman composition students and five writers experienced with computer writing examined how each used hard copy printouts of…

Performance-Based Assessment in an Online Course: Comparing Different Types of Information Literacy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mery, Yvonne; Newby, Jill; Peng, Ke

2012-01-01

This study investigates whether the type of instruction (a single face-to-face librarian-led instruction, instructor-led instruction, or an online IL course--the Online Research Lab) has an impact on student information literacy gains in a Freshman English Composition program. A performance-based assessment was carried out by analyzing…

"I'm Scared and I Like It": Using Fear to Empower the Freshman Writer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglass-Little, Clare

2015-01-01

While a thematic approach to teaching is not a novel idea, the specific needs of the developmental writer and a diverse student body can find the continuity of a theme especially beneficial, and the theme of fear has proven particularly successful. The typical developmental composition course at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University includes a…

Retention of College Students and Freshman-Year Music Ensemble Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowe, Don R.

2015-01-01

This study investigates the effects of music ensemble participation during the freshman fall semester on the ongoing retention of college students. Retention of college students is a concern across the nation. The research question for the study was, "Is there a correlation between participation in music ensembles during college students'…

Correlates of Academic Performance of Freshman Students at the College of Micronesia--Federated States of Micronesia, Pohnpei Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamsis, Pablo H., Jr.

2010-01-01

The study aimed to correlate the performance of Pohnpei Campus freshman students in the College of Micronesia-Federated States of Micronesia during the fall semester 2009 to students' socio-demographic characteristics, parents'/guardians' socio-demographic characteristics, and school characteristics. The Student Survey Questionnaire gathered data…

Learning-Centered Instruction of Engineering Graphics for Freshman Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pucha, Raghuram V.; Utschig, Tristan T.

2012-01-01

Teaching "Engineering Graphics" to freshman engineering students poses challenges to instructors as well as to students. While the instructors are confronted with a lack of material / text book that covers the broad scope of the subject matter, the students struggle to correlate newly developed skills to real-world engineering design problems…

Does Hamlet Belong in Freshman Composition? The Debatable Role of Canonical Literature in Composition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzwilliam, Marie A.

2006-01-01

The question of whether "Hamlet" belongs in a freshman composition classroom is one that institutions are making easier to answer, though perhaps for political rather than pedagogical reasons. This article describes a project in which Marie Fitzwilliam and her colleagues were asked to engage in a dialogue with the administration on…

Quality of Student Experiences of Freshman Intercollegiate Athletes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Jeffrey A.; Strange, C. Carney

1989-01-01

Examined impact of athletic participation during the freshman year of college on the quality of student athletes' experiences. Found administration of the College Student Experiences Questionnaire to male and female college freshmen athletes (N=118) revealed that athletes reported less involvement on campus than nonathletes. (Author/ABL)

Removing Remediation Requirements: Effectiveness of Intervention Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fine, Anne; Duggan, Mickle; Braddy, Linda

2009-01-01

Remediation of incoming college freshman students is a national concern because remediated students are at higher risk of failing to complete their degrees. Some Oklahoma higher education institutions are working to assist K-12 systems in finding ways to reduce the number of incoming college freshman students requiring remediation. This study…

The Paper Beam: Hands-On Design for Team Work Experience of Freshman in Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalkani, Efrossini C.; Boussiakou, Iris K.; Boussiakou, Leda G.

2005-01-01

The present research refers to the assigning of a hands-on group project to freshman engineering students, evaluating their performance, and deriving conclusions on student benefits and educational advances. The research procedure included action plans for the instructor and the students, instructions to the students on performing the work,…

The Case against Using Literature in Freshman Composition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindemann, Erika

To determine whether imaginative literature should be used in freshman composition courses, teachers must first determine what the purpose of a first-year writing course is. Historically, reading and writing about literature entered the curriculum when faculty became concerned with establishing English departments. Prior to this, instruction in…

Teaching of Writing: Abstracts of Doctoral Dissertations Published in "Dissertation Abstracts International," January through June 1979 (Vol. 39 Nos. 7 through 12).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills, Urbana, IL.

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with the following topics: the dynamics of creative expression, modular scheduling and student success in freshman composition, growth in writing ability through immersion in a university discipline, massed and…

A Project to Determine the Proper Placement of Composition Courses within Engineering Curriculum. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Juanita H.

There has been a suspicion among college English teachers that the writing skills of engineering and science students deteriorate between the time they complete Freshman English and the time they graduate. To test the validity of this hypothesis, 5 groups comprising 361 subjects (72 freshmen, 70 sophomores, 71 juniors, 74 seniors, and 74 technical…

Entering a Discourse Community: Writing as a Mode of Learning in a Content Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelder, Richard

Assigned to teach a freshman composition course with a history and reading co-requisite, a New York college instructor developed a course in which students would begin to see history--through their reading, writing, and thinking--as a series of events intricately connected with their own lives and ways of looking at the world, rather than…

Rediscovering the Kernels of Truth in the Urban Legends of the Freshman Composition Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovoy, Thomas

2004-01-01

English teachers, as well as teachers within other disciplines, often boil down abstract principles to easily explainable bullet points. Students often pick up and retain these points but fail to grasp the broader contexts that make them relevant. It is therefore sometimes helpful to revisit some of the more common of these "rules of thumb" to…

Collegiate Athletics: An Investigation into Athletic Persistence of Freshman Student-Athletes Participating in NCAA Division-III Varsity Athletic Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sombito, Lester Jamili

2015-01-01

Understanding of the persistence of student-athletes in athletics at the D-III level is complex. This research study investigated the issue of student-athlete retention by focusing on Division III (D-III) student-athlete persistence in athletics by asking the following research question, "To what extent do freshman student-athletes persist in…

An Examination of Freshman Student Attrition from the Fall Semester to the Spring Semester as Related to William Glasser's Choice Theory and Basic Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Erin S.

2010-01-01

Freshman student retention has become a major focus in higher education. The loss of incoming students is not only financially burdensome to the institution, but it can be academically and personally discouraging for students. Many theoretical constructs have been applied to the problem of student attrition, including the individual constructs of…

Freshman Attitudes Report for Two-Year Colleges: An Exploration of College Readiness. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel-Levitz, Inc., 2013

2013-01-01

This special companion report to "National Freshman Attitudes Report, 2013" examines the college readiness of entering freshmen at two-year colleges in 2012. Based on student survey responses, the report identifies students' self-reported attitudes that may influence students' progress toward degree completion. The study is based on a…

The Impact of an Oncology Course on Attitudes of Freshman Medical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appel, Marilyn H.; And Others

1981-01-01

A course in oncology for freshman medical students at the Medical College of Pennsylvania is discussed. It is thought that appropriate training of medical students appears to lead to more positive attitudes toward cancer, but many of these efforts have been directed to groups at later stages of medical education. (MLW)

The Intellectual Content of Freshman English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lally, Tim D. P.

The intellectual content of freshman English includes both the subject of writing itself and the subject the student writes about. Writing has often focused on personal subjects with the assumption that the student knows himself or herself and that the student has developed a point of view allowing intelligent writing. A second source of subject…

An Experiment in ''Less Time, More Options": A Study of Accelerated University Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litwin, James L.; And Others

This study investigated the characteristics and experiences of 59 college students accelerated from their freshman to their junior year. The students showed high academic performance and few social problems, but questions of personal identity remained problematic; the best single predictor of academic success was found to be freshman grade-point…

Inbound College Students Drink Heavily during the Summer before Their Freshman Year: Implications for Education and Prevention Efforts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Aaron; Swartzwelder, H. Scott

2009-01-01

Background: Alcohol misuse among college students remains a pervasive problem. Relatively little is known about alcohol consumption by incoming students during the summer between high school graduation and the start of the freshman year. It is possible that many students bring unhealthy drinking habits with them to college. Purpose: The present…

The Relationship of Learning Communities to Engineering Students' Perceptions of the Freshman Year Experience, Academic Performance, and Persistence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolley, Patricia Ann Separ

2009-01-01

The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the effects of a residential learning community and enrollment in an introductory engineering course to engineering students' perceptions of the freshman year experience, academic performance, and persistence. The sample included students enrolled in a large, urban, public, research university…

What's so Funny? Moving Students toward Complex Thinking in a Course on Comedy and Laughter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciccone, Anthony A.; Meyers, Renee A.; Waldmann, Stephanie

2008-01-01

This case study involves investigation of freshman students' abilities to engage in the pursuit and appreciation of complex thinking through their study of comedy and laughter in a Freshman Seminar at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We offer an analysis of students' reflections on their confrontation with complexity as they attempt to…

One Freshman Academy's Influence on Student Engagement in High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, Diane Plomaritis

2012-01-01

This study investigated the impact of one large suburban high school's ninth grade transition program, the freshman academy, on students' cognitive and affective engagement in high school. Participants of the study embodied tenth grade students who had completed their freshmen year in the academy and freshmen academy staff who also…

Integration of Major Computer Program Packages into Experimental Courses: A Freshman Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipschitz, Irving

1981-01-01

Describes the use of the Gaussian 70 computer programs to carry out quantum chemical calculations, including single calculations, geometry, optimization, and potential surface scans. Includes a summary of student activities and benefits for students in an honors freshman chemistry course. (SK)

The Impact of a Freshman Mentoring Program on Student Success within a Large Chicago Suburban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killeen, Jennifer

2017-01-01

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to determine the impact a freshman mentoring program will have on student achievement, student discipline and student attendance within a large suburban high school. There does not seem to be much previous research on this topic in particular, therefore much of the research focused on the transition…

A Study on Freshman-Year Persistence among First-Generation College Students and Non-First-Generation College Students at Concordia University System Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vergara, Derek

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference between first-generation college students' and non-first-generation college students' persistence from freshman year to sophomore year of college. The study investigated if race/ethnicity, family income, gender, and fathers' and mothers'…

Problem drinking among at-risk college students: The examination of Greek involvement, freshman status, and history of mental health problems.

PubMed

Martinez, Haley S; Klanecky, Alicia K; McChargue, Dennis E

2018-02-06

Scarce research has examined the combined effect of mental health difficulties and demographic risk factors such as freshman status and Greek affiliation in understanding college problem drinking. The current study is interested in looking at the interaction among freshman status, Greek affiliation, and mental health difficulties. Undergraduate students (N = 413) from a private and public Midwestern university completed a large online survey battery between January 2009 and April 2013. Data from both schools were aggregated for the analyses. After accounting for gender, age, and school type, the three-way interaction indicated that the highest drinking levels were reported in freshman students who reported a history of mental health problems although were not involved in Greek life. Findings are discussed in the context of perceived social norms, as well as alcohol-related screenings and intervention opportunities on college campuses.

An exploration of the perceptions, developmental reasoning levels, differences in learning processes, and academic achievement levels of students in introductory college microbiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poole, Barbara Ann Matherly

1997-11-01

This study explored the relationship between the grades students earned in introductory college microbiology and American College Testing scores, sex, race, age, GED or high school diploma, full-time or part-time student status, developmental reasoning levels, memory tactics, and expected achievement. The study also explored student perceptions at the beginning and the end of the microbiology courses for science preparation, expected achievement, relevancy of microbiology, and expectations for the course. Archival records for 121 freshman level and 119 sophomore level microbiology students were accessed to obtain final grades, ACT scores, sex, race, age, GED or high school diploma and full-time or part-time status. The same information was obtained for the 113 freshman level and the 85 sophomore level students who participated in the study. The study groups were given the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking to assess their level of formal reasoning ability, the Inventory of Learning Processes-Revised to assess three memory techniques, an initial perception survey, and an exit perception survey. Academic achievement in microbiology could not be predicted using composites of the predictor variables. There were significant relationships between the GALT scores and the predicted grades with both the freshman and the sophomore final grades. The Self-Efficacy Fact Retention scores and the Literal Memorization scores had significant relationships to the final grades of the freshmen but not the sophomores. There was not a significant relationship between the Deep Semantic scores and the final grades in either group. Students indicated that high school science had given them only a medium to low level of preparation for college microbiology. The sophomores felt that previous college science classes had given them a much better preparation for microbiology than did the freshmen students. Both groups expressed the importance of the laboratory experience to the understanding of science and also the relevancy of microbiology both to their chosen professions and to their own personal lives.

EPA Research and Development: National Exposure Research Laboratory

EPA Science Inventory

This course is for Biology majors, primarily those in the completed Freshman Biology. Students enrolled in the course are expected to have completed Freshman Biology. With some background in biology as a strt, students begin to think about doing some research as part of their u...

Some Applications of Linguistic Concepts to the Teaching of Freshman Composition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maimon, Elaine P.

The problems which freshmen exhibit in using the written language extend beyond difficulties with mechanics to handicaps in using words to formulate and develop concepts. A linguistic approach to teaching freshman composition involves recognizing every linguistic act as creative and a word as having a history as well as a variety of meanings. In…

The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sax, Linda J.; Astin, Alexander W.; Korn, William S.; Mahoney, Kathryn M.

This 35th annual report of national normative data on college freshmen is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) longitudinal study to assess the effects of college on students. The freshman data reported here are weighted to provide a normative profile of the U.S. freshman population for use in policy analysis, human…

Developing a Tool to Evaluate Differences in Beliefs about Science Teaching and Learning among Freshman Science Student Teachers from Different Science Teaching Domains: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markic, Silvija; Eilks, Ingo; Valanides, Nicos

2008-01-01

This paper presents a pilot case study on developing a qualitative tool to evaluate science student teachers' beliefs concerning science teaching and learning. The study is based on student teachers' drawings of themselves in a typical classroom situation and four open questions. Data was collected from 104 freshman science student teachers, and…

A cross-cultural comparison of dental health attitudes and behaviour among freshman dental students in Japan, Hong Kong and West China.

PubMed

Kawamura, M; Yip, H K; Hu, D Y; Komabayashi, T

2001-06-01

To clarify the differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students. Cross-cultural differences. Japan, Hong Kong and West China. The original version of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) was written in Japanese. After testing the validity of both English and Chinese versions, the original version of the HU-DBI was administered to 58 freshman Japanese dental students, the English version to 43 Hong Kong Chinese peers and the Chinese version to 39 West Chinese peers. Significant cultural differences were found for 16 items out of 20. The most striking result was that the Japanese students were more likely to have used a dye to see how clean their teeth were, compared to their Chinese peers (P<0.001). The Chinese students were less likely to have a belief that they could clean their teeth well without using toothpaste (P<0.001), whereas higher percentages of the Chinese students worried about having bad breath (P<0.001). A higher percentage of the Hong Kong students reported that they regularly checked their teeth in a mirror than did their West Chinese or Japanese peers (P<0.05). There were considerable differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students in the three cultural groups.

The Library in the Laboratory: Implementing an Online Library Tutorial in a Freshman Biology Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkley, Meg

2018-01-01

Online tutorials are a way many librarians connect with students. The main benefit is the ability to reach more students than traditional face-to-face instruction sessions. In 2016, the Life & Health Sciences Librarian received instruction session requests for a freshman biology lab to teach students how to search for articles and use proper…

A Mixed Methods Explanatory Study of the Failure/Drop Rate for Freshman STEM Calculus Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worthley, Mary

2013-01-01

In a national context of high failure rates in freshman calculus courses, the purpose of this study was to understand who is struggling, and why. High failure rates are especially alarming given a local environment where students have access to a variety of academic, and personal, assistance. The sample consists of students at Colorado State…

Entering Freshman Transfer and Career Students: A Comparison of Selected Educational Objectives with Recommendations for Transfer and Academic Advisement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padula, Mary S.

The descriptive study investigated the extent to which entering freshman students and transfer students at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) are enrolled in degree programs that are compatible with their stated educational objectives, transfer intents, and degree intents. Subjects (N=376) enrolled in a mandatory orientation course were…

Spelling and Spelling Motivation in High School Students with Writing Goals on Their Individualized Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garbe, Elsie Helene

2012-01-01

This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach within a constructivist paradigm to examine spelling and spelling motivation of four suburban Illinois high school students: two male seniors with LD, one male freshman with ADHD, and one female freshman with LD. The purposes of the study were to determine why students with writing goals and…

Blended Learning in Chemistry Laboratory Courses: Enhancing Learning Outcomes and Aligning Student Needs with Available Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burchett, Shayna Brianne

2016-01-01

Freshman science courses are intended to prepare students for the rigor and expectations of subsequent college science. While secondary education aims to prepare students for the college curriculum, many incoming freshman lack the sense of responsibility for their own learning that is essential for success in a college-level course. The freshman…

Effects of Coaching on the Validity of the SAT: A Simulation Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baydar, Nazli

The effects of student coaching in preparation for the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) on the predictive validity of this test for freshman year performance were studied using data on 1985 freshman year students from four colleges. After the validity of the SAT was estimated for each school, a given proportion of students was picked,…

A Survey of Gender Biases of Freshman Students toward Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaer, Barbara; And Others

1991-01-01

A survey of 724 freshman engineering orientation students investigated the significance of 5 literature-cited barriers to women's success in engineering--sexual discrimination, financial concerns, academic comfort, career awareness, and locus of control. Significant main effects were found for gender but not ethnic group. The instrument is…

The Influence of Institutional Culture on Institutional Choice and Post-Freshman Persistence of American Indian/Alaska Native Students at a Bible College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saggio, Joseph J.

This study examined American Indian and Alaska Native students' college choice and persistence beyond the freshman year at American Indian College. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 29 students from 18 tribes attending American Indian College, a very small Bible college affiliated with the Assemblies of God and located in Phoenix,…

The Influence of a Freshman Orientation Course on the Academic Performance and Retention of New Community College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robles, Stacey Y.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a freshman orientation course on the academic performance and retention of new community college students. The study was designed to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data. A survey was distributed to students who attended Coral College (a pseudonym), California, from the fall of…

Increasing URM Undergraduate Student Success through Assessment-Driven Interventions: A Multiyear Study Using Freshman-Level General Biology as a Model System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmichael, Mary C.; St. Clair, Candace; Edwards, Andrea M.; Barrett, Peter; McFerrin, Harris; Davenport, Ian; Awad, Mohamed; Kundu, Anup; Ireland, Shubha Kale

2016-01-01

Xavier University of Louisiana leads the nation in awarding BS degrees in the biological sciences to African-American students. In this multiyear study with ~5500 participants, data-driven interventions were adopted to improve student academic performance in a freshman-level general biology course. The three hour-long exams were common and…

The Impact of Career Workshops on Freshman College Students At-Risk for Dropout: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Donjanea F.

2012-01-01

College students on probation are generally considered at-risk for dropping out, as indicated by a wide range of literature. This article focuses on an action research study that explored the impact of a career workshop series on freshman students in a probation course at a medium-sized university located in the southeastern United States. The…

Teaching Freshman English to Native and Non-Native Students: Some Similarities and Some Differences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macha, Dyne H.

This paper, intended for freshman English instructors who teach reading and writing to both native and non-native students, discusses basic differences and similarities affecting instruction for the two groups. For example, non-native linguistic differences encourage teachers to deal with syntactic interference in reading and with highly embedded…

Raising the Bar in Freshman Science Education: Student Lectures, Scientific Papers, and Independent Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Eva-Maria S.; Calhoun, Tessa R.

2014-01-01

This article presents the combination of three enhanced educational approaches for training future scientists. These methods incorporate skills generally not introduced in the freshman year: student-led blackboard introductions; the writing of scientific papers; and the design, execution, and presentation of an independent lab module. We tested…

Calculus ABCs: A Gateway for Freshman Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulton, Scott R.

2003-01-01

This paper describes a gateway testing program designed to ensure that students acquire basic skills in freshman calculus. Students must demonstrate they have mastered standards for "Absolutely Basic Competency"--the Calculus ABCs--in order to pass the course with a grade of C or better. We describe the background, standards, and testing program.…

Changes in Weight and Health Behaviors from Freshman through Senior Year of College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Racette, Susan B.; Deusinger, Susan S.; Strube, Michael J.; Highstein, Gabrielle R.; Deusinger, Robert H.

2008-01-01

Objective: To assess weight changes, exercise and diet behaviors among college students from the beginning of freshman year until the end of senior year. Design: Longitudinal observational study. Setting: Private university in St. Louis, Missouri. Participants: College students (138 females, 66 males). Main Outcome Measures: Weight and height were…

Exploring Cystic Fibrosis Using Bioinformatics Tools: A Module Designed for the Freshman Biology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Xiaorong

2011-01-01

We incorporated a bioinformatics component into the freshman biology course that allows students to explore cystic fibrosis (CF), a common genetic disorder, using bioinformatics tools and skills. Students learn about CF through searching genetic databases, analyzing genetic sequences, and observing the three-dimensional structures of proteins…

A Grounded Theory Investigation Into Sophomore Students' Recall of Depression During Their Freshman Year in College: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Brandy, Julie M; Kessler, Theresa A; Grabarek, Christina H

2018-04-17

Using a grounded theory approach, the current descriptive qualitative design was conducted with sophomore students to understand the meaning participants gave their freshman experiences with depression. Twelve participants were recruited using scripted class announcements across campus. After informed consent, interviews began with the question: What was the experience of your freshman year in college? All interviews were completed with the primary investigator and transcribed verbatim. Interviews were analyzed using constant comparative methodology. Data collection continued until saturation was achieved. Four major categories emerged, including the category of symptoms and emotions. This category included the subcategories expressions of stress, changes in eating habits, sleep issues, and procrastination. Descriptive examples of each were found throughout the interview data. With greater understanding of living with depression as a college freshman, health care and college student affairs professionals will have additional evidence to guide their practices. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(x),xx-xx.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Cybernetics and Rhetoric: Freshman English in an Overdetermined World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comprone, Joseph

1975-01-01

Argues that freshman composition courses should incorporate the study of communications systems (Cybernetics) and the idea that a situation or subject cannot be explained by a single series of logical steps (Overdetermination) as part of their rationale. (RB)

Appraisal of the dental school learning environment: the students' view.

PubMed

Henzi, David; Davis, Elaine; Jasinevicius, Roma; Hendricson, William; Cintron, Laura; Isaacs, Marcia

2005-10-01

The majority of studies examining dental school curriculum have addressed organization, structure, and content issues from the perspectives of administrators, faculty, practitioners/alumni, and professional organizations. However, few studies have focused on students' opinions of dental school. The purpose of this study was to determine students' perceptions of the learning environment, intellectual climate, and teacher-student relationships in dental school. This report describes how the "dental version" of the Medical Student Learning Environment Survey (MSLES) was used to identify students' perceptions of their dental education. Freshman and junior dental students' perceptions were measured with the Dental Student Learning Environment Survey (DSLES), which evaluates learning environment, intellectual climate, and relationships among students and teachers in seven areas: flexibility, student-to-student interaction, emotional climate, supportiveness, meaningful experience, organization, and breadth of interest. The DSLES was mailed to twenty-three dental schools in North America with eighteen of the schools distributing the inventory. A total of 619 dental students responded. Results were differentiated between freshman and junior dental students. Both freshman and junior students provided the highest (most positive) ratings for the DSLES subscales of "breadth of interest" (interest in dentistry and outside interests are encouraged) and "meaningful learning experience" (significance of courses to dentistry). Freshman students provided the lowest (least positive) ratings for "emotional climate" (students' responses to the way their courses were conducted and stress levels), and junior students provided the least positive ratings for "faculty supportiveness" (extent of faculty support and encouragement provided to students). The DSLES identified students' perceptions of their educational experience and localized areas for improvement. By addressing these areas of concern, faculty can increase student satisfaction with their dental education.

Strategies Employed by Iranian EFL Freshman University Students in Extensive Listening: A Qualitative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bidabadi, Farinaz Shirani; Yamat, Hamidah

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study on the strategies employed by Iranian freshmen in extensive listening. A group of 12 freshman university students were purposefully selected based on their scores in the Oxford Placement Test administered. Four learners were identified as advanced, four as intermediate, and four as lower…

Project-Based Curriculum for Teaching Analytical Design to Freshman Engineering Students via Reconfigurable Trebuchets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herber, Daniel R.; Deshmukh, Anand P.; Mitchell, Marlon E.; Allison, James T.

2016-01-01

This paper presents an effort to revitalize a large introductory engineering course for incoming freshman students that teaches them analytical design through a project-based curriculum. This course was completely transformed from a seminar-based to a project-based course that integrates hands-on experimentation with analytical work. The project…

Exploration of the Attitudes of Freshman Foreign Language Students toward Using Computers at a Turkish State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akbulut, Yavuz

2008-01-01

The present study expands the design of Warschauer (1996) surveying freshman foreign language students at a Turkish university. Motivating aspects of computer assisted instruction in terms of writing and e-mailing are explored through an exploratory factor analysis conducted on the survey developed by Warschauer (1996). Findings suggest that…

Connecting Self-Esteem and Achievement: Diversity in Academic Identification and Dis-Identification Patterns among Black College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hope, Elan C.; Chavous, Tabbye M.; Jagers, Robert J.; Sellers, Robert M.

2013-01-01

Using a person-oriented approach, we explored patterns of self-esteem and achievement among 324 Black college students across the freshman college year and identified four academic identification profiles. Multivariate analyses revealed profile differences in academic and psychological outcomes at beginning and end of freshman year (academic…

Changes in Life-Style Characteristics, Health, and Mood of Freshman Medical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Thomas M.; Kissling, Grace E.

1984-01-01

A questionnaire on life-style was completed by freshman medical students at orientation and again seven months later. Life-style changes were related to physical-psychological health and affect mood changes. There was an increase in perceived stress as the school year progressed and a tendency to improve coping effectiveness. (Author/MLW)

Effectiveness of Three Case Studies and Associated Teamwork in Stimulating Freshman Interest in an Introduction to Engineering Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McIntyre, Joseph S.

2011-01-01

The effectiveness of three case studies and associated teamwork to stimulate interest of college freshman in engineering was investigated by observing students. Case studies were assigned as laboratory team exercises in an introduction to engineering course at Auburn University. Student interest in the case studies was evaluated qualitatively…

Idaho College Populations 1970-71.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldwell, Harry H.

This study sought to identify in a meaningful and standardized fashion the in-state and out-of-state students at the freshman, junior, and graduate levels for each of the 9 colleges in the state of Idaho. It further sought to ascertain for each college the main contributing areas or zones in the state for freshman and junior students and to…

Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns during Freshman and Sophomore Years of College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Racette, Susan B.; Deusinger, Susan S.; Strube, Michael J.; Highstein, Gabrielle R.; Deusinger, Robert H.

2005-01-01

Weight gain and behavioral patterns during college may contribute to overweight and obesity in adulthood. The aims of this study were to assess weight, exercise, and dietary patterns of 764 college students (53% women, 47% men) during freshman and sophomore years. Students had their weight and height measured and completed questionnaires about…

A Feasibility Study to Determine the Possibility of Teaching Freshman Composition and Rhetoric with a Programmed Text. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lutz, William D.

The question of whether a significant amount of time could be saved if freshman composition were taught with a programed text was studied. Two sections of English I were randomly selected from the regular class schedule. Class A was taught using the usual syllabus and texts. Class B was taught using the same syllabus and texts with one exception.…

What do Seniors Remember from Freshman Physics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrantes, Analia; Pawl, Andrew; Pritchard, David E.

2009-10-01

We have given a group of 56 MIT seniors who took mechanics as freshmen a written test similar to the final exam they took in their freshman course, plus the MBT and C-LASS standard instruments. Students in majors unrelated to physics scored 60% lower on the written analytic part of the final than they did as freshmen. The mean score of all students on conceptual multiple choice questions included on the final declined by approximately 50% relative to the scores of freshmen. The mean score of all participants on the MBT was insignificantly changed from the posttest taken as freshmen. More specifically, however, the students' performance on 9 of the 26 MBT items (with 6 of the 9 involving graphical kinematics) represents a gain over their freshman pretest score (a normalized gain of about 70%, double the gain achieved in the freshman course alone), while their performance on the remaining 17 questions is best characterized as a loss of approximately 50% of the material learned in the freshman course. Attitudinal survey results indicate that almost half the seniors feel the specific mechanics course content is unlikely to be useful to them, a significant majority (75-85%) feel that physics does teach valuable skills, and an overwhelming majority believe that mechanics should remain a required course at MIT.

Blended learning in chemistry laboratory courses: Enhancing learning outcomes and aligning student needs with available resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burchett, Shayna Brianne

Freshman science courses are intended to prepare students for the rigor and expectations of subsequent college science. While secondary education aims to prepare students for the college curriculum, many incoming freshman lack the sense of responsibility for their own learning that is essential for success in a college-level course. The freshman general-chemistry laboratory course at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) was identified as a bottleneck course with a demand beyond accommodation capacity. To address the bottleneck and develop a sense of learner responsibility, a decision was made to investigate laboratory course delivery strategies. As a result of the investigation into delivery strategies, a blended freshman general-chemistry laboratory course was designed and implemented at Missouri S&T, which increased student access to the bottleneck course and improved learner engagement while meeting American Chemical Society (ACS) guidelines. The implementation of the Missouri S&T project and its continued evolution at other institutions have a great potential to provide insight on the impact of blended teaching on learner success. This dissertation describes research and design of a blended laboratory course that economically improves capacity while intentionally focusing pedagogy to support learner success, meet industry expectations, and maintain ACS certification. To evaluate success, the project documented and analyzed student performance during the development of the transformation to a blended freshman chemistry laboratory course at Missouri S&T. The findings support the efficacy of the blended teaching model and offer a structure upon which future courses may build.

Implementation of Collaborative Learning as a High-Impact Practice in a Natural Resources Management Section of Freshman Seminar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBroom, Matthew; Bullard, Steven; Kulhavy, David; Unger, Daniel

2015-01-01

Forestry and environmental science students enrolled in a one credit hour freshman seminar course participated in a land management evaluation and water quality sampling excursion using canoes and water sampling equipment. The purpose of this assessment was to engage students with hands-on, field based education in order to foster connections to…

Inquiry-Based Freshman Seminar on "What You Can (Or Should Not) Do to End Global Poverty"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kisaalita, William S.

2018-01-01

Offering first year seminars and experiences is well-established as one of the high-impact educational practices. An inquiry-based freshman seminar in which students conduct poverty simulation term projects has been offered for five years at the University of Georgia. The students have four project options of: dressing the part and panhandling…

The Relationship between Listening Strategies Used by Iranian EFL Freshman University Students and Their Listening Proficiency Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bidabadi, Farinaz Shirani; Yamat, Hamidah

2011-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to identify Iranian EFL freshman university students' listening proficiency levels and the listening strategies they employed to investigate the relationship between these two variables. A total of 92 freshmen were involved in this study. The Oxford Placement Test was employed to identify the learners'…

A Mixed-Methods Explanatory Study of the Failure Rate for Freshman STEM Calculus Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worthley, Mary R.; Gloeckner, Gene W.; Kennedy, Paul A.

2016-01-01

In this study we aimed to understand who was struggling in freshman calculus courses, and why. Concentrating on the Fall sections of the class, the best predictors for success (R[superscript 2] = 0.4) were placement test results, the student's own appraisal of the quality of mathematics teaching they received in high school, and the Motivated…

The Chicken Soup Effect: The Role of Recreation and Intramural Participation in Boosting Freshman Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbison, Godfrey A.; Henry, Tracyann L.; Perkins-Brown, Jayne

2011-01-01

Freshman grade point average, in particular first semester grade point average, is an important predictor of survival and eventual student success in college. As many institutions of higher learning are searching for ways to improve student success, one would hope that policies geared towards the success of freshmen have long term benefits…

Is Nursing a Viable Career for Blacks? (A Study of Black and White Freshman Nursing Students).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Michael H.

It has been suggested that underrepresentation of blacks in professional nursing results from insufficient black-nurse role models. This study of 331 black and white freshman nursing students in three, two year, associate degree programs argues that blacks are not professional nurses for reasons other than a lack of role models. The results show…

A Freshman Academy's Influence on Student Connectivity, Attendance, and Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoPresti, Nancy O.

2017-01-01

The transition from 8th to 9th grade, from middle school to high school, is considered one of the most challenging experiences in an adolescent's life. Ninth-grade transition programs, often referred to as freshman academies, have been developed and implemented over the last decade to address the needs of 9th grade students. The purpose of this…

Emerging Realities of Text-to-Speech Software for Nonnative-English-Speaking Community College Students in the Freshman Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Fiona S.

2015-01-01

This study explores the expectations and early and subsequent realities of text-to-speech software for 24 nonnative-English-speaking college students who were experiencing reading difficulties in their freshman year of college. The study took place over two semesters in one academic year (from September to June) at a community college on the…

A Comparison of Student Teachers' Beliefs from Four Different Science Teaching Domains Using a Mixed Methods Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markic, Silvija; Eilks, Ingo

2012-03-01

The study presented in this paper integrates data from four combined research studies, which are both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The studies describe freshman science student teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning. These freshmen intend to become teachers in Germany in one of four science teaching domains (secondary biology, chemistry, and physics, respectively, as well as primary school science). The qualitative data from the first study are based on student teachers' drawings of themselves in teaching situations. It was formulated using Grounded Theory to test three scales: Beliefs about Classroom Organisation, Beliefs about Teaching Objectives, and Epistemological Beliefs. Three further quantitative studies give insight into student teachers' curricular beliefs, their beliefs about the nature of science itself, and about the student- and/or teacher-centredness of science teaching. This paper describes a design to integrate all these data within a mixed methods framework. The aim of the current study is to describe a broad, triangulated picture of freshman science student teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning within their respective science teaching domain. The study reveals clear tendencies between the sub-groups. The results suggest that freshman chemistry and-even more pronouncedly-freshman physics student teachers profess quite traditional beliefs about science teaching and learning. Biology and primary school student teachers express beliefs about their subjects which are more in line with modern educational theory. The mixed methods approach towards the student teachers' beliefs is reflected upon and implications for science education and science teacher education are discussed.

Using Innovative Technical Solutions as an Intervention for at Risk Students: A Meta-Cognitive Statistical Analysis to Determine the Impact of Ninth Grade Freshman Academies, Centers, and Center Models upon Minority Student Retention and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osler, James Edward; Waden, Carl

2012-01-01

This paper provides an active discourse on the use of innovative solutions to conduct an in-depth investigation on the success and viability of 9th Grade Freshman Academies, Centers, and Center Models to aid in the retention of at risk students. These types of academic programs provide an active solution for the retention and projected completion…

The Impact of Freshman Year Learning Community Participation on Students' Self-Reported Sense of Meaning in Life, Academic Self-Efficacy and Commitment to Academic Major at the Beginning of the Second Academic Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pruett, Karen Ann

2011-01-01

Student retention is one of the most studied areas in higher education. Much of the focus has been on providing services to aid in retention efforts from the first to the second academic year. Freshman seminar classes as well as learning community programs have become common on college campuses to provide students with the resources and support to…

What do Seniors Remember from Freshman Physics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrantes, Analia; Pawl, Andrew; Pritchard, David E.

2009-11-01

We have given a group of 56 MIT seniors who took mechanics as freshmen a written test similar to the final exam they took in their freshman course, plus the Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT) and Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (C-LASS) standard instruments. Students in majors unrelated to physics scored 60% lower on the written analytic part of the final than they did as freshmen. The mean score of all students on conceptual multiple choice questions included on the final also declined by about 60% relative to the scores of freshmen. The mean score of all participants on the MBT was insignificantly changed from the posttest taken as freshmen. More specifically, however, the students' performance on 9 of the 26 MBT items (with 6 of the 9 involving graphical kinematics) represents a gain over their freshman pretest score (a normalized gain of about 70%, double the gain achieved in the freshman course alone), while their performance on the remaining 17 questions is best characterized as a loss of approximately 50% of the material learned in the freshman course. Attitudinal survey results indicate that almost half the seniors feel the specific mechanics course content is unlikely to be useful to them, a significant majority (75-85%) feel that physics does teach valuable skills, and an overwhelming majority believe that mechanics should remain a required course at MIT.

Science and Cooking: Motivating the Study of Freshman Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weitz, David

2011-03-01

This talk will describe a course offered to Harvard undergraduates as a general education science course, meant to intrduce freshman-level science for non-science majors. The course was a collaboration between world-class chefs and science professors. The chefs introduced concepts of cooking and the professors used these to motivate scientific concepts. The lectures were designed to provide a coherent introduction to freshman physics, primarily through soft matter science. The lectures were supplemented by a lab experiments, designed by a team of very talented graduate students and post docs, that supplemented the science taught in lecture. The course was very successful in motivating non-science students to learn, and even enjoy, basic science concepts. This course depended on contributions from Michael Brenner, Otger Campas, Amy Rowat and a team of talented graduate student teaching fellows.

The Relationship between Perceived Career Barriers and Career Decision Self-Efficacy on Initial Career Choice among Low-Income, First Generation, Pre-Freshman, College-Bound Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pulliam, Nicole; Ieva, Kara P.; Burlew, Larry

2017-01-01

This study was an investigation of the predictive value of perceived career barriers and career decision self-efficacy on the certainty of initial career choice among low-income pre-freshman college students, an under-studied college population with respect to career development (Winograd & Shick Tryon, 2009). The moderating effects of certain…

Compulsive Eating: The Emotional Link of Its Use as a Coping Mechanism for Resident Freshman Female College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beylerian, Nvair Kadian

An 18-year old's freshman year in college is not only a test of his or her intellect, but also a test in social skills, adaptability to new living situations, and other conditions. This study examined the link of emotions to compulsive eating and its use as a coping mechanism for female college students. It explores the stresses of the transition…

WWC Review of the Report "Freshman Year Financial Aid Nudges: An Experiment to Increase FAFSA Renewal and College Persistence." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

The 2014 study, Freshman Year Financial Aid Nudges: An Experiment to Increase FAFSA Renewal and College Persistence, measured the impact of sending text message reminders regarding annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) renewal to first-year college students who were already receiving financial aid. The study sample included 808…

Avoiding High School Senior Slump

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weil, Henry

1974-01-01

The Freshman Year Program at the New School for Social Research is meant to be an alternative to the disaffection that appears in high school seniors. This freshman year establishes an interrelated approach to knowledge, while introducing students to a variety of educational disciplines. (Author/PG)

The impact of a freshman academy on science performance of first-time ninth-grade students at one Georgia high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, Vivian Summerour

The purpose of this within-group experimental study was to find out to what extent ninth-grade students improved their science performance beyond their middle school science performance at one Georgia high school utilizing a freshman academy model. Freshman academies have been recognized as a useful tool for increasing academic performance among ninth-grade students because they address a range of academic support initiatives tailored to improve academic performance among ninth-grade students. The talent development model developed by Legters, Balfanz, Jordan, and McPartland (2002) has served as a foundational standard for many ninth grade academy programs. A cornerstone feature of this model is the creation of small learning communities used to increase ninth-grade student performance. Another recommendation was to offer credit recovery opportunities for ninth graders along with creating parent and community involvement activities to increase academic success among ninth-grade students. While the site's program included some of the initiatives outlined by the talent development model, it did not utilize all of them. The study concluded that the academy did not show a definitive increase in academic performance among ninth-grade students since most students stayed within their original performance category.

Ideas for English 101: Teaching Writing in College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohmann, Richard, Ed.; Coley, W. B., Ed.

The articles in this book are concerned with teaching composition in freshman English courses. They were first published in "College English" during the years from 1966 to 1975. These selections represent both the theoretical discussions and the technical plans which were put forth in a period when freshman English was being dropped as a required…

Changes in Body Weight and Fat Mass of Men and Women in the First Year of College: A Study of the "Freshman 15"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, Daniel J.; Policastro, Peggy; Quick, Virginia; Lee, Soo-Kyung

2006-01-01

Students entering their first year of college are faced with many stresses and changes, including changes in eating and exercise behavior. A common but often undocumented myth among college students is that there is a high risk of gaining 15 pounds of weight during freshman year. The objective of this study was to measure changes in body weight…

"Race, Gender, Class, and Culture": Freshman Seminar Ignites Controversy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Scott

1992-01-01

The College of Wooster (Ohio) has instituted a required one-semester freshman seminar, designed to teach students critical writing and thinking skills, and focusing on racism and sexism in U.S. society. Critics see the seminar as a left-wing attempt to ensure "political correctness." (DB)

Freshman Ethics Course Influences Students' Basic Beliefs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appleton, James R.; Wong, Frank T.

1989-01-01

A freshman class called "Educational Odysseys" that bound together four themes and the concern for ethical living is described. The four themes included: the problem of identity; responses to good and evil; the search for success and surviving failure; and cultural diversity and a liberal education. (MLW)

Focus on Freshman: Basic Instruction Programs Enhancing Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Jarred; Jenkins, Jayne M.; Weatherford, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Physical activity sharply decreases after different life stages, particularly high school graduation to beginning university education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a specifically designed university physical activity class, Exercise Planning for Freshman (EPF), on students' physical activity and group cohesion…

Fuel Cell Car Design Project for Freshman Engineering Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Steve R.; Davis, Virginia A.

2014-01-01

In the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University, we have integrated a semester long design project based on a toy fuel cell car into our freshman "Introduction to Chemical Engineering Class." The project provides the students a basic foundation in chemical reactions, energy, and dimensional analysis that facilitates…

Social and Emotional Learning in a Freshman Seminar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyatt, Jeannette B.; Bloemker, Geraldine A.

2013-01-01

First year college students are challenged both socially and academically in their transition to college life. The literature suggests that social and emotional competence skills can help with this transition. This article describes the course content for a University freshman seminar that teaches skills in social and emotional competence in order…

Statistical Analysis Experiment for Freshman Chemistry Lab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salzsieder, John C.

1995-01-01

Describes a laboratory experiment dissolving zinc from galvanized nails in which data can be gathered very quickly for statistical analysis. The data have sufficient significant figures and the experiment yields a nice distribution of random errors. Freshman students can gain an appreciation of the relationships between random error, number of…

College Freshman with Disabilities, 1999: A Biennial Statistical Profile. Statistical Year 1998.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Cathy

This monograph presents information on college freshmen with disabilities based on data collected by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, a longitudinal study of the American higher education system that includes 469 institutions and 275,811 students. Section 1 presents highlights of the 1998 freshman survey and includes personal and…

College Success among Students Graduating from Public and Private High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monto, Martin A.; Dahmen, Jessica

2009-01-01

This study compares the college freshman grade point averages of public and private high school graduates attending a "more selective" private university. Though graduates of public high schools had slightly lower SAT scores than graduates of private high schools, their end-of-freshman-year grade point averages were somewhat higher…

Correlates of Black and White University Student Grades Beyond the Freshman Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horowitz, Joseph L; And Others

The freshman, sophomore and junior year grades of 126 black and 178 white freshmen entering the University of Maryland were used as criterion measures in this study on prediction of academic achievement as reflected in grades. Predictors included the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), high school grade point average (HSGPA), the California…

The Freshman Odyssey: Classical Metaphors for Counseling College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandoz, Jeff

This paper highlights the use of analogies and metaphors in counseling sessions with a focus on the college freshman experience as a living, contemporary example of how clients may experience mythic themes in their lives. Drawing from the ideas of Joseph Campbell, characters found in classical Greek mythology, as well as contemporary myths as…

Incorporating Solid Modeling and Team-Based Design into Freshman Engineering Graphics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchal, Ralph O.

2001-01-01

Describes the integration of these topics through a major team-based design and computer aided design (CAD) modeling project in freshman engineering graphics at the University of Western Ontario. Involves n=250 students working in teams of four to design and document an original Lego toy. Includes 12 references. (Author/YDS)

Impact of a Short Pre-Freshman Program on Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wischusen, Sheri M.; Wischusen, E. William; Pomarico, Steven M.

2011-01-01

The Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) Program at Louisiana State University was designed to increase the success of incoming freshman biology majors in the first course in their major. The program combined content lectures and examinations for BIOL 1201-Introductory Biology for Science Majors, the first course in their major, as…

A Randomized Trial Investigating the Effect of a Brief Lifestyle Intervention on Freshman-Year Weight Gain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middleton, Kathryn R.; Perri, Michael G.

2014-01-01

Objective: The current study was a randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of an innovative, short-term lifestyle intervention on weight gain in female freshman college students. Participants: Ninety-five freshmen were recruited from a large public university in the United States. Methods: Participants completed baseline assessments…

Literature and Shalom: Teaching Freshman Students to Read

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Deborah C.

2008-01-01

Wolterstorff's argument for art as a form of action that enables us to anticipate shalom and Ricoeur's concept of the narrative intelligence developed in the reader of stories are tested out in a freshman non-specialist English class where the interpretation of literature, covered by the power of prayer, fosters both intellectual and moral…

The Effects of Process-Centered and Form-Centered Instruction on the Coherence of College Freshman Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Wesley K.

This comparative study evaluated the writing growth of 97 college freshman before and after instruction to determine if a process-centered mode of teaching had a more significant impact than a traditional form-centered mode of instruction on discourse coherence in composition. The study used a pretest/posttest, quasi-experimental design with both…

Academic Risk Among Inner-City Adolescents: The Role of Personal Attributes

PubMed Central

Ripple, Carol H.; Luthar, Suniya S.

2012-01-01

In this 3-year prospective study, we explored antecedents of school-based adjustment among 134 inner-city high-school students. We examined the role of freshman-year risk and protective factors in relation to dropout status and senior-year adjustment indices among those who remained in school, including academic performance, psychological symptoms, and drug use. Although each single attribute included in this study has been linked to poor academic performance in previous investigations, the primary goal in this study was to determine which attributes were strongly related to academic problems when considered together. In addition, we sought to establish whether risk factors associated with dropout were the same as those that predicted academic problems among students who remained in school. Findings indicated that freshman-year attendance and demographic indices were most strongly predictive of dropout. Among adolescents who remained in school, freshman academic success was robustly linked to senior-year competence. Implications for identifying inner-city high-school students at high risk for academic problems are discussed. PMID:24839305

The relationship of ethics education to moral sensitivity and moral reasoning skills of nursing students.

PubMed

Park, Mihyun; Kjervik, Diane; Crandell, Jamie; Oermann, Marilyn H

2012-07-01

This study described the relationships between academic class and student moral sensitivity and reasoning and between curriculum design components for ethics education and student moral sensitivity and reasoning. The data were collected from freshman (n = 506) and senior students (n = 440) in eight baccalaureate nursing programs in South Korea by survey; the survey consisted of the Korean Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and the Korean Defining Issues Test. The results showed that moral sensitivity scores in patient-oriented care and conflict were higher in senior students than in freshman students. Furthermore, more hours of ethics content were associated with higher principled thinking scores of senior students. Nursing education in South Korea may have an impact on developing student moral sensitivity. Planned ethics content in nursing curricula is necessary to improve moral sensitivity and moral reasoning of students.

The effect of explicit, inquiry instruction on freshman college science majors' understanding of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenyon, Lisa Orvik

Reform efforts have placed strong emphasis on teaching practices that should help students learn about the nature of science. Researchers have examined two general instructional approaches, explicit and implicit, believed to be useful in teaching science. Of these two approaches, researchers emphasize explicit instruction as the more effective approach when enhancing students' views of the scientific endeavor (Abd-El-Khalick & Lederman, 2000; Bell, 2001; Billeh & Hasan, 1975; Carey & Stauss, 1968; Schwartz et al., 2000). Furthermore, recent studies (Schwartz et al ., 2000, 2001) indicate that teaching science inquiry through investigative activities and reflective discussions have demonstrated to be most effective for understanding science. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of explicit, inquiry instruction on the understanding of freshman college science majors regarding the nature of science. Participants included 74 freshman college science majors, 50 students in the experimental group and 24 students in the control group. The experimental group was exposed to the treatment of the study, which took place in a Succeeding in Science course. The course content included explicit instruction on the nature of science, emphasizing scientific inquiry and the processes that scientists carry out in their work. The course reflected three aspects of inquiry-based science that are discussed in the Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (2000) which are (1) to learn the principles and concepts of science; (2) to participate in scientific investigations; and (3) to reflect on the epistemology of science. The research design of this study used a pretest-posttest instrument, The Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire Form C (VNOS-C) (Lederman et al., 2001) and an essay paper at the end of the course to assess students' understanding about the nature of science. The results from the VNOS-C were analyzed using analysis of covariance in which the dependent variable was student understanding of science as measured by the posttest, and the covariate was student understanding of nature of science as measured by the pretest. The results indicated that the understanding of the nature of science of freshman college science majors who have participated in explicit, inquiry instruction is statistically greater than the understanding of the nature of science of freshman college science majors who have participated in traditional instruction. The essays provided insight into the apparent increase in student understanding of the nature of science. The results from pretesting and posttesting indicated that a one-semester credit hour course, which focuses directly on teaching about the nature of science can improve freshman science majors' understanding of the nature of science.

A Comparative Analysis of the Reading Levels of Community College Introductory English and College Skills Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartman-Haas, Hope J.

A study was conducted at Rockland Community College (New York) to determine the adequacy of the reading criterion that determined entry into its intensive freshman English classes from the college skills program, a developmental program designed to improve skills in communication, mathematics, reading, and studying. A group of 746 freshman English…

Enhancing Academic Success: A Bilingual Freshman Year. AIR 1992 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ronco, Sharron

This paper provides an assessment of the Inter-American Science and Humanities Program, a program of the University of Texas, El Paso, which allowed students from northern Mexico to take their freshman level courses in Spanish while receiving instruction designed to rapidly enhance English language skills. The paper assesses the effectiveness of…

Pros and Cons of a Group Webpage Design Project in a Freshman Anatomy and Physiology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crisp, Kevin M.; Jensen, Murray; Moore, Randy

2007-01-01

To generate motivation and promote the development of written communication skills, students in a freshman-level anatomy and physiology course for nonmajors created group webpages describing historically important diseases. After the groups had been formed, each individual was assigned specific components of the disease (e.g., causes or…

A Hands-On Freshman Survey Course to Steer Undergraduates into Microsystems Coursework and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eddings, M. A.; Stephenson, J. C.; Harvey, I. R.

2009-01-01

Full class loads and inflexible schedules can be a significant obstacle in the implementation of freshman survey courses designed to guide engineering students into emerging research areas such as micro- and nanosystems. A hands-on, interactive course was developed to excite freshmen early in their engineering program to pursue research and…

Integrating Factors of Grit in School Culture: Case Studies of Two Freshman Academies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coates, Margaret Marie

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the cultural manifestation of grit in two freshman academy environments and describe factors of grit that support student success. This study used purposeful sampling to select sites and participants. Data were collected through: administration of Douglas' (1982) grid and group 24-question…

Reorganizing Freshman Business Mathematics II: Authentic Assessment in Mathematics through Professional Memos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Kris; Emerson, Allen

2008-01-01

The first part of this two-part paper [see EJ787497] described the development of a new freshman business mathematics (FBM) course at our college. In this paper, we discuss our assessment tool, the business memo, as a venue for students to apply mathematical skills, via mathematical modelling, to realistic business problems. These memos have…

A Comparison of the Developmental Impact of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Housing Conditions on Freshmen.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cade, Sharon M.

1979-01-01

Examines changes in students' sense of autonomy and in their ability to manage their emotions, as described by Chickering's vectors, in relation to residence hall environments. Results neither support nor refute the all-freshman hall. Participants moved developmentally along the Autonomy Scale. Freshman women increased their scores on the Impulse…

What Do Seniors Remember from Freshman Physics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawl, Andrew; Barrantes, Analia; Pritchard, David E.; Mitchell, Rudolph

2012-01-01

We have given a group of 56 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) seniors who took mechanics as freshmen a written test similar to the final exam they took in their freshman course as well as the Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT) and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). Students in majors unrelated to physics scored 60%…

Reorganizing Freshman Business Mathematics I: Background and Philosophy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Kris; Emerson, Allen

2008-01-01

This article is the first of the two-part discussion of the development of a new Freshman Business Mathematics (FBM) course at our college. Part I of the article describes the background and history behind the course, and provides a theoretical framework for the design of the course. This design involves students in learning and applying…

Student Conceptions of Simple Circuits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredette, Norman; Lochhead, John

1980-01-01

Investigates some conceptual difficulties which college students have with regard to simple direct current circuits. The clinical interview technique was used with 57 students in a freshman level engineering course. (HM)

Designing Worked Examples in Statics to Promote an Expert Stance: Working THRU vs. Working OUT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calfee, Robert; Stahovich, Thomas

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the performance patterns of freshman engineering students as they completed a tutorial on freebody problems that employed a computer-based pen (CBP) to provide feedback and direct learning. A secondary analysis was conducted on detailed performance data for 16 participants from a freshman Engineering course…

The Invisible Student: A Longitudinal Study of the Beginning Freshman Class of 1963 at the University of New Mexico.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winther, Sven F.; And Others

The 1963 Freshman class at the University of New Mexico was studied through June, 1968, for performance patterns in relation to overall performance, high school grade-point average, male-female, Spanish surnames and non-Spanish surnames. In addition to university furnished data, questionnaires were submitted to a stratified random sample of…

Factors of One-Year College Retention in a Public State College System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeNicco, James; Harrington, Paul; Fogg, Neeta

2015-01-01

This paper explores the factors of freshman year college retention by using a unique data set tracking the participation of a cohort of 1,800 students in a public state college system through 2011 from their freshman enrollment at a community college in 2006. The focus is on prevalent factors in the college retention literature, including…

1975 Manual of Freshman Profiles. Four-year Colleges and University Centers, State University of New York. 1976 Profile Supplement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

State Univ. of New York, Albany. Office of Admissions and Financial Aid Affairs.

The State University of New York compiles an information manual about freshman admission to the baccalaureate programs throughout the state. A profile summary for the four-year colleges and university centers is charted. An outline of costs and financial assistance available is provided to help the prospective student understand and prepare for…

The Effectiveness and Efficiency of China's Special Admission Policies: The Case of X University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niu, Sunny Xinchun; Wan, Guofang

2018-01-01

The Chinese government has implemented a series of special admission policies in recent years to increase access to elite universities for disadvantaged students from rural areas and less developed inland regions. Using administrative data of 1996-2015 freshman cohorts and survey data of a 2014 freshman cohort at X University in the eastern China,…

Tinkering self-efficacy and team interaction on freshman engineering design teams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, Arlisa Labrie

This study utilizes Bandura's theory of self-efficacy as a framework to examine the development of tinkering skills white working on a freshman engineering design team. The four sources of self-efficacy were analyzed in the context of tinkering within the design team. The research question, 'Does tinkering self-efficacy change for female students during the Freshman Engineering Design class while working on mixed sex teams?', was addressed using quantitative data collection and field observations. Approximately 41 students enrolled in a freshman engineering design class at a public university in the southwest participated by providing self-reports about their tinkering involvement during each design project. In addition, three mixed-sex student teams were observed while working to complete the course design projects. An observation protocol based on Bandura's sources of self efficacy, was used to document tinkering interactions within the three observed teams. The results revealed that Bandura's sources of self-efficacy influenced tinkering involvement. The self-efficacy source, performance accomplishment measured through prior tinkering experience, was the most influential on tinkering involvement. Unlike Bandura's ranking of influence, verbal persuasion was shown to correlate with more tinkering behaviors than the observation of others. The number of females on a team had no impact on tinkering involvement. Tinkering involvement did not change as students progressed from one project to another. However, the competitive nature of the design project appeared to have a negative impact on tinkering involvement and the division of tasks within the team. In addition, a difference was found in the female students' perception of their tinkering involvement and observation of their tinkering involvement. The findings suggest that effective implementation of teamwork including teamwork preparation, more emphasis on the design process and the elimination of competition between teams are necessary to create a more equitable learning environment.

Improving physical activity, mental health outcomes, and academic retention in college students with Freshman 5 to Thrive: COPE/Healthy Lifestyles.

PubMed

Melnyk, Bernadette; Kelly, Stephanie; Jacobson, Diana; Arcoleo, Kimberly; Shaibi, Gabriel

2014-06-01

To assess the preliminary effects of a new course entitled Freshman 5 to Thrive/COPE Healthy Lifestyles on the cognitive beliefs, knowledge, mental health outcomes, healthy lifestyle choices, physical activity, and retention of college freshmen. Measures included demographics, nutrition knowledge, healthy lifestyle beliefs, healthy lifestyle perceived difficulty, healthy lifestyle choices, Beck Youth Inventories-II (anxiety, depression, anxiety, and destructive behavior), step count via pedometer, and college retention. The experimental COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) group had greater intentions to live a healthy lifestyle (p = .02) versus the comparison group. COPE students also significantly increased their physical activity (p = .003) from baseline to postintervention and had a higher college retention rate than students who did not take the course. In addition, there was a significant decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms in COPE students whose baseline scores were elevated. The Freshman 5 to Thrive Course is a promising intervention that can be used to enhance healthy lifestyle behaviors and improve mental health outcomes in college freshmen. ©2013 The Author(s) ©2013 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Student Employment: Linking College and the Workplace. The Freshman Year Experience. Monograph Series Number 23.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kincaid, Rick, Ed.

Thirteen chapters address issues concerning college student employment including the impact of student employment, research on student employment, and making student employment more productive. Chapters include: (1) "Encouraging Student Development Through Student Employment" (Arthur W. Chickering and others); (2) "Career…

Development of a Study Skills Curriculum as a Component of the ACT I Extended Freshman Orientation Experience at Brenau: Curriculum and Program Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Patricia W.

The purpose of this practicum was to develop a study skills curriculum to be incorporated into the existing ACT I Extended Freshman Orientation program at Brenau College in Georgia, to assist underprepared students admitted under special admissions programs in achieving greater academic success. An eight-step curriculum development process was…

THE G.P.A. CRITERION AND SELECTIVE RETENTION IN TEACHER EDUCATION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PIERSON, ROBERT A.

TO DETERMINE WHETHER ARBITRARY GRADE-POINT AVERAGE CUT-OFF POINTS (E.G. 2.25) FOR ENTRANCE INTO TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE UNFAIR TO PRESENT-DAY STUDENTS, NINETY 1966 COLLEGE SOPHOMORES WITH FRESHMAN-YEAR GPA'S BETWEEN 2.00 AND 2.09 WERE COMPARED TO THE SAME NUMBER OF 1961 SOPHOMORES WITH FRESHMAN-YEAR GPA'S BETWEEN 2.25 AND 2.34 USING (1)…

Internet Cognitive Failure and Fatigue Relevant to Learners' Self-Regulation and Learning Progress in English Vocabulary with a Calibration Scheme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, J.-C.; Hwang, M.-Y.; Chang, H.-W.; Tai, K.-H.; Kuo, Y.-C.; Tsai, Y.-H.

2015-01-01

To determine the factors of learning effectiveness in English vocabulary learning when using a calibration scheme, this study developed a freshman English mobile device application (for iPhone 4) for students with low levels of English proficiency to practise vocabulary in the beginning of their Freshman English course. Data were collected and…

Composition for Critical Thinking: A Course Description.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazere, Donald

Intended for college or secondary school teachers of courses beyond the basic level in freshman English and composition, this course description treats components of composition for critical thinking, including semantics, tone, logic, and argumentation, and their application to writing critical, argumentative, and research papers. The introduction…

Freshman year computer engineering students' experiences for flipped physics lab class: An action research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akı, Fatma Nur; Gürel, Zeynep

2017-02-01

The purpose of this research is to determine the university students' learning experiences about flipped-physics laboratory class. The research has been completed during the fall semester of 2015 at Computer Engineering Department of Istanbul Commerce University. In this research, also known as a teacher qualitative research design, action research method is preferred to use. The participants are ten people, including seven freshman and three junior year students of Computer Engineering Department. The research data was collected at the end of the semester with the focus group interview which includes structured and open-ended questions. And data was evaluated with categorical content analysis. According to the results, students have some similar and different learning experiences to flipped education method for physics laboratory class.

[A four year study of the personal and interpersonal value systems of freshman nursing students at Yonsei University].

PubMed

Choi, Y S

1991-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the values of freshman nursing students and to determine changes each year over the four years of the study and to provide base data for curriculum and student guidance. The sample consisted of the freshman students who entered college of nursing from 1988 through 1991. The total sample was 358 students and data were collected during March of each of the four years. The data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and Pearson Correlation to examine the relationship between the subcategories of values and Duncan multiple range test to examine the relationship between the scores for each year and the demographic data. The instrument used in this study was the Survey of Personal Values and Interpersonal Values modified by UngYun Hwang and KyungHae Lee in accordance with L.V. Gordon's instrument. This tool provides scores on practical mindedness, achievement, variety, decisiveness, orderliness, goal orientation, support, conformity, recognition, independence, benevolence and leadership. The results of the study were as follows: 1. The nursing freshman students surveyed had the highest score for goal orientation (21.44) and the lowest for variety (17.13) on the SPV (Survey of Personal Values) and the highest score for benevolence (21.19) and lowest for leadership (17.00) on the SIV (Survey of Interpersonal Values). In accordance with the standardized scores for Gordon's SPV for other woman college students, the students in the study were between the 78%ile-97%ile and were in the 72%ile-97%ile for the SIV. 2. When t-test scores were compared, no significant variation was found between the years for each of the values (P less than .05). 3. A significant variation was found on variety, between 1989 and 1991 (P less than .05), and between 1988 and 1991. The highest score was in 1991 in both comparisons. Supporting was also higher for 1991 than for 1988 (P less than .05). 4. Religion and occupation of father did not show any significant differences (P less than .05). There was no significant difference in values according to the student's religion or the occupation of their father. Students born in the metropolitan area had a higher score on variety than those from the rural area and vice versa on regularity (P less than .05). The results of this study show that there is a higher score on values for Y University freshman than shown for freshmen in other universities reported from other research. To keep or promote values, it is very important that there be a systematic strategy of education and special educational programs.

An Exploration of How Involvement in a Freshman Retention Program Relates to Intention to Complete an Undergraduate Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clounch, Teresa Lynn

2010-01-01

The study examined the relationship of the level and type of involvement of freshman students in the Hawk Link Retention Program, a first-year program at the University of Kansas, to intent to return and graduate. The study found that participants were retained at a high level but that their type and level of involvement were not related to…

Changes in Freshman Attitudes Following a Semester of Classes and Interventions. Student Success Companion Report to 2014 National Freshman Attitudes Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel-Levitz, Inc., 2014

2014-01-01

How much do the attitudes and needs of college freshmen change after attending classes for a semester and receiving targeted interventions aimed at increasing their success in college? To find out, Noel-Levitz compared pre- and post-survey data from more than 10,000 first-year undergraduates nationwide in 2013 who completed an initial motivational…

Relation between eating habits and a high body mass index among freshman students: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Gunes, Fatma Esra; Bekiroglu, Nural; Imeryuz, Nese; Agirbasli, Mehmet

2012-06-01

This study aimed to examine the relation between eating habits and a high body mass index (BMI) in first-year freshman university students and included 2525 freshman university students 18 to 22 years old from a Turkish population. İn this study, 48% of the students were men. They were asked to complete a questionnaire on their dietary habits including the frequency of their consumption of individual food items, demographic data, and smoking habit. The effects of eating habits on increased BMI (≥25) were analyzed. Of 2259 subjects included in the analyses, 322 were overweight or obese and 1937 had normal and thin BMI (<25). Multivariate analyses identified male gender, recent weight change, and high number of meals as independent predictors of obesity/overweight. Frequent consumptions of beer, alcoholic drinks other than beer and wine (e.g., spirits including whisky, gin, raki, vodka), coffee, tea, coke, red meat, variety meat, and eggs were associated with a significantly higher risk of obesity/overweight, whereas frequent consumption of snacks was associated with a low risk. Findings of further studies, possibly taking into consideration the absolute quantities of consumption along with cultural and local issues, would guide the adoption of healthier feeding behaviors in this particular age group.

Student Preferences for M-Learning Application Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delialioglu, Ömer; Alioon, Yasaman

2014-01-01

This study attempts to find out students' expectations from mobile learning (m-learning) applications. The relationship between students' grade levels (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and their preferred m-learning application characteristics were analyzed. A questionnaire on students' preferences in m-learning applications was used as the…

The Student Mathematics Portfolio: Value Added to Student Preparation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burks, Robert

2010-01-01

This article describes key elements for educators to successfully implement a student mathematics portfolio in an undergraduate mathematics course. This article offers practical advice for implementing a student mathematics portfolio in a freshman precalculus course. We look at the potential value added to student class preparation and compare our…

Teaching medical physics to general audiences.

PubMed Central

Amador, S

1994-01-01

By judiciously selecting topics and reading materials, one can teach a full semester course on medical physics appropriate for college students not majoring in the natural sciences. This interdisciplinary field offers an opportunity to teach a great deal of basic physics at the freshman level in the context of explaining modern medical technologies such as ultrasound imaging, laser surgery, and positron emission tomography. This article describes one such course which combines lectures, outside visitors, varied readings, and laboratories to convey a select subset of physical principles and quantitative problem-solving skills. These resources are also valuable for enriching the standard freshman physics sequence for premedical students. PMID:8075355

Environmental influences on young adult weight gain: evidence from a natural experiment.

PubMed

Kapinos, Kandice A; Yakusheva, Olga

2011-01-01

This study investigated the importance of environmental influences in explaining weight gain and related behaviors among freshman college students. We exploited a natural experiment that takes place on most college campuses in the United States--randomized dormitory assignments. We estimated the effects of living in dormitories with varying physical environment characteristics on weight gain and related behaviors (daily number of meals and snacks, weekly frequency of exercise) among randomly assigned freshman students. We found strong evidence linking weight and related behaviors to individual dormitories, as well as to specific characteristics of the dormitories. On average, students assigned to dormitories with on-site dining halls gained more weight and exhibited more behaviors consistent with weight gain during the freshman year as compared with students not assigned to such dormitories. Females in such dormitories weighed .85 kg (p = .03) more and exercised 1.43 (p < .01) times fewer; males consumed .22 (p = .02) more meals and .38 (p = .01) more snacks. For female students, closer proximity of the dormitory to a campus gym led to more frequent exercise (.54, p = .03), whereas living closer to central campus reduced exercise (-.97, p = .01). Using a natural experiment to deal with the potential endogeneity of the living environment, this study found that the physical environment affects both students' weight changes and weight-related behaviors. Copyright © 2011 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Facilitating Conceptual Change in Students' Understanding of Electrochemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niaz, Mansoor

2002-01-01

Constructs a teaching strategy to facilitate conceptual change in freshman students' understanding of electrochemistry. Provides students with the correct response along with alternative responses (teaching experiments), producing a conflicting situation that is conducive to an equilibration of their cognitive structures. Concludes that the…

Student vs Faculty Curriculum Advising

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Coke R.; Myers, Rosemary

1975-01-01

Attitudes toward advisers and first-year academic progress were assessed for 223 freshman students at Idaho State University. Students advised by students had more positive attitudes toward their advisers and lower drop rates than those advised by faculty. No difference was observed for achieved GPA. Bases for evaluation are discussed. (Author)

Use and Perception of Electronic Cigarettes among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trumbo, Craig W.; Harper, Raquel

2013-01-01

Objective: This study provides insight into how electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may affect the social normative environment for tobacco use among college students. Participants: Participants were 244 freshman and sophomore students. Methods: Students completed an online self-report survey in April 2011. Results: There is a higher acceptance…

Absence Excuses in Freshman College Classes and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Pengfei

2013-01-01

Class attendance is directly tied to student learning and student-faculty satisfaction. Although learning style and attitudes have evolved in college students of the internet generation, the reasons why students skip classes and assignments, and measures to improve the situation have not been comprehensively studied. Increased numbers of students…

International Freshman Performance: GPA, Retention, Graduation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Terri; Jacobs, Jonathan; Thompson, Roger T.

2016-01-01

The number of international students enrolling at U.S. higher education institutions has increased dramatically in the last 20 years. U.S. institutions welcome these students as they affirm their academic reputation and their claims to provide a global experience for domestic students. Is this student group being served effectively? The increase…

Motivationally-Informed Interventions for At-Risk STEM Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassaee, Ameneh Mahrou; Rowell, Ginger Holmes

2016-01-01

Researchers have confirmed that students' motivation is one of the most important factors educators can target to improve learning (Williams & Williams, 2011). This study explored the role which student's motivation played in the retention of first-time, full-time freshman (FTFTF) STEM majors at University (U) (blinded). Student motivational…

An Experiment in "Flipped" Teaching in Freshman Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Laura; Brennan, Joseph Phillip

2015-01-01

At Binghamton, Calculus 1 is taught to over 1000 students each fall in sections of about 30-40 students, with graduate student instructors teaching most sections. Despite having small classrooms instead of lecture halls, the satisfaction and performance of students has historically been poor. We had hoped to improve student success by changing how…

Relationships between Psychological Wellbeing of Thai College Students, Goal Orientations, and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sosik, John J.; Chun, Jae Uk; Koul, Ravinder

2017-01-01

This paper examined the direct and interaction effects of students' learning and performance-avoidance goal orientations on their psychological wellbeing and a moderating role of students' gender in these relationships. Using 564 self-reports of freshman college students in a Thai university, we found students' psychological wellbeing to be…

Role Perceptions of Freshman and Senior Nursing and Medical Students and Attitudes toward Collaborative Decision Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laschinger, Heather K. Spence; Weston, Wayne

1995-01-01

Nursing (n=109) and medical (n=108) students from a large Canadian research university were surveyed to determine differences between first- and fourth-year students' perceptions of necessary competencies. Nursing students' perceptions of competencies important for medicine were more congruent than medical students' perceptions of those important…

Falling Off Track: How Teacher-Student Relationships Predict Early High School Failure Rates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Shazia Rafiullah

This paper examines the relationship between the climate of teacher-student relations within a school and individual student's likelihood of freshman year success. Using administrative data from the Chicago Public Schools and survey data, researchers used hierarchical linear modeling to determine whether teacher-student climate predicts students'…

Assistive technology outcomes in post-secondary students with disabilities: the influence of diagnosis, gender, and class-level.

PubMed

Malcolm, Matt P; Roll, Marla C

2017-11-01

This study investigated how outcomes of assistive technology (AT) services for college students with disabilities are influenced by diagnosis, gender and class-level (e.g., Freshman). Students' pre- and post-intervention ratings of their performance and satisfaction of common academic tasks (using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, COPM) were analyzed, as well as students' responses on a survey about AT service provision, use, and preferences. Data from 455 students revealed "learning disability" to be the most prevalent diagnosis (38%), similar numbers of females and males served, and Freshmen (23.1%) as the largest class-level seeking AT services. For COPM data, each two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (grouping variable = diagnosis) revealed that pre-post change scores significantly improved for the entire sample, and that students with a mood disorder experienced the greatest changes compared to other diagnoses. COPM scores significantly and similarly improved for females and males, and across class levels. AT Survey ratings about timeliness of services and independent AT use were significantly lower for students with mobility deficits/pain and neurological damage, respectively. Gender and class-level variables did not significantly impact AT Survey ratings. The study results reveal that features of a college student's diagnosis may influence AT service outcomes, and student-perceptions of AT services ability to use AT. Implications for Rehabilitation College students who are Freshman and/or who have a learning disability are the most prevalent students referred for campus-based assistive technology services. While student ratings of academic task performance significantly increase across diagnostic groupings, these improvements were greatest for those with a mood disorder compared to other diagnostic groups. Service-providers should consider that features of certain diagnoses or disabilities may influence the student?s perception of AT service provision and their ability to use AT. A student's gender and class-level (e.g., Freshman) do not appear to influence the outcomes of AT services for college students with disabilities.

Students Working for Their Education: An Exploratory Study on Student Engagement at Work Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Nicolas C.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to use the National Survey of Student Engagement's (NSSE) measures of student engagement to determine whether there were different levels of student self-reported engagement scores when comparing freshman and senior level students who attend work colleges (WC) with public, four-year, small, highly residential…

The effects of computer-aided design software on engineering students' spatial visualisation skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kösa, Temel; Karakuş, Fatih

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of computer-aided design (CAD) software-based instruction on the spatial visualisation skills of freshman engineering students in a computer-aided engineering drawing course. A quasi-experimental design was applied, using the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Visualization of Rotations (PSVT:R) for both the pre- and the post-test. The participants were 116 freshman students in the first year of their undergraduate programme in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at a university in Turkey. A total of 72 students comprised the experimental group; they were instructed with CAD-based activities in an engineering drawing course. The control group consisted of 44 students who did not attend this course. The results of the study showed that a CAD-based engineering drawing course had a positive effect on developing engineering students' spatial visualisation skills. Additionally, the results of the study showed that spatial visualisation skills can be a predictor for success in a computer-aided engineering drawing course.

Evaluation of an audience response system in a preclinical operative dentistry course.

PubMed

Elashvili, Ana; Denehy, Gerald E; Dawson, Deborah V; Cunningham, Marsha A

2008-11-01

Student performance was compared on written and psychomotor skill tests of freshman dental students receiving conventional lectures versus the same lectures containing interactive components using TurningPoint, a wireless audience response system (ARS). The research design was a controlled crossover study with seventy-seven freshman dental students conducted in a preclinical operative dentistry course. Two randomized groups alternated the two study lectures, one with ARS and the other without ARS. Student knowledge retention was measured through written examination using immediate posttest, as well as questions on the unit and final examinations. Psychomotor skill tests were given on both lecture topics. Statistically significant differences indicating superiority of ARS were identified for performance on the immediate posttest and psychomotor skill test only for the lecture "Principles of Dental Bonding." The other examinations/skill testing showed no significant difference. These results indicate that ARS is a promising teaching tool for dental education.

Easing the Transition to High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lampert, Joan

2005-01-01

First-year students in high school face numerous pressures and usually have to face high school finals on their own. It does not have to be this way as a school outside Chicago, Maine East, demonstrates with its Freshman Advisory program that has senior students mentoring first year students.

Student Heterogeneity and Diversity at Catholic Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Diane Cardenas

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine structural diversity at Catholic colleges; more specifically, the variation in the student body diversity characteristics of a sample of freshman students matriculated at Catholic colleges. For the purpose of this article, diversity characteristics include background characteristics associated with student…

Group Interaction as a Vehicle to Facilitate Faculty-Student Advisement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchins, David E.; Miller, William B.

1979-01-01

Faculty and upperclass students were trained in group techniques for freshman advising. The 144 advisees had fewer course and room changes, disciplinary referrals and suspensions, and less residence hall damage. They also returned as sophomores in greater numbers than students who experienced traditional advising. (Author)

Student Writing: Strategies to Reverse Ongoing Decline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Michael J.; Harper, Heather

2013-01-01

This article reports on the decline in writing ability skills in secondary and higher education students. The author discusses changes that have affected student writing skills over the recent decades and offers recommendations for improving these skills, such as: implementing intensive freshman writing courses; adjusting existing course…

Millennials: Their Attitudes and Their Effects on Freshman Retention in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naples, Susan G.

2010-01-01

Some institutions of higher education have become aware of escalating student attrition rates. Student attrition rates cause many problems, including a decrease in student population, unfavorable completion and placement rates, and a reduced cash flow. Most importantly, students are not fulfilling their education goals. The goal for most students…

Urban and Rural College Students' Family Background and Their Participation in Student Organization: A Study in Guangzhou University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hui, Liu; Min, Yang

2017-01-01

Based on the survey of "undergraduate family and educational background and freshman learning experience," a statistical analysis of Guangzhou University first-year undergraduate students' family backgrounds and participation in student organizational activities found a significant correlation between family background and the degree of…

Eyes on Cognitive Styles and the Processing of Visual Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sitz, Robert

A simulated art history textbook reading assignment was designed to examine the effects of visual information on student learning and understanding. A sample of 234 students was taken from a population of freshman/sophomore English students in a large metropolitan community college district. In phase one of the study, students took the Group…

Student Retention: Helping Underprepared Students Succeed at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Melinda L.

2013-01-01

Higher education institutions have been challenged with retaining students until graduation over the past forty years. The greatest attrition occurs during the freshman-to-sophomore year. College administrators must evaluate data trends to determine the academic needs of enrolled students so effective programming can be developed and executed to…

The Correlation between Student/Instructor Rapport, Student Perceptions of Instructor Effectiveness, and Course Grade Expectations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yezbick, Erin Lewis

2016-01-01

The researcher attempted to determine if a correlation exists between student/instructor rapport, student perceptions of instructor effectiveness, and course grade expectations for freshman general education courses at a career college in the Great Lakes Region of the United States. Previous studies have determined that rapport affects motivation…

Diversity of Students' Beliefs about Biological Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clores, Michael A.; Limjap, Auxencia A.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the beliefs about biological evolution held by college freshman students in one Catholic university in the Philippines. After 4 weeks of constructivist-inspired instruction, interviews and journal entries revealed that the students have diverse beliefs about the theory of evolution. They posited…

Creativity Styles of Freshman Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, V. K.; And Others

1991-01-01

First-year college students (n=182) were tested to determine their beliefs about and approaches to creative endeavors. Students self-identified as creative employed a greater number of techniques such as brainstorming and were less motivated by the goal of developing a final product, compared to those identified as least creative. (JDD)

Orientation Courses: Meeting the Needs of Different Student Populations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higbee, Jeanne L.

A model that includes three distinct syllabi for orientation courses for different subgroups of the college or university freshman population is presented. Among the groups with special needs are underprepared students who may be motivated but need skill development, and underachieving students characterized by untapped potential. One means of…

Effectiveness of Field Trips in Teaching Groundwater Concepts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pederson, Darryll T.

1979-01-01

The field trip procedures described were devised for use with freshman college students as an alternative to a classroom or laboratory session. Pre-test and post-test of students' knowledge of groundwater concepts show significant change in students' understanding of groundwater occurance and movement following such a trip. (RE)

46 CFR 310.7 - Federal student subsistence allowances and student incentive payments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... established freshmen subsidy allocation for each School, the school shall select the individuals in its new... Federal student subsistence payments for uniforms, textbooks and subsistence as provided in the 1958 Act. The freshman subsidy allocations for each school are as follows: California Maritime Academy 99; Maine...

46 CFR 310.7 - Federal student subsistence allowances and student incentive payments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... established freshmen subsidy allocation for each School, the school shall select the individuals in its new... Federal student subsistence payments for uniforms, textbooks and subsistence as provided in the 1958 Act. The freshman subsidy allocations for each school are as follows: California Maritime Academy 99; Maine...

46 CFR 310.7 - Federal student subsistence allowances and student incentive payments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... established freshmen subsidy allocation for each School, the school shall select the individuals in its new... Federal student subsistence payments for uniforms, textbooks and subsistence as provided in the 1958 Act. The freshman subsidy allocations for each school are as follows: California Maritime Academy 99; Maine...

Students as Technicians: Screening Newborns for Cystic Fibrosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gusky, Sharon

2014-01-01

In this activity, freshman college students learn biotechnology techniques while playing the role of a laboratory technician. They perform simulations of three diagnostic tests used to screen newborns for cystic fibrosis. By performing an ELISA, a PCR analysis, and a conductivity test, students learn how biotechnology techniques can be used to…

A Survey of Student Experiences, Spring, 1973.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litwin, James L.

The Modular Achievement Program (MAP) at Bowling Green State University was designed to offer students an alternative experience for the freshman year. The experience would include small classes, a student-oriented staff, career workshops and an innovative curriculum. This document describes and reports the findings of a survey of student…

Promoting Student Learning in a Large General Chemistry Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchanan, Stacey A.; Reynolds, Melissa M.; Duersch, Brett S.; Lohr, Lawrence L.; Coppola, Brian P.; Zusho, Akane; Pintrich, Paul R.

2004-01-01

Based on recent reports in the science education literature, curricular modifications were made to one section of a freshman-level general chemistry course. Assessment results indicate that these modifications resulted in a more student-centered learning environment and increased student learning and satisfaction as compared to results from…

Exploratory Honors Students: Academic Major and Career Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carduner, Jessie; Padak, Gary M.; Reynolds, Jamie

2011-01-01

In this qualitative study, we investigated the academic major and career decision-making processes of honors college students who were declared as "exploratory" students in their freshman year at a large, public, midwestern university. We used semistandardized interviews and document analysis as primary data collection methods to answer…

The summer premedical program for matriculating medical students: a student-led initiative.

PubMed

Awad, Ayman M; Alamodi, Abdulhadi A; Shareef, Mohammad A; Alsheikh, Ammar J; Mahmoud, Asim I; Daghistany, Asem O; Hijazi, Mohammed M; Abu-Zaid, Ahmed; Alsadoon, Mohamed; Shabllout, Mohamed; Rasool, Abduljabar; Yaqinuddin, Ahmed

2014-03-01

The freshman academic year is one of the most difficult years that a medical student experiences in his/her academic life at a medical school. Freshmen are frequently faced with several challenges, such as adaptation to a new academic environment and its associated different methods of teaching, learning, skills, and assessment. The aim of this study was to describe a 4-wk innovative summer premedical program developed by senior medical students at the College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, in an attempt to improve/smooth the experience(s) of prospective freshmen. This report describes the objectives/strategies/methodologies used to tackle the top three identified freshman challenges, namely, 1) advancement of the academic/scholastic/educational background, 2) the development of college-required skills to succeed and excel in the freshman year, and 3) adaption to the college environment. At the end of the program, a survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the summer premedical program. Seventy-two students attended this program over the past three summers from 2010 to 2012, and twenty-nine students answered the survey with a response rate of 74.1%. Overall, >90% of the survey respondents reported an improvement in their understanding of basic medical science, integration, presentation skills, medical terminology, and junior-senior relationships. Furthermore, the survey highlighted the need for more focus on skills such as time management, participation in large-group discussions, and use of electronic resources, as >50% of respondents reported no improvement in these areas. In conclusion, this is the first report, to our knowledge, that describes a program developed by senior medical students to improve the experience of freshmen.

Examination of engineering design teacher self-efficacy and knowledge base in secondary technology education and engineering-related courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vessel, Kanika Nicole

2011-12-01

There is an increasing demand for individuals with engineering education and skills of varying fields in everyday life. With the proper education students of high-needs schools can help meet the demand for a highly skilled and educated workforce. Researchers have assumed the supply and demand has not been met within the engineering workforce as a result of students' collegiate educational experiences, which are impacted by experiences in K-12 education. Although factors outside of the classroom contribute to the inability of universities to meet the increasing demand for the engineering workforce, most noted by researchers is the academic unpreparedness of freshman engineering students. The unpreparedness of entering freshman engineering students is a result of K-12 classroom experiences. This draws attention not only to the quality and competence of teachers present in the K-12 classroom, but the type of engineering instruction these students are receiving. This paper was an effort to systematically address one of the more direct and immediate factors impacting freshman engineering candidates, the quality of secondary engineering educators. Engineers develop new ideas using the engineering design process, which is taught at the collegiate level, and has been argued to be the best approach to teach technological literacy to all K-12 students. However, it is of importance to investigate whether technology educators have the knowledge and understanding of engineering design, how to transfer that knowledge in the classroom to students through instructional strategies, and their perception of their ability to do that. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to show the need for examining the degree to which technology and non-technology educators are implementing elements of engineering design in the curriculum.

Adult College Students in American Films: An Untapped Resource for Research in Adult and Continuing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborn, Rick

1990-01-01

Considers the value of extending adult education research into films about adult college students as a source of cultural information. Analyzes the 1949 film, "Mother Is a Freshman," as an example. (SK)

SoBA Central: An Integrated Programmatic Approach Designed to Enhance Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnick, Cheryl; Nelson, Sandi; Harrington, Michael; Tarkalson, Kathleen; Furniss, Jerry

2013-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that effective career advising for business students beginning with the freshman year is crucial. Student career advising and career development needs in professional schools are best met by the school itself rather than a central campus-wide resource unfamiliar with the specific needs of business students. This paper…

Motivating Freshman Students in a Business Management Course via Portfolios: Practice from a Greek Public University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papadimitriou, Antigoni

2009-01-01

There are many ways to approach the evaluation of student learning. Portfolios, as collections of student work, are an increasingly popular assessment strategy, especially in the United States. Portfolios provide an exceptionally comprehensive picture of student learning. However, this assessment method requires extra effort to plan, to evaluate,…

Diversity and Inclusion in Social Media: A Case Study of Student Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daugird, Debra; Everett, Marlena; Jones, Mary; Lewis, Lisa; White, Angela

2015-01-01

A freshman student posts on her social media account remarks that reflect intolerance and bigotry. Fellow students and faculty are upset, and disciplinary action follows. Was the student's right to free speech ignored or were the rights of others to a welcoming and inclusive environment infringed upon? This case guides the reader through some of…

Developing an Early-Alert System to Promote Student Visits to Tutor Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cai, Qijie; Lewis, Carrie L.; Higdon, Jude

2015-01-01

An early-alert system (MavCLASS) was developed and piloted in a large gateway math class with 611 freshman students to identify academically at-risk students and provide alert messages. It was found that there was significant association between the alert messages students received and their visits to the university's tutor center. Further, the…

Study of Students' Intention to Leave College during Their Freshman Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Duser, Kyle Eric

2017-01-01

The issue of first year student retention has major financial ramifications for institutions of higher education, state and federal governments, and most importantly, the students who decide to depart. This research inquiry used a collective case study to answer the following question: Why do first-time degree seeking students at a large public…

It Just Didn't Work Out: Examining Nonreturning Students' Stories About Their Freshman Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jason M.

2017-01-01

First-year college student retention is important to colleges and universities, as well as beyond academia. An analysis was conduced of emergent themes and subthemes from 144 nonreturning students' stories about school and about home throughout their first-year experience. These students wrote more negative stories about school-related events than…

Piltdown Man: Combining the Instruction of Scientific Ethics and Qualitative Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, John B.

1999-11-01

In combination with lectures on scientific method and the problems of scientific misconduct in a freshman chemistry course at The University of Alabama, a laboratory experiment was developed to allow students to feel some of the sense of scientific discovery associated with the exposure of the Piltdown Man fraud. This is accomplished by modifying a commonly performed freshman chemistry laboratory experiment, qualitative analysis of group III metal ions. Pieces of chalk are treated with chromium, manganese, and iron to simulate the treatment used to forge the Piltdown "fossils"; students can use techniques in qualitative analysis schemes for the group III ions to determine whether the samples are "forgeries" and if so which metal ion(s) were used.

MATLAB Meets LEGO Mindstorms--A Freshman Introduction Course into Practical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behrens, A.; Atorf, L.; Schwann, R.; Neumann, B.; Schnitzler, R.; Balle, J.; Herold, T.; Telle, A.; Noll, T. G.; Hameyer, K.; Aach, T.

2010-01-01

In today's teaching and learning approaches for first-semester students, practical courses more and more often complement traditional theoretical lectures. This practical element allows an early insight into the real world of engineering, augments student motivation, and enables students to acquire soft skills early. This paper describes a new…

A Comparison of Freshman and Transfer Student Attitudes and Behavior Toward Drugs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fago, David P.; Sedlacek, William E.

1975-01-01

Questionnaires to 170 new transfer students and 761 new freshmen indicated that transfer students had tried most drugs and liquor more often than freshmen, and transfers tended to be more regular users of marijuana, cocaine, beer, wine, and liquor than freshmen. Reasons for drug use and nonuse are discussed. (Author)

Chilean Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers and Undergraduate Students' Understandings of Evolutionary Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cofré, Hernán; Jiménez, Juan; Santibáñez, David; Vergara, Claudia

2016-01-01

Despite the importance of the theory of evolution to scientific knowledge, a number of misconceptions continue to be found among teachers and undergraduate students. The aim of the present study was to describe and characterise knowledge about evolution among 120 freshman undergraduate students of two natural sciences programmes (environmental…

Arguments, Contradictions, Resistances, and Conceptual Change in Students' Understanding of Atomic Structure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niaz, Mansoor; Aguilera, Damarys; Maza, Arelys; Liendo, Gustavo

2002-01-01

Reports on a study aimed at facilitating freshman general chemistry students' understanding of atomic structure based on the work of Thomson, Rutherford, and Bohr. Hypothesizes that classroom discussions based on arguments/counterarguments of the heuristic principles on which these scientists based their atomic models can facilitate students'…

Sex Differences in Secondary School Success: Why Female Students Perform Better

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Franziska; Schult, Johannes; Hell, Benedikt

2013-01-01

School success is closely linked to intelligence but also to non-cognitive factors such as achievement motivation. The present study examines which non-cognitive factors predict secondary school grades and looks at reasons why female students tend to outperform their male counterparts. A sample of 554 German freshman students provided measures of…

Benefits of Service-Learning for Freshmen College Students and Elementary School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eppler, Marion A.; Ironsmith, Marsha; Dingle, Stephanie H.; Errickson, Marissa A.

2011-01-01

Freshman honors students in a service-learning course tutored low-income English Language Learning kindergartners, first-, and second-graders in reading. We conducted two separate data collections, one assessing college students' attitudes and motives (Study 1) and one exploring the benefits for elementary school children (Study 2). We measured…

Changes in Student Motivational Structure During Adolescence: A Pilot Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gnagey, William J.

This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study of the motivational profiles of 524 students from grade 7 through the freshman year in college. A new Motivation Inventory was administered to all students. This instrument measures six classes of needs referred to by Abraham Maslow as physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem,…

Analysis of Student Performance on the Undergraduate Record Examinations (1973).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litwin, James L.

This report examines the performance of students in the Modular Achievement Program (MAP) at Bowling Green State University using the Undergraduate Record Examinations (URE) as the primary criterion. The performances of students in MAP on the URE is delineated and compared to the performance of freshman and sophomore norm groups at Bowling Green…

A Longitudinal Study Examining Changes in Students' Leadership Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posner, Barry Z.

2009-01-01

This study investigated the impact of a leadership development program in students' first year with the subsequent leadership behaviors of those students in their senior year. Significant changes were reported in the frequency of engaging in leadership behaviors from freshman to senior years. No differences were found on the basis of gender. In…

Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use among First-Year Drinking College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Michele Johnson; Werch, Chudley

2008-01-01

Objective: The authors explored the relationship between self-reported vigorous exercise frequency and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use behaviors among first-year college students who self-identified as drinkers. Participants: The authors recruited 391 freshman college students in Northeast Florida to participate in an alcohol abuse…

SQ 10 R.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaughnessy, Michael F.

While many students have found SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) and PQ 4 R (Preview, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite, Review) systems to be helpful, developmental/remedial students may need more assistance than the average freshman. Students who need more help to deal with the massive amounts of reading that needs to be done in…

An Introduction to Dynamic Systems and Feedback.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rabins, Michael J.

This introduction to dynamic systems is intended for freshman and sophomore students in engineering, physical science, or social science. Material has been class tested and has led to increased student interest in further work in systems analysis and operations research. Notes are written for the student and are self-contained. Material can be…

Nursing Students' Awareness and Intentional Maximization of Their Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayfield, Linda Riggs

2012-01-01

This small, descriptive, pilot study addressed survey data from four levels of nursing students who had been taught to maximize their learning styles in a first-semester freshman success skills course. Bandura's Agency Theory supports the design. The hypothesis was that without reinforcing instruction, the students' recall and application of that…

First Year Experience Course: Insights from the First Two Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Sheri L.; Stone, Mary F.

2012-01-01

Retention rates of students in a business school Freshman Year Experience (FYE) course were compared to overall University retention rates for two successive years. Slightly higher retention was experienced by the business FYE students than for the University overall. Student responses to exit survey questions were compared to retention activity…

Predictors of Academic Achievement and Retention among College Freshmen: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeBerard, M. Scott; Spielmans, Glen I.; Julka, Deana L.

2004-01-01

The freshman year represents a stressful transition for college students. Despite a multitude of social, academic, and emotional stressors, most college students successfully cope with a complex new life role and achieve academic success. Other students are less able to successfully manage this transition and decide to leave higher education…

Students' Perceptions and Development of Conceptual Understanding Regarding Trigonometry and Trigonometric Function

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetin, Omer Faruk

2015-01-01

This study aims to analyse university level mathematics education students' perceptions on conceptual understanding of trigonometry and trigonometric functions and their content development of these concepts. A case study was conducted with 90 freshman students of Elementary Mathematics Department. The data were gathered via a scale; they included…

"I Felt Like Such a Freshman": First-Year Students Crossing the Library Threshold

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, Paula R.; Jagman, Heather

2016-01-01

Qualitative analysis of reflective essays by first-year students in an academic skills course documented outcomes related to the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Student narratives showed how novices encounter the clusters of concepts described in the Framework as…

An Analysis of the Relationship between Distance from Campus and GPA of Commuter Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Danielle; Misra, Kaustav; Sype, Gail E.; Mackie, Wayne

2016-01-01

A variety of factors influence a student's ability to succeed in college and complete a degree program. Students who live on-campus, at least during their freshman year, have been shown to be more likely to complete their degrees than are students who live off-campus. Students who are commuters may have more demands on their time and may have…

Parent-Student Communication about College and Freshman Grades in First-Generation and Non-First-Generation Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palbusa, Julienne A.; Gauvain, Mary

2017-01-01

Prior research has found that students whose parents attended college begin college with more understanding of higher education than do first-generation students (Engle, 2007). Parents pass on knowledge along with advice and emotional support that help their children when they encounter new challenges, such as the transition to college. This study…

An Examination of Influences and Factors on the Institutional Selection Processes of Freshmen Student-Athletes at Small Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goss, Benjamin D.; Jubenville, Colby B.; Orejan, Jaime

2006-01-01

This study sought to identify institutional selection factors most influential upon small-college student-athletes. Mean scores for 229 freshman student-athletes from six institutions were analyzed using a modified Student-Athlete College Choice Profile Scale. The sample was also stratified by gender and sports-program categories. Overall, four of…

The Impact of Residence Design on Freshman Outcomes: Dormitories versus Suite-Style Residences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodger, Susan C.; Johnson, Andrew W.

2005-01-01

This study was designed to measure affective, behavioral, and cognitive variables in a sample of 3159 first-year students, and to compare these variables by the type of residence building in which the student lived. Students living in suite-style buildings reported a greater sense of belonging, and higher activity levels than students living in…

A Longitudinal Investigation of Emotional Health among First-Year College Students: Comparisons of Women and Men.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sax, Linda J.; Bryant, Alyssa N.; Gilmartin, Shannon K.

This study investigated how college students change in the first year of college with respect to their emotional health and how aspects of the college environment affect students' emotional health. Data were drawn from the 200 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey completed by 269,413 students in fall 2000 and the 2001…

Effective Student Teams for Collaborative Learning in an Introductory University Physics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harlow, Jason J. B.; Harrison, David M.; Meyertholen, Andrew

2016-01-01

We have studied the types of student teams that are most effective for collaborative learning in a large freshman university physics course. We compared teams in which the students were all of roughly equal ability to teams with a mix of student abilities, we compared teams with three members to teams with four members, and we examined teams with…

Assessing the Impact of First-Year Experience Courses on Student Success in Community and Technical Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Luv'Tesha L.

2016-01-01

This study examined the impact first-year experience courses have on first-year student performance when enrolled in these courses at public community and technical colleges in Kentucky. The target population for this research study was composed of freshman students participating in the course compared to students not participating in the same…

Another Dimension of Campus Date Rape: Assessing College Students' Attitudes. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korn, Jessica S.

This study examined the prevalence and impact of student attitudes tolerant toward or supportive of sexual aggression including date rape on college campuses. Data for the study come from the 1985 and 1989 Freshman Surveys involving a total of 89,070 male and female college students. Among the findings were the following: (1) students who oppose…

Stand Up and Write: Completing the Freshman Communications Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Richard M.; Nelson, Charles W.

Members of the English and speech faculty at Michigan Technological University combined and coordinated their ideas to find a way to introduce the basics of oral communication into the composition course. The course itself is structured according to the quarter system, in which basic composition is taught in the first term, research methods and…

The Use of Visual Media and Popular Culture in Teaching English Composition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavlik, Katherine Bernice Payant

There are many ways films, paintings, and photographs can be used in teaching freshman college composition courses. These materials illustrate such rhetorical principles as unity, use of detail, comparison, point of view, and metaphor. Similarly, popular culture such as advertisements, song lyrics, comics, newspapers, and magazines can illustrate…

The Freshman 15--A Closer Look

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gropper, Sareen S.; Simmons, Karla P.; Gaines, Alisha; Drawdy, Kelly; Saunders, Desiree; Ulrich, Pamela; Connell, Lenda Jo

2009-01-01

Objectives and Participants: Changes in body weight, composition, and size were examined in college freshmen at the beginning (initial, n = 240) and end of fall semester 2007 (n = 214) and the end of spring semester 2008 (n = 205). Methods: Height, weight, body composition, and waist and hip measurements were assessed. Results: Mean weight, body…

New Directions in Composition Research. Perspectives in Writing Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beach, Richard, Ed.; Bridwell, Lillian S., Ed.

This book contains 20 articles, from a wide variety of perspectives, designed to bridge the interests of researchers and teachers on the topic of current composition research. The following articles are included: "Studying the Writing Abilities of a University Freshman Class: Strategies from a Case Study" (Charles R. Cooper, with Roger…

Freshman Seminars: Interdisciplinary Engagements in Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemenway, M. K.

2006-08-01

The Freshman Seminar program at the University of Texas is designed to allow groups of fifteen students an engaging introduction to the University. The seminars introduce students to the resources of the university and allow them to identify interesting subjects for further research or future careers. An emphasis on oral and written communication by the students provides these first-year students a transition to college-level writing and thinking. Seminar activities include field trips to an art museum, a research library, and the Humanities Research Center rare book collection. This paper will report on two seminars, each fifteen weeks in length. In "The Galileo Scandal" students examine Galileo's struggle with the church (including a mock trial). They perform activities that connect his use of the telescope and observations to astronomical concepts. In "Astronomy and the Humanities" students analyze various forms of human expression that have astronomical connections (art, drama, literature, music, poetry, and science fiction); they perform hands-on activities to reinforce the related astronomy concepts. Evaluation of the seminars indicates student engagement and improvement in communication skills. Many of the activities could be used independently to engage students enrolled in standard introductory astronomy classes.

Mental health problems in college freshmen: Prevalence and academic functioning.

PubMed

Bruffaerts, Ronny; Mortier, Philippe; Kiekens, Glenn; Auerbach, Randy P; Cuijpers, Pim; Demyttenaere, Koen; Green, Jennifer G; Nock, Matthew K; Kessler, Ronald C

2018-01-01

Mental health problems in college and their associations with academic performance are not well understood. The main aim of this study was to investigate to what extent mental health problems are associated with academic functioning. As part of the World Mental Health Surveys International College Student project, 12-month mental health problems among freshmen (N = 4921) was assessed in an e-survey of students at KU Leuven University in Leuven, Belgium. The associations of mental health problems with academic functioning (expressed in terms of academic year percentage [or AYP] and grade point average [GPA]) were examined across academic departments. Approximately one in three freshman reports mental health problems in the past year, with internalizing and externalizing problems both associated with reduced academic functioning (2.9-4.7% AYP reduction, corresponding to 0.2-0.3 GPA reduction). The association of externalizing problems with individual-level academic functioning was significantly higher in academic departments with comparatively low average academic functioning. Limited sample size precluded further investigation of interactions between department-level and student-level variables. No information was available on freshman secondary school academic performance. Mental health problems are common in college freshman, and clearly associated with lower academic functioning. Additional research is needed to examine the potentially causal nature of this association, and, if so, whether interventions aimed at treating mental health problems might improve academic performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrical Sensing Devices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montana State Univ., Bozeman. Dept. of Agricultural and Industrial Education.

This unit of instruction on electrical sensing devices is designed especially for use with freshman vocational agriculture students. A unit plan discusses the general aims and goals, lesson titles, student and teacher activities, and references. The unit consists of four lessons. A lesson plan for each lesson provides these components: need;…

Saving the Freshman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Joyce V.

2010-01-01

The current educational reform agenda requires that stakeholders in the school community help all students graduate. The U.S. Department of Education's "A Blueprint for Reform: Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act" sends all stakeholders a clear message to take action that results in every student completing high school…

Incorporating Physical Activity with Dialectical Behavior Therapy to Treat Non Suicidal Self Injury in Freshman Female University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovelady, Tiffany T.

2016-01-01

As Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI) is increasing in prevalence among adolescents and young adults, College Counseling Centers (CCC's) are tasked with treating this population of students. CCC's are designed to provide counseling services to all students seeking assistance and therapy is typically relegated to short term psychotherapy with…

A Look at EFL Technical Students' Use of Learning Strategies in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Yu-Wei; Huang, Bih-Shia; Shih, Ming-Piao; Tsai, Chih-Hsin

2012-01-01

253 freshmen taking Freshman English from a university of technology in the central Taiwan participated in this study. The purposes of this research were to explore what learning strategy was used more frequently by college students and to investigate the variance of using learning strategies among students of different English proficiency levels.…

The Relationship of Field Dependent/Independent Cognitive Styles, Stimuli Variability and Time Factor on Student Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atang, Christopher I.

The effects of black and white and color illustrations on student achievement were studied to investigate the relationships between cognitive styles and instructional design. Field dependence (FD) and field independence (FI) were chosen as the cognitive style variables. Subjects were 85 freshman students in the Iowa State University Psychology…

Predicting the "Freshman 15": Environmental and Psychological Predictors of Weight Gain in First-Year University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vella-Zarb, Rachel A.; Elgar, Frank J.

2010-01-01

Objectives: (1) To investigate weight gain in first-year university students; and (2) to examine whether environmental and psychological factors, specifically accommodation and stress, predict weight gain. Methods: Eighty-four first-year university students (77 per cent female) were weighed and completed the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck…

A Classroom-Based Distributed Workflow Initiative for the Early Involvement of Undergraduate Students in Scientific Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedrich, Jon M.

2014-01-01

Engaging freshman and sophomore students in meaningful scientific research is challenging because of their developing skill set and their necessary time commitments to regular classwork. A project called the Chondrule Analysis Project was initiated to engage first- and second-year students in an initial research experience and also accomplish…

Impact of Intervention on Disadvantaged First Year Students Who Plan To Major in Health Sciences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haught, Patricia A.

This report describes a program designed to encourage minority and financially, socially, or educationally disadvantaged incoming, freshman students to pursue health profession career goals. Sixteen at-risk students were selected to participate in a summer intervention program in West Virginia; a control group of 16 pre-medicine or pre-dentistry…

A Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Intervention Strategies on Student Electricity Use in Campus Residence Halls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisecup, Allison K.; Grady, Dennis; Roth, Richard A.; Stephens, Julio

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether, and how, electricity consumption by students in university residence halls were impacted through three intervention strategies. Design/methodology/approach: The current investigation uses a quasi-experimental design by exposing freshman students in four matched residence halls and the…

An Examination of State and Trait Anxiety Levels among College Students Based on the Students' Alcohol Usage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovalesky, Richard

2010-01-01

This study examines anxiety and level of alcohol consumption among college freshman and sophomore student's to determine if state and trait anxiety are significant factors in high risk alcohol consumption or binge drinking. The State Trait Personality Inventory (STPI) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were administered to…

Assessing the Link between Learning Assistance Programs and the Retention, Probation, and Grade Point Average of Freshman University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballmer, Noelle C.

2017-01-01

As the push towards lowering attrition of university students intensifies, particularly for first-time-in-college freshmen, administrators and campus leaders are increasingly designing and implementing co-curricular programs to support this population in order to positively impact student outcomes, namely, the grade point average, student…

College Math Assessment: SAT Scores vs. College Math Placement Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley-Peres, Kathleen; Poirier, Dawn

2008-01-01

Many colleges and university's use SAT math scores or math placement tests to place students in the appropriate math course. This study compares the use of math placement scores and SAT scores for 188 freshman students. The student's grades and faculty observations were analyzed to determine if the SAT scores and/or college math assessment scores…

A Comparison of Freshman and Transfer Student Attitudes and Behavior Toward Drugs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fago, David P.; Sedlacek, William E.

This study compares the attitudes of transfer students toward drugs with those of freshmen. An anonymous poll was administered to 170 new freshmen. Results indicate that transfer students had tried speed, mescaline, LSD, DMT, cocaine, wine and liquor more often than freshmen, and that transfers tend to be more regular useres of marijuana, cocaine,…

A Comparison Study of Student Performance and Study Habits in College Algebra at a Hispanic Serving College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salinas, Lelia

2011-01-01

Large numbers of students arrive at colleges and universities unprepared, specifically in the area of mathematics. In Texas, approximately 47% of entering freshman students enroll in developmental mathematics. Mathematics is cited in the literature as cornerstone for success in science, and advanced technology. In this study, the extent to which…

Studying Computer Science in a Multidisciplinary Degree Programme: Freshman Students' Orientation, Knowledge, and Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kautz, Karlheinz; Kofoed, Uffe

2004-01-01

Teachers at universities are facing an increasing disparity in students' prior IT knowledge and, at the same time, experience a growing disengagement of the students with regard to involvement in study activities. As computer science teachers in a joint programme in computer science and business administration, we made a number of similar…

Developmental Change in Freshman Students: Validating Chickering's Theory of Student Development. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thieke, William S.

This study was designed to validate Arthur Chickering's theory of student development, from both the perspective of assessing several of the vectors that Chickering described and by examining the factors that Chickering deemed important in affecting development along these vectors. Chickering proposed seven vectors of development for the typical…

The Relationships between a Freshman Transition Academy, Student WESTEST Scores, and Student Dropout Rates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Roy G.

2013-01-01

High school administrators in the United States find students dropping out of school problematic. The federal government created the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate to provide a system of accountability to public schools and school systems, while stressing the importance of teaching research-based lessons. According to the mandate, schools and…

Can the Study of Thermochemistry Facilitate Students' Differentiation between Heat Energy and Temperature?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niaz, Mansoor

2006-01-01

The objectives of this study are: (a) Evaluate science major freshman students' ability to differentiate between heat energy and temperature, after having studied the topic of thermochemistry; (b) ascertain the degree to which students resist change from the caloric to the kinetic-molecular theory; (c) study the ability to differentiate between…

Use of Admissions Data to Predict Student Success in Postsecondary Freshman Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Amie K.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if significant relationships exist for any of the variables, age, gender, previous GPA, test scores (ACT, Compass), number of accumulated credits, and student success in Biology. This study strived to determine what academic/admissions data can be used to determine the likelihood of student success in…

Comparing Freshman and Doctoral Engineering Students in Design: Mapping with a Descriptive Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmona Marques, P.

2017-01-01

This paper reports the results of a study of engineering students' approaches to an open-ended design problem. To carry out this, sketches and interviews were collected from 9 freshmen (first year) and 10 doctoral engineering students, when they designed solutions for orange squeezers. Sketches and interviews were analysed and mapped with a…

The Elements of Library Research: What Every Student Needs to Know

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George, Mary W.

2008-01-01

To do solid academic research, college students need to look beyond the computer search engine. This short, practical book introduces students to the important components of the information-seeking process. "The Elements of Library Research" provides a foundation for success in any research assignment, from a freshman paper to a senior thesis.…

The Summer Premedical Program for Matriculating Medical Students: A Student-Led Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Awad, Ayman M.; AlAmodi, Abdulhadi A.; Shareef, Mohammad A.; Alsheikh, Ammar J.; Mahmod, Asim I.; Daghistany, Asem O.; Hijazi, Mohammed M.; Abu-Zaid, Ahmed; Alsadoon, Mohamed; Shabllout, Mohamed; Rasool, Abduljabar; Yaqinuddin, Ahmed

2014-01-01

The freshman academic year is one of the most difficult years that a medical student experiences in his/her academic life at a medical school. Freshmen are frequently faced with several challenges, such as adaptation to a new academic environment and its associated different methods of teaching, learning, skills, and assessment. The aim of this…

Student Engagement and Course Registration Methods as Possible Predictors of Freshman Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bass, Laura H.; Ballard, Angela S.

2012-01-01

A study by Kenney, Kenney, and Dumont (2005) identified a supportive learning environment as one of the five indicators for collegiate student engagement, a concept that extends beyond the classroom to permeate the entire educational environment. A student's level of engagement can be impacted as early as orientation and registration, when he is…

Political Identity of First-Year College Students: An Analysis of Student Characteristics Using Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulberry, Stella L.

2010-01-01

This quantitative study utilized secondary self-reported data from the 2008 administration of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey from two Texas public universities to investigate the pre-college demographic, academic, attitude, behavioral, and familial factors that may relate to students' self-reported political…

Gases as Idealized Lattices: A Rational Reconstruction of Students' Understanding of the Behavior of Gases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niaz, Mansoor

2000-01-01

Establishes a relationship between students' understanding of gases and its parallels in the history of science. Finds that college freshman students' alternative conceptions about gas behavior are resistant to change and recapitulate theories scientists held in the past, such as the Lattice Theory of Gases. (Contains 52 references.) (Author/WRM)

Moral Reasoning of Education Students: The Effects of Direct Instruction in Moral Development Theory and Participation in Moral Dilemma Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummings, Rhoda; Maddux, Cleborne D.; Richmond, Aaron; Cladianos, Antonia

2010-01-01

Background/Context: Results of the few studies that have investigated moral reasoning in education students suggest that such reasoning may be less advanced for them than for college students with non-education majors and that education students do not appear to advance in moral reasoning from freshman to senior year. Purpose: The purpose of the…

Comparing Enrollment, Characteristics, and Academic Outcomes of Students in Developmental Courses and Those in Credit-Bearing Courses at Northern Marianas College. REL 2017-269

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Phillip; Scanlan, Spencer; Carreon, Daisy

2017-01-01

Many students graduate from high school academically unprepared for college. When such students enroll in college as first-time freshmen, they are commonly placed in non-credit-bearing developmental English and math courses to develop the skills necessary to complete freshman-level credit-bearing courses. Understanding students' college readiness…

Personal and Clinical Exercise-Related Attitudes and Behaviors of Freshmen U.S. Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, Erica; Galuska, Deborah A.; Elon, Lisa K.; Wright, Elsa H.

2004-01-01

To determine personal and clinical exercise-related attitudes and behaviors of freshmen U.S. medical students, we surveyed 1,906 entering freshman medical students (response rate=87%; average age=24 years) in 17 U.S. medical schools. Students reported a median of 45 min/day of exercise, 80 min/week each of mild and moderate exercise, and 100…

Predicting Performance in a First Engineering Calculus Course: Implications for Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hieb, Jeffrey L.; Lyle, Keith B.; Ralston, Patricia A. S.; Chariker, Julia

2015-01-01

At the University of Louisville, a large, urban institution in the south-east United States, undergraduate engineering students take their mathematics courses from the school of engineering. In the fall of their freshman year, engineering students take "Engineering Analysis I," a calculus-based engineering analysis course. After the…

The Assessment of Mathematical Logic: Abstract Patterns and Familiar Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teppo, Anne R.; Esty, Warren W.; Kirkpatrick, Kay

2003-01-01

Undergraduate students' written exams were analyzed from a freshman-level mathematics course that emphasized, among other topics, the study of mathematical logic. Findings indicate that on questions related to the negation of a conditional sentence, students performed much better when given natural-language contexts than they did on questions…

Victim-Blaming Tendency toward People with AIDS among College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Motoko Y.; Campbell, Alphonso R.; Mulford, Charles L.

1999-01-01

Examines the victim-blaming tendency toward people with AIDS among college students in relation to gender, fraternity-sorority affiliation, classification (freshman versus others), religion (Catholic versus others), and academic major (business college versus others). Suggests that attitudes toward gay men and lesbians must change for attitudes…

Kids Get a Positive Lesson from this Discipline Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shropshire, John

1982-01-01

Sequoia Freshman School, a ninth-grade school in Fresno (California), has drastically reduced suspensions through a noontime in-school suspension program that helps students recognize inappropriate behavior, gives them counseling, and alerts parents or guardians to student misbehavior. A copy of the notification form is included. (Author/RW)

The Effects of Math Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Amanda; Brown, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a reoccurring problem for many students, and the effects of this anxiety on college students are increasing. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between pre-enrollment math anxiety, standardized test scores, math placement scores, and academic success during freshman math coursework (i.e., pre-algebra, college…

Drawing and Sketching in Agricultural Mechanics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montana State Univ., Bozeman. Dept. of Agricultural and Industrial Education.

This unit of instruction on drawing and sketching in agricultural mechanics is designed especially for use with freshman vocational agriculture students. A unit plan discusses the general aims and goals, lesson titles, student and teacher activities, a list of necessary special equipment and references. The unit consists of nine lessons. A lesson…

Support beyond High School for Those with Mental Illness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joyce-Beaulieu, Diana; Grapin, Sally

2015-01-01

School personnel have many opportunities to assist students and families in preparing for a successful transition to college and careers. Initial high school efforts may include prescreening incoming freshman student files to identify those at-risk and assuring that support services and interventions are implemented quickly. Early supports for…

Institutional Effectiveness: A Five-Year Profile, 1996-2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, James E.; Rasor, Richard A.; Grill, Cathie

This report examines American River College (ARC), California, over a 5-year period from 1996-2001. It looks specifically at access, student assessment, overall student academic success, freshman success, performance in sequence courses, persistence, and rates for degrees, certificates, and transfer. ARC has experienced a 35.9% increase in…

The Language-Related Academic Self-Confidence of Noncitizen Students in US Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodnight, Melissa Rae

2017-01-01

For this multivariate regression study I utilized data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) surveys of freshman and senior undergraduates to examine the language-related academic self-confidence (LRASC) of noncitizen students in relationship to college environmental factors like academic disengagement and assertiveness.…

The High School Freshman Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beresford, Michael John

2013-01-01

The purpose of the study was to identify the student's perspective of the difficulties of transitioning from eighth grade to high school. The intent of gathering this information was to provide primary source data for additional study and development of effective transition experiences for students entering the ninth grade. The study identified…

Learning Geomorphology Using Aerial Photography in a Web-Facilitated Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, R. Evan

2013-01-01

General education students taking freshman-level physical geography and geomorphology classes at Arizona State University completed an online laboratory whose main tool was Google Earth. Early in the semester, oblique and planimetric views introduced students to a few volcanic, tectonic, glacial, karst, and coastal landforms. Semi-quantitative…

Web-Based Implementation of Discrete Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, Tanzy; Keinert, Fritz; Shelley, Mack

2006-01-01

The Department of Mathematics at Iowa State University teaches a freshman-level Discrete Mathematics course with total enrollment of about 1,800 students per year. The traditional format includes large lectures, with about 150 students each, taught by faculty and temporary instructors in two class sessions per week and recitation sections, with…

Values and Attitudes of Medical Students at an Australian University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feather, N. T.

1981-01-01

The results of an Australian study in which medical students at Flinders University were tested and retested to trace changes in their attitudes and values since their freshman year are reported. Specific attitude items concerned with federal government intervention in health insurance were measured. (Author/MLW)

Hope, for the Dry Side.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Husted, Bette Lynch

2001-01-01

Describes the experiences of the author as she tries to transfigure her students enrolled in freshman writing and college preparatory writing classes at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon (located in the "dry side" of the state). Addresses students' racism, homophobia, and distrust of their own skills in writing. (RS)

75 FR 35893 - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Overview Information; Smaller Learning Communities...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-23

... academic achievement in large public high schools. These smaller units include freshman academies, multi... academic supports to help students succeed in rigorous academic courses; (4) Deliver comprehensive guidance and academic advising to students and their parents that includes assistance in selecting courses and...

Becoming a Master Student. Fifth edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, David B.

A guide to support student success in extended orientation courses, freshman seminars, and study skills classes is presented, using exercises such as journal-keeping, stories of 12 people who have mastered specific skills, practical suggestions, and forms and charts. The major topics are: time management, memory, reading, note-taking, test-taking,…

Developing Early Undergraduate Research at a Two-Year College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sibbernsen, Kendra

2013-01-01

Two-year college (TYC) physics teachers are not often required to provide student research experiences as a part of their contracted duties. However, some TYC physics faculty members are interested in developing research opportunities for their freshman- and sophomore-level students, often called "early undergraduate research" (EUR).…

Effect of Peer Mentors on Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonin, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Undergraduate peer mentoring programs strive to retain students who solve their own problems, develop options, unravel obstacles, and establish a process of figuring out solutions. A crucial component of obtaining that goal is to effectively train peer mentors to serve as advocates to freshman undergraduate students. Terrion and Philion (2008)…

Hispanic and Female College Students: Evidence for Increased Risk for Cardiac Disease

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rauschhuber, Maureen; Lowry, Jolynn; Etnyre, Annette; Gilliland, Irene; Sethness, Renee; Sorensen, James; Leos, Leonard; Cook, Jennifer; Jones, Mary Elaine

2005-01-01

This article describes subjective and objective risks for cardiovascular disease and the relationship to anger and spirituality among 104 predominately Hispanic college freshman women. Findings indicated a population at risk for metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and diabetes and identified students requiring medical and anger management…

Cooling out Undergraduates with Health Impairments: The Freshman Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Jamie M.; Muller, Chandra; Pattison, Evangeleen

2016-01-01

Students with health impairments represent a growing sector of the college population, but health-based disparities in bachelor's degree completion persist. The classes students pass and the grades they receive during the first year of college provides signals of degree progress and academic fit that shape educational expectations, potentially…

Student Financial Aid--A Phase-In Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuller, William S.

1984-01-01

An alternative system is proposed for college students: provide grants in the freshman year, reduce grants and small loans in the second, introduce work-study in the third along with reduced grants and loans, and further increase loan and reduce the grant with work-study in the fourth year. (MSE)

Shaping the Portfolio Course: The Uses of Direct Assessment and the Portfolio as a Critical Thinking Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gruber, Loren C.

A composition teacher at Northwest Missouri State University completely redesigned the freshman composition course to include writing portfolios while meeting state requirements for direct assessment and allaying departmental fears. A unit on language history and a half-dozen literature selections were dropped in favor of timed, in-class essay…

Grade Perceptions of Students in Chemistry Coursework at All Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Jeffrey A.; Karatjas, Andrew G.

2018-01-01

Various reasons are attributed to poor student performance in physical science courses such as lack of motivation, lack of ability, and/or the overall difficulty of these courses. One overlooked reason is a lack of self-awareness as to preparation level. Through a study over a two-year period, students at all levels (freshman through M.S.) of a…

How the Writing Context Shapes College Students' Strategies for Writing from Sources. Technical Report No. 16.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Jennie; Hayes, John R.

Observing the composing processes of students working over real time in naturalistic settings, two exploratory studies asked: (1) What skills and assumptions do freshman and advanced writers invoke when they are searching for information to be used in writing? (2) What strategies and goals do students bring to a typical writing-from-sources task…

Application of Gender Difference and Topic Preference to Promote Students' Motivation for Online EFL Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Anna

2012-01-01

The focus of this paper is to apply the analysis of gender difference and topic preference to enhance and motivate online EFL learning shown by Taiwanese students enrolled in Freshman English Aural Training courses for English majors in a university in central Taiwan. Online learning for EFL students has been a worldwide trend. Hundreds of…

Research and Teaching: Transforming Discussion in General Chemistry with Authentic Experiences for Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crippen, Kent J.; Boyer, Treavor H.; Korolev, Maria; de Torres, Trisha; Brucat, Phil J.; Wu, Chang-Yu

2016-01-01

Undergraduate engineering education in the United States is in need of reform that addresses the recruitment and retention of a diverse population of students. Change Chem is a curriculum reform model that has been created to address this issue for freshman students. This article reports on a mixed method efficacy study of Change Chem, which uses…

The Effects of Non-Compulsory Freshman Seminar and Core Curriculum Completion Ratios on Post-Secondary Persistence and Baccalaureate Degree Attainment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clouse, Wendi A.

2012-01-01

This study contributes to the body of research that is attempting to uncover what student characteristics and university programs and policies are predictive of student persistence and graduation. Loss of student enrollments through attrition prior to graduation and low graduation rates have significant negative consequences for universities and…

Assessing the Effectiveness of a College Freshman Seminar Using Propensity Score Adjustments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, M. H.; Cundiff, Nicole L.

2011-01-01

Researchers investigated the impact that a first-year college experience course had on students' first-year grade point averages (GPAs) and retention rates. A sample of 109 first-year students enrolled in the course was compared to a sample of 326 students from the same university who had not taken the course. The goals of the experience course…

Effect of Screen Reading and Reading from Printed Out Material on Student Success and Permanency in Introduction to Computer Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuncer, Murat; Bahadir, Ferdi

2014-01-01

In this study, the effect of screen reading and reading from printed out material on student success and permanency in Introduction to Computer Lesson is investigated. Study group of the research consists of 78 freshman students registered in Erzincan University Refahiye Vocational School Post Service department. Study groups of research consist…

Considerations of Additional Stressors and Developmental Issues for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zubernis, Lynn; Snyder, Matthew

2007-01-01

At some point every college freshman asks "Am I okay?" or "Am I normal?" Helping students answer this question is a familiar part of college counseling. However, this task becomes more complicated when students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT), or questioning their sexuality seek counseling. The universal issues which all college…

From River to River: Examining the Relationship between Racial Environments and Educational Outcomes for Asian American Students at Selective Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiang, Warren Yi-Jeng

2011-01-01

This study explored the relationship between pre-college and college racial environments and post-secondary outcomes for Asian American students at selective institutions. This research utilized a sample of API students (n = 940) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman (1998-2003) which examined the pre-college and college experiences of…

Changes in Attitudes, Intentions, and Behaviors toward Tobacco and Marijuana during U.S. Students’ First Year of College

PubMed Central

Stewart, Mara W; Moreno, Megan A

2013-01-01

Tobacco and marijuana are commonly used by college students and have negative health effects. The purpose of this study was to understand how students’ attitudes, intentions, and behaviors toward tobacco and marijuana change during freshman year and to examine how attitude and intention predict use of these substances. 275 college students completed phone interviews before and after their freshman year. The identical interviews assessed students’ attitudes, intentions, and behaviors toward both substances. Attitudes and intentions increased significantly. 12.2% of participants initiated tobacco use and 13.5% initiated marijuana use. Only intention predicted tobacco initiation, while both attitude and intention predicted marijuana initiation. Overall, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors changed significantly toward favored use. Predictors of use varied by substance, suggesting that different prevention approaches may be beneficial. PMID:24761133

A Decade of Mobile Computing for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenny, Frederick J.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the mobile computing at Grove City College, a small, private, liberal arts institution in Western Pennsylvania. They have entered their second decade of mobile computing for students in the school of about 2200. Each incoming freshman receives a laptop computing and inkjet printer during the fall orientation, all a benefit of…

Extraversion and Female EFL Learners as Listeners: A Qualitative Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akdemir, Ahmet Selçuk; Takkaç, Mehmet

2016-01-01

This study aims to investigate extraversion as a personality trait of female EFL learners as listeners. The study is based on qualitative research design. Five students, who were studying as freshman students at English Language Teaching Department of a public university in Turkey, are the participants of the study. All participants have been…

Freshman Engineering Students At-Risk of Non-Matriculation: Self-Efficacy for Academic Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernst, Jeremy V.; Bowen, Bradley D.; Williams, Thomas O.

2016-01-01

Students identified as at-risk of non-academic continuation have a propensity toward lower academic self-efficacy than their peers (Lent, 2005). Within engineering, self-efficacy and confidence are major markers of university continuation and success (Lourens, 2014 Raelin, et al., 2014). This study explored academic learning self-efficacy specific…

Using ILIAC to Systematically Plan and Implement a Library Information Literacy Assessment Program for Freshman Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gustavson, Amy

2012-01-01

In order to prepare for the 2013 SACS reaffirmation, the Joyner Library instruction librarians developed a systematic assessment program using Oakleaf's Information Literacy Instruction Assessment Cycle (ILIAC) to plan for instruction, assess student learning and improve future student learning by reviewing data and enacting changes. The paper…

Introduction of Special Physics Topics (Geophysics) Through the Use of Physics Laboratory Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, R. H.; Whittles, A. B. L.

1970-01-01

Describes the objectives and content of a physics laboratory program for freshman students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. The first part of the program consists of basic physics experiments, while the second part emphasizes student work on projects in geophysics that have direct technical applications. (LC)

How Do Freshman Engineering Students Reflect an Online Calculus Course?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boz, Burcak; Adnan, Muge

2017-01-01

Improved access to technology has led to an increase in the number of online courses and degree programs in higher education. Despite continuous progress, little attention is paid to "understanding" students prior to implementation of learning and teaching processes. Being a valuable input for design of online learning environments and…

"Hipster Freshman": Popular Culture's Portrayal of Community College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawk, Jena L.; Hill, Lilian H.

2016-01-01

Due to its seemingly unclear and ambiguous mission, the community college has somewhat of a stigma attached to it, as the four-year institution defines the American college experience (LaPaglia, 1994). Although only a few studies concerning media portrayals of community college students have been published within the last 20 years, the existing…

Service Learning and Multiple Models of Engaged Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reich, Robert

2005-01-01

American high school and university students perform community service in record numbers. According to the most recent survey of incoming university freshman, more than 80 percent of students undertook volunteer work in high school. While volunteering is on the rise, political interest and engagement among youth is declining. These two trends lead…

Using Structural Equation Models with Latent Variables to Study Student Growth and Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pike, Gary R.

1991-01-01

Analysis of data on freshman-to-senior developmental gains in 722 University of Tennessee-Knoxville students provides evidence of the advantages of structural equation modeling with latent variables and suggests that the group differences identified by traditional analysis of variance and covariance techniques may be an artifact of measurement…

Impact of an Oncology Course on the Attitudes of Freshman Medical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appel, Marilyn H.; And Others

Previous attempts to change the prevailing negative attitudes of health professionals toward cancer and cancer patients have consisted mainly of elective courses for small groups of students at advanced levels of medical training. In order to develop more positive attitudes, the Cancer Coordinating Committee at the Medical College of Pennsylvania…

Using Robotics to Improve Retention and Increase Comprehension in Introductory Programming Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pullan, Marie

2013-01-01

Several college majors, outside of computer science, require students to learn computer programming. Many students have difficulty getting through the programming sequence and ultimately change majors or drop out of college. To deal with this problem, active learning techniques were developed and implemented in a freshman programming logic and…

Improving the Freshman College Classroom through Building a Purposeful Community of Altruistic and Motivated Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Carol

A project was undertaken to create a community of caring, interdependent, intrinsically motivated learners among 21 freshmen students in a community college preservice teacher preparation seminar. Interviews with students at the beginning of the seminar had revealed that most viewed the classroom as individualistic, competitive, and threatening…

High-Risk Drinking in College Athletes and Nonathletes across the Academic Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doumas, Diana M.; Turrisi, Rob; Coll, Kenneth M.; Haralson, Kate

2007-01-01

This study compared heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences between freshman student-athletes (n = 137) and nonathletes (n = 318). Differences in high-risk drinking between the fall and spring terms were also examined. Results indicated that student-athletes reported heavier drinking and higher levels of alcohol-related consequences than…

An Investigation of the Value of Using Concept Maps in General Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicoll, Gayle; Francisco, Joseph; Nakhleh, Mary B.

2001-01-01

Reports on a qualitative investigation of the effects of integrating concept maps into freshman-level general chemistry curriculum. Indicates that students in the experimental section had significantly more links and nodes in their concept maps than students in the traditional section. There were no significant differences between the two sections…

Perceived Academic Control: Mediating the Effects of Optimism and Social Support on College Students' Psychological Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruthig, Joelle C.; Haynes, Tara L.; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Perry, Raymond P.

2009-01-01

The first year of college presents numerous challenges experienced as overwhelming by some freshmen who may become overly stressed and depressed. This longitudinal study examined perceived academic control (PAC) as a mediator of optimism and social support's buffering effects on freshman students' psychological health. Multiple regressions…

Attrition of Women Business Majors in an Urban Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karlen, Janice M.

2004-01-01

Identified intervention protocols that could help reduce the attrition of women business majors at an urban community college. Review of academic progress data and data from student surveys which examined students' reasons for leaving the institution indicated that there was a need for support mechanisms throughout the freshman year and extending…

Teaching the Use of Metaphor in Science Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Philip M.; Sunstein, Bonnie S.

A freshman writing assignment sequence encouraged students to use metaphors to think their way through scientific topics, improving their writing skills in the process. The students were all women, aged 18 to 48 years, who had been journal writing for several months but who did not consider themselves competent readers or writers. Reading material…

Vision Videos Empower Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patt, Mary Johnson

2009-01-01

Increasing numbers of school districts are starting the higher education drumbeat by the freshman year of high school, employing 21st-century technology such as the popular career-based software developed by Naviance to help students map their school and life journeys. But what is the first step in inspiring those teens to define and pursue their…

When a Student Speaks, Who Should Listen?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruder, Robert

2010-01-01

Gadi Paskoff just completed his freshman year of high school. He's an honor student, accomplished musician, and sports fanatic. He is also a staff writer for Freestyle, a section in the "Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era's" Saturday edition. Paskoff hit a homerun with his June 20 article, "Learning Should Be More than Technology." Reflecting…

Strategies for Ensuring Computer Literacy among Undergraduate Business Students: A Marketing Survey of AACSB-Accredited Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hungerford, Bruce C.; Baxter, Joseph T.; LeMay, Stephen; Helms, Marilyn M.

2012-01-01

There is broad agreement that college students need computer and information literacy for their studies and to be competitive as graduates in an environment that increasingly relies on information technology. However, as information technology changes, what constitutes computer literacy changes. Colleges have traditionally used the freshman- or…

TOPS Report: Analysis of the TOPS Program from 2006-2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana Board of Regents, 2016

2016-01-01

The Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (subsequently renamed the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS) was created via ACT 1375 during the 1997 Regular Legislative Session. The first college freshman class to receive TOPS awards entered postsecondary education in the fall of 1998. ACT 1202 of the 2001 Regular Legislative Session…

The Effects of Computer-Aided Design Software on Engineering Students' Spatial Visualisation Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kösa, Temel; Karakus, Fatih

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of computer-aided design (CAD) software-based instruction on the spatial visualisation skills of freshman engineering students in a computer-aided engineering drawing course. A quasi-experimental design was applied, using the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Visualization of Rotations…

Learning Communities: Animal Science at the University of Connecticut

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zinn, Anne T.; Foreman, Melissa D.; Masso, Lauren Griffin; Ouimette, David T.; Zinn, Steven A.

2015-01-01

The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public Carnegie Foundation Research institution with 14 schools and colleges that enrolls more than 18,000 undergraduate students at the main campus in Storrs, CT. Beginning in 1999, First-Year Experience (FYE) seminars were offered to entering freshman students. Since that time, the size of the program…

Perspectives upon Integrating Music into Freshman English Pronunciation Training Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ai-Hwa

2016-01-01

This study explores the effects of integrating music into English pronunciation practice. Ninety-five English major students from a technological university located in central Taiwan participated in this project. Six songs were selected and played by means of using YouTube. Students were given a list of vocabulary words selected from the lyrics…

Mexican-American Folklore: An Approach to the Research Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seale, Jan

Having freshman English students at Pan American University in the Rio Grande valley of Texas focus on Mexican-American folklore themes for research papers has proved to be successful in motivating students and in activating their ethnic interests and cultural pride. Steps involved in preparing these research papers include choosing a topic which…

An Application of Calculus: Optimum Parabolic Path Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atasever, Merve; Pakdemirli, Mehmet; Yurtsever, Hasan Ali

2009-01-01

A practical and technological application of calculus problem is posed to motivate freshman students or junior high school students. A variable coefficient of friction is used in modelling air friction. The case in which the coefficient of friction is a decreasing function of altitude is considered. The optimum parabolic path for a flying object…

Making It through the First Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raths, David

2009-01-01

As much as it is eagerly anticipated, freshman year is often a time of confusion, disorientation, and even alienation for many students. One in four college freshmen will drop out before completing sophomore year. The reasons for this high level of withdrawal vary, but a report suggests that new students often feel overwhelmed and unprepared for…

EFL Learners' Vocabulary Consolidation Strategy Use and Corresponding Performance on Vocabulary Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ying-Chun

2016-01-01

This study describes English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' use of vocabulary consolidation strategies and explores the connection between strategy use and vocabulary learning outcomes. This study included 218 participants who were students from five freshman English classes at a university in Taiwan. Students' self-reports on their use of…

Pembroke Academy Freshman Advisor Handbook. 1st Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stehno, Joseph J.

Students entering high school as freshmen bring with them a variety of issues, problems and strengths. Often, students are uncertain about their academic abilities, their social-selves, and their chances of success in a new environment. Even freshmen with positive educational experiences and a strong sense of self-need support and guidance during…

Inquiry-Based Teaching: An Example of Descriptive Science in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rehorek, Susan J.

2004-01-01

Inquiry-based learning is more work than passive learning, and there is a body of students who prefer to take the easier route. But there is also a body of students who wish to explore science. Two descriptive evolutionary experiments conducted by university freshman/sophomore biology majors, enrolled in General Zoology are described.

Determination of Avogadro's Number via the Hall Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houari, Ahmed

2007-01-01

Many researchers and lecturers have reported that the concept of the mole and Avogadro's number are frequently misunderstood by first-year science students. For this reason, it is highly recommended to introduce this fundamental number to high school and freshman science students as clearly as possible. Therefore, it is pedagogically very useful…

First-Generation Freshman College Students: Factors Impacting Retention for the Subsequent Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Laura Colson

2013-01-01

Against all odds, first-generation college students continue to enroll in postsecondary schools with aspirations of obtaining a bachelor's degree. Unfortunately, many have not successfully reached their goal, which in turn has affected retention rates of colleges and universities. There are programs that provide academic support and advising to…

Creating a Ninth-Grade Community of Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellerbrock, Cheryl R.; Kiefer, Sarah M.

2010-01-01

This qualitative case study analyzed how one large high school created a community of care for ninth-grade students. Data were collected during the 2006-2007 school year, including observations, individual interviews, and focus group interviews of 1 female teacher and 9 of her students. Findings suggest the Freshman Focus teachers and program…

Border Curricula and the Construction of Identity: Implications for Multicultural Theorists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidson, Ann Locke

The question of what constitutes a multicultural curriculum was addressed by examining the experiences of three Latina students, each attending a different urban high school, who were followed through freshman and sophomore years. Two questions guided the inquiry: (1) where is curriculum relevant to ethnicity? and (2) how do students evaluate and…

From Senior to Freshman: Career Paths Workshop for Women Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Barbara R.; D'Lugin, Victor

A career planning workshop program was conducted for New York City twelfth-grade female students intending to enroll in community colleges. Its purpose was to assist them in the transition to college while motivating them to consider nontraditional courses of study. In an attempt to increase participants' interest in male-dominated career…

Insights into freshman weight issues: An ethnographic study of how first-year college students make decisions about eating

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The transition from high school to college represents a life turning point during which health behavior trajectories may be influenced. This study addresses the internal and external factors that guide students’ eating decisions as they are understood and relayed by students through ethnographic, qu...

Self-Reported Stressors of College Freshmen.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staik, Irene M.; Dickman, Carol L.

Research has indicated that the freshman year of college is the most stressful for the student. This study is based on the belief that a thorough comprehension of self-reported stressors of college freshmen is necessary for administrators to plan programs designed to help students to cope with their stressors. Effective coping reduces attrition…

The Use of the CPI to Ascertain Differences between More and Less Effective Student Paraprofessional Helpers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

German, Steven C.; Cottle, William C.

1981-01-01

A study of student paraprofessional peer counselors showed the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) to be useful in rating the effectiveness of Freshman Assistants. Results from individual criterion measures can also be applied to results from combinations of these measures. Future research should control for demographic influences. (JAC)

Increasing Reading Compliance and Metacognitive Strategies in Border Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culver, Tiffany F.

2016-01-01

In an effort to increase reading compliance and active reading strategies, quizzes and reading guides were given to 100 participants in four psychology courses. Each participant was given four weeks of reading quizzes and four weeks of reading guides. Participants consisted of students (freshman through senior level) from two colleges along the…

Comparing Freshman and doctoral engineering students in design: mapping with a descriptive framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmona Marques, P.

2017-11-01

This paper reports the results of a study of engineering students' approaches to an open-ended design problem. To carry out this, sketches and interviews were collected from 9 freshmen (first year) and 10 doctoral engineering students, when they designed solutions for orange squeezers. Sketches and interviews were analysed and mapped with a descriptive 'ideation framework' (IF) of the design process, to document and compare their design creativity (Carmona Marques, P., A. Silva, E. Henriques, and C. Magee. 2014. "A Descriptive Framework of the Design Process from a Dual Cognitive Engineering Perspective." International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation 2 (3): 142-164). The results show that the designers worked in a manner largely consistent with the IF for generalisation and specialisation loops. Also, doctoral students produced more alternative solutions during the ideation process. In addition, compared to freshman, doctoral used the generalisation loop of the IF, working at higher levels of abstraction. The iterative nature of design is highlighted during this study - a potential contribution to decrease the gap between both groups in engineering education.

Report on a Pilot Project Which Combined Speech Communication and English Composition Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friday, Robert A.; Beranek, Bernard F.

In reorganizing its core curriculum, Duquesne University (Pennsylvania) created a course that combined the required freshman composition and speech communication courses. A two-term pilot course offered eight hours of credit, meeting for one hour three times a week and for a two hour lab once a week. Oral readings were assigned in order to help…

The Role of Academic Factors, Self-Efficacy, Mentoring Relationships and Learning Communities in Persistence and Academic Success of Freshman College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baier, Stefanie Theresia

2014-01-01

Many U.S. universities are concerned with student retention. The current study surveyed 237 first time college students at a Midwestern university to determine the extent to which social-cognitive factors, such as high school GPA, ACT scores, first semester college GPA, college self-efficacy and perceptions of mentorship support influence…

Students in Transition. Coming and Going: Transitions along the Collegiate Journey. Conference Proceedings (2nd, San Antonio, Texas, October 23-26, 1996).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1996

This compendium of abstracts of papers presented at a conference on student transition concentrates on three major student transitions: freshman, transfer, and senior. Each abstract provides a succinct statement of the paper as well as name and contact information of the presenter. Included among the 67 titles are the following: "Personal,…

The Influence of Self-Esteem and Selected Demographic Characteristics on First Semester Academic Achievement of Students Enrolled in a College of Agriculture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaspard, Mae B.; Burnett, Michael F.; Gaspard, Camile P.

2011-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of self-esteem and selected demographic characteristics on academic achievement among students at the freshman level in the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University. The sample of the study was all students at Louisiana State University enrolled in the Introduction to…

Building Pathways to Transfer: Community Colleges That Break the Chain of Failure for Students of Color. Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles, 2012

2012-01-01

This study followed all freshman community college students in California who had demonstrated the intent to transfer from 1996, 1997, and 1998. Outcomes were assessed for each of the three entering cohorts after six years (2002-2004) and students were linked with their high schools of origin and the 4-year colleges to which they transferred. The…

A Multilevel Multivariate Analysis of Academic Performances in College Based on NCAA Student-Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McArdle, John J.; Paskus, Thomas S.; Boker, Steven M.

2013-01-01

This is an application of contemporary multilevel regression modeling to the prediction of academic performances of 1st-year college students. At a first level of analysis, the data come from N greater than 16,000 students who were college freshman in 1994-1995 and who were also participants in high-level college athletics. At a second level of…

STEM Students' Social Agency and Views on Working for Social Change: Are STEM Disciplines Developing Socially and Civically Responsible Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garibay, Juan C.

2015-01-01

Utilizing a national sample of over 6,100 undergraduates, drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's (CIRP) Freshman Survey and College Senior Survey, this study investigates differences between STEM and non-STEM students at the end of college on the values they place on helping to create a more equitable society. Findings show…

A Report on the Intellectual Development of Students in the QUANTA Learning Community at Daytona Beach Community College, 1989-1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avens, Cynthia; Zelley, Richard

This report summarizes the results of a research study conducted to assess the intellectual development of students in the QUANTA Learning Community at Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC) (Florida) in the 1989-90 academic year. QUANTA is a freshman interdisciplinary program with 75 students and three faculty. Three courses--English, psychology,…

An Examination of the Role That Academic, Athletic, and Social Integration Play in the First-Year Freshman Student Athlete Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFarlane, Adam Richard

2014-01-01

The focus on student athlete experiences continues to be a growing area of inquiry for researchers in higher education. While much of the focus for student athletes is on their academic performance in relation to their retention and persistence, there is an increasing concern for educational administrators to understand the experiences of student…

Houston Pre-Freshman Enrichment Program (Houston PREP). Final report, June 9, 1997--July 25, 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1997-10-01

The 1997 Houston Pre-Freshman Enrichment Program (PREP) was conducted at the campus of the University of Houston-Downtown from June 9 to July 25, 1997. Program participants were recruited from the Greater Houston Area. All participants were identified as high-achieving students with an interest in learning about the engineering and science professions. The goal of the program was to better prepare our pre-college youth prior to entering college as mathematics, science and engineering majors. The program participants were middle school and high school students from the Aldine, Alief, Channel View, Clear Creek, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Galena Park, Houston, Humble, Katy, Klein,more » North Forest, Pasadena, Private, and Spring Branch Independent School Districts. Of the 194 students starting the program, 165 students were from economically and socially disadvantage groups under-represented in the engineering and science professions, and 118 of the 194 were women. Our First Year group for 1997 composed of 96% minority and women students. Second and Third Year students combined were 96% minority or women. With financial support from the Center for Computational Sciences and Advanced Distributed Simulation, the Fourth Year Program was added to PREP this year. Twelve students completed the program (83% minority or women).« less

Environmental Nanoscience: Turning Outreach Activities into a College Freshman Seminar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, M. L.; Lau, B.

2017-12-01

Teaching nano concepts can be a daunting task due to the varying science backgrounds of the audience. Nonetheless, nanoscience education is important as nanotechnology expands. Our perspective is that nano education must be available at earlier stages than what is currently available. Through outreach activities, we examined how high school students and STEM middle/high school teachers approached answering questions about nanomaterials and the environment to design an effective freshman-level college seminar with achievable course goals. Specifically, participants were asked: 1) what color would you expect gold nanoparticles to be; 2) what are ways we can remove nanomaterials from the environment; and 3) what do you expect will happen to nanomaterials when salt is introduced into the system? Initial analysis showed STEM middle and high school teachers and high school students responded similarly. In response to question 1, the majority of the responses suggested color was a function of size. For question 2, both groups suggested the use of filters, magnets or a chemical reaction to remove the nanomaterials. For question 3, both groups expected a chemical reaction to occur. Understanding how foundational high school STEM concepts influenced responses could assist in the curriculum development for an introductory undergraduate nanoscience course. For example, familiar principles of physics and chemistry appeared to direct student responses. From these results, we developed three course goals to test in our college freshman seminar: 1) differentiate between properties of nanomaterials and conventional materials; 2) describe the role of nanomaterials in household items; and 3) form an opinion on the potential impacts of nanoscience and technology on the human health and the environment. Surveys from our first semester showed that the seminar was effective in achieving all course goals for the majority of students.

Prefreshman and cooperative education for minorities in engineering: Preface. Final report, October 20, 1980

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cherry, N.C.

1980-10-31

The University of Dayton (UD) and Wilberforce University (WU) Preface Program provides a key component in a comprehensive and successful strategy for increasing minority group members and women students entering and graduating in engineering and engineering technology. The high school level includes programs for minority and women students, teachers, and counselors. The University level includes a Dual Degree Program (DDP) between Wilberforce University and the University of Dayton; freshman academic assistance and support programs and schlorships (PREFACE/INSTEP) for the critical freshman year; and, co-op employment to provide motivation and financial resources for students in upper classes. In the past fivemore » years, UD and WU have awarded 89 PREFACE/INSTEP scholarships to students entering UD or DDP and 75 are still in engineering or engineering technology for an outstanding retention rate of 84.27%. Thirty-seven scholarships have been funded by the DOE and its predecessor, the ERDA with a retention rate in engineering and engineering technology of 81.1%. There will be ten PREFACE students graduating in engineering and engineering technology in 1980-1981. The first ERDA Preface Scholar graduated in August 1980 and currently works for a DOE contractor - Monsanto Research Corporation.« less

Changes in Attitudes, Intentions, and Behaviors toward Tobacco and Marijuana during U.S. Students' First Year of College.

PubMed

Stewart, Mara W; Moreno, Megan A

2013-04-16

Tobacco and marijuana are commonly used by college students and have negative health effects. The purpose of the study was to understand how students' attitudes, intentions, and behaviors toward tobacco and marijuana change during freshman year and to examine how attitude and intention predict use of these substances. College students completed phone interviews before and after freshman year. The identical interviews assessed students' attitudes, intentions, and behaviors toward both substances. Attitude was measured on a 0-6 scale (6 = most positive), intention on a 0-5 scale (5 = very likely to use), and behavior by lifetime use (yes or no) and current use (past-28-days). Overall, 275 participants completed both interviews. Attitudes increased (tobacco 0.9 to 1.2, p < 0.01; marijuana 1.9 to 2.3, p < 0.01). Intentions increased (tobacco 0.4 to 0.8, p = 0.03; marijuana 0.7 to 1.1, p < 0.01). 12.2% initiated tobacco, 13.5% initiated marijuana. Only intention predicted tobacco initiation, while both attitude and intention predicted marijuana initiation. Attitudes, intentions, and behaviors changed significantly towards favored use. Predictors of use varied by substance, suggesting that different prevention approaches may be beneficial.

A Technique Oriented Freshman Laboratory Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palma, R. J., Sr.

1975-01-01

Describes a program built on the philosophy that laboratory exercises were to be exclusively reserved for those concepts which could not be taught more effectively by other pedagogical techniques. Presents faculty and student criticisms of the program. (GS)

The Connection between Success in a Freshman Chemistry Class and a Student's Jungian Personality Type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Gale J.; Riley, Wayne D.

2001-10-01

This paper explores the connection between a student's performance in a freshman chemistry class and his or her personality type. Performance was gauged by the final percentage grade earned in class and personality type was based on Carl G. Jung's personality typology as assessed by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Performance and personality type were correlated using ANOVA statistics. The results show that only one of the 16 personality types had a class average that was significantly higher than 14 of the other 15 types. The lowest-scoring type was also significantly lower than 3 other personality types. This research shows that characteristics of personality types may be a basis for assisting or deterring success in a general chemistry class. Data on the personality types of 23 chemistry professors suggest that a success bias may be amplified by similar personality traits in the instructors.

Predicting clinical concussion measures at baseline based on motivation and academic profile.

PubMed

Trinidad, Katrina J; Schmidt, Julianne D; Register-Mihalik, Johna K; Groff, Diane; Goto, Shiho; Guskiewicz, Kevin M

2013-11-01

The purpose of this study was to predict baseline neurocognitive and postural control performance using a measure of motivation, high school grade point average (hsGPA), and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score. Cross-sectional. Clinical research center. Eighty-eight National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I incoming student-athletes (freshman and transfers). Participants completed baseline clinical concussion measures, including a neurocognitive test battery (CNS Vital Signs), a balance assessment [Sensory Organization Test (SOT)], and motivation testing (Rey Dot Counting). Participants granted permission to access hsGPA and SAT total score. Standard scores for each CNS Vital Signs domain and SOT composite score. Baseline motivation, hsGPA, and SAT explained a small percentage of the variance of complex attention (11%), processing speed (12%), and composite SOT score (20%). Motivation, hsGPA, and total SAT score do not explain a significant amount of the variance in neurocognitive and postural control measures but may still be valuable to consider when interpreting neurocognitive and postural control measures.

The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sax, Linda J.; Astin, Alexander W.; Korn, William S.; Mahoney, Kathryn M.

This 34th annual report of national normative data on college freshmen is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's (CIRP) longitudinal study to assess the effects of college on students. Data for this study is based on 261,217 entering students at 462 U.S. two- and four-year colleges and universities, and is statistically adjusted…

The Macaroni Lab: A Directed Inquiry Project on Predator-Prey Relationships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oyler, Michelle; Rivera, John; Roffol, Melanie; Gibson, David J.; Middleton, Beth A.; Mathis, Marilyn

1999-01-01

Presents a directed-inquiry activity to take students one step beyond observation of how living organisms capture prey. Uses a field lab based upon predator-prey relationships to enliven the teaching of food web concepts to non-science-major freshman undergraduates. Can also be used in teaching high school biology students through college science…

Patterns of Perceptual Motor Skills in First and Fourth Year Dental Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zullo, Thomas G.

A battery of perceptual motor skills tests was administered to 107 freshman and 84 senior dental students for the purposes of determining the factor structure of the battery and studying differences between the two groups. The tests used included Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test (MRM), Placing and Turning; O'Connor Finger Dexterity; O'Connor…

Teaching the Research Paper through Inquiry-Based Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeek, Sara

2011-01-01

The freshman research paper can be a labor for both the teacher and the student with its many layers of skills and expectations. While academia has moved beyond note cards and simplified documentation models, students continue to get lost in the research process, often to the point that instructors may even wonder if they had been teaching in an…

Effect of Personal Response Systems on Student Perception and Academic Performance in Courses in a Health Sciences Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FitzPatrick, Kathleen A.; Finn, Kevin E.; Campisi, Jay

2011-01-01

To increase student engagement, active participation, and performance, personal response systems (clickers) were incorporated into six lecture-based sections of four required courses within the Health Sciences Department major curriculum: freshman-level Anatomy and Physiology I and II, junior-level Exercise Physiology, and senior-level Human…

The Writers and the Detectives: Cultural Difference, Identity, and Pedagogical Disciplines in an Integrated Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiGrazia, Jennifer; Stassinos, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Student resistance to critical thinking emblematic of a liberal arts curriculum is often painfully obvious in freshman writing classes that impose a process-based approach to writing and thinking. Criminal justice students, like their peers in other majors with strong vocational orientations, often resist taking any more than the required liberal…

Critical Thinking Development in Undergraduate Engineering Students from Freshman through Senior Year: A 3-Cohort Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ralston, Patricia A.; Bays, Cathy L.

2015-01-01

Critical thinking is considered a necessary learning outcome for all college students and essential for academic and career success. There are many challenges to developing a comprehensive approach to teaching and assessing critical thinking skills. Although the literature has many examples of the incorporation of critical thinking and assessment…

Launching Students into Their Decade of Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dedmond, Rebecca M.

2008-01-01

In the 2007 edition of "Diplomas Count", "Education Week" reported that nationally more than one-third of the students lost from the high school pipeline fail to make the transition from the ninth to the 10th grade. This explains why, for more than two decades, schools and districts across the country have struggled to develop freshman transition…

The Predictive Validity of the University Student Selection Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakaya, Ismail; Tavsancil, Ezel

2008-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the predictive validity of the 2003 University Student Selection Examination (OSS). For this purpose, freshman grade point average (FGPA) in higher education was predicted by raw scores, standard scores, and placement scores (YEP). This study has been conducted on a research group. In this study,…

A Comparison of Attitudes and Final Grades among Freshman Dental Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Mickey M.; And Others

1981-01-01

A study examined students' change in attitudes toward dental education, themselves, and gross anatomy based on their experience in a difficult anatomy course and their final grades. Change occurred only in their attitudes about dental education, but it is concluded that specific aspects of the environment can be used to predict a final grade. (MSE)

A Comparison of Web Page and Slide/Tape for Instruction in Periapical and Panoramic Radiographic Anatomy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ludlow, John B.; Platin, Enrique

2000-01-01

Compared self-guided slide/tape (ST) and Web page (WP) instruction in normal radiographic anatomy of periapical and panoramic images using objective test performance and subjective preferences of 74 freshman dental students. Test performance was not different between image types or presentation technologies, but students preferred WP for…

Cognitive Effects of Two-Year and Four-Year Colleges: Some New Evidence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pascarella, Ernest; And Others

This study investigated the relative freshman-year cognitive impacts of five two-year and six four-year colleges and universities drawn from all sections of the United States. The overall sample was 2,685 freshmen students participating in a national longitudinal study and of these the final sample contained 811 students, 280 attending five…

Testing Foreign Language Impact on Engineering Students' Scientific Problem-Solving Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatzl, Dietmar; Messnarz, Bernd

2013-01-01

This article investigates the influence of English as the examination language on the solution of physics and science problems by non-native speakers in tertiary engineering education. For that purpose, a statistically significant total number of 96 students in four year groups from freshman to senior level participated in a testing experiment in…

The Confluence of Race, Gender, and Class among Community College Students: Assessing Attitudes toward Affirmative Action in College Admissions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamani-Gallaher, Eboni M.

2007-01-01

This article examines the attitudes of baccalaureate aspiring community college students with regard to affirmative action in college admissions. Using data from UCLA's Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Annual Freshman Year Survey, the study assessed determinants of approval or disapproval of affirmative action for 20,339 community…

Validation Study of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale: Spanish Adaptation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jennifer L.; Sifuentes, Lucía Macías

2016-01-01

With growing numbers of Hispanic students enrolling in post-secondary school, there is a need to increase retention and graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to validate the Spanish adaptation of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS). The AMAS was translated and administered to 804 freshman students at a post-secondary institution in…

Modeling a Day in the Life of a Diabetic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brod, Ryan; Gomber, John; Mendoza, Jurelle; Roginski, Jonathan; Smith, Tyler

2010-01-01

The material presented here was used for a semester-long capstone project for a first semester freshman course entitled Mathematical Modeling and Introduction to Calculus. The goals for the students in this work were twofold: first, enable the students to gain insight into an actual problem that affects millions of people in the United States and…

An Experiment in "Less Time": A Study of Students Accelerated to Junior Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litwin, James L.; And Others

1975-01-01

As the result of a time-shortened degree experiment, 31 end-of-year freshmen were accelerated to junior status. The students showed high academic performance and few social problems, but questions of personal identity remained problematic. The best single predictor of academic success in the junior year was the freshman grade point average.…

Linguistic Competence Profiles in English as a Foreign Language in Mexican University Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vivaldo-Lima, Javier; Gonzalez-Robles, Rosa O.; Castillo-Morales, Alberto

Linguistic competence in English (LCE) as a foreign language has been acknowledged as an important determinant of academic success in higher education. The purpose of this study is to determine the LCE profiles of Mexican freshman students as well as the main factors associated with differences in linguistic competence between proficient and poor…

The Freshman Seminar at the Community College: A Tool for Integrating Student, Faculty and Institutional Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Robert; Coll, Kenneth

While America's two-year colleges are diverse in function, mission, clientele, and organizational structure, they share a common identity in their commitment to a developmental philosophy. A rarely used, but nonetheless tenable and cost-saving path to development involves exploring strategies which simultaneously contribute to faculty, student,…

The College Environment: Contrasts Between CYCC Freshmen and Transfers and a Nationwide Freshman Sample, Fall, 1975.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, E. B.

In order to analyze the environment of Central YMCA Community College (CYCC), information was requested on the Student Information Form, 1975, which dealt with three large areas: social issues, personal behavior, and future behavior in the noncollege world. This report compares the responses of three student samples--CYCC first-time entering…

Bridging the Gap: A Research-Based Approach for Teaching Interdisciplinary Science to Undergraduate Freshman Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sales, Jessica; Comeau, Dawn; Liddle, Kathleen; Khanna, Nikki; Perrone, Lisa; Palmer, Katrina; Lynn, David

2006-01-01

A new program, On Recent Discoveries by Emory Researchers (ORDER), has been developed as a bridge across the ever-widening gap between graduate and undergraduate education in the sciences. This bridge is created by merging the needs of graduate/postdoctoral students to educate more interdisciplinary scholars about their research discoveries with…

College and Career Ready: Helping All Students Succeed beyond High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, David T.

2010-01-01

"College and Career Ready" offers educators a blueprint for improving high school so that more students are able to excel in freshman-level college courses or entry-level jobs-laying a solid foundation for lifelong growth and success. The book is filled with detailed, practical guidelines and case descriptions of what the best high…

Freshman Biology Majors' Misconceptions about Diffusion and Osmosis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, A. Louis; Barrow, Lloyd H.

The data for this study were obtained from a sample of 117 biology majors enrolled in an introductory biology course. The Diffusion and Osmosis Diagnostic Test, composed of 12 two-tier items, was administered to the students. Among the major findings are: (1) there was no significant difference in scores of male and female students; (2) math…

Toward a Web-Enhanced Model of Interaction in Freshman General Education History Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olt, Phillip

2018-01-01

While American students increasingly choose to study online, most professors remain skeptical of its quality. This paper explores the perspectives of history professors at a liberal arts institution regarding their general education classes taught face-to-face (F2F) and online, focusing on interactive communication with students between the two…

Using Animations in Identifying General Chemistry Students' Misconceptions and Evaluating Their Knowledge Transfer Relating to Particle Position in Physical Changes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, K. Christopher; Villarreal, Savannah

2015-01-01

This article reports on the types of views and misconceptions uncovered after assessing 155 freshman general chemistry students on the concept of particle position during the reversible physical change of melting, using the Melting Cycle Instrument, which illustrates particulate-level representations of a melting-freezing cycle. Animations…

Impact of Calculus Reform in a Liberal Arts Calculus Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brosnan, Patricia A.; Ralley, Thomas G.

This report describes the changes in a freshman-level calculus course that occurred as a consequence of adopting the Harvard Consortium Calculus text. The perspective is that of the lecturer. The course is intended as an introduction to calculus for liberal arts students, that is, students who will not be expected to use calculus as a mathematical…

Understanding Electrochemistry Concepts Using the Predict-Observe-Explain Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karamustafaoglu, Sevilay; Mamlok-Naaman, Rachel

2015-01-01

The current study deals with freshman students who study at the Department of Science at the Faculty of Education. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of teaching electrochemistry concepts using Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) strategy. The study was quasi-experimental design using 20 students each in the experimental group (EG) and…

First Year Student Adjustment, Success, and Retention: Structural Models of Student Persistence Using Electronic Portfolios

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandler, Martin E.

2010-01-01

This study explores the deployment of electronic portfolios to a university-wide cohort of freshman undergraduates that included a subgroup of at-risk and lower academically prepared learners. Five evaluative dimensions based on persistence and engagement theory were included in the development of four assessment rubrics exploring goal clarity,…

Critical Thinking Skills and Academic Maturity: Emerging Results from a Five-Year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toppin, Ian N.; Chitsonga, Shadreck

2016-01-01

The QEP that was implemented in this study focused on enhancing students' critical thinking skills. A pretest/posttest approach was used to assess students' critical thinking progress in freshman level core English and Math courses. An intervention was performed involving intensive instruction and assignments relating to a set of reasoning…

A Summative Program Evaluation of a Comprehensive 9th Grade Transition Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roybal, Victoria M.

2011-01-01

The transition from 8th grade to 9th grade is one that is replete with challenges for students, especially for minority students who live in economically disadvantaged communities. One low-income, high minority comprehensive high school in the western United States implemented five separate strategies to create a freshman transition program to aid…

Philosophically Informed: Exploring the Ethic of Help

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, Sam

2007-01-01

While students are the center of the college admission process, the individual student is transient within the process, involved for a short amount of time, trying to get a spot in the freshman class of a university. Counselors and admission officers are the stewards of the process, the keepers of the code and the architects of the maze. In this…

Pursuit of STEM: Factors shaping degree completion for African American females in STEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkins, Ashlee N.

The primary purpose of the study was to examine secondary data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman and College Senior Surveys to investigate factors shaping degree aspirations for African American female undergraduates partaking in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyze the data and identify relationships between independent variables in relation to the dependent variable. The findings of the study reveal four key variables that were predictive of degree completion for African American females in STEM. Father's education, SAT composite, highest degree planned, and self-perception were positive predictors for females; while independent variable overall sense of community among students remained a negative predictor. Lastly implications for education and recommendations for future research were discussed.

The Imperial Valley College Freshman; A Demographic Study of the Full-Time Day Students Who Attended College for the First Time in the Fall Semester, 1968.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Novak, Ruth V.

This comprehensive study incorporates as many characteristics as possible of 352 students in this agricultural region, an area much influenced by Mexican culture and by several other ethnic groups. The data came from student questionnaires, registration cards, and high school transcripts. With tables, discussion, and summary, the survey covers the…

High-Achieving High School Students and Not so High-Achieving College Students: A Look at Lack of Self-Control, Academic Ability, and Performance in College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Honken, Nora B.; Ralston, Patricia A. S.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the relationship among lack of self-control, academic ability, and academic performance for a cohort of freshman engineering students who were, with a few exceptions, extremely high achievers in high school. Structural equation modeling analysis led to the conclusion that lack of self-control in high school, as measured by…

Using Social Networking Sites for Teaching and Learning: Students' Involvement in and Acceptance of Facebook® as a Course Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albayrak, Duygu; Yildirim, Zahide

2015-01-01

This study investigates students' involvement in Facebook® as a course management system (CMS), Facebook acceptance, and the relationships between the two. The study used Facebook as a CMS in two freshman courses and employed mixed method as part of an action-research approach. Forty-two students participated in the study, and 12 of those students…

Evaluating a College Leadership Course: What Do Students Learn in a Leadership Course with a Service-Learning Component and How Deeply Do They Learn It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sessa, Valerie I.; Matos, Cristina; Hopkins, Courtney A.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate final projects in a freshman leadership course (combining grounding in leadership theories with a service-learning component) to determine what students learned about leadership, themselves as developing leaders, and leading in the civic community, and how deeply they learned these concepts. Students found…

Analysis of the Impact of Introductory Physics on Engineering Students at Texas A&M University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, Jonathan; Bassichis, William

Introductory physics forms a major part of the foundational knowledge of engineering majors, independent of discipline and institution. While the content of introductory physics courses is consistent from institution to institution, the manner in which it is taught can vary greatly due to professor, textbook, instructional method, and overall course design. This work attempts to examine variations in student success, as measured by overall academic performance in an engineering major, and matriculation rates, based on the type of introductory physics a student took while enrolled in an engineering degree at Texas A&M University. Specific options for introductory physics at Texas A&M University include two calculus based physics courses, one traditional (UP), and one more mathematically rigorous (DP), transfer credit, and high school (AP or dual) credit. In order to examine the impact of introductory physics on a student's degree progression, data mining analyses are performed on a data set of relatively comprehensive academic records for all students enrolled as an engineering major for a minimum of one academic term. Student data has been collected for years of entering freshman beginning in 1990 and ending in 2010. Correlations will be examined between freshman level courses, including introductory physics, and follow on engineering courses, matriculation rates, and time to graduation.

Science That Matters: The Importance of a Cultural Connection in Underrepresented Students’ Science Pursuit

PubMed Central

Jackson, Matthew C.; Galvez, Gino; Landa, Isidro; Buonora, Paul; Thoman, Dustin B.

2016-01-01

Recent research suggests that underrepresented minority (URM) college students, and especially first-generation URMs, may lose motivation to persist if they see science careers as unable to fulfill culturally relevant career goals. In the present study, we used a mixed-methods approach to explore patterns of motivation to pursue physical and life sciences across ethnic groups of freshman college students, as moderated by generational status. Results from a longitudinal survey (N = 249) demonstrated that freshman URM students who enter with a greater belief that science can be used to help their communities identified as scientists more strongly over time, but only among first-generation college students. Analysis of the survey data were consistent with content analysis of 11 transcripts from simultaneously conducted focus groups (N = 67); together, these studies reveal important differences in motivational characteristics both across and within ethnicity across educational generation status. First-generation URM students held the strongest prosocial values for pursuing a science major (e.g., giving back to the community). URM students broadly reported additional motivation to increase the status of their family (e.g., fulfilling aspirations for a better life). These findings demonstrate the importance of culturally connected career motives and for examining intersectional identities to understand science education choices and inform efforts to broaden participation. PMID:27543631

Increasing URM Undergraduate Student Success through Assessment-Driven Interventions: A Multiyear Study Using Freshman-Level General Biology as a Model System

PubMed Central

Carmichael, Mary C.; St. Clair, Candace; Edwards, Andrea M.; Barrett, Peter; McFerrin, Harris; Davenport, Ian; Awad, Mohamed; Kundu, Anup; Ireland, Shubha Kale

2016-01-01

Xavier University of Louisiana leads the nation in awarding BS degrees in the biological sciences to African-American students. In this multiyear study with ∼5500 participants, data-driven interventions were adopted to improve student academic performance in a freshman-level general biology course. The three hour-long exams were common and administered concurrently to all students. New exam questions were developed using Bloom’s taxonomy, and exam results were analyzed statistically with validated assessment tools. All but the comprehensive final exam were returned to students for self-evaluation and remediation. Among other approaches, course rigor was monitored by using an identical set of 60 questions on the final exam across 10 semesters. Analysis of the identical sets of 60 final exam questions revealed that overall averages increased from 72.9% (2010) to 83.5% (2015). Regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between high-risk students and their averages on the 60 questions. Additional analysis demonstrated statistically significant improvements for at least one letter grade from midterm to final and a 20% increase in the course pass rates over time, also for the high-risk population. These results support the hypothesis that our data-driven interventions and assessment techniques are successful in improving student retention, particularly for our academically at-risk students. PMID:27543637

Wisdom Needed.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lapovsky, Lucie

1998-01-01

Results of the National Association of College and University Business Officers' annual survey (n=340 institutions) of institutional aid to students (tuition discounting) are summarized. Data include an analysis of tuition patterns, freshman tuition discount rates, undergraduate discount rates, class differences, and relationships among variables…

Focus on Folklore.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullican, James S., Ed.

1977-01-01

This issue of the "Indiana English Journal" is devoted to various facets of folklore. Topics of articles are folklore museums as resource sites for teaching; American folklore and the English classroom; writing about folklore in the freshman English class; some folklore and related materials for composition classes; developing teaching materials…

The Role of Functionality in the Mental Representations of Engineering Students: Some Differences in the Early Stages of Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Jarrod; Kotovsky, Kenneth; Cagan, Jonathan

2006-01-01

As engineers gain experience and become experts in their domain, the structure and content of their knowledge changes. Two studies are presented that examine differences in knowledge representation among freshman and senior engineering students. The first study examines recall of mechanical devices and chunking of components, and the second…

Responses of College Freshmen to Three Novels. NCTE Research Report No. 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, James R.

A study was conducted to explore student response to literature and the influence of classroom experiences on that response. Three novels were selected for study: "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger, "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, and "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. Each of 54 freshman English students read one of the…

Ideas for the Classroom: Freshmen Assigned to Recruit New Students; Class in Art History Meets Only in a Museum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosley, Catherine J.

1987-01-01

Three innovative ideas for college instruction include a freshman assignment to write recruitment letters to high school students with similar interests, introductory art history classes taught solely in a museum adjacent to the campus, and use of the "Hunt of the Unicorn" tapestry to combine plant identification practice with art…

A Study of the Predictability of Praxis I Examination Scores from ACT Scores and Teacher Education Program Prerequisite Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Allen R.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between student enrollment in certain college courses and Praxis I scores. Specifically, the study examined the predictive nature of the relationships between students' grades in college algebra, their freshman English course of choice, their ACT scores, and their Praxis I scores. The subjects consisted of…

Assessing Change in High School Student Information Literacy Using the Tool for Real-Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovalik, Cindy L.; Yutzey, Susan D.; Piazza, Laura M.

2012-01-01

Change in high school student information literacy (IL) knowledge and skills, from freshman year to senior year in high school was the focus of this quasi-experimental research project. Researchers used a free information literacy skills assessment tool entitled TRAILS (Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills) to measure…

Didactic Model: Teaching the English Temporal System to Arabic Freshman Learners of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hmidani, Thana

2017-01-01

This study took place at a medical college with 57 Arabic first-year students taking an intensive English course. The aim was to address the problems that learners experience when using the English tenses properly. The didactic model was developed and implemented in the study group only (27 students). Pre-, mid-, and post-tests were administered…

From Freshman Student to Upper-Secondary School Teacher in Chemistry: A New Approach with Projects and Group Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Josephsen, Jens

1985-01-01

A special five and one-half year program for training upper secondary school chemistry teachers has been developed and tested over the past decade at Roskilde University near Copenhagen. The program (which emphasizes project work) and a student project on epoxy glue are described. Program graduates are generally problem-oriented and…

A Cross-Cultural Study of Taiwanese and Kuwaiti EFL Students' Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Shu-hua; Alrabah, Sulaiman

2009-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to relate the findings of a survey of learning styles and multiple intelligences that was distributed among two different cultural groups of Freshman-level EFL students in Taiwan and Kuwait in order to confirm its consistency for developing teaching techniques appropriate for each group's general profiles. Data…

National Freshman Attitudes Report, 2012. An Exploration of Attitudes That Influence Student Success. Seventh Annual National Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel-Levitz, Inc, 2012

2012-01-01

This annual report describes self-reported attitudes and motivations of today's first-year college students throughout the nation, based on survey responses from a sizable sample of freshmen attending college during the current academic year, 2011-2012. Among the highlights: (1) Compared to their female counterparts, many more incoming first-year…

The Handicapped Student in America's Colleges: A Longitudinal Analysis. Part 3: Disabled 1978 College Freshmen Three Years Later.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Judith K.; And Others

Results of a 1981 followup survey of a 1978 disabled freshmen group are presented, with attention directed to the current status of the students, their educational progress, and college experiences. Information is given on the research methodology, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), and the CIRP annual freshman survey. A…

Development and Testing of an Experimental Polysensory Instructional System for Teaching Electric Arc Welding Processes. Report No. 24. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sergeant, Harold A.

The population of the study consisted of 15 high school industrial arts students, 10 freshman and sophomore college students, and 10 adults. A polysensory, self-pacing instructional system was developed which included (1) pretests and post tests, (2) a general instruction book, (3) equipment to practice arc welding, (4) programed instruction…

Peer Mentor Program for the General Chemistry Laboratory Designed to Improve Undergraduate STEM Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damkaci, Fehmi; Braun, Timothy F.; Gublo, Kristin

2017-01-01

We describe the design and implementation of an undergraduate peer mentor program that can overlay an existing general chemistry laboratory and is designed to improve STEM student retention. For the first four freshman cohorts going through the program, year-to-year retention improved by a four-year average of 20% for students in peer-mentored…

The Liberal Arts and Environmental Awareness: Exploring Endorsement of an Environmental Worldview in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rideout, Bruce E.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research was to explore student endorsement of an environmental worldview during the college years through a sampling of freshmen and seniors. Nine independent samples of freshman and senior class undergraduates (N = 779) were surveyed over a five year period in a small, independent liberal arts college. The survey instrument…

The Relationship of High School Preparation in Mathematics to the Enrollment of College Freshman in Postsecondary Developmental Mathematics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lang, Erick

2012-01-01

A student's mathematical preparation is important in readiness for postsecondary study and ultimately success in a global job market. Nationally, a significant number of students are leaving high school unprepared for college-level course work in mathematics. A 2008 National Center for Educational Statistics report on Community Colleges indicates…

Possible Long-Term Effects of Awarding Merit Aid. AIR 1999 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulugetta, Yuko

This study used data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) for 1989-90 and 1995-96 to examine the awarding of need-based and merit student financial aid to entering college freshmen by private four-year colleges. Regression analysis used the amount of institutional need-based grant awarded to an individual freshman as a…

Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning in an Introductory Anatomy and Physiology Course with a Diverse Student Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Patrick J. P.

2010-01-01

Process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL), a pedagogical technique initially developed for college chemistry courses, has been implemented for 2 yr in a freshman-level anatomy and physiology course at a small private college. The course is populated with students with backgrounds ranging from no previous college-level science to junior and…

A Comparison of Student Teachers' Beliefs from Four Different Science Teaching Domains Using a Mixed Methods Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markic, Silvija; Eilks, Ingo

2012-01-01

The study presented in this paper integrates data from four combined research studies, which are both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The studies describe freshman science student teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning. These freshmen intend to become teachers in Germany in one of four science teaching domains (secondary biology,…

Exploring the Influence of Select Demographic, Academic, and Athletic Variables on the Retention of Student-Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, James E.; Wessel, Roger D.; Pierce, David A.

2013-01-01

The population of 674 first-year student-athletes culled from 5 successive freshman classes (2004-2008) at a mid-size midwestern university was examined to determine what combination of demographic, academic, and athletic variables best predicted retention into the 2nd academic year. The dependent variable of retention was chosen because it is a…

A Theoretical Lens on a Biology Intensive Orientation Program: A Study of Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulation of Freshman Biology Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Erin R.

2012-01-01

There is a national effort to increase the number of undergraduate students graduating in science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) (National Science Foundation, 2007). The majority of students initially populating these STEM majors ultimately switch to and graduate from non-STEM majors (Seymour & Hewitt, 2000; Seymour, 2002). The…

The Effectiveness of Interactive Computer Assisted Modeling in Teaching Study Strategies and Concept Mapping of College Textbook Material.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikulecky, Larry

A study evaluated the effectiveness of a series of print materials and interactive computer-guided study programs designed to lead undergraduate students to apply basic textbook reading and concept mapping strategies to the study of science and social science textbooks. Following field testing with 25 learning skills students, 50 freshman biology…

Address by William J. Bennett, United States Secretary of Education. (Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, William J.

The extent to which U.S. colleges and universities contribute to the fulfillment of students' lives is discussed by Secretary of Education William Bennett in an address to Harvard University. Secretary Bennett's observations are based on his experiences as a law student, freshman proctor, and tutor at Harvard University, as well as his subsequent…

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Science.gov Websites

Online Pre-College Continuing Education Grades & Transcripts Student Success Study Abroad Academic Freshman Graduate Study International Transfer Adult & Returning Re-entry Second Degree UWM Online Out Academic Programs Study Abroad Research Outreach Partnerships Learning Communities Center for International

A New Approach to the Measurement of Educational Outcomes for Institutions of High Learning.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

Instructs on four levels of undergraduate education. At the end of that year, students have completed the freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior year. Wen...conclusions for the aggregate model even though individual models are discussed. During any given academic year, the undergraduate university has students ... students quit at every step along the four year university ladder to an undergraduate degree. In other words, the more heterogeneous (as measured by

What do seniors remember from freshman physics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawl, Andrew; Barrantes, Analia; Pritchard, David E.; Mitchell, Rudolph

2012-12-01

We have given a group of 56 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) seniors who took mechanics as freshmen a written test similar to the final exam they took in their freshman course as well as the Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT) and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). Students in majors unrelated to physics scored 60% lower on the written analytic part of the final than they would have as freshmen. The mean score of all participants on the MBT was insignificantly changed from their average on the posttest they took as freshmen. However, the students’ performance on 9 of the 26 MBT items (with 6 of the 9 involving graphical kinematics) represents a gain over their freshman posttest score (a normalized gain of about 70%), while their performance on the remaining 17 questions is best characterized as a loss of approximately 50% of the material learned in the freshman course. On multiple-choice questions covering advanced physics concepts, the mean score of the participants was about 50% lower than the average performance of freshmen. Although attitudinal survey results indicate that almost half the seniors feel the specific mechanics course content is unlikely to be useful to them, a significant majority (75%-85%) feel that physics does teach valuable problem solving skills, and an overwhelming majority believe that mechanics should remain a required course at MIT.

Expectations of Internet Education: Casper College's Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Gerald E.

The Internet Based Distance Learning (IBDL) classes provided in Wyoming's Casper College have the potential to benefit all involved. The "Cyber Semester," which began in the spring of 1997, consisted of four typical freshman classes (Physical Geography, Precalculus Algebra, English Composition I, and Political Science) that were offered…

Digital Video: Scaffolding Fieldworking Skills for Research Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Remler, Nancy

2011-01-01

While many freshman composition textbooks offer cursory instruction on how to conduct field research, very little information exists on teaching undergraduates field research methods. Such instruction often occurs during graduate school. However, in order to become polished writers and researchers, and to see firsthand how research enhances…

SOLAR LIGHTING FOR REMOTE RURAL COMMUNITIES

EPA Science Inventory

The 132 students enrolled in the fall 2007 freshman course, “Engineering Design and Problem Solving”, were presented with a choice of five projects; one was a challenge to “Design, build and evaluate – a portable, rechargeable lantern that can be used &...

An Appropriate Culminating Mathematics Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haver, Bill; Turbeville, Gwen

1995-01-01

Describes a freshman level mathematics course designed as an alternate to algebra for non-science majors. Mathematical content is based on real-world situations, student activities include small and large projects done in groups or individually, and lecture time is held to a minimum. (MKR)

Strengthening Academic Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodnar, Julie R.; Petrucelli, Susan L.

2016-01-01

Underprepared students often need assistance building writing skills and maintaining confidence in their abilities and potential. The authors share the philosophy, pedagogy, and experience of freshman developmental education and the writing center at a four-year, private, not-for-profit urban college. They describe high-impact educational…

Freshman Health Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hovde, Karen

2011-01-01

This article examines a cluster of health topics that are frequently selected by students in lower division classes. Topics address issues relating to addictive substances, including alcohol and tobacco, eating disorders, obesity, and dieting. Analysis of the topics examines their interrelationships and organization in the reference literature.…

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "Are Tenure Track Professors Better Teachers?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

tenured/tenure track professor versus a nontenured/tenure track professor for first-term freshman-level courses (e.g., introductory economics) was associated with whether students enrolled and performed well in future classes in the same subject. The study uses a…

A Fragile Coalition: University and High School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Eugene

1981-01-01

Since 1978, the University of Washington has offered two of its freshman writing courses at Sequim High School, for advanced students wishing to earn college credit. The author discusses program's operations, advantages, and disadvantages, and compares it to the Advanced Placement Program. (SJL)

General Chemistry and Self-Efficacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smist, Julianne M.

Several researchers have argued that the underrepresentation of women and minorities in professional occupations results from negative beliefs or attitudes, particularly self-efficacy expectations. A Science Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SSEQ) was designed and later administered to 430 students (all were enrolled in freshman general chemistry and…

Addressing the Creationist Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seaford, H. Wade, Jr.

1990-01-01

Describes a method of contrasting "scientific creationism" and evolution, or pseudo-science and science, that was utilized in a freshman seminar at Dickinson College. Discusses how the seminar format fostered analytical thinking, research, and writing skills. Presents responses given by creationist students after the course. (JS)

Charting the Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forde, Dana

2007-01-01

This article describes how Rutgers University's Office for Diversity and Academic Success in the Sciences (ODASIS) provides step-by-step guidance to help aspiring minority physicians fulfill their dreams. ODASIS works jointly with undergraduate admissions officials at Rutgers to identify all incoming freshman students from underrepresented and…

"Women's Ways of Knowing" Form the Basis for Ursuline Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gose, Ben

1995-01-01

The new Ursuline College (Ohio) core curriculum is based on controversial theories about unique ways in which women learn. In freshman seminars, students are encouraged to discover personal truths by drawing connections between the liberal arts and their own lives. (MSE)

The Effects of College on Weight: Examining the "Freshman 15" Myth and Other Effects of College Over the Life Cycle.

PubMed

Baum, Charles L

2017-02-01

This study examines the effects of college on weight over much of the life cycle. I compare weights for college students with their weights before and after college and with the weights of noncollege peers using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). I also examine the longer-term effects of college measured almost three decades later. I find that college freshmen gain substantially less than the 15 pounds rumored to be typical for freshmen. Using difference models, individual-specific fixed-effects models, and instrumental variables models to control for various sources of potential bias, I find that freshman year college attendance is estimated to cause only about a one-pound increase. Supplemental results show that those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds gain more weight during the freshman college year. Longer term, having a college education consistently decreases weight. These negative effects have faded over the last 20 years, and they diminish as respondents approach middle age. These trends are more prevalent for whites and Hispanics than for blacks.

The College Teaching of English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerber, John C., Ed.

Thirteen essays on the teaching of college English are included--(1) "Prospect" by John H. Fisher, (2) "The Study and Teaching of English" by William C. De Vane, (3) "Introductory Literature Courses" by Hoyt Trowbridge, (4) "General and Interdisciplinary Courses" by Robert C. Pooley, (5) "Freshman Composition" by Robert M. Gorrell, (6) "Advanced…

Promoting English oral communication and higher-order thinking in Taiwanese ESL students through the use of knowledge visualization techniques.

PubMed

Wang, Ya-Huei; Liao, Hung-Chang

2014-06-01

The study examined whether the students using concept mapping in a Freshman English course would improve English oral communication proficiency, higher-order thinking, and perception of abilities. A quasi-experimental design, lasting for 12 weeks, was administered to an experimental group (21 students) and a control group (20 students). The experimental group had significantly better performance on all measures. Concept mapping was effective in improving college students' English oral communication, higher-order thinking, and perception of abilities development.

There and Back Again: Learning from the History of a Freshman Seminar Sequence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

deLusé, Stephanie R.

2014-01-01

The evolution of The Human Event, a course sequence at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, provides a case study of using a program's history to understand its present and improve its future. While Barrett is situated at a public university with 76,000 students, and is now a large college in itself with 4,803 honors students,…

Chemistry - Part III, An Introduction to Organic Chemistry: Student Workbook for the Thirteen-College Curriculum Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booker, Edward; And Others

This booklet is a student manual in a series of booklets that make up the core of a Physical Science course designed for the freshman year of college and used by teachers in the 27 colleges participating in the Thirteen College curriculum Program. This program is a curriculum revision project in support of 13 predominantly Negro colleges and…

The Effects of Stereotypes on the Achievement Gap: Reexamining the Academic Performance of African American High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellow, J. Thomas; Jones, Brett D.

2008-01-01

This study investigated whether African American high school freshman students experience stereotype threat when taking a test that is seen as a predictor of their success on a high-stakes test. The authors conceptually replicated a previous study by Kellow and Jones (2005) using a true experimental design, as opposed to a quasi-experimental…

Flipping the Classroom in Freshman English Library Instruction: A Comparison Study of a Flipped Class versus a Traditional Lecture Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, Eduardo

2017-01-01

A problem that Instruction Librarians often grapple with is the lack of time that is necessary to deliver, and assess, proper library instruction to students so the students grasp the Information Literacy concepts that are delivered especially in one or two instruction sessions. This article examines using the flipped classroom model in English…

Helping Students Make the Transition into High School: The Effect of Ninth Grade Academies on Students' Academic and Behavioral Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Somers, Marie-Andrée; Garcia, Ivonne

2016-01-01

Ninth Grade Academies (NGAs)--also called Freshman Academies--have attracted national attention as a particularly intensive and promising approach for supporting a successful transition for high school freshmen. An NGA is a self-contained learning community for ninth-graders that operates as a school within a school. NGAs have four core structural…

Holland's SDS Applied to Chinese College Students: A Revisit to Cross-Culture Adaptation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kong, Jin; Xu, Yonghong Jade; Zhang, Hao

2016-01-01

In this study, data collected from 875 college freshman and sophomore students enrolled in a 4-year university in central China are used to examine the applicability and validity of a Chinese version of Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) that was adapted in the 1990s. The total sample was randomly divided into two groups. Data from the first…

WWC Review of the Report "Are Tenure Track Professors Better Teachers?" What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

The study reviewed here examined whether taking a course with a tenure track professor versus a non-tenure track professor for first-term freshman-level courses (e.g., introductory economics) had an impact on students' future enrollment and performance in classes in the same subject. Data from 15,662 students who entered Northwestern University,…

The Surface Warfare Community’s 360-Degree Feedback Pilot Program: A Preliminary Analysis and Evaluation Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

the effectiveness of this program as a development tool spurred the remarkable growth of acceptance and use within corporate America. Luthans and...that it is a useful development tool for an organization. The study on upward feedback of student leaders and followers at the United States Naval...The subjects were 978 student leaders in their junior year and 1,232 student followers in their freshman year. The followers provided upward

Teaching CS1 with Python GUI Game Programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hong

2010-06-01

Python is becoming a popular programming language in teaching freshman programming courses. The author designed a sequence of game programming labs using Pygame to further help engage students and to improve their programming skills. The class survey showed that the adoption of Pygame is successful.

Using the Work System Method with Freshman Information Systems Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Recker, Jan; Alter, Steven

2012-01-01

Recent surveys of information technology management professionals show that understanding business domains in terms of business productivity and cost reduction potential, knowledge of different vertical industry segments and their information requirements, understanding of business processes and client-facing skills are more critical for…

The Effectiveness of a College Freshman Reading-Study Skills Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usova, George M.

1979-01-01

Details a study of the reading-study skills course at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, that was performed to assess the effectiveness of the program in terms of academic progress and student retention. Reports positive and significant results. (FL)