Institutions of higher education possess large amounts of learning-related data in their student registers and learning management systems (LMS). This data can be mined to gain insights into study paths, study styles and possible bottlenecks on the study paths. In this study, we focused on creating a predictive model for study completion time…

Institutional researchers use skills from their diverse backgrounds to collect, analyze and report data about their institutions to stakeholders representing various interests and levels of data literacy. However, there is little research into how these professionals process data and none into what aspects are important to institutional…

In this research brief, the author examines the unique challenges and experiences of part-time learners, as well as the institutional policies and practices that support and impede their long-term success and degree attainment. To bridge gaps in research about the part-time student population and institutional practices that impact their…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the care crisis in the United States to the fore. Unprecedented closures of child care programs throughout 2020 placed a disproportionate burden on families, and mothers in particular. For parents enrolled in college or considering postsecondary enrollment at the time of the pandemic, the loss of child care services…

Understanding the early teacher pipeline, how many and what types of individuals are pursuing a teaching credential, is critically important. Unfortunately, as Dan Goldhaber and Kris Holden explain, the two national data collections that can be used to explore these areas provide incomplete and sometimes contrasting pictures about the number of…

The purpose of this study is to use Indigenous data collection to present construct validity of an instrument designed to test the American Indian/Alaska Native Millennium Falcon Postsecondary Persistence Model (Lopez, 2018). In the following, I describe an alternative sampling technique based on an Indigenous quantitative methodology to examine…

The growing awareness of the importance of the first year of high school for future success has prompted schools and districts across the country to develop interventions designed for ninth-graders. "Growth mindset" is an intervention that aims to increase students' desire to take on challenges and to enhance their persistence in school…

In this article we report on the findings of a project funded by the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching and entitled "Learning Analytics: Assisting Universities with Student Retention." While this project was primarily focused on retention as a potential outcome of learning analytics, its application could be related to the…

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) face persistent challenges related to student performance, including high rates of attrition and low student achievement scores. Previous studies that have examined the performance of students in MOOCs have done so using qualitative analysis and the quantitative analysis of small samples. This study is the first…

Vertical transfer from community college to a university offers a promising, although unrealized, pathway to diversify STEM disciplines. Studying how successful transfer-­receiving universities support STEM transfer students can offer insights into the institutional practices that promote transfer student retention and success. Using institutional…

Higher education leaders have repeatedly called for improved diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, but many institutions continue to fall short. Data can play an integral role in this work; key among them are data on student demographics, including race/ethnicity. Meeting diversity, equity, and inclusion goals requires a thorough and nuanced…

This study explores common themes in recruitment and retention practices of Latinx undergraduate and graduate students that emerged across interviews of faculty in leadership positions at Institutes of Higher Education (IHE). In-depth interviews were conducted of six faculty holding leadership positions in their early childhood education programs…

The dearth of retention scholarship that centers (or includes) queer and trans (QT) students has resulted in inadequately capturing the nuanced dimensions of student retention. As a scholarly community, we are at a critical juncture where it is academically, administratively, and morally necessary to reexamine assumptions about retention to better…

In Illinois, there are more than 21,000 children and youth in foster care. Approximately 26% of these individuals are 13 and older (Illinois Department of Children & Family Services [IDCFS] 2021). Although career and technical education (CTE) programs are offered at both secondary and postsecondary educational levels, little to no data about…

To successfully reduce student attrition, it is imperative to understand what the underlying determinants of attrition are and which students are at risk of dropping out. We develop an early detection system (EDS) using administrative student data from a state and private university to predict student dropout as a basis for a targeted…