Presents a decomposition technique for a Tobit regression model that shows the effect of the independent variables on (1) the amount of financial-aid awards to those receiving aid; and (2) the probability of receiving aid for those who did not receive aid. Contributes to a clearer understanding of the effects of selected factors on awards. (20…

Data from graduate student applications at a large Western university were used to determine which factors were the best predictors of success in graduate school, as defined by cumulative graduate grade point average. Two statistical models were employed and compared: artificial neural networking and simultaneous multiple regression. Both models…

Having made "continuous improvement" the theme of its accreditation process a decade ago, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is poised to make "assurance of learning" the current focus of the faculty/student exchange. In this article, the authors discuss how to use standardized assessment tests…

Homework gives students an opportunity to practice important college-level physics skills. A switch to Web-based homework alters the nature of feedback received, potentially changing the pedagogical benefit. Calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics students enrolled in large paired lecture sections at a public university completed homework…

The increasing emphasis in the United States on high-stakes testing for students and schools generates a great deal of quantitative data, but these data are less frequently linked to other data that are more difficult to obtain such as data on risk factors that may affect how students do on these tests. To make such comparisons, a group of…

The effectiveness of developmental education policies at a comprehensive community college was investigated using a new student tracking system. A sample of 1,644 students were tracked from fall 1992 until the end of the fall 1994 semester, 1,226 of whom evidenced basic skills and were eligible for college-level courses, and 418 of whom were…

This study examined variables related to college predisposition among students of different ethnic groups who attended schools enrolling high percentages of minority students and high percentages of students participating in free or subsidized school lunch programs. It is based on a subset of data from the 1988 National Education Longitudinal…

The prediction of academic success of undergraduate students using an item response theory partial credit model adjusted grade point average (IRTGPA) is presented and its results are compared to those from an unweighted grade point average (GPA). The sample included 2,444 freshmen admitted in the fall of 1987 to 681 courses at a large midwestern…

This report reviews the literature on minority nursing students including the identification of high risk students, admission policies, evaluation methods and prediction of success of nursing students since the mid-1980s. The review finds that many variables have been used in research studies to identify at-risk students, to predict nursing…

This study, a collaborative undertaking between the college of health professions and the medical college at Thomas Jefferson University (Pennsylvania), was part of a larger project intended to examine whether a selected set of academic, demographic, and psychosocial variables are predictive of nursing and allied health student academic…

This report examines the relationship between Maryland students' academic performance and experiences in high school and how well they did in their initial year in college. It includes students who graduated from a Maryland high school in the 1993-94 school year and who enrolled at a Maryland college or university during the 1994-95 academic year.…

A study investigated the reliability of international students' English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) class performance as a predictor of academic performance. Subjects were 169 international students at Portland State University (Oregon) whose freshman and sophomore grade point averages (GPAs) and English language test scores for each language skill…

A study focused on 10th-grade students for the 1990-91 school year at Arthur Hill and Saginaw High Schools, Michigan, to examine system-related problems in course selection/scheduling that may decrease student enrollments at the Averill Career Opportunities Center (COC). A random sample consisted of 316 of 472 regular education students at the 2…

In an effort to identify the minimum qualifications necessary for an entering student to succeed in a selective admission Nursing Program at Saint Petersburg Junior College in Florida, a study was conducted of 424 generic nursing students who started the program in January 1988, August 1988, January 1989, and August 1989. A successful student was…

A longitudinal study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College, in Palatine, Illinois, to observe the performance and achievement of all credit students entering the college from fall 1979 through fall 1989. Academic records were analyzed for 14,908 full-time and 30,082 part-time students. Study findings included the following: (1) over the…