Academic Psychological Capital: A Novel Approach to Freshmen Retention

Psychological capital (PsyCap) is uniquely positioned at the intersection between student and academic institution. College administrators should look to psychological capital, beyond just student performance, for retention efforts in the financial management of the institution. The psychological capital and retention of four cohorts of freshmen at a small liberal arts residential college in the Southeast region of the United States were analyzed. The findings indicate that psychological capital, hope, and self-efficacy are predictors of freshmen to sophomore retention. Psychological capital impacts student performance, peer-group and faculty interactions, and should be considered as a method to manage dropout decision per Tinto’s (1975) Institutional Departure Model. Psychological capital development initiatives should be incorporated into orientation and in freshmen core curriculum as a method to retain students.

Academic Reality Check: A Fast, Free, Practical Tool for Freshmen Retention

With limited budgets and increasing enrollment demands, colleges need fast, free, and practical solutions supporting academic success and retention. The Academic Reality Check (ARC) tool helps to predict traditional freshmen awareness of their own academic expectations in college quickly, supporting the financial investment being made by all stakeholders. Similar inventories exist but they are costly, complicated, or both. The ARC tool is a valid, reliable, fast, free, and practical option. The ARC tool is available on a free website, so students, advisors, and faculty can access it easily. Students can complete the ARC tool in approximately 10 minutes and get an immediate academic success indicator score related to class attendance, attention, and note taking; time management and organization; study expectations and learning strategies; resources; and reading, writing, and homework.

The Impact of Distance Education on University Retention Rates

This study uses new measures of distance education to assess the impact on retention rates at 4-year public and private non-profit universities in the U.S. We present evidence that the percent of undergraduates enrolled exclusively in distance education courses reduces a university’s freshmen retention rate, particularly for institutions with a relatively low median SAT score. We find no clear evidence of lower retention rates when undergraduates are enrolled in a combination of on-campus and distance education courses. These findings suggest increased enrollment through distance education can come at the expense of lower retention.

The Effects of Part-Time Faculty on First Semester Freshmen Retention: A Predictive Model Using Logistic Regression

Part-time faculty clearly serve a valuable purpose in higher education; however, their increased use raises concerns for administrators, faculty, and policy makers. Part-time faculty members spend a greater proportion of their overall time teaching, but the initial evidence suggests that these instructors are less available to students and are less engaged with the campus environment. Recent research attempts to connect part-time faculty utilization to student outcomes. This study explored the effects of exposure to part-time faculty instruction on student retention. Typical first-year students entering the study institution between 1999 and 2003 received over one-quarter of their total first-year instruction from part-time faculty. Furthermore, results show that as exposure to part-time faculty instruction increases, the odds of being retained decrease. Because the use of part-time faculty varies based on institutional type, additional research should focus on diverse institutional settings.