Black Students’ Experiences of Academic Support Programs during First Year at University: Case of Extended Studies

In the last three decades, historically white, liberal arts universities began to admit small numbers of black students from rural communities because apartheid policies relaxed. However, those liberal arts universities had doubts about black students’ key skills and knowledge to cope with the demands of higher education. This situation gave birth to Extended Studies Program (ESP) whereby the traditional three-year degree program was extended by a year to close this gap. This study seeks to answer the question: What are black students’ experiences and views about academic support offered to them during their first year at university? In this study both qualitative and quantitative research methods were followed, and purposive sampling was deployed. Data were generated from different sources for triangulation, namely questionnaires and interviews. Participants (N=104) were made of 43 males and 61 females. The results of the study suggest that the need for academic support is not exclusive to first-year students. Improved systematic academic support gives rise to improved student academic performance. Throughout the study, necessity, and urgency of Academic Support Programs (ASPs) is recognized. Recommendations are made suggesting that ASPs be administered throughout the undergraduate programs and not just at the first-year level of study.

Prescriptive vs. Developmental: Academic Advising at a Historically Black University in South Carolina

Many academic support programs promote the academic success of first-year students, and research has shown the importance of effective academic advising to first-year student retention. Among the numerous approaches to academic advising, the strategy used by advisors at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) remains relatively unknown. This quantitative study is based on the most prevalent academic advising approach used at a HBCU in South Carolina. A well-documented survey was administered to 77 first-year students attending this institution to measure their experiences with prescriptive and developmental advising and their satisfaction with these advising approaches. The results showed that the most prevalent advising approach was developmental advising, and students were satisfied with aspects of both strategies.

Assessment of Public Schools’ Out-of-School Time Academic Support Programs with Participant-Oriented Evaluation

Using the participants-oriented approach, this study evaluated public schools’ out-of-school time academic support programs, corresponding to the corrective/enrichment stage of Bloom’s Mastery Learning Model and offered outside formal education’s weekday hours and on weekends. Study participants included 50 principals, 110 teachers, 170 students attending programs, 110 students not attending programs, and 61 parents, all selected through random sampling in a survey-model study in Istanbul, Turkey. Partial findings were the following. According to principals and teachers, programs were sufficiently introduced to target groups. Satisfaction of attending students with the teaching—learning process was sufficient, and students believed program participation increased their success in regular classes. However, program functioning presented some problems. Administrators and teachers think the no-cost programs resulted in lack of interest among students. In addition, problems of materials and transportation have not been completely solved. Similarly, offered classes and lessons’ content organization fall short of expectations. In conclusion, out-of-school time academic support programs play important roles in reducing differences among learning levels based on individual characteristics in collective or formal learning. Still, student needs should be fulfilled, and programs should be maintained. Further studies should be conducted on these programs’ integration into formal education.

A Third Place for the Law Library: Integrating Library Services with Academic Support Programs

While academic support programs3 have become more or less standard inlaw schools during the twenty-first century, they are constantly changing shape.Law librarians can take advantage of this to reinvent and reposition themselves inthe legal academy and, in doing so, add new value to legal education. Currently, lawlibrarians guide students through the process of acquiring legal information; workingwith academic support programs would allow them to take the next step andguide students in converting that information into legal knowledge