Functions of code-switching in multilingual student community

Dissertação de Mestrado, Ciências da Linguagem, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2013

A Retrospective-Longitudinal Examination of the Relationship between Apportionment of Seat Time in Community-College Algebra Courses and Student Academic Performance

During the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase by postsecondary institutions in providing academic programs and course offerings in a multitude of formats and venues (Biemiller, 2009; Kucsera & Zimmaro, 2010; Lang, 2009; Mangan, 2008). Strategies pertaining to reapportionment of course-delivery seat time have been a major facet of these institutional initiatives; most notably, within many open-door 2-year colleges. Often, these enrollment-management decisions are driven by the desire to increase market-share, optimize the usage of finite facility capacity, and contain costs, especially during these economically turbulent times. So, while enrollments have surged to the point where nearly one in three 18-to-24 year-old U.S. undergraduates are community college students (Pew Research Center, 2009), graduation rates, on average, still remain distressingly low (Complete College America, 2011). Among the learning-theory constructs related to seat-time reapportionment efforts is the cognitive phenomenon commonly referred to as the spacing effect, the degree to which learning is enhanced by a series of shorter, separated sessions as opposed to fewer, more massed episodes. This ex post facto study explored whether seat time in a postsecondary developmental-level algebra course is significantly related to: course success; course-enrollment persistence; and, longitudinally, the time to successfully complete a general-education-level mathematics course. Hierarchical logistic regression and discrete-time survival analysis were used to perform a multi-level, multivariable analysis of a student cohort (N = 3,284) enrolled at a large, multi-campus, urban community college. The subjects were retrospectively tracked over a 2-year longitudinal period. The study found that students in long seat-time classes tended to withdraw earlier and more often than did their peers in short seat-time classes (p < .05). Additionally, a model comprised of nine statistically significant covariates (all with p-values less than .01) was constructed. However, no longitudinal seat-time group differences were detected nor was there sufficient statistical evidence to conclude that seat time was predictive of developmental-level course success. A principal aim of this study was to demonstrate—to educational leaders, researchers, and institutional-research/business-intelligence professionals—the advantages and computational practicability of survival analysis, an underused but more powerful way to investigate changes in students over time.

Student handbook

The Student Handbook provides information about many of the resources available at TTC. It contains information about the College’s academic support programs, internet and computer resources, student activities, financial aid, and other programs and services. The Student Code of Conduct and Academic Issues sections in this handbook outline the College’s expectations for student rights and behavior. You can also keep track of important dates and campus events.

Student calendar & handbook

Piedmont Technical College publishes an annual student calendar and handbook with academic calendar, important dates, information about student programs and services, campus maps, and other campus information.

SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANTS FOR EDUCATION PILOT PROGRAMS

The South Carolina General Assembly created the South Carolina Community Block Grant for Education Pilot Program by Proviso 1.94 in the 2014-15 General Appropriation Act. The intent of the proviso is to encourage public school districts and district entrepreneurial public educators to undertake state-of-the-art initiatives to improve student learning and to share the results with the state’s public education community. Although community partnerships were the focus of the grant, school districts were the lead agencies on the grant were directed by proviso to provide reports, summaries and items for the evaluation component of the grant. Through this proviso, one million dollars was allocated for the block grants with direct allocations to school districts. One hundred percent of the funds were allocated to school districts. No grant award was to exceed $250,000 annually unless the grants committee found that exceptional circumstances warranted exceeding this amount.

Essays on employment / education, investment in education and student achievement

Méthodologie: Modèle de régression quantile de variable instrumentale pour données de Panel utilisant la fonction de production partielle

Enrolment, student retention and attrition in the tourism management program.

This paper examines the factors motivating students to enrol in the Tourism Management program at Champlain College, St-Lambert and why a large number of students abandon the program before obtaining their DEC. There is a great deal of literature on student attrition, however there is little consensus on why students withdraw from college programs and the results cannot be easily generalized to this particular set of students at this time. Understanding the factors that influenced the students to choose Tourism Management at Champlain, St-Lambert and why they then leave before completing the six semesters will help with student success and with the marketing of the program.||Résumé : Ce travail s'intéresse aux facteurs qui motivent les étudiants à s'inscrire au programme de tourisme offert au Collège Champlain de St-Lambert. Il cherche à établir les raisons qui font en sorte qu'un si grand nombre d'étudiants abandonnent le programme avant d'obtenir leur DEC. Plusieurs recherches ont été effectuées sur l'abandon scolaire, mais il n'y a pas de consensus quant aux raisons pour lesquelles les étudiants se retirent du programme collégial. Actuellement, il est difficile d'établir des liens entre les résultats de ces recherches et ce groupe d'étudiants. La compréhension des facteurs qui influencent les étudiants à choisir le tourisme au Collège Champlain et les raisons qui font en sorte qu'ils quittent avant d'avoir complété leur formation, nous permettront d'améliorer le taux de rétention des étudiants dans ce programme. De plus, cela favorisera le marketing du programme.

Necesidades académicas, personales, sociales y vocacionales de estudiantes internacionales e intercambio en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras

Recibido 20 de setiembre de 2011 • Aceptado 24 de octubre de 2011 • Corregido 14 de noviembre de 2011   El propósito de este estudio fue identificar las necesidades de una muestra de estudiantes internacionales y de intercambio que cursan estudios en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras. Se exploraron datos socio-demográficos así como las necesidades académicas, vocacionales, y personales/sociales, con los fines de recopilar información de relevancia para universidades que sirven esta población y someter recomendaciones que atiendan las necesidades. Los hallazgos revelaron necesidades mayormente en las áreas académicas y vocacionales. Entre estas, se destacan la necesidad de aprender inglés o español, y el conocer sobre internados y ofrecimientos académicos en Puerto Rico y fuera del país, sueldo y oportunidades de empleo, ayudas económicas y servicios estudiantiles en la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Se proveen recomendaciones para trabajar con las necesidades identificadas ya que, según establece la bibliografía, las dificultades que confrontan estos/as estudiantes pueden afectar su desempeño académico e incluso su salud emocional.

Competencies Required in Education Research and Teaching Systematization according to Students from the Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education Programs of the University of Costa Rica

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of two online forums carried out with the participation of 42 students of the Licenciaturas  in Preschool Education, Primary Education and Secondary Education of the University of Costa Rica. The main purpose of the forums was to determine the insights of the participant students about the competencies they have achieved in the field of education research, and which have been the essential tools for them to systematize their own teaching practices. The discussion forums were part of the course FD5091 Métodos de Investigación Educativa [Education Research Methods] of the School of Teacher Education, delivered from March-April 2010.  Of the sample, 60 percent were students of the Preschool teaching program, 35 percent were from the Primary Education teaching program and 5 percent were from the Secondary Education teaching program in the fields of Science, Mathematics and Social Studies. According to the insights and beliefs showed by the participants –both, the future teachers and the profession practitioners–, there are no opportunities for research or systematization of their own teaching mediation, in the current work situation.(1) Translator’s Note: In Costa Rica, the “Licenciatura” is a one-year post-Bachelor study program, usually including thesis. “Primary Education” refers to students from the 1st to 6th grades, and “Secondary Education” refers to students from the 7th to 11th grades.