INTRODUCTION

Addressing the Needs of Diverse Student Populations

According to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society, "The rise of female participation has been the most noteworthy trend affecting the composition of student bodies in tertiary education. A second prominent development is the growing participation of more mature students leading to a rise in the average age of student bodies. In addition, in most countries, tertiary student bodies are increasingly heterogeneous in terms of socio-economic background, ethnicity and previous education" (OECD, 2008, p.3). Changing demographics is affecting higher education institutions across the globe. This month's e-newsletter presents recent articles and research in the news that may inform institutional strategies regardless of institution type and jurisdictional boundaries in relation to serving the needs of First Generation Students, Adult Learners, On-line Learners, Immigrants, Gender Differences, and Millennials. The newsletter also highlights select resources on Building Organizational Capacity for Serving Diverse Student Populations.

  First Generation Students

• First Generation College Students Stay the Course - As roughly 30% of entering freshmen in the US are first-generation college students, here is how several universities are trying to better support them. Initiatives include residential learning communities and selecting student and faculty mentors who were also first-generation college students. Read more »
• Advising the First-Generation College Student: Effective Retention Tools for Colleges and Universities - In this article, the author outlines an academic support system that colleges and universities can use in an effort to retain first-generation college students. Read more »
• Putting First-Generation Students First - Faced with a growing population of first-generation students, many colleges are undertaking unique initiatives to recruit and retain these students. Read more »
• Valuing and Rewarding Academic Advising - The literature has made us aware of the importance of a student's connection with a faculty member, advisor, or other significant figure, and of the impact of this connection on academic success and retention of students. For first-generation students, this can be especially critical, as they require assistance not only in what courses to take and why, but also in how to understand and negotiate this new environment. Read More » (Subscription required)
• Transitions Research Paper 2 - First-Generation Students: A Promising Concept? This research paper prepared by The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation presents a critical summary of the scientific literature dealing with the FGS concept. Read more »

 Adult Learners

• Maximizing the Potential of Older Adults: Benefits to State Economies and Individual Well-Being - A new issue brief from the National Governor's Association (NGA), outlines strategies for states seeking to engage the radically expanding population of adults over the age of 65. Read More »
• Securing Prosperity through Canada's Human Infrastructure: The State of Adult Learning and Workplace Training in Canada - A timely report from the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) offers a detailed look at adult learning and workplace training in Canada, and explores the role that each play in enhancing the social and economic prosperity of the country. Read More »
• Prior Learning Assessment and College Completion Rates - A new study suggests that prior learning assessment, when done right, can have a significant impact on student success, college completion, persistence, and earlier graduation for adult learners. Read More »
• Understanding PLAR as an asset based approach to increase participation in adult learning: Perspectives from users, service providers and stakeholders - The authors of this report believe the concept of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) has benefits ranging from promoting a society of learners to alleviating future labour shortages caused by Canada's shrinking population. Read More »

 On-Line Learners

• Top 10 Online Degree Programs in January 2010 - How many can you get right? Make a list before you visit. The most popular based on online searches and inquiries reported by elearners.com are at bit. Read more »
• Student Clubs, Virtually - Feeling isolated as an online student? Join the club. Or rather, join a club. At a handful of institutions, students working toward degrees online are meeting outside of class via the Web. These extracurricular organizations offer online students what many feel they are missing: the social and professional opportunities that historically have been part of the college experience. Read More »
• Combating Myths About Distance Education - A recent Chronicle of Higher Education explores what is true and what is not quite so true in the ongoing debate over distance education. Just as interesting as the article by a Yale librarian are the comments that follow on the merits of everything from the motives of administrators who promote distance learning to the deficiencies of software used to run the courses. Read more »
• Five Student Services Initiatives for Online Students - Online students can live in a "virtual abyss" without the student services available to on-campus peers. But the online education division of Georgia Perimeter College has undertaken five service initiatives for its online students. Read more » (Subscription Required)

 Immigrants

• How Community Colleges Are Building Programs That Fit Immigrants' Needs - Here's a look at the unique challenges of immigrant students and the steps one community college consortium has taken to support academic success. Read more »
• More education, less employment: Immigrants and the labour market - Nearly one out of five Canadian residents was born outside of Canada and approximately two-thirds of Canada's population growth results from net international migration. This report identifies barriers to PS participation for new immigrants and promising practices for addressing them. Read more »

 Gender

• Why so few women in STEM fields? The answer partly lies in our perceptions and unconscious beliefs about gender in math and science, states the American Association of University Women in a new report examining the social and environmental factors contributing to the underrepresentation of women in these disciplines. Read More »
• PSE gender gap continues to rise: According to a new report from the OECD, women will account for an average of 59% of PSE students across the developed world by 2025. In Canada, there could be almost twice as many female students as male. In 2005, 58% of PSE students in Canada were female, and that number is expected to rise to 64% by 2025. The report states that in 2005, 55% of students in the 30 OECD nations were women, but by 2025, 10 countries would have student bodies that were 60% or more female. Read More » See also »

 Millennials

• Millennial Generation More Educated, Less Employed - The most detailed study to date of the 18- to 29-year-old Millennial generation finds this group probably will be the most educated in American history. But the 50 million Millennials also have the highest share who are unemployed or out of the workforce in almost four decades. Read more »
• Make Way for Millennials! How Today's Students are Shaping Higher Education Space - An article in the recent issue of Planning for Higher Education examines how today's students -- Millennials -- are influencing campus design. Read more »

 Building Capacity for Teaching Diverse Student Populations

• All together now - A university has issued guidance advising academics on how to tailor courses to engage students regardless of class, disability, gender or race. Lancaster University's guide, drawn up as part of a Higher Education Academy project, "Designing an Inclusive Curriculum in Higher Education", will be published later this year and will include advice on how to use course content to "address gendered, social class, race or disability perspectives." Read More »
• Educating Teachers for Diversity : Meeting the Challenge - This publication sheds light on the evidence base that can be used to redesign initial and continuing teacher education to help practitioners effectively teach diverse students. Read more »
• The Game of Oppression: An Interactive Tool for Diversity Education (NASPA publication) The Game of Oppression is an innovative interactive training program designed specifically for use by student affairs professionals. The program equips diversity educators with strategies to encourage students to take full advantage of the diversity on their respective campuses and in their communities. The game provides a "safe space" for authentic dialogue around the issues of oppression. Read More »
• Creating Inclusive Campus Environments for Cross-Cultural Learning and Student Engagement - This book shows how to capitalize in educationally meaningful ways on the diversity that exists on campuses across the nation. It offers forward-thinking strategies and examples of good practice that will reshape the way readers think about approaching the work of multicultural education. Book available at »
• Post-secondary education in Canada: Who is missing out? This Canadian Council on Learning report identifies barriers to PS participation among specific under-represented groups of students- specifically low-income, first-generation, and Aboriginal students; as well as promising practices for addressing them. Read more »
• A Drive to Diversify the Faculty Yields Results in Rochester - Innovative recruiting methods have helped the Rochester Institute of Technology hire more professors from underrepresented minority groups. Read More » (Subscription required)
• New Research Complicates Discussions of Campus Diversity - in a Good Way- Does racial and ethnic diversity produce educational benefits? The new bottom line is: Sometimes. With the right mix. If handled delicately. Read More » (Subscription required)

  UPCOMING SEM EVENTS

NISOD's 32nd Annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence May 30-June 2, 2010 in Austin, Texas

Learn why NISOD's annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence has been the largest conference for the past three years to focus on community colleges. The NISOD conference celebrates excellence and provides a unique professional development opportunity for faculty, staff, and administrators at colleges and universities to foster student success.

Colleges Ontario Conference, May 18-19, 2010, Ontario, Canada

Small College Conference, July 11-14, 2010, Orlando, Florida

Noel-Levitz National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing, and Retention, July 21-23, 2010, Atlanta, Georgia