Learning Resources

Abstract: Recently, education researchers have emphasized the redesign of learning spaces to better accommodate pedagogical change. In particular, studies have found evidence of the relationship between the built environment and learning outcomes—however, no current studies have deliberately focused on the “minority majority” feature of America’s future student composition.

This pilot study was conducted to evaluate how space contributes to the learning outcomes of a demographically diverse class of students at Morgan State University, a Historically Black Institution. Based on the neurobiological literature on environmental enrichment, the authors hypothesized that an enriched learning environment will correlate with increased student activity (directed movement) and engagement (with other students, with room features) and result in significantly improved learning outcomes for an ethnically diverse student group.

Abstract: Introducing housing on a community college campus will affect several areas of campus life including dining, security, recreation, and student programming. Unlike four-year institutions, community colleges have limited activity after a certain hour with the exception of library and recreational facilities. Additional programs and services will be needed to support a 24-hour operation, which will have an impact on the overall operating costs of the college. This article is intended to identify the direct and indirect costs involved and assess the overall financial impact of operating student housing.

Abstract: This article explains the cost of education in public research universities. “Price,” meaning “tuition,” is often incorrectly substituted for “cost,” meaning expenditures by the university that make the education possible. University cost is disaggregated to enable readers to distinguish between the costs associated with providing education to students and the costs of other non-educational activities that tend to produce their own revenue. While tuition has increased rapidly, real cost per student for providing education has been roughly constant for nearly 20 years. Increased revenue from tuition has been almost precisely offset by reduced revenue from state appropriations.

Abstract: Until recently, there has been no credible, reliable source for instructional cost data on a national basis for two-year colleges in the United States. To fill this need, the Kansas Study of Community College Instructional Costs and Productivity was designed and implemented as a national data collection and reporting consortium. Based on the four-year college and university Delaware Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity, the Kansas Study collects and reports community college instructional costs and faculty workload at the academic discipline level of analysis. This article analyzes aggregate national data from the Kansas Study to determine the major instructional cost drivers for community colleges nationwide.

Abstract: This article proposes a framework that can help institutions break down and analyze the costs of online learning so they can make decisions about how to improve the cost-efficiencies of online education. The framework involves looking at costs across elements (which include the two stages of development and delivery plus administration of the enterprise) and seven factors: students, faculty, other staff, course design, content, infrastructure, and policy. The elements and factors may combine and interact, thereby improving (or not improving) cost-efficiencies. Where possible, current research results are included and areas where research is needed are identified.

Abstract: Public discussion of higher education costs frequently confuses price with expenditure. This article examines factors associated with increases in the sticker price of a college education and the expenditures incurred by institutions in delivering that education. The discussion suggests that while growth in college tuition is real, access to higher education has not been reduced. Moreover, data indicate that colleges and universities have been responsible fiscal stewards in containing costs over which they have control.

Abstract: This case study analyzes the impact of Indiana’s Twenty-First Century Scholars college tuition discount program on the academic self-efficacy of high-risk, low-income students. The program is designed to increase the number of high-risk individuals attending college. The self-efficacy “training” of the program helps instill and reinforce the idea that success or failure coincides with internal effort and not external factors. Surveys were completed by 55 program participants and 42 institutional representatives at different colleges in Indiana. The program increased students’ understanding of the feasibility of attaining a college degree, heightened students’ academic confidence, and improved their overall self-esteem. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this program for academic planners developing programs to help high-risk students succeed in college.