Degree Attainment
As previously mentioned, it has been established that there are many who are interested in degree completion (Pacarella & Terenzini, 2005; Anderson & Kim, 2006; Baum & Ma, 2007; Chen & Weko, 2009; Dowd, Malcom, & Bensimon, 2009) and the impact of college and the retention of students is enigmatic and requires further study (Astin, 1970a, 1970b, 1993; Tinto, 1975, 1987, 1993; Pascarella, 1985; Weidman, 1989; Braxton, 2000; Seidman, 2005). We know that access to and success in college as well as transferring from one institution to another are the product of a complex set of factors, some of which can be traced back to the eighth grade, while others pertain to the institutional environment (Belcher, Michael, & Hagedorn, 2002; Braxton 2000; Cabrera & La Nasa 2001; Hossler, Schmitt, & Vesper, 1999; McDonough, 1997; Paulsen & St. John, 2002; Tinto, 1993). It is necessary, nevertheless, to examine literature that addresses degree attainment. There are many methods to study degree attainment. Moreover, different states and organizations use different methods to attribute accountability and measure student or institutional success, as it relates to degree attainment. Frequently, graduation rates, time to degree, and total credit hours towards a degree are used as measurements. However, more recent measurements of degree attainment are the Graduation Efficiency Index (GEI) and institutional Graduation Efficiency. It is appropriate to address all measurements of degree attainment. This study, however, is focused on degree completion efficiency based on total credit hours. Notwithstanding, it is central to this study to parse out variables that disrupt efficient degree attainment using problem-structuring methodology. Therefore, a review of different degree efficiency measures will be assessed. Student transfer is a variable that is known to increase total credit hours and will subsequently be addressed throughout the literature, in addition, to transfer student policy. However, the literature does not adequately address student transfer. Graduation Rates Graduation rates are a measure of the share of students who enter college and graduate with a certain number of years (Cook & Pullaro, 2010). State and federal policymakers are encouraging college graduation to increase economic benefits. Additionally, graduation rates are also used as a mechanism to push for accountability from college and universities. The Utah State Board of Regents identified college graduation as a strategic priority in 2005, and in 2010 a national movement, known as Complete College America, was formed to encourage state policies to improve graduation rates (Complete College America, 2011, Utah Legislature, 2011). There are, however, several factors to consider before using graduation rates as a measure of institutional success. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), in 1985, was the first organization to begin reporting on graduation rates to compare the academic records and performance of student athletes with the overall student body (U.S. General Accounting Office, 1989). However, these records were not available to the general public and only shared among NCAA member institutions that provided the data. Later, U.S. …show more content…
There are several data sources to calculate graduation rates from. However, only a handful of data sources can be used to calculate graduation rates at the national level. Each database is slightly different in terms of who is included in the cohort to calculate graduation rates. Therefore, depending on which data set is used, it is likely to produce different graduation rates. Because of the different methodologies, each database has advantages and disadvantages in calculating national graduation rates. Moreover, not all databases are able to generate institutional-level graduation rates. The databases the produce institutional level data include the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), and State Data Systems. The databases that do not produce institutional level data include: Beginning Post Secondary Student (BPS) Study, and National School-to-College Longitudinal Studies (i.e. National Longitudinal Survey (NLS), High School and Beyond (HS&B), National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) and High School Longitudinal Study …show more content…
Comparing graduation rates is more complex than initially thought. The graduation rate breaks down when comparing graduation rates of different institutions. The comparison infers that the difference in graduation rates is attributed to characteristics of the institutions and does not account for the differences of the students and the mission of the institution. Howard and Rodgers (1991) articulated the issue as
As previously mentioned, it has been established that there are many who are interested in degree completion (Pacarella & Terenzini, 2005; Anderson & Kim, 2006; Baum & Ma, 2007; Chen & Weko, 2009; Dowd, Malcom, & Bensimon, 2009) and the impact of college and the retention of students is enigmatic and requires further study (Astin, 1970a, 1970b, 1993; Tinto, 1975, 1987, 1993; Pascarella, 1985; Weidman, 1989; Braxton, 2000; Seidman, 2005). We know that access to and success in college as well as transferring from one institution to another are the product of a complex set of factors, some of which can be traced back to the eighth grade, while others pertain to the institutional environment (Belcher, Michael, & Hagedorn, 2002; Braxton 2000; Cabrera & La Nasa 2001; Hossler, Schmitt, & Vesper, 1999; McDonough, 1997; Paulsen & St. John, 2002; Tinto, 1993). It is necessary, nevertheless, to examine literature that addresses degree attainment. There are many methods to study degree attainment. Moreover, different states and organizations use different methods to attribute accountability and measure student or institutional success, as it relates to degree attainment. Frequently, graduation rates, time to degree, and total credit hours towards a degree are used as measurements. However, more recent measurements of degree attainment are the Graduation Efficiency Index (GEI) and institutional Graduation Efficiency. It is appropriate to address all measurements of degree attainment. This study, however, is focused on degree completion efficiency based on total credit hours. Notwithstanding, it is central to this study to parse out variables that disrupt efficient degree attainment using problem-structuring methodology. Therefore, a review of different degree efficiency measures will be assessed. Student transfer is a variable that is known to increase total credit hours and will subsequently be addressed throughout the literature, in addition, to transfer student policy. However, the literature does not adequately address student transfer. Graduation Rates Graduation rates are a measure of the share of students who enter college and graduate with a certain number of years (Cook & Pullaro, 2010). State and federal policymakers are encouraging college graduation to increase economic benefits. Additionally, graduation rates are also used as a mechanism to push for accountability from college and universities. The Utah State Board of Regents identified college graduation as a strategic priority in 2005, and in 2010 a national movement, known as Complete College America, was formed to encourage state policies to improve graduation rates (Complete College America, 2011, Utah Legislature, 2011). There are, however, several factors to consider before using graduation rates as a measure of institutional success. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), in 1985, was the first organization to begin reporting on graduation rates to compare the academic records and performance of student athletes with the overall student body (U.S. General Accounting Office, 1989). However, these records were not available to the general public and only shared among NCAA member institutions that provided the data. Later, U.S. …show more content…
There are several data sources to calculate graduation rates from. However, only a handful of data sources can be used to calculate graduation rates at the national level. Each database is slightly different in terms of who is included in the cohort to calculate graduation rates. Therefore, depending on which data set is used, it is likely to produce different graduation rates. Because of the different methodologies, each database has advantages and disadvantages in calculating national graduation rates. Moreover, not all databases are able to generate institutional-level graduation rates. The databases the produce institutional level data include the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), and State Data Systems. The databases that do not produce institutional level data include: Beginning Post Secondary Student (BPS) Study, and National School-to-College Longitudinal Studies (i.e. National Longitudinal Survey (NLS), High School and Beyond (HS&B), National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) and High School Longitudinal Study …show more content…
Comparing graduation rates is more complex than initially thought. The graduation rate breaks down when comparing graduation rates of different institutions. The comparison infers that the difference in graduation rates is attributed to characteristics of the institutions and does not account for the differences of the students and the mission of the institution. Howard and Rodgers (1991) articulated the issue as