Khan, S. (2005). Listservs in the college science classroom: Evaluating participation and "richness" in computer mediated discourse. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 13(2), 325-351.

How do instructors motivate students to participate in computer-mediated discussion? If they do participate, how can the quality of their interactions be assessed? This study speaks to these questions by examining online participation and discourse in a science course for preserves teachers. The instructor of an introductory entomology course implemented online discussions by way of a listserv that was designed to provide students with greater access to important information outside of class. Data were collected from focus groups, written questionnaires, interviews with the instructor, and 182 public listserv messages. Initial student participation was encouraged by the instructor, but participation was modest. The posting of the first mandatory assignment halfway through the course, however, corresponded to a burst period of student activity, yielding a four fold increase in the number of messages authored by students. There was also a seven fold increase in the proportion of discussions that involved at least two student participants and a 50[percent] increase in the proportion of outside references cited within the body of students' messages. This latter finding reflected improvement in the quality of online discourse among students. This evidence suggests that instructors who are interested in listserv participation should make some of their listserv activities mandatory.

Bain, K. (2004). What makes great teachers great? The Chronicle of Higher Education, 50(31), B7-9.

In an adaptation from his book, What the Best College Teachers Do, the writer discusses what outstanding teachers do inside and outside their learning classrooms that might explain their accomplishments. He maintains that good teachers create a natural critical learning environment, get students' attention and keep it, start with the students rather than the discipline, seek commitments, help students learn outside of class, engage students in disciplinary thinking, and create diverse learning experiences.

Lundberg, C.A., & Schreiner, L.A. (2004). Quality and frequency of faculty-student interaction as predictors of learning: An analysis by student race/ethnicity. Journal of College Student Development, 45(5), 549-565.

A study examined interactions between faculty members and students and their links to learning by student race/ethnicity. Participants were 4,501 undergraduate students of seven racial/ethnic groups who completed the College Student Experiences Questionnaire in the period 1998-2001. Results reveal that relationships with faculty members were stronger predictors of learning for all groups than student background characteristics but were strongest for students of color. Implications for practice are outlined.

Ei, S. & Bowen, A. (2002). College students perceptions of student-instructor relationships. Ethics & Behavior, 12(2), 177-191.

Student-instructor relationships outside of the classroom have existed for hundreds of years and remain an important topic in the literature. Universities are increasingly concerned with legislating student-instructor relationships. Few empirical investigations of undergraduate student-instructor relationships are reported in the literature, and such relationships are often considered only in the context of sexual harassment or ethics policies. Most of the writings are opinion based or seated in anecdotal evidence, and seldom are students' opinions considered. In this study, 480 undergraduate students attending a medium-sized Western university were surveyed for their opinions about a variety student-instructor relationships. Factor analysis revealed 5 types of student-faculty relationships: sexual, group activities, doing favors, spending time alone with a faculty member, and business relationships. The students' opinions about these relationships varied, with sexual relationships considered inappropriate, whereas group activities were considered very appropriate. These data suggest that university officials who are building policy regarding faculty-student relationships need to consider different types of relationships along with students' developing autonomy.

Kuh, G.D., & Hu, S. (2001). The effects of the student-faculty interaction in the 1990s. The Review of Higher Education, 24(3), 309-332.

This study examined the effects of student-faculty interaction on student satisfaction and on a range of self-reported learning and personal development gains associated with attending college of 5,409 full-time undergraduates from 126 four-year colleges and universities. Findings show that the frequency of student-faculty interaction increased from first year through the senior year. Although its net effects were trivial, such interactions had substantial positive effects on students' efforts in other educationally purposeful activities, which had non-trivial effects on their estimated gains and satisfaction.

Nadler, M.K. & Nadler, L.B. (2001). The roles of sex, empathy, and credibility in out-of-class communication between faculty and students. Women's Studies in Communication, 24(2), 241-261.

As the process of education extends beyond the formal classroom, this article focuses on out-of-class (OOC) communication between faculty and students. A study exploring the roles of student sex and instructor sex, as well as student perceptions of instructor empathy and credibility in OOC was conducted. The results of the study indicate that empathy, credibility and sex of student and instructor all influence the amount and kinds of OOC communication that occur. As ratings of instructor empathy and credibility rise, students are more likely to engage in OOC communication, and this pattern is particularly pronounced for female students. Also, a same-sex preference for OOC communication was found. Implications and directions for further research are included.

Wang, H., & Grimes, J.W. (2001). A systematic approach to assessing retention programs: Identifying critical points for meaningful interventions and validating outcomes assessment. College Student Retention Research, Theory & Practice, 2(1), 59-68.

A systematic approach to assessing retention programs focuses on student success and continual improvement in retention. The approach is a dynamic and ongoing practice built into the daily work of the faculty, staff, and other college personnel and is based on the theoretical framework for comprehensive retention research (Levitz & Noel, 1985). The framework has been extensively used in retention research (Congos & Schoeps, 1997; Molnar, 1996). Three major components of retention research have been identified: determining dropout predictors, identifying critical points, and validating outcomes assessment of retention endeavors. This article describes the research approach that yielded data used in designing and implementing meaningful interventions for freshmen to enable them to attain their academic and personal goals. The research was also used in reports provided for local and state educators, legislators, the general public, and others interested in the value of investing in higher education.

Kraemer, B.A. (1997). The academic and social integration of Hispanic students into college. The Review of Higher Education, 20(2), 163-179.

Academic and social integration into college is key to persistence in models of student attrition. This study operationally defined academic and social integration to fit a Hispanic 2-year college population and examined psychometric properties of the measures through confirmatory factor analyses. Findings confirm the importance of appropriate and culturally sensitive operational definitions of academic and social integration when including these constructs in persistence studies of Hispanic students at 2-year institutions.

Kuh, G.D., & Vesper, N. (1997). A comparison of student experiences with good practices in undergraduate education between 1990 and 1994. The Review of Higher Education, 21(1), 43-61.

Good practices in undergraduate education consist of faculty and student behaviors associated with desired outcomes from attending college. This study compares the experiences of two groups of lower-division undergraduates with good practices at baccalaureate institutions and doctoral-granting universities between 1990 and 1994. During this period, the frequency of student-faculty interaction increased at baccalaureate institutions. However, at doctoral-granting universities faculty-student interaction and active learning decreased.