Enrollment patterns and students’ risk of academic difficulty

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Robert Matthew DeMonbrun ( University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA ) Michael Brown ( Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa, USA ) Stephanie D. Teasley ( University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA )

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education

ISSN : 2050-7003

Article publication date: 25 July 2019

Issue publication date: 17 January 2020

167

Abstract

Purpose

Experiencing academic difficulty can deter students’ academic momentum, decreasing the speed with which they complete coursework and increasing the odds that they will not persist to a credential. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon an existing framework that investigates students’ academic difficulty in co-enrolled courses by adding additional co-enrollment variables that may influence academic performance in introductory gateway courses.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses quantile regression to better understand academic difficulty in co-enrolled courses and the impact that students’ co-enrollment patterns may have on their success in focal introductory gateway courses.

Findings

This study revealed significant relationships between student success and co-enrollment patterns, including: the disciplinary alignment of the course with a student’s major, the student’s co-enrollment in other difficult courses and experiencing below average academic performance in a co-enrolled course. Further, impact of these relationships often differed by students’ performance quantile in the focal course.

Practical implications

The results point to factors related to the student and their co-enrolled courses that faculty, academic advisors and curriculum committees can consider as they design general education requirements within and across disciplinary majors.

Originality/value

This approach advances the understanding of how a prescribed curriculum produces interdependent pathways that can promote or deter students’ success through the organization of curricular requirements and student course taking. The paper provides a generalizable methodology that can be used by other universities to investigate curricular pathways that have the potential to reduce student success.

Keywords

Quantile regression

Academic performance

Curriculum analytics

Gateway courses

Undergraduate persistence

Citation

DeMonbrun, R.M. , Brown, M. and Teasley, S.D. (2020), "Enrollment patterns and students’ risk of academic difficulty", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education , Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-11-2018-0252

Publisher

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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To read this content please select one of the options below: Access and purchase options. Purchase options. Rent this content from DeepDyve. Rent from DeepDyve. Other access. You may be able to access this content by logging in via your Emerald profile. Login. If you think you should have access to this content, click to contact our support team. Contact us. Please note you do not have access to teaching notes. Access and purchase options. Purchase options. Other access. You may be able to access teaching notes by logging in via your Emerald profile. Login. If you think you should have access to this content, click to contact our support team. Contact us. Robert Matthew DeMonbrun ( University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA ) Michael Brown ( Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa, USA ) Stephanie D. Teasley ( University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA ) Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. ISSN : 2050-7003. Article publication date: 25 July 2019. Issue publication date: 17 January 2020. 167. Abstract. Purpose. Experiencing academic difficulty can deter students’ academic momentum, decreasing the speed with which they complete coursework and increasing the odds that they will not persist to a credential. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon an existing framework that investigates students’ academic difficulty in co-enrolled courses by adding additional co-enrollment variables that may influence academic performance in introductory gateway courses. Design/methodology/approach. This study uses quantile regression to better understand academic difficulty in co-enrolled courses and the impact that students’ co-enrollment patterns may have on their success in focal introductory gateway courses. Findings. This study revealed significant relationships between student success and co-enrollment patterns, including: the disciplinary alignment of the course with a student’s major, the student’s co-enrollment in other difficult courses and experiencing below average academic performance in a co-enrolled course. Further, impact of these relationships often differed by students’ performance quantile in the focal course. Practical implications. The results point to factors related to the student and their co-enrolled courses that faculty, academic advisors and curriculum committees can consider as they design general education requirements within and across disciplinary majors. Originality/value. This approach advances the understanding of how a prescribed curriculum produces interdependent pathways that can promote or deter students’ success through the organization of curricular requirements and student course taking. The paper provides a generalizable methodology that can be used by other universities to investigate curricular pathways that have the potential to reduce student success. Keywords. Quantile regression. Academic performance. Curriculum analytics. Gateway courses. Undergraduate persistence. Citation. DeMonbrun, R.M. , Brown, M. and Teasley, S.D. (2020), "Enrollment patterns and students’ risk of academic difficulty", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education , Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-11-2018-0252. Publisher. Emerald Publishing Limited. Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Related articles.