First year experience courses show potentially positive effects on credit accumulation, with two of three qualifying studies showing statistically significant positive retention effects and one showing no significant effect¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2016 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 3 of 3 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Clouse (2012) found a positive, statistically significant difference in retention to the third semester between first year experience participants and non-participants. → First Year Experience Courses 2016 q2 i? Jamelske (2009) found no statistically significant difference in one-year retention between participants and comparison students. → First Year Experience Courses 2016 (2) q2 i? Wilkerson (2008) found a positive, statistically significant difference in second-year retention between participants and comparison students. → First Year Experience Courses 2016 (3)

Evidence¶

First Year Experience Courses 2016¶

First Year Experience Courses. (2016). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/662

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Quasi-experimental evaluation of a non-compulsory first year experience course at a large public university; the intervention group included 3,754 first-time freshmen and the comparison group 4,536. The WWC confirmed "a positive and statistically significant difference in retention" to the third semester.

"The author reported, and the WWC confirmed, that there was a positive and statistically significant difference in retention between students who participated in the first year experience course and those who did not."

First Year Experience Courses 2016 (2)¶

First Year Experience Courses. (2016). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/662

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Quasi-experimental evaluation at a medium-sized midwestern public university with 1,456 first-time freshmen in 85 first year experience sections and 413 comparison freshmen. The review reports "no statistically significant difference" on one-year retention, an indeterminate effect.

"The author reported that there was no statistically significant difference between first year experience course participants and comparison participants on retention."

First Year Experience Courses 2016 (3)¶

First Year Experience Courses. (2016). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/662

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Quasi-experimental study at the University of Texas at San Antonio with 133 first-time freshmen in the course and 1,163 comparison freshmen. The WWC confirmed "a positive and statistically significant difference" on retention to the second year.

"The author reported, and the WWC confirmed, that there was a positive and statistically significant difference between first year experience course participants and comparison participants on retention."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• First year experience courses show a statistically significant positive effect on undergraduate degree attainment, based on one study — related
• First year experience courses show a statistically significant positive effect on cumulative grade point average after one year, based on one study — related
• OLI has potentially positive effects on credit accumulation and persistence among postsecondary students — related
• Summer counseling produces a small but statistically significant positive effect on credit accumulation and persistence (WWC rating: potentially positive effects) — related
• Dual enrollment programs have positive effects on credit accumulation, with an average improvement index of +14 percentile points — related
• Linked learning communities produced no statistically significant or substantively important effects on credit accumulation across six studies — related
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