A new 麻豆原创 study recently published in indicates a need for university websites to better communicate with first-generation college students.
This is important as first-generation college students make up about one-third of undergraduate populations but are more likely to not earn their degree than their counterparts.
鈥淎s universities become more digitized, my research team and I wondered how well do universities share support services for first-generation students online?,鈥� says Amanda Wilkerson 鈥� 16 EdD, study co-author and an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Community Innovation and Education. 鈥淓ssentially, how much time would it take for a first-generation student to locate information specifically for them, that could assist them academically?鈥�
To find this out, the researchers performed a content analysis of websites of 14 higher education institutions located in the Southeast U.S. that are part of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, one of the largest organizations of urban metropolitan institutions. 麻豆原创 is not part of the coalition and also was not part of the study.
They chose metropolitan universities because of their large populations of first-generation students.
To collect their data, they performed a search for 鈥渇irst-generation鈥� on the institution websites, which took them to the Home, About Us and Financial Aid pages.
However, the first-generation information from those locations was not easily assessible or in a central location, says Lynell Hodge 鈥�16EdD , the study鈥檚 lead author and assistant director of assignments for 麻豆原创鈥檚 .
鈥淲e found there were gaps in information that resulted in a first-generation student having to click around quite a bit to locate information,鈥� Hodge says.
The researchers recommended universities create a landing page specifically for first-generation college students as one way to reduce the number of clicks and make information easier to find. They also suggested providing content that helps prospective students determine if they are 鈥渇irst-generation,鈥� as many might not be familiar with the term.
Marcus Frazier is a first-generation college student from Baltimore and a graduate student in 麻豆原创鈥檚 . He says challenges he faced as an undergraduate student at Bethune-Cookman University were lack of resources and financial support, issues that became even more apparent when out-of-town family emergencies occurred.
He says some of the most important resources for first-generation college students are those for scholarship and grant opportunities.
鈥淪ome first-generation students are first-generation college students because their parents may not have been able to afford college or finish,鈥� Frazier says. 鈥淚 believe this is extremely helpful for financial matters.鈥�
Emmanuela Pierre Stanislaus, associate director of Career and Talent Development at Florida International University鈥檚 College of Engineering, also co-authored the study. Hodge and Stanislaus were first-generation college students themselves, and Wilkerson was a first-generation graduate student.
Wilkerson received her doctorate of education in higher education and policy studies from 麻豆原创 and joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education in 2019. Hodge received her doctorate of education in educational leadership and policy studies from 麻豆原创 and joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Housing and Residence Life in 2007.
