CGA Student Learning & Development 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A grant-funded mentoring program for first-generation students wants to measure 'sense of belonging.' Which tool is most appropriate?
- ACT composite score
- Validated psychometric survey instrument (Correct answer)
- Transcript GPA review only
- Number of office hours attended
Correct answer: Validated psychometric survey instrument
Sense of belonging is an affective construct best measured using validated psychometric surveys that have established reliability and validity.
Question 2: According to Tinto's Model of Student Departure, which two integration factors most influence a student's decision to persist or leave an institution?
- Academic and social integration (Correct answer)
- Financial aid and housing integration
- Athletic and cultural integration
- Faculty rank and class size integration
Correct answer: Academic and social integration
Tinto's model emphasizes that both academic integration (grades, faculty interaction) and social integration (peer connections) predict persistence.
Question 3: A GEAR UP grant's primary purpose is to increase readiness for what educational milestone?
- GED completion
- Postsecondary education (Correct answer)
- Vocational licensing exams
- Elementary school readiness
Correct answer: Postsecondary education
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) provides early college preparation services to raise postsecondary readiness in high-need schools.
Question 4: A grant administrator notices that a tutoring program serves fewer Hispanic students than their enrollment proportion. This disparity is called a(n):
- Achievement gap
- Service utilization gap (Correct answer)
- Opportunity gap
- Attainment gap
Correct answer: Service utilization gap
A service utilization gap exists when grant-funded services are not accessed proportionately by eligible student populations, often requiring outreach strategy adjustment.
Question 5: Which learning theory emphasizes that students construct knowledge through experience and reflection, most commonly applied in grant-funded service-learning programs?
- Behaviorism
- Constructivism (Correct answer)
- Cognitivism
- Connectivism
Correct answer: Constructivism
Constructivism holds that learners actively build understanding through experience, making it the foundational theory for service-learning and experiential education programs.
Question 6: For a Title III Strengthening Institutions grant, allowable activities focused on student success most likely include which of the following?
- Constructing new dormitories
- Developing faculty mentoring and advising programs (Correct answer)
- Funding athletic scholarships
- Purchasing luxury equipment for administration
Correct answer: Developing faculty mentoring and advising programs
Title III grants support institutional capacity building, including academic programs, student services, and faculty development directly tied to student outcomes.
Question 7: A grant-funded program uses 'intrusive advising' as a key strategy. What does this approach primarily involve?
- Requiring students to meet with advisors only at registration
- Proactively reaching out to at-risk students before problems escalate (Correct answer)
- Limiting advisor caseloads to honor students
- Automating all advising through computer-generated reports
Correct answer: Proactively reaching out to at-risk students before problems escalate
Intrusive advising involves proactive outreach by advisors to identify and intervene with struggling students before they disengage or withdraw.
CGA Student Learning & Development 3
A grant-funded mentoring program for first-generation students wants to measure 'sense of belonging.' Which tool is most appropriate?