Project assessing student experience, value of college kicks off
IRVINE, Calif. - A School of Education study that is providing insight into the value of college and creating tools that other universities can utilize to better understand their own students began with a launch event on September 25 at the Anteater Learning Pavilion.
More than 700 students packed multiple rooms in the Anteater Learning Pavilion to take initial assessments in The Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project. The project research team is tracking a sample of more than 1,000 students longitudinally for the next two years, capturing experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
A video message from Chancellor Howard Gillman welcomed the students, followed by introductions to both UCI and the project by Provost Enrique Lavernia, School of Education Dean Richard Arum and Distinguished Professor Jacquelynne Eccles.
“This is your chance to help us not only improve the quality of the educational experience here at UCI, but also transform the quality of the educational experience everywhere in the United States,” Chancellor Gillman told the students.
“At UCI, we’re constructing a new future, and a large part of that is figuring out what factors will help you succeed while you’re in school, and after you leave school,” Provost Lavernia told the students. “The information we learn from this project is going to help us be better educators; not just at the School of Education, but for the entire campus and the entire nation.”
Data on the project participants – which is comprised of freshmen, junior transfers, continuing juniors, and freshmen honor students - is being collected in three different strands, each overseen by a School of Education faculty member. Everything from transcripts to online classroom behavior, living situations to student moods is being considered, and collectively will paint a complete portrait of student experience at UCI.
More than 700 students packed multiple rooms in the Anteater Learning Pavilion to take initial assessments in The Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project. The project research team is tracking a sample of more than 1,000 students longitudinally for the next two years, capturing experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
A video message from Chancellor Howard Gillman welcomed the students, followed by introductions to both UCI and the project by Provost Enrique Lavernia, School of Education Dean Richard Arum and Distinguished Professor Jacquelynne Eccles.
“This is your chance to help us not only improve the quality of the educational experience here at UCI, but also transform the quality of the educational experience everywhere in the United States,” Chancellor Gillman told the students.
“At UCI, we’re constructing a new future, and a large part of that is figuring out what factors will help you succeed while you’re in school, and after you leave school,” Provost Lavernia told the students. “The information we learn from this project is going to help us be better educators; not just at the School of Education, but for the entire campus and the entire nation.”
Data on the project participants – which is comprised of freshmen, junior transfers, continuing juniors, and freshmen honor students - is being collected in three different strands, each overseen by a School of Education faculty member. Everything from transcripts to online classroom behavior, living situations to student moods is being considered, and collectively will paint a complete portrait of student experience at UCI.
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“We have to continue to improve the educational experience and outcomes at UCI so that every student who comes here achieves their goals and aspirations," Arum told the students. "It's easier now than ever before to capture data, and just like other industries have already done, we can use data to improve experiences - it would be irresponsible not to."
The findings from the project will also inform the development of a large-scale longitudinal study of college and universities coordinated by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Societal Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan. “We think every university in the nation should be doing this work,” Arum said. “We will soon be setting up tools and measures that other universities and colleges can apply in their own setting to improve the undergraduate experience on their own campus.” |
Richard Arum, dean and professor at the UCI School of Education and principal investigator,
explains the project to UCI students.
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In November 2018, the Andrew W. Mellon foundation named UCI the national pilot site to study approaches that will increase the understanding of what makes a liberal arts education so valuable. The Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project is analyzing this question, and more, by collecting data on students in three different strands.
First, data on social background, course enrollment and course performance will be collected. Second, students’ online behavior in the Canvas Learning Management System, the most widely used platform for UCI courses, will be analyzed. Lastly, innovative and proprietary surveys administered at the beginning and end of the two years will shed light on whether a student’s ability to think in rigorous, critical ways is affected by attending college.
A subgroup of 500 students also opted to participate in additional assessments. Throughout the next two years, this group will receive a notification on their phone that asks them questions including where they are, what they’re doing, and their feelings toward the activity. By collecting this information, the research team will be able to assess student experiences outside of the classroom.
Additional information on all of the data being collected, along with an overview of the project, is available here.
First, data on social background, course enrollment and course performance will be collected. Second, students’ online behavior in the Canvas Learning Management System, the most widely used platform for UCI courses, will be analyzed. Lastly, innovative and proprietary surveys administered at the beginning and end of the two years will shed light on whether a student’s ability to think in rigorous, critical ways is affected by attending college.
A subgroup of 500 students also opted to participate in additional assessments. Throughout the next two years, this group will receive a notification on their phone that asks them questions including where they are, what they’re doing, and their feelings toward the activity. By collecting this information, the research team will be able to assess student experiences outside of the classroom.
Additional information on all of the data being collected, along with an overview of the project, is available here.
Distinguished Professor Jacquelynne Eccles addresses UCI undergraduate students.
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“As developmental psychologists, we know very little about people aged 18-25 – what you experience in college and how that shapes the rest of your lives, ” said Prof. Eccles, who is overseeing the surveying, performance assessment and experience sampling strand. “Through this project, we will get a really good insight into what your experiences are while you’re a student – what does your day, week, semester look like?”
On September 25, students took two innovative, proprietary assessments designed by Educational Testing Services (ETS) that measured their perspective taking and confirmation bias. Afterwards, the group took a survey developed by the UCI research team, which asked questions about expectations, goals, why they chose their major, why they are attending college, and more. |
Students returned to the 65,000 square foot Anteater Learning Pavilion on Saturday, September 28, to take three additional assessments - two designed by ETS, and a third designed by Sam Wineburg, professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education - that measure collaborative problem solving, civic reasoning, and critical thinking.
"These skills are essential for both labor-market success, and in creating a democratic citizenry," Arum said. "Through this project, we'll be able to determine if college has an effect on developing these critical skills."
The launch event drew media coverage from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and Campus Technology.
Arum described UCI as the perfect setting for this study. He noted that the New York Times ranks UCI as the No. 1 college doing the most for American dream, and that Money magazine ranks UCI the No. 1 college in the U.S.
“We’re leading conversations on how to better serve undergraduate students, and how leadership can think of institutional improvements that are driven by data and measurement," Arum said. "We've brought together a world-class research team, and the very best have been involved in designing this project."
The Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project research team includes the following UCI faculty - plus 25 faculty from more than a dozen universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, UC Berkeley and NYU, as well as UCI doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers.
Richard Arum, dean and professor, UCI School of Education, principal investigator
Rachel Baker, assistant professor, UCI School of Education
Michael Dennin, dean, UCI Division of Undergraduate Education; vice provost for Teaching and Learning; co-principal investigator
Nia Dowell, assistant professor, UCI School of Education
Jacquelynne Eccles, distinguished professor, UCI School of Education
Mark Warschauer, professor, UCI School of Education
Di Xu, associate professor, UCI School of Education
"These skills are essential for both labor-market success, and in creating a democratic citizenry," Arum said. "Through this project, we'll be able to determine if college has an effect on developing these critical skills."
The launch event drew media coverage from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and Campus Technology.
Arum described UCI as the perfect setting for this study. He noted that the New York Times ranks UCI as the No. 1 college doing the most for American dream, and that Money magazine ranks UCI the No. 1 college in the U.S.
“We’re leading conversations on how to better serve undergraduate students, and how leadership can think of institutional improvements that are driven by data and measurement," Arum said. "We've brought together a world-class research team, and the very best have been involved in designing this project."
The Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project research team includes the following UCI faculty - plus 25 faculty from more than a dozen universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, UC Berkeley and NYU, as well as UCI doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers.
Richard Arum, dean and professor, UCI School of Education, principal investigator
Rachel Baker, assistant professor, UCI School of Education
Michael Dennin, dean, UCI Division of Undergraduate Education; vice provost for Teaching and Learning; co-principal investigator
Nia Dowell, assistant professor, UCI School of Education
Jacquelynne Eccles, distinguished professor, UCI School of Education
Mark Warschauer, professor, UCI School of Education
Di Xu, associate professor, UCI School of Education
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More on the Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project
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More than 700 UCI undergraduates took initial assessments at the Anteater Learning Pavilion on September 25, 2019.
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