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The following article originally appeared in the 2020 edition of the School of Education magazine, advancing. For a PDF, please click on the magazine to the right. |
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Understanding & Supporting Students in the Era of COVID-19
Already in the process of tracking student experiences, attitudes, and behaviors, the Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project quickly adapted to study the impact of COVID-19 on UCI undergraduates.
In September 2019, the Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project – a bold project that sets out to improve our understanding of the value of undergraduate educational experiences – officially began tracking UCI undergraduates inside and outside the classroom.
In March 2020, UCI, like all universities across the nation, underwent a seismic shift to online instruction. As it turned out, the project served as a perfect vehicle to gain further insights about UCI undergraduates’ experiences and attitudes related to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in undergraduate education. The findings are now being used to inform how UCI is serving its undergraduates academically, as well as their physical and mental well-being.
“One of the great strengths of the Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project is that the research team is able to quickly pivot and study UCI undergraduates’ ever-changing, real-world circumstances,” said Richard Arum, dean and professor, UCI School of Education and principal investigator of the project. “While we never anticipated a pandemic of this scale affecting undergraduate education, we are nevertheless equipped and ready to track its effects and help the university address these challenges.”
In March 2020, UCI, like all universities across the nation, underwent a seismic shift to online instruction. As it turned out, the project served as a perfect vehicle to gain further insights about UCI undergraduates’ experiences and attitudes related to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in undergraduate education. The findings are now being used to inform how UCI is serving its undergraduates academically, as well as their physical and mental well-being.
“One of the great strengths of the Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project is that the research team is able to quickly pivot and study UCI undergraduates’ ever-changing, real-world circumstances,” said Richard Arum, dean and professor, UCI School of Education and principal investigator of the project. “While we never anticipated a pandemic of this scale affecting undergraduate education, we are nevertheless equipped and ready to track its effects and help the university address these challenges.”
THE VALUE OF COLLEGE
Richard Arum, dean of the UCI School of Education and principal investigator of the Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project
welcomes more than 700 UCI undergraduates to the study, September 2019.
The Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project is a state-of-the-art measurement project that is providing insight into the value of college and creating tools that other universities can utilize to better understand their own students. Supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the project is tracking for two years a sample of 1,273 UCI undergraduates, comprised of freshmen, junior transfers, and continuing juniors. Everything from transcripts to online classroom behavior, living situations to student moods is being considered.
The study measures six key dimensions of postsecondary growth and development thought to be related to later life course outcomes by integrating student surveys, performance assessments, administrative data, and learning management system data. The six dimensions are: Cognitive Ability & Intellectual Dispositions; Life-Course Agency; Self-Regulation Skills; Social Capital; Civic Engagement; Psychological Flourishing & Mental Health.
There are multiple ways to examine life course outcomes. The project groups them into three categories: Postgraduate Education, Employment & Health Outcomes (occupation, income, health); Social & Psychological Outcomes (resilience, stress management, social connectedness); and Civic Outcomes (social responsibility, involvement in community organizations).
“We believe that the competencies and dispositions that we are tracking are essential for both labor-market success, and for creating a democratic citizenry,” Arum said. “Through this project, we will be able to determine how college has an effect on supporting student growth and development associated with lifelong success.”
A main goal of the study is to not only understand the student experience at UCI, but to also create tools that other universities can replicate to assess the undergraduate experience on their own campus. The findings from the UCI study will inform the development of a large-scale longitudinal study of college and universities coordinated by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan.
“We think every university in the nation should be doing this type of work,” Arum said. “Our measurement aims not just to provide clearer demonstration of the value of educational investments, but also to inspire and inform efforts to improve institutional performance and advance educational equity.”
The study measures six key dimensions of postsecondary growth and development thought to be related to later life course outcomes by integrating student surveys, performance assessments, administrative data, and learning management system data. The six dimensions are: Cognitive Ability & Intellectual Dispositions; Life-Course Agency; Self-Regulation Skills; Social Capital; Civic Engagement; Psychological Flourishing & Mental Health.
There are multiple ways to examine life course outcomes. The project groups them into three categories: Postgraduate Education, Employment & Health Outcomes (occupation, income, health); Social & Psychological Outcomes (resilience, stress management, social connectedness); and Civic Outcomes (social responsibility, involvement in community organizations).
“We believe that the competencies and dispositions that we are tracking are essential for both labor-market success, and for creating a democratic citizenry,” Arum said. “Through this project, we will be able to determine how college has an effect on supporting student growth and development associated with lifelong success.”
A main goal of the study is to not only understand the student experience at UCI, but to also create tools that other universities can replicate to assess the undergraduate experience on their own campus. The findings from the UCI study will inform the development of a large-scale longitudinal study of college and universities coordinated by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan.
“We think every university in the nation should be doing this type of work,” Arum said. “Our measurement aims not just to provide clearer demonstration of the value of educational investments, but also to inspire and inform efforts to improve institutional performance and advance educational equity.”
PROJECT LAUNCH
After a full year of preparation, the student tracking portion of the project began in September 2019 at the Anteater Learning Pavilion. There, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman greeted the students via video, stressing the importance of the work they were about to embark on.
“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.
Over the course of two days, students took four innovative assessment tasks designed in partnership with ETS to measure collaborative problem solving, perspective taking, confirmation bias, and critical thinking. In addition, the group took a survey developed by the UCI research team, which asked questions about expectations, goals, and more. Students also took an additional assessment designed by Sam Wineburg, professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education, that measures online civic reasoning.
Throughout the year, students were given additional surveys. Their course enrollment and performance were recorded, along with data on their usage of Canvas Learning Management System, the most widely used platform for UCI courses.
Some of the surveys were sent as notifications to students’ phones, asking them where they were, what they were doing, and their feelings toward the activity. By collecting this information, the research team has the ability to assess student experiences outside of the classroom.
“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,” Jacquelynne Eccles, distinguished professor and member of the research team, told students during the project launch. “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?”
“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.
Over the course of two days, students took four innovative assessment tasks designed in partnership with ETS to measure collaborative problem solving, perspective taking, confirmation bias, and critical thinking. In addition, the group took a survey developed by the UCI research team, which asked questions about expectations, goals, and more. Students also took an additional assessment designed by Sam Wineburg, professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education, that measures online civic reasoning.
Throughout the year, students were given additional surveys. Their course enrollment and performance were recorded, along with data on their usage of Canvas Learning Management System, the most widely used platform for UCI courses.
Some of the surveys were sent as notifications to students’ phones, asking them where they were, what they were doing, and their feelings toward the activity. By collecting this information, the research team has the ability to assess student experiences outside of the classroom.
“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,” Jacquelynne Eccles, distinguished professor and member of the research team, told students during the project launch. “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?”
SUPPORT IN THE ERA OF COVID-19
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In March, after the shift to online instruction was announced, the project team administered the first of two surveys, asking students to measure their stress levels across different categories, assess their overall mental health, and identify new responsibilities related to COVID-19.
In April, two weeks into the spring quarter, a second, similar survey was administered. More than 750 students participated in the two surveys. The surveys found that UCI undergraduates were responding to the pandemic in altruistic and community-focused ways, but were nonetheless concerned about how the pandemic would affect their education. In particular, it was found that students were more concerned for their larger community than themselves (see Figure 1); students’ biggest source of stress was the impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on their education – though they believe that UCI’s actions have been at the appropriate level of stringency; and students’ mental health has not been adversely affected since the onset of the pandemic. |
Figure 1: Results from surveys administered to students in response to COVID-19. Students were asked how many times in the previous
seven days they felt stress related to themselves, their family, and their community
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Students reported more stress related to academic demands compared to stress in other domains, and the stress related to academic demands increased after UCI moved to online classes. Eighty percent of students were concerned that the shift to online classes would cause disruptions to their academic progress (see Figure 2).
The results of these surveys provided the framework for UCI to launch a robust online support system that includes distance learning aids, mental health counseling, physical fitness classes, and assistance with basic needs. The UCI Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation also created a web-based Remote Student Success Guide, which contains best practices for developing the organizational and study skills necessary to succeed in a distance learning environment. For those who lack access to a computer or internet connection, UCI’s Office of Information Technology offers laptop and Wi-Fi loan programs. To support undergraduates’ mental and physical health, UCI is providing access to a variety of resources. Remote therapy and social worker sessions were made available through the UCI Counseling Center, the Anteater Recreation Center offered a variety of online fitness options, and the FRESH Basic Needs Hub provided emergency aid to students who were unable to return home and were experiencing food insecurity. |
FIGURE 2: A subsample of the survey participants completed surveys before the outbreak of COVID-19. For these students, the project team
investigated if their perceived stress due to academic and practical demands changed over time. Students were asked: “In the past seven
days, how often did you perceive stress related to academic demands and practical demands?” Students’ stress related to academic demands increased after UCI moved to online classes, and 80 percent of students were concerned that the shift to online classes would cause disruptions to their academic progress.
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“These surveys are unique in that we were able to capture the attitudes and concerns of undergraduate students in real-time, before and after the pandemic, as their college experiences were radically altered,” Arum said. “What we learned is informing how the university serves undergraduates, as we work to maintain high-quality learning experiences and support mental health and physical well-being.”
More findings from the spring and summer can be found here.
Additional surveys will be administered over the course of the coming academic year as students and the university continue to grapple with challenges related to the pandemic.
More findings from the spring and summer can be found here.
Additional surveys will be administered over the course of the coming academic year as students and the university continue to grapple with challenges related to the pandemic.
