Student Engagement at the Research University (SERU) at UW: Student Life Student Life Assessment Meeting 02 October 2014 Debbie McGhee

SERU Background Project began as part of a research grant University of California Berkeley's Center for Studies in Higher Education Eleven (18%) of 62 AAU institutions participated in 2014 UW-Seattle participated for the first time this year The survey population was the entire undergraduate population

SERU Background The SERU questionnaire takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. The main topic areas: – Academic Engagement – Time Allocation – Academic and Personal Development – Institutional Climate for Diversity – Plans and Aspirations – Overall Satisfaction – Evaluation of the Major – Background (demographics)

SERU 2014: UW Participants All degree-seeking, undergraduate students enrolled at UW-Seattle in Winter 2014 were invited Overall, 26% of students completed the online questionnaire Women were over-represented among respondents (52% of sample vs. 61% of respondents)

SERU 2014: Representativeness Men and underclassmen were under- represented among respondents

SERU 2014: Representativeness Under-represented minority (URM) and International students were under-represented

SERU 2014: Areas of Interest Content areas of interest for today – Background characteristics (demographics) – Activities – Campus climate and diversity – Global evaluations

SERU 2014: Background Characteristics Several items about students’ backgrounds – Current residence – “Social class growing up” (SES) – Spiritual/religious preference – Physical and learning disabilities – Sexual orientation – Political orientation

SERU 2014: Background characteristics Where is your current residence? Categories will be collapsed as: Campus housing, Sorority/Fraternity, and Elsewhere

SERU 2014: Background characteristics What was your social class growing up?

SERU 2014: Background characteristics What is your spiritual/religious preference? Not spiritual or religious includes: Not particularly spiritual, No preference, Agnostic, and Atheist

SERU 2014: Background characteristics Do you have a physical or learning disability? 45% of those reporting a physical or learning disability indicated they receive disability accommodations

SERU 2014: Background characteristics What is your sexual orientation?

SERU 2014: Background characteristics What is your political orientation?

SERU 2014: Weekly Activities What was the average number of hours per night you slept on weeknights? [4 or less, 5, 6, …, 9 or more hours] How many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week in paid employment? [type in numeric value, enter 0 for none] How many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week … [0=0 hrs, 1=1-5 hrs, 2=6-10 hrs, 7=30+] – Attending classes/labs – Coursework outside of class – Student clubs or organizations – Leisure (entertainment, time with family, socializing) – Other (community service, exercise, religion, commuting)

SERU 2014: Weekly Activities Average weeknight hours of sleep?

SERU 2014: Weekly Activities How do students spend their week? * The graph includes only those students who responded to all of the activities items.

SERU 2014: Weekly Activities About how many hours do you spend per week working for pay (on- or off-campus)? The overall average was 8.8 hours, but 48% of students reported 0 hours of work for pay

SERU 2014: Weekly Activities About how many hours do you spend per week participating in student clubs or organizations? Overall, 49.6% of students reported 0 hours Participation varied with student’s current residence. The percentages of students reporting at least 1 hour/week were: – 59% among those living in campus-owned housing – 66% among those in sororities/fraternities – 45% among those living elsewhere

SERU 2014: Weekly Activities About how many hours do you spend per week performing community service or volunteer? Overall, 47% of students reported 0 hours Participation varied by student sex and current residence. – 56% of women reported at least 1 hour/week, vs. 47% of men – Student in sororities/fraternities were the most likely to report non-zero hours (65%), while students in campus housing were the least likely (47%). – About half (53%) of students living elsewhere reported at least 1 hour/week.

SERU 2014: Weekly Activities About how many hours do you spend per week engaging in exercise, sports, or physically active hobbies? Overall, only 15% of students reported 0 hours Participation varied by student sex, class, and current residence. – 46% of men reported at least 6 hours/week, vs. 30% of women – Student in sororities/fraternities were the most active: 42% reported 1-5 hours/week and 36% reported 6-10 hours/week. – 50% of students living elsewhere reported 1-5 hours/week.

SERU 2014: Co-curricular Activities Overall, 4.7% of students reported participation in a living-learning program – Among those currently living in campus housing, 6.6% responded ‘Yes’ – 8.2% of first-year students living in campus housing responded ‘Yes’ Approximately 19% of students had participated in a study abroad program (27% of seniors)

SERU 2014: Evaluative Items Several items and item-sets asked students to rate their UW experiences at a global level Campus climate International student experience Overall academic satisfaction and overall social satisfaction

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Rate the general climate for students at the UW. The UW is… “Safe [1] … Dangerous [5]”

SERU 2014: Campus Climate The UW is… “Safe [1] … Dangerous [5]” by Sex and Residence

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Indicate level of agreement with the following in terms of yourself. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Students of my race/ethnicity are respected on this campus. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Students of my socioeconomic background are respected on this campus. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Students of my gender are respected on this campus. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Students of my political beliefs are respected on this campus. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Students of my sexual orientation are respected on this campus. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Students with a physical, psychological, or learning disability like mine are respected…. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Campus Climate Students of my immigration background are respected on this campus. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: International Student Experience How satisfied are you with each of the following? The three items marked with arrows were the strongest correlates of perceived respect for international students.

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Four items asked about general satisfaction. 1 = Very dissatisfied, 3 = Somewhat dissatisfied, 4 = Somewhat satisfied, 6 = Very satisfied

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Social and Academic experience ratings were moderately related (r =.50) Satisfaction with UW grade point average was strongly correlated with actual UW GPA (r =.61) Ratings of Educational Value correlated with academic satisfaction (r =.61), but less with social satisfaction (r =.37) and actual UW GPA (r =.17)

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Social satisfaction varied by class and residence. 1 = Very dissatisfied, 3 = Somewhat dissatisfied, 4 = Somewhat satisfied, 6 = Very satisfied

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Academic satisfaction* varied by class and residence. * Average of “my UW GPA” and “overall academic experience” 1 = Very dissatisfied, 3 = Somewhat dissatisfied, 4 = Somewhat satisfied, 6 = Very satisfied

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Actual UW GPA supports the observation that living in campus housing is preferred for first-years and sophomores.

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation The effect of housing situation on academic satisfaction and UW GPA is not due to self-selection: Across the range of high school GPA; those living in campus housing perform better.

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Academic satisfaction* varied by average hours of sleep. * Average of “my UW GPA” and “overall academic experience” 1 = Very dissatisfied, 3 = Somewhat dissatisfied, 4 = Somewhat satisfied, 6 = Very satisfied

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Students use the time that they are not sleeping to do coursework (in-class + studying).

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation The extra hours of coursework do not translate into a better GPA.

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Two items asked about commitment to UW. 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Both social and academic satisfaction ratings were related to feelings of belongingness (r =.61 and r =.59) Academic experience satisfaction was a somewhat better predictor than social experience of re-enrollment (r =.60 vs. r =.49) Ratings of educational value correlated moderately with belongingness (r =.46) and re- enrollment (r =.51) Working class and middle class students were the least satisfied with educational value

SERU 2014: Overall Evaluation Commitment to UW* varied by ethnicity/resident status. * Average of “I belong at the UW” and “I would re-enroll at the UW” 1 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Somewhat disagree, 4 = Somewhat agree, 6 = Strongly agree

Summary Students are candid about themselves and their UW experience. Our students express a strong sense of belonging and commitment to UW, but also feel free to point out areas of dissatisfaction. Safety issues for women, especially those living in sororities. International students want to interact with the UW and larger U.S. community, but may have trouble achieving this.