In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, students entering college in fall 2021 had an unprecedented culmination to high school and transition to college. This chapter explores the experience of entering college students following these unprecedented circumstances, examining high school disruptions, including changes in the learning…

Attention to undergraduate research (UGR) is not surprising given its widespread appeal and evidence of educational benefit. Tracking participation and identifying equity gaps in UGR are important markers of access to and equity in educationally beneficial experiences. Information about students' exposure to elements of quality in UGR and how this…

The chapter considers student engagement to discuss the use of assessment evidence to advance evidence-based practice and to illustrate a scholarship of practice.

Undergraduate students have changed over the past 20 years. This chapter traces the evolution of students, reviews effective student affairs responses, and considers practice moving forward.

Co-published with the Association for State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), which sponsored the project from which the book emerged. This book answers the question "What would your institution look like if students really mattered?" The authors argue that really putting student success at the center of attention will require a radical…

This chapter urges student affairs professionals committed to enhancing student success through data-informed decision making to take full advantage of opportunities to apply and use student engagement results.

Assessment of student learning is typically undertaken with at least two goals in mind, accountability and improvement. This dichotomy of purpose has dogged assessment from the outset (Ewell, 2009) and contributed to conflicted or incomplete ends. As Banta and Palomba (2015) concluded, assessment undertaken primarily to comply with accountability…

The essay examines the variety of research methods and measures used in the first-year experience and students-in-transition field over the past 25 years. Interrogating the extant research, Kinzie explores whether the methods and analytic processes most commonly employed are adequate to advance our understanding of complex issues in the field. The…

Getting all students to high levels of achievement is what matters most. Many campuses today are working hard to develop a clearer and more integrated, collective approach to this goal. This takes leadership, resources, good data, a willingness to try new things, and, above all, a sense of purpose--working toward shared goals for student success.…

High-impact practices (HIPs), such as learning communities, undergraduate research, internships, study abroad, and culminating experiences, are lauded as transformative and particularly beneficial for historically underrepresented students. This article responds to the call to focus on racially minoritized student experiences in HIPs. The authors…

Colleges and universities must ensure that graduates are equipped to succeed in the global workforce. What do we know about the extent to which institutions are designing international activities, providing students with direct experience of different cultures and courses on global topics, and ensuring that graduates acquire global learning…

This chapter discusses the role of institutional research in DQP and Tuning work. Examples from the field of the myriad ways in which IR has been involved, as well as an exploration of ways in which IR has yet to be involved, are discussed.

Critics of traditional, residential, liberal arts colleges and universities contend that this form of higher education is outmoded, too costly, and no longer educationally relevant for 21st century students. Economies of scale, large classes taught by contingent faculty members and graduate students, and increasing reliance on technology and…

Research shows that enriching learning experiences such as learning communities, service-learning, undergraduate research, internships, and senior culminating experiences -- collectively known as High-Impact Practices (HIPs) -- are positively associated with student engagement; deep, and integrated learning; and personal and educational gains for…

Over the past decade, the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) has been documenting what colleges and universities are doing to gather evidence about student learning and helping institutions to productively use assessment data to strengthen undergraduate education. NILOA also has been monitoring how institutions communicate…