21st-Century Skillset Perceptions of Students in an Information Technology Career Academy Compared to those at a Comprehensive School

In this study, we compared the perspectives of students’ 21st-Century competencies (critical thinking and communication, applied learning, and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills) based on participating in an urban magnet information technology (IT) career academy compared to a traditional, comprehensive high school. We utilized propensity score matching to match academy and comprehensive high school learners on various demographic variables. The propensity score matching resulted in 299 matched pairs (n = 598). Using the matched groups, we ran linear regression models to investigate the relationship between school participation and students’ perceptions of their 21st-Century skill attainment. We found that when compared with their comprehensive school peers, academy students believed their schools significantly contributed more to their abilities to apply knowledge from their coursework to a real-world context. We found no significant differences in critical thinking and communication skills as well as intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. Our findings indicate that the nature of the curriculum and instructional strategies within a career academy are beneficial. These strategies include the use of curriculum integration, work-based learning, and project-based learning to increase the meaningfulness and relevancy of content

Do High-Achieving Students Benefit From Honors College Participation? A Look at Student Engagement for First-Year Students and Seniors

This study investigates findings from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), comparing various aspects of student engagement between honors college and general education students. Responses from 1,339 honors college students and 7,191 general education students across 15 different universities suggest a positive impact for honors college participation on reflective and integrative learning, use of learning strategies, collaborative learning, diverse discussions, student–faculty interaction, and quality of interactions for first-year students, even when controlling for student and institutional characteristics. For senior students, honors college participation was related to more frequent student–faculty interaction. Potential experiential and curricular reasons for these differences are discussed, along with implications for educators, researchers, parents, and students

The Relationship Between Transfer Student Status, Student Engagement, and High-Impact Practice Participation

Objective: Based on the growing number of transfer students in higher education and the concern that transfer students are not as engaged as their peers, specifically in participation in high-impact practices (HIPs), this research asks, “Is there a significant direct or indirect relationship between transfer status, student engagement, and HIP participation?” Method: The current study employed a general latent variable model to explore the relationship between community college transfer student status, student engagement, and participation in HIPs. Using data from the 2014 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement, 22,994 senior student responses were examined to measure the association between transfer status (students who transferred from a 2-year to 4-year institution compared with nontransfer students), student engagement (collaborative learning, student–faculty interaction, and supportive campus environment), and HIP participation (learning community, service-learning, research with a faculty member, internship, study abroad, and culminating senior experience). Results: Although each of the student engagement indicators significantly mediated HIP participation for transfer students, only the effect for student–faculty interaction was nontrivial. Contributions: The results from this study indicate the importance of faculty in advocating for and supporting transfer students, while presenting questions about the degree to which these students may need additional institutional support to recognize HIPs in a 4-year context. Implications for enhancing student–faculty interaction among transfer students, as a means to increase HIP participation, are discussed

Are Those Rose-Colored Glass you are Wearing? Student and Alumni Survey Responses

Student surveys are often important elements of assessment in higher education, but alumni surveys can play a substantial role as well. However, little is known about how responses from these two groups compare to one another. Combining data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this study examines self-reported college experiences and skill development of seniors and alumni who majored in the arts. Results suggest that alumni rate their overall experience higher, while students judge specific aspects of their institutional experience and their skill development more positively. Given these differences, it is recommended that institutions survey both students and alumni to achieve a more complete picture of the educational experience

Development of the Quantitative Reasoning Items on the National Survey of Student Engagement

As society’s needs for quantitative skills become more prevalent, college graduates require quantitative skills regardless of their career choices. Therefore, it is important that institutions assess students’ engagement in quantitative activities during college. This study chronicles the process taken by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to develop items that measure students’ participation in quantitative reasoning (QR) activities. On the whole, findings across the quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest good overall properties for the developed QR items. The items show great promise to explore and evaluate the frequency with which college students participate in QR-related activities. Each year, hundreds of institutions across the United States and Canada participate in NSSE, and, with the addition of these new items on the core survey, every participating institution will have information on this topic. Our hope is that these items will spur conversations on campuses about students’ use of quantitative reasoning activities

Assessing Alumni Success: Income is NOT the Only Outcome!

Institutions may be interested in using alumni career success as evidence of institutional effectiveness, but the current study suggests that using income as the sole outcome may not be entirely capturing the occupational experience of graduates. Utilising data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that there are two distinct components of job satisfaction for arts graduates: intrinsic satisfaction and extrinsic satisfaction. The results of ordinary least squares regression analyses for these two factors provide some relationships concerning demographic and occupational characteristics with these two areas of satisfaction. In considering overall job satisfaction, intrinsic satisfaction may play a larger role in how alumni perceive their career outcomes and success

The Influence of Institutional Experiences on the Development of Creative Thinking in Arts Alumn

Previous research has suggested that several different aspects of one’s environment can impact creativity. Using data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), this study explored whether satisfaction with aspects of the institutional experience contributed to the perceived development of creative thinking in arts alumni, and whether there are differences in these patterns between undergraduate and graduate alumni across a variety of academic majors. The results of several regression analyses indicated a greater number of significant predictors for creative thinking in undergraduate alumni when compared to graduate alumni. The two strongest, most consistent predictors across all models were satisfaction with their freedom and encouragement to take risks and instructors in classrooms, labs, and studios. Differences across majors are also discussed

Development of the Quantitative Reasoning Items on the National Survey of Student Engagement

As society’s needs for quantitative skills become more prevalent, college graduates require quantitative skills regardless of their career choices. Therefore, it is important that institutions assess students’ engagement in quantitative activities during college. This study chronicles the process taken by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to develop items that measure students’ participation in quantitative reasoning (QR) activities. On the whole, findings across the quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest good overall properties for the developed QR items. The items show great promise to explore and evaluate the frequency with which college students participate in QR-related activities. Each year, hundreds of institutions across the United States and Canada participate in NSSE, and, with the addition of these new items on the core survey, every participating institution will have information on this topic. Our hope is that these items will spur conversations on campuses about students’ use of quantitative reasoning activities

Examining the Meaning of Vague Quantifiers in Higher Education: How Often is “Often”?

Researchers, assessment professionals, and faculty in higher education increasingly depend on survey data from students to make pivotal curricular and programmatic decisions. The surveys collecting these data often require students to judge frequency (e.g., how often), quantity (e.g., how much), or intensity (e.g., how strongly). The response options given for these questions are usually vague and include responses such as “never,” “sometimes,” and “often.” However, the meaning that respondents give to these vague responses may vary. This study aims to determine the efficacy of using vague quantifiers in survey research. More specifically, the purpose of this study is to explore the meaning that respondents ascribe to vague response options and whether or not those meanings vary by student characteristics. Results from this study indicate a high degree of correspondence between vague and numeric response and suggest that students seem to adapt the meaning of “sometimes,” “often,” and “very often” based on the appropriate reference for the question. Overall, findings provide evidence of the utility and appropriateness of using vague response options. Some differences by student characteristics and the implications of these differences are discussed. Higher education researchers, assessment professionals, and faculty increasingly rely on survey data collected from college students to make pivotal curricular and programmatic decisions (Picciano 2012). Typically, the questions on these surveys ask students to judge the frequency (e.g., how often), quantity (e.g., how much), or intensity (e.g., how strongly) of their activities, behaviors, or opinions. The response options given for these questions are usually vague and include responses such as “never,” “sometimes,” and “often.” Additionally, many national college student surveys use these ordered, natural-language response options known as vague quantifiers to understand student behaviors, activities, attitudes, and judgments (e.g., Beginning Postsecondary Studies Longitudinal Study, CIRP Freshman Survey, and National Survey of Student Engagement). However, there has been little research exploring how the use of vague quantifiers may influence results, especially in higher education research. Studying response format is important for ensuring that the data collected from college students is valid for the faculty, staff, and administrators making strategic decisions. This study aims to determine the efficacy of using vague quantifiers. More specifically, the purpose of this study is to understand the meaning that college students ascribe to vague response options and to examine whether those meanings vary among different groups of students. Understanding if vague quantifiers vary by student demographics is essential because survey results are often used to compare subgroups and making such comparisons assumes that the meaning of the vague response options is consistent across the groups being compared. However, prior research has shown that vague responses may elicit varying meanings (Schaeffer 1991; Schneider and Stone 2016; Wänke 2002). For instance, Wänke (2002) noted that although respondents did not differ in their absolute response, their responses to the vague quantifier were influenced by the information about the target population. In other words, respondents recalibrated their responses based on how their own behaviors compared to the perception of what “often” looks like for the general survey population. Because of this possible variation, as well as other concerns, some researchers have questioned the validity of survey data derived from college students (Porter 2011). Given the frequent use of survey data in higher education to make curricular and programmatic changes (Picciano 2012), understanding the meaning that students give to survey questions using vague quantifiers is critical. This study aims to address some of these issues by examining the use of vague quantifiers in a large national survey of college students

The Characteristics and Contributions of Arts Organization Founders

In this fluctuating and uncertain economy, individuals with arts degrees may be looking to carve out a niche for themselves through founding arts-related organizations. These organizations are poised to impact not only cultural policy and creative industries, but also community arts engagement. This study used data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), an online alumni survey designed to obtain knowledge of arts education, to explore characteristics of arts organization founders, and the many ways in which these individuals contribute to the arts community. The participants were 92,113 alumni from 153 different arts high schools, undergraduate, and graduate colleges or arts programs within larger universities. The measures for this study included a set of items indicating ways of supporting the arts over the past 12 months, as well as demographic and career questions. A series of chi-square analyses indicated that older, non-white, male respondents who had an artist parent and studied the performing arts were more likely to be founders of arts organizations. Logistic regression analyses controlling for related demographic and career variables found those founding arts-related organizations were more likely to support the arts in a variety of ways, including volunteering, serving on boards, and donating money, and they were also more likely to make or perform art in their personal (not work-related) time. The findings provide support for the notion that founding an arts organization may be an optimal career pathway for people who face barriers within traditional employment, or conversely for those who can benefit from existing social capital. The findings also affirm the importance of arts organization founders to their wider arts communities