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Kristin McKinley

Author: Kristin McKinley

U.S. News & World Report Data Collection

We may need your help!

The U. S. News & World Report (USNWR) data collection is expected to open April 25.  The USNWR Rankings are released each fall and are based on three surveys in this collection:  Main, Finance, and Financial Aid. 

The Office of Institutional Research (IR) will be working diligently over the next few weeks to collect the data needing to be entered and submitted in these surveys.  If you have been contacted in the past (or have taken over a role contacted in the past) about survey questions pertaining to your area and have not been contacted already, we will be reaching out to you by email as soon as possible for confirmation of rolled-over or updated responses.  The email may come from any member of the IR team (Kristin McKinley, Sarah Dunnagan, or Haley Perkins).

As in previous years, we will likely request a less than two week turn-around time for your answers.  This is necessary because we need time to not only complete the approximate 150-page Main Survey but the institution’s designated administrators also need sufficient time to review and approve the surveys prior to the submission deadline.

Thank you in advance for your expertise and help in this collaborative effort!

Graduating seniors: Share your feedback for a chance to win a $50 gift card!

Now is your chance to tell us about your undergraduate experience! We are asking all graduating students to complete a survey about your learning and development in college and the plans you have for after graduation. This valuable feedback will be used for improving learning experiences for current and future students. Check your email inbox today at 3 PM for a message from the Office of the Provost to access your unique survey link. Students who complete this survey by May 27 at 11:59 PM CST are eligible to be entered into a random drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card (five winners).

U. S. News & World Report data collection

We may need your help! The U. S. News & World Report (USNWR) data collection opened this week.  The USNWR Rankings (that you may be hearing about more often these days) are released each fall and are based on three surveys in this collection:  Main, Finance, and Financial Aid. 

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) will be working diligently over the next few weeks to collect the data needing to be entered and submitted in these surveys.  If Kristin McKinley or Sarah Dunnagan has contacted you in the past (or you recently took over a role contacted in the past) about survey questions pertaining to your area, we will again be reaching out to you as soon as possible for confirmation of rolled-over or updated responses.  As in previous years, we will likely request a less than two week turn-around time for your answers.  This is necessary because we need time to not only complete the 147-page Main Survey but the institution’s designated administrators also need sufficient time to review and approve the surveys prior to the June 1st submission deadline. 

Thank you in advance for your expertise and help in this collaborative effort!

Antiracism Policy, Practice, and Structure Survey

Who:  All Lawrence students (18 years and older), faculty, staff, and administration

When:  September 20 – December 1, 2021

What:  Complete a short, anonymous survey (10-15 minutes). Voice your opinion and be a change agent!

Why:  As a recipient of the Lawrence University Antiracism Fellowship, I am collecting data, with your help, on Lawrence policies, practices, and structures that promote or prevent its progress toward becoming a fully inclusive institution.

How:  Complete a separate survey for each policy, practice, or structure you want to provide input on in a single session; the anonymous survey does not allow for your survey responses to be saved.  

Where: Take an anonymous online survey by clicking the link below:

https://lawrence.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8laENynyGpwWWDI

Thanks in advance for your help and contribution to this important work! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or want to engage in further dialogue.

Kristin McKinley, Director of Research Administration

kristin.l.mckinley@lawrence.edu

920-832-6532

HEDS Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey (March 31-April 28)

Take a survey to share your perceptions on unwanted sexual contact and assault at Lawrence and help the Student Alliance Against Sexual Harassment and Assault (SAASHA)!

On March 31st, Dr. Kimberly Barrett will send an email with the subject line, “Lawrence students: Share your perspective on sexual assault and the campus climate,” inviting you to participate in the HEDS Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey.

This surveys will ask about your perceptions of Lawrence’s climate on unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault, your perceptions of how Lawrence addresses and responds to sexual assault, and whether and how often you have experienced unwanted sexual contact or sexual assault. The results of this survey will be used to inform and improve support, policies, and practices at Lawrence University; the information will not be used to investigate specific individuals or incidents. The survey will remain open until April 28th.

The survey is being administered by HEDS, an independent organization, and your responses will be anonymous to Lawrence. We will only receive data in which any survey information that might identify you has been removed. Participation in the HEDS Survey will enable comparison of results across universities, which will be a new opportunity for us to better understand the data.

Your input is essential!

To that end, Lawrence University will donate 25¢ for each survey completed to Student Alliance Against Sexual Harassment and Assault (SAASHA) if 225 students complete the survey. If 450 students complete the survey, Lawrence University will donate 50¢ for each survey completed to Student Alliance Against Sexual Harassment and Assault (SAASHA).

Data Bytes and Updates …

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) has posted the Common Data Set and the colleague version of the Fall 2020 Fact Book. Be sure to check these out if you are looking for data!

Thank you to all who participated in the HEDS Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey!

Check out a list of our recent and upcoming presentations that have focused on data-informed decision-making as it relates to student success and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) efforts.

Take a survey on diversity, equity and inclusion and help stock the Lawrence food pantry!

On February 1st, Dr. Kimberly Barrett will send an email with the subject line, “Members of the Lawrence community: Share your perspective on the campus climate for diversity and equity,” inviting you to participate in the HEDS Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey.

In this survey, we will ask about your perceptions of Lawrence’s climate and support of diversity and equity, as well as your experiences with discrimination and harassment. We hope that every member of our community will participate in this important survey, regardless of whether or not you have experienced discrimination or harassment at Lawrence. The survey will remain open until March 1st.

The survey is being administered by HEDS, an independent organization, and your responses will be anonymous to Lawrence. We will only receive data in which any survey information that might identify you has been removed. Participation in the HEDS Survey will enable comparison of results across universities, which will be a new opportunity for us to better understand the data.

Your input is essential!

To that end, if at least 300 students and employees complete the survey, 25¢ for each completed survey will be donated to the campus food pantry. If at least 600 students and employees complete the survey, 50¢ for each completed survey will be donated to the campus food pantry, which IF WE ALL PARTICIPATE could result in a total donation over $1000!

HEDS New Student Survey Results

The HEDS New Student Survey was administered September 9-22, 2020 to all new first-time students over the age of 18. We had a response rate of 67.9% (247/364); the survey respondents were representative of the panel (students invited to participate in the survey).

HEDS New Student Survey Executive Summary

New students are focused on their futures:
– 99.6% report it is important for them to graduate from college, and 82.5% want to graduate from Lawrence.
– 94.4% say getting good grades is important to them.
– 94.3% report they are likely to continue at Lawrence.
– 93.1% are confident in their decision to attend Lawrence.
– 74.1% have a major in mind.

New students perceive themselves to be passionate and persevering:
– 87.8% report overcoming setbacks and 63.9% are not easily discouraged by setbacks.
– 88.6% perceive themselves to be hard workers, 73.0% are diligent, and 66.6% finish what they start.

A successful college experience involves learning new things that will help them in life after college, feeling prepared to begin a meaningful career and to deal with intellectual and interpersonal challenges that will come their way, feeling confident that they will be able to financially support them self in the future, and being better prepared to make a positive impact on the world.

New students worry often about doing well in college (74.6%), balancing class, social, family, and other life responsibilities (71.0%), and maintaining their mental health and well-being (66.3%).

During high school:
– 51.6% engaged in extracurricular activities, with an equal percentage spending an average of 1-3 hours (25.8%) or 11+ hours (25.8%) per week.
– 43.4% did not work for pay.
– 30.3% of students spent an average of 4-6 hours per week studying, doing homework, or preparing for class.

Compared to high school, in college they plan to spend more time studying, doing homework, or preparing for classes (66.8%) and working for pay (27.0%), and
the same amount of time on extracurricular activities (50.8%).

Imagine some point in the future, after you’re done with school and you’re leading a successful life. What does your life look like? What are you doing? How are you living? Please think big! Word clouds are included to capture the frequency of words mentioned in responses (the more frequent a word is mentioned, the larger it appears in the word cloud). Responses focused on financial stability, housing security, having a career and/or family, and giving back to their communities.

What could [Institution name] faculty and staff do this year to support you and help you be successful? Word clouds are included to capture the frequency of words mentioned in responses (the more frequent a word is mentioned, the larger it appears in the word cloud). Responses focused on a desire for help in the form of support, encouragement, reassurance, and guidance regarding education and career pathways. In addition, students expressed a desire to learn about resources available to support their success.

When asked if they wanted have a conversation about their goals and how to accomplish them with any of the people or offices listed (Academic advisors, Career Center, and/or Student Life) … 17.8% gave permission to forward responses to one person/office and 11.3% gave permission to forward responses to more than one person/office. If you gave permission to forward responses and have not yet heard from any of the people of offices listed, please contact Kristin McKinley at research.admin@lawrence.edu.

Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE): COVID-19 Disruption and High School Graduates Executive Summary

We administered supplemental questions, with permission from the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) Project Manager Jim Cole, from the BCSSE COVID-19 Disruption and High School Graduates module, to gain a better understanding of how COVID-19 disruptions impacted our incoming students’ high school experiences, college choice, expectations, and attitudes towards learning.

How did COVID-19 impact college choice?
The majority (86.8%) of students report COVID-19 did not disrupt their college choice. For the 13.2% who reported it did impact their choice, there were a variety of reasons provided including a desire to be closer to home, a desire for a remote setting, and being unable to afford their previous choice.

High School Instructional Changes and Preferences
– Almost all (94.7%) high school students experienced a switch from classroom-based to entirely online instruction. 80.4% report it was more challenging to learn in an entirely online environment. The consequences of this are evident with 56.6% report putting in less effort and 80.5% report learning less. The majority (67.4%) of students report lower grading standards. Students (66.5%) report performing about the same on online tests compared to classroom-based tests.
– The overwhelming majority (89.8%) prefer classroom-based instruction, but 59.7% report feeling very prepared/prepared to take future online courses.
– The overwhelming majority agreed their technology at home was sufficient to do schoolwork, and they were able to plan and implement a schedule to complete their online courses.

Future Optimism
The overwhelming majority (89.6%) are very optimistic/optimistic about having a successful first year of college.

Did your high school experiences from this past spring change how you think about online education? Please explain. Word clouds are included to capture the frequency of words mentioned in responses (the more frequent a word is mentioned, the larger it appears in the word cloud). Responses included both the positive and negative aspects of their experiences as their high schools switched to online instruction.

Who did we share the data with?

Results were shared with the President and some his Cabinet members (Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Vice President for Student Life, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Vice President for Enrollment and Communication, Associate Vice President of Communications, and Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees), Riaz Waraich Dean for the Career Center & Center for Community Engagement and Social Change, Associate Dean of the Faculty and Associate Professor of History, Faculty Director of Advising, the Dean of Academic Success, Freshman Studies Advisory Committee (who intends to share it with those teaching Freshman Studies), and three of the working groups (Health, Curricular, and Co-Curricular) of the Lawrence Pandemic Planning Team. In addition, some comments from the question about defining success (“Imagine some point in the future, after you’re done with school and you’re leading a successful life. What does your life look like? What are you doing? How are you living?”) were shared with the Board of Trustees Antiracism Task Force.