Student sense of belonging has been a topic of discussion for decades; however, senior student sense of belonging has not been looked at as closely as other groups of students. As seniors transition out of college, institutions must consider that these students become the alumni who contribute through alumni donations and share their experiences with future generations of students. Looking at data from a single very high research college campus in a rural state, the study explored variables that relate to senior student sense of belonging. Using Ahn and Davis’s (2020a) 4 domains of student sense of belonging, variables were included that fit into the categories of academic engagement, social engagement, surroundings, and personal space, along with other student characteristics. The study uses student information attained through university data and responses to NSSE survey items to explore what items impacted students’ response to feeling a sense of belonging based on 3 NSSE survey items related to sense of belonging that were introduced in the 2020 version of the survey. Data from three linear regressions showed the significance of 16 independent variables using a stepwise approach. Data showed that there were 2 variables that were significant in all 3 models: students reporting that they would choose the same institution again and students’ overall evaluation of their experiences. The data showed a wholistic picture of what relates to senior student sense of belonging cannot be determined using the variables in this study. The authors suggest that a qualitative approach would be needed to learn more about how the variables in this study and additional variables impact sense of belonging for senior students.

Archived video of presentation given by Dr. George Kuh at UBC Vancouver, May 7, 2009. Explores factors for student success in university and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 2008 results for UBC-Vancouver.

Thesis advisor: Karen Arnold / Student engagement has been associated with a range of desirable outcomes in the undergraduate experience (Astin, 1993, Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) and music participation has been shown to facilitate important personal and social development among its participants (Hallam, 2010). Despite this, no study has been conducted to evaluate the potential benefits of participation in one of the largest and most visible student organizations on campus: the college marching band. The purpose of this quantitative evaluation was to determine whether marching band students express distinctive patterns of engagement within their respective communities as compared with their non-band peers. Items and scales from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were administered to marching band members (n=1,882) at 20 participating universities with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-I football programs. Data were compared with a sample of general undergraduate (non-band) responses (n=6,095) from the same institutions provided by the NSSE Institute. Findings suggested that band students are more engaged with diverse peers along racial, ethnic, political, ideological, and religious lines (p<.01; Cohen’s d=0.26) and they are more reflective in their learning as evident in their willingness to imagine another’s perspective and reevaluate their own views (p<.01; Cohen’s d=0.19). Compared with non-band peers, marching band members indicated greater personal social responsibility on an array of vectors (p<.01; Cohen’s d=0.36) including: developing a personal code of values and ethics, understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds, understanding themselves, learning effectively on their own, voting in local or national elections, contributing to the welfare of their community, and solving complex real-world problems. After controlling for a range of pre-college and co-existing variables, marching band membership remained the strongest predictor of these desirable outcomes (β=0.172, p<.01). / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Eligibility requirements, the pressure to remain eligible at all costs, and demanding time schedules are high stakes issues that affect the National Colligate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes. A gap in research existed on whether college student-athletes’ demographics and engagement predicts their academic success. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine the extent to which engagement and demographic factors predict student-athletes’ academic success, as measured by a self-reported grade of B or higher in NCAA first-year student-athletes. This study was influenced by Astin’s student involvement theory and Kuh’s concept of engagement. The research question guiding this study addressed the extent to which academic and cocurricular engagement, race, sport played, and gender predict NCAA student-athletes’ academic success. Quantitative data were collected from the 2018 National Survey of Student Engagement. The sample analyzed included 1,985 student-athletes. Logistic regression analysis was used to find that males, wrestlers, football players, and Black or African American student-athletes were less likely to achieve academic success, whereas females, tennis players, and both White and Asian student-athletes were more likely to achieve academic success than their peers. Findings were significant at the .05 level, but the variance explained by the models was less than 10%, which implies limited practical significance. Time spent on cocurricular activities and time spent preparing for class did not predict academic success. The findings of this study may be used by the NCAA and higher education institutions to help understand student-athletes’ behaviors and the implications for supporting academic success.

Eligibility requirements, the pressure to remain eligible at all costs, and demanding time schedules are high stakes issues that affect the National Colligate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes. A gap in research existed on whether college student-athletes' demographics and engagement predicts their academic success. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine the extent to which engagement and demographic factors predict student-athletes' academic success, as measured by a self-reported grade of B or higher in NCAA first-year student-athletes. This study was influenced by Astin's student involvement theory and Kuh's concept of engagement. The research question guiding this study addressed the extent to which academic and cocurricular engagement, race, sport played, and gender predict NCAA student-athletes' academic success. Quantitative data were collected from the 2018 National Survey of Student Engagement. The sample analyzed included 1,985 student-athletes. Logistic regression analysis was used to find that males, wrestlers, football players, and Black or African American student-athletes were less likely to achieve academic success, whereas females, tennis players, and both White and Asian student-athletes were more likely to achieve academic success than their peers. Findings were significant at the .05 level, but the variance explained by the models was less than 10%, which implies limited practical significance. Time spent on cocurricular activities and time spent preparing for class did not predict academic success. The findings of this study may be used by the NCAA and higher education institutions to help understand student-athletes' behaviors and the implications for supporting academic success.

Employers of newly minted information technology graduates are concerned that students graduating with information technology degrees offered in online environments are lacking critical noncomputing skills (soft skills). Further, it is unclear whether online environments have the capacity to foster the "soft skills" necessary for graduates to be successful in actual work environments. On-ground universities have tried multiple solutions including integrating soft skills into lower division courses--both technical courses and general education courses. On-ground universities have also suggested incorporating performance-based capstone experiences into technical degree programs. While much research has been done in evaluating the value of capstone experiences in face-to-face environments, research investigating the potential of such an experience to enhance and demonstrate soft skills resulting from the engagement in an online environment is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine the value of a project-based capstone experience in promoting and assessing the enhancement of soft skills in an online undergraduate information technology degree program. The main goals of this research were to discover whether online competency based programs and the culminating project-based capstone promoted enhancement and demonstration of critical soft skills necessary to succeed in information technology work environments. Results of the study were based on analysis of interviews, curriculum and literature reviews, and extant survey data. A standout outcome of the study includes a new Gains' in Soft Skills Scalelet based on National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey questions to measure gains in soft skill competence. Several conclusions can be drawn from this study. First, critical soft skills are taught and demonstrated as a result of engagement with the online competency-based undergraduate information program. Second, it appears that some soft skills are more strongly emphasized than others thereby implying that the online learning model may be well suited to teaching and demonstrating some soft skills and not others. Finally, the culminating project-based capstone experience appears to be missing two key requirements: team participation and oral presentations.

Thesis advisor: Ana M. Martinez Aleman / Colleges and universities within the United States are continuously looking at ways to assess and measure student outcomes, academically as well as psychosocially. Student engagement measures have come to the forefront of assessment tools as a way for college administrators to determine whether their students are actively engaged in programs and activities on campus and whether this participation actually affects their retention and persistence. Women's colleges have been studied extensively as an alternative to the coeducational college environment for women. Founded on the premise of providing a higher education to an underserved population of women, women's colleges have evolved to providing an educational environment that serves to empower and enlighten their female students. However, over time, the number of women's colleges have declined through closure, merger or coeducation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in engagement levels of female students who attended former women's colleges and those who attended historically coeducational colleges or women's colleges. Exploring the engagement levels of students attending coeducational colleges that were founded as women-only, with the corresponding woman-centric educational experience, it can be determined whether that history and commitment continue and result in an educational environment that engages women significantly more than an institution that was coeducational from its inception. Using the NSSE benchmarks, HLM and ANOVA was used to determine any relationship between time from coeducational transition or male enrollment percentage and engagement levels. Interaction effects were also explored. Results of this study reveal three conclusions. First, consistent with the literature, students attending women's colleges are reporting higher engagement levels across all benchmarks when compared to their peers attending former women's colleges and historically coeducational colleges. Second, the engagement levels of female students attending former women's colleges are split along academic and psychosocial lines. Third, consistent with the "chilly climate" literature, increasing male enrollment percentage was linked to lower reported engagement levels by women attending former women's colleges. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Higher Education Administration.

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This study contributes to theory and public policy in Canada and globally. It uses mixed methodology and triangulation of evidence through policy documents(Bovey,Rae,Drummond),empirical studies and surveys(ranking,NSSE data,regression), CAUT/AUCC and Statistics Canada sources and qualitative sources - writings of university presidents (Bok,Kerr,Fallis),researchers (Rajagopal, Clark et al.)as well,talks with sessionals,teaching assistants and administrators. The framework consists of Altbach's four factors - democratization, the knowledge economy, globalisation and competition and three ideal types for university development - entrepreneurial, liberal education and deliberative. The thesis contrasts classical college with the modern university system. The results show strong evidence for research domination, mission drift and shift towards the entrepreneurial model. Quality is compromised by lowering requirements, compressed courses, less study time, large classes taught by sessionals and TAs, grade inflation and consumerist behaviour, while critical thinking and moral development are neglected.