cause annual report 2014-2015

CAUSE | Annual Report Committee for the Assessment of the Undergraduate Student Experience

2014–2015

From academic success to overall well-being, Washington University is dedicated to providing an exceptional undergraduate experience for its students. We strive towards this mission by offering an abundance of resources and programs.

As a whole, the university’s diverse program offerings aim to

accomplish our goal of creating an enriching and inclusive

environment for students. In order to continue improving the

undergraduate experience, our programs and resources undergo

assessments. Utilizing this assessment data, we continue our search

for methods to further develop our undergraduate programs. Across

many programs, we work to assure that students are provided the best

individual experiences possible and can benefit from being part of a

vibrant, inclusive community.

CAUSEThe Committee for the Assessment of the Undergraduate Student Experience (CAUSE) supports the measurement of student growth, development, and learning both inside and outside the classroom. By coordinating data collection from relevant services and programs, we aim to advance a culture of continuous improvement for the undergradu-ate experience.

CAUSE | Annual Report

We are proud to report on the assessment measures taken by our undergraduate programs and services in the past year. These reports reflect the passion and dedication found across the university for translating data to action, as we all continually work toward improving our programs and developing an empirical base on which to tell our story.”

Tim Bono CAUSE Chair Assistant Dean and Lecturer in Psychology

Arts & SciencesServes the largest body of freshmen; consists of 23 departments, 600 faculty, and more than 4,000 undergraduates

Career CenterProvides resources that polish students’ interview and networking skills, including mock interviews, résumé advice, and connections to potential employers

Engineering Student ServicesConnects engineering students with tutors for weekly, no-cost mentorship

First Year CenterOversees programming to aid freshmen in their transition into the Washington University community

Gephardt Institute for Civic & Community Engagement Creates community outreach opportunities through co-curricular service; work-study; and cultural, athletic, and education programs

Student Health ServicesOffers medical check-ups, mental health services, wellness support, and health education

Office of Residential LifeCreates a residential community that provides a safe learning environment, encourages personal growth, and fosters an inclusive community

Second Year Experience CommitteeOffers sophomores a variety of ways to rejoin friendships, relieve stress, and gain career advice

Student Involvement and LeadershipOffers opportunities to learn and apply leadership skills to co-curricular experiences

Destination QProvides students in LGBTQIA* communities an opportunity to explore leadership and identity development

Office of Undergraduate ResearchEstablishes forums for presentation and publication of research and assists students in making effective presentations and informing our community of these activities

University LibrariesProvides extensive study resources, from individual and group study rooms to a wide database of literary resources across our campus’s 14 libraries

Assessment Committee2014–2015

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The College of Arts & Sciences serves the largest undergraduate body at Washington University. Arts & Sciences comprises the core disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and includes departments ranging from English and Mathematics to Political Science and Anthropology.

A New Approach to AdvisingAt the College of Arts & Sciences, we changed our approach to advising incoming freshmen in 2014 due to a shift in the academic calendar that eliminated one of the days available for advising incoming freshmen. In previous years, roughly half of new students met their four-year advisors for the first time over the weekend before classes started to begin form-ing a relationship and to help students register for classes. However, the announced change in the academic calendar, which would move up the start of classes from a Wednesday to the Monday of that same week, would eliminate one the days reserved for advising new freshmen.

After considering various options for condensing the amount of time new students met with their advisers without reducing the quality of advising, we decided to run a pilot

Arts & Sciences

program in the summer of 2013 in which a small group of incoming freshmen were advised remotely rather than face-to-face. Students in the pilot group were contacted mid-summer after graduating from high school and were directed to online resources to learn about WashU’s regis-tration procedures and policies and to explore the course options that would be available to them in the fall. The students then arranged a time to discuss their academic interests and course preferences with their assigned four-year advisors by phone or Skype before arriving on campus. Students and advisors in this pilot group reported satis-faction with the new freshman advising format, and plans were subsequently made for remote advising of all incoming freshmen—save those attending Summer Orientation And Registration (SOAR) and Freshman Summer Academic Program (FSAP) sessions—in June and July of 2014.

2 | CAUSE 2014–2015 Annual Report

Assessment Our first assessment of the fully implemented remote advis-ing process occurred in August 2014. All remotely advised students were sent questionnaires to assess the usefulness of the digital resources on registration policies and proce-dures and the students’ thoughts about the process. As a result of this study, we have streamlined some of the online tools designed to help remotely advised students prepare for the conversations with their advisors and have revised other materials to communicate information to students more clearly. Advisors were also solicited for feedback on remote advising; most were very pleased with the new system and many preferred it to the former approach.

While reviewing the results of the first assessment study, a question arose within our office about whether conversa-tions by phone or Skype could have a negative impact on the development of the advisor–advisee relationship because they do not allow the richer communication that is possible in face-to-face meetings. This concern was compounded by the fact that students who attend SOAR (where advisors and advisees meet in person as a group and one-on-one) generally come from families with higher incomes. We want-ed to make sure we were not designing a system to advise

incoming freshmen that would reinforce the advantage higher-income students have over lower-income students.

Consequently, a second assessment was performed after the end of the first semester to examine how remotely advised freshmen compared with those advised at SOAR with regard to their interactions with four-year advisors (self-reported via survey) and their academic performance (gathered via student records). The study revealed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of how comfortable they felt with their advisors or how likely they were to seek assistance from their advisors. The differ-ences in GPA, likelihood of making the Dean’s List, or being subject to academic actions between remotely advised and SOAR-advised freshmen in the study were statistically insignificant, as well.

We are pleased that our remote advising program success-fully initiates a strong advisee–advisor relationship that is comparable to those begun in person, and we will continue to assess the procedures and materials we use to prepare incoming freshmen for their first semester of college with the support of CAUSE.

CAUSE 2014–2015 Annual Report | 3

The Career Center supports our students and alumni as they transform their passions, education, and skills into purposeful career paths by teaching lifelong career development strategies and by connecting our diverse students, alumni, and employers.

Career Center

Looking InwardIn Fall 2014, the Career Center created a Data Team to examine our internal practices and evaluate how data could be collected and used to help us fulfill our mission. The Data Team analyzed data the Center had collected over the years. The Data Team recommended collecting additional data, and taking other specific actions as a result of the analysis.

Our QuestionsThe Career Center Data Team began working to answer some top-level questions about our effectiveness in helping students land jobs or graduate school admissions upon graduation. We used data that we had been collecting for many years to answer the following questions:

1. Does student engagement with the Career Center result in a favorable post-graduation experience?

2. Does it matter how often or how early a student engages with the Career Center?

3. Does internship experience affect a student’s chance of a favorable post-graduation position?


Measuring For this data, we use the term “landing” to refer to the student’s situation after college, such as: employed, attend-ing graduate school, entering the military, still seeking a position, etc.

1. We were happy to find that the data shows Career Center usage leads to marked improvement in pos-itive post-graduation landing status. Even students with light usage of the Career Center showed a 20.3% improvement in a positive post-graduation landing. More frequent Career Center users (nine or more ap-pointments over four years) showed a 30.6% improve-ment over students who did not have any appointments with the Career Center. This is further supported by a .30 correlation showing that four-year advisors with higher percentages of their students using the Career Center frequently have higher percentages of their students with a favorable post-graduation landing.

2. Data shows that the earlier students engage with the Career Center, the more likely they are to have a favorable post-graduation experience. For exam-ple, a full 84% of the students in Arts & Sciences who first engage with the Career Center in the fall of their freshman year end up with a favorable landing, com-pared to only 65% for those that wait to engage with the Career Center until Spring of their senior year. From 2011–2014 students landing as “employed” engaged with the Career Center, on average, 100 days sooner than students with an “unknown” landing six months after graduation.

3. Internship experience and study abroad leads to increases in the percent of students with a favorable landing. Students with at least one internship land favorably at a rate 10% higher than students with no internship. This goes for study abroad as well. Students who study abroad land favorably at a rate 7% higher than students who do not study abroad.

Determining Next StepsThe Career Center advisors and staff are in the process of reviewing these and more results from our Data Team and translating those into action steps for the future. For exam-ple, we are reviewing our communications, services, and programs to encourage students to come in early and often to take advantage of Career Center services. We are also exploring new questions and seeking answers through data analysis.

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100%No Internship

Internship

Students with Internships Have a Higher Post-Graduation Landing Rate

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93%86%

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Percentage of Students Landed within 6 Months of Graduation by Usage of the Career Center

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Students Studying Abroad Have a Higher Post-Graduation Landing Rate

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Spring Semester Senior

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Early Engagement with the Career Center is Associated with Favorable Post-Graduation Landing


Engineering Student ServicesEngineering Student Services (ESS) within the School of Engineering & Applied Science, provides no-cost, 1:1 tutoring for students enrolled in the School of Engineering. Our academic mentors are hired and managed by ESS and provide weekly help to those requesting the service.

Mentorship Yields Meaningful OutcomesEach academic year, an assessment is sent to all students who have requested tutoring, and we use this data to determine the effectiveness of our program. One of the key assessments in the survey is determining how students prefer to be connected to an engineering tutor. Our current process includes an assigned tutor contacting the student after their request. This method compares to a student being given a list of tutors to contact on their own. Eighty-two percent of those surveyed prefer to be assigned a tutor. The assignment system has led to a 250% increase in total requests from just three years ago. Students receive more efficient help when they do not have to find their own tutor,


and this is confirmed with the survey data. Based on student response, we plan to continue the assignment system.

Other notable statistics from our 2014–2015 tutoring survey include 84% of respondents saying the ESS tutor helped them better grasp class material and 92% stating they would use an ESS tutor in the future. While the survey is anonymous, academic demographics of the student are requested (year in school and major). This information has been particularly helpful to determine what type of student is utilizing the program. A free-response question is included and these comments have been helpful for feedback on individual tutors.

We also closely assess the feedback of students leaving the engineering major to better retain engineering students. This is completed by an exit survey with each student leaving Engineering. Engineering retention at Washington University is at an all-time high, but we always monitor those leaving in order to better support future engineering students.

84% said the ESS tutor helped them better grasp class material

92%

82%

250%

prefer to be assigned a tutor

increase in requests over the past 3 years

said they would use an ESS tutor in the future


At the First Year Center, our goal is to support new students through their transition into the WashU community, assuring that they build and sustain their academic and personal goals. By bringing together people, programs, and resources, we aim to provide an undergraduate experience of exceptional quality where all students are known by name and story and where they prepare themselves for lives of purpose and meaning.

Toward Great BeginningsA set of First Year Learning Outcomes was developed during the 2013–2014 academic year with the aid of campus part-ners representing all five undergraduate academic divisions and several Student Services departments. These outcomes serve as a framework for the student learning and develop-ment all freshmen should achieve during their first year as a Washington University student.

First Year Center


Assessing First Year Learning OutcomesIn total, there are 28 learning outcomes that fall under five categories:

• Finding and Exploring Community • Knowledge of Resources • Life Skills/Personal Growth • Academic Skills/Academic Experiences • Self-Reflection/Values Exploration/Self-Awareness

At the end of the 2013–2014 academic year, students in the Class of 2017 were sent an assessment tool to evaluate their growth and learning across the 28 learning outcomes. The class was broken into five groups, each receiving a series of qualitative and quantitative questions to evaluate student development. In full, the five assessments had a 33.86% response rate and were completed by 542 total respondents.

The data from the assessment is quite extensive; it has been coded and is currently being analyzed. We look forward to sharing the results of the assessment with campus in early fall 2016. The findings will be used to strengthen and adjust resources and services provided to new students.


At the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, our mission is to cultivate informed and actively engaged citizens. Through a wide variety of programs, students have the opportunity to learn, engage, and lead as they address common concerns on campus and in their communities.

Gephardt Institute

Evaluating the Impact of Civic EducationIn academic year 2014–15, we implemented a survey to measure the impact of civic learning programs at WashU. Our research question is: what impact do university-sponsored civic learning programs have on participating students’ civic knowledge, skills, dispositions, and behaviors?

Our assessment uses a modified version of the Civic-Minded Graduate (CMG) Scale developed at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The CMG scale measures the capacity and desire of college students to work with others in a democratic way to improve their community or


to achieve public goods (Steinberg, Hatcher, and Bringle: 2011). The CMG survey includes 30 self-report, six-point Likert-type items (strongly agree to strongly disagree), plus a demographic section and questions about amount and type of community service completed during college.

The pilot evaluates the impact of Gephardt Institute and Community Service Office programs. Post-test and retro-active pre-test surveys are administered to participating students to obtain feedback on their learning. The results of these surveys will be used to share information about the effectiveness of civic learning programs at WashU.

In the future, we will include other programs with civic learn-ing outcomes in the study. For more information, please contact Jenni Harpring, program manager, at [email protected].

2014 Goldman Fellows ProgramThe 2014 Goldman Fellows cohort of 12 fellows interned with 12 nonprofit or community-based organizations in the St. Louis region. Alongside their supervisors, students worked in public health, sustainability, local government, community organizing, advocacy, entrepreneurship, legal services, and women’s issues.

In site visits and evaluations, supervisors expressed high levels of satisfaction with the fellows. Students contributed to the core mission of the organizations through activities such as:

• Leading youth engagement in advocacy efforts • Facilitating training and support groups • Increasing access to information • Providing input on strategic planning • Organizing large scale events • Researching municipal policy • Developing curriculum

Community Counts: Capturing Civic Engagement and Community Service Initiatives at WashUThe Washington University Community Counts inventory is an ongoing effort to capture the breadth of civic engagement and community service initiatives undertak-en by WashU community members. The data is used for national reporting and to create an interactive geographic map with information about each initiative.

To include an initiative or explore the interactive map please visit: http://www.gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/ResourcesForService/Pages/Community-Counts.aspx.


http://www.gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/ResourcesForService/Pages/Community-Counts.aspx

http://www.gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/ResourcesForService/Pages/Community-Counts.aspx

Student Health ServicesStudent Health Services provides the WashU student community with premier, student-centered health and health promotion services. We offer a range of services from medical checkups and mental health services to wellness support and health education.

Student Health and Well-Being: A Top PriorityOur services are evaluated in multiple ways to provide valuable information in order to keep our services relevant to student needs, and to provide the highest-quality medical and mental health services.

Post-Visit Patient Satisfaction SurveysSHS has an online system that randomly sends a survey to students after they seek care at SHS. This survey is anony-mous and is sent via our secure and HIPAA-compliant student portal. The survey gathers a rating from the student about all areas of SHS the student used during that visit, such as lab, radiology, pharmacy, nursing service, MD services, counsel-ing services, etc.


Online Alcohol Use Education ProgramThe online alcohol program is given each fall to incoming freshmen. This survey measures their alcohol use and knowledge of alcohol risk factors prior to coming to campus. The survey is then repeated six weeks into the fall semester to determine if alcohol use or perceptions have changed.

Quality Improvement StudiesSHS takes great pride in maintaining accreditation with the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. This certification is a sign that our organization exceeds nationally recognized standards of care. Part of this process is to do quality improvement studies focusing on patient care throughout the year. This allows SHS to have a system-atic and continuous process that leads to measurable improvement in our services. A portion of this process is to benchmark our services against like services throughout the medical and mental health communities throughout the United States to assure high standards of excellence.

SHS Beat DataSHS participated in The Beat Survey by asking students to rate their care at SHS.

Outreach EvaluationsSHS provides many outreach programs for students, faculty, and staff. These programs focus on all areas of student medi-cal and mental health needs. An evaluation is completed at the end of each of these programs to see if the program was well designed and implemented, and if it met the participants’ expectations.

Student perceptions of “The Date” is an evaluation project asking students about their experiences with and memories of “The Date,” a sexual violence risk-reduction perfor-mance, with the purpose of determining the impact of the program on the student body at Washington University. Recommendations based on this evaluation are used to enhance the program each year.


Office of Residential LifeThe Office of Residential Life provides a safe, inclusive environment where learning and personal growth are encouraged, and where our residents feel empowered and challenged. We continually strive to improve our services to meet the needs of students and guests and reflect the high standards of Washington University.

Toward Greater InclusionIn the spring of 2014, we sent out a survey to all under-graduate students seeking information and feedback about Gender Inclusive Housing. Overall, 2,114 students responded and 262 students identified as LGBT. The survey asked several questions about “Whether students would personally take or have taken advantage of Gender Inclusive Housing” and “Whether students were in support of Gender Inclusive Housing on the South 40.” There were also ques-tions pertaining to bathrooms, parent involvement in living decisions, and living next to mixed-gender rooms or suites.

While many students would not personally take advantage of gender inclusive housing, a very large majority are in support of having the option available to students. The most


popular options for gender inclusive housing, including for LGBT populations, are single rooms in suites with shared in-suite bathrooms. Of the general population, 28% was the highest affirmative response to taking advantage of gender inclusive housing, while the highest affirmative response for the LGBT population was 48%.

Further, students stated that if this becomes available on the South 40 it must be a mutual request process (26%). Student support for gender inclusive housing increased remarkably in the sophomore year as compared to the freshman year. Many cited maturity, not coming in knowing someone, and just generally being uncomfortable with that idea. When asked how students would feel living next to a gender inclusive suite, many mentioned different variations of “comfortable” or “indifferent,” though some indicated they would feel a level of discomfort or variations of that.

Based on the feedback gathered from this survey, along with considerations of parental involvement in a student’s housing decisions and the implications of housing costs on students, Residential Life was excited to incorporate gender inclusive housing in Fall 2015 for all room types and all students. First-year students have taken advantage of this opportunity and for the first time Resident Advisors in

Shanedling, Dauten, and Rutledge will live in mixed gender suites to better support their students. Incoming students have taken advantage of this opportunity and the number of students signing up for gender inclusive housing has also increased. Specific numbers around this data will be available in the early Fall 2015.


Second Year Experience CommitteeEstablished as an official committee under the Vice Chancellor for Students’ Office in Fall 2013, the Second Year Experience Committee focuses on understanding the sources of stress for sophomores and developing interventions, especially for students at highest risk of feeling overwhelmed.

Supporting the Academy’s Middle Children, the Most Overwhelmed of StudentsLast summer in the CAUSE annual report, we announced our committee’s decision to provide support to overwhelmed sophomores. As we noted then, the 2013 PULSE (Perceptions of Undergraduate Life and Student Experiences) Survey showed that 69% of sophomores felt overwhelmed by all they have to do, making them the most overwhelmed of all years. At the time, we needed more information and stated our plans to conduct a survey to learn more about how students define stress, what the sources of stress include, and how often stress affects their academic and personal life.

One year later, we have results from our survey to guide us through our next steps. The survey was administered through Campus Labs and distributed from January 2 through February 1, 2015, to current sophomores and juniors, as defined by their progress toward their anti- cipated date of graduation. We expanded the study to include juniors because they rank second highest in terms of feeling overwhelmed (at 66% according to the 2013 PULSE survey), and we wanted to gather comparative data. The total number of respondents was 424, with roughly equal numbers of sophomores and juniors. One important discovery was that no discernible differences emerged between sophomore and junior responses, so that we can say the results apply not just to sophomores, but to both of the academy’s middle children.


Students were asked to let us know how often they were so overwhelmed that it affected their academics and their health and happiness, how often they regained a sense of balance once they felt overwhelmed, and what techniques they used to regain a sense of balance.

We gathered more information than we can summarize here. The following graphs provide a glance at findings related to how it affects just their academics. Over the next year, members of the committee will work with campus partners to create data-driven approaches to helping sophomores and juniors reduce the level of feeling overwhelmed and to recover more readily.

Definition of Overwhelmed

Frequency that Feeling Overwhelmed Affected Academics (n=407)

Most Common Sources of Stress Affecting Academics Among Those Always, Often, or Sometimes OverwhelmedValues above bars are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number

Techniques Used to Regain Balance Among Those Always/Often, Sometimes, or Rarely/Never OverwhelmedValues above bars are percentages rounded to the nearest whole number

Frequency of Regaining Balance Among Those Often, Always, or Sometimes Overwhelmed (n=210)

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Very busy or stressed, but I can manage it (n=111)

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So busy or stressed that I’ve lost control (n=41)

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Student Involvement and LeadershipStudent Involvement and Leadership (SIL) is a resource center for students, faculty, and staff with the principal function of engaging students to determine their co-curricular experiences. This is achieved through advising, student organizations, leadership opportunities, and promoting involvement across campus in order to create an inclusive, socially responsible, and vibrant community.

A Focus on CommunityOur Redefining Community Experience weekend retreat is an annual opportunity for 30 students to have a first exposure to discussions of social justice and activism. The program is guided by three broad learning outcomes that are important to building strong communities—Self-Awareness, Community Impact, and Connection & Collaboration. The written pre/post test evaluation of this program was built off of the stated outcomes described under each of these three components.

Students completed a previously unvalidated behavioral and attitudinal pre- and post-test while on the bus to and from the retreat location. The evaluation consisted of five-point Likert scales; depending on the statement, the


scales ranged from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree or from Very Frequently to Never. Respondents completed four versions of the evaluation with different question sequenc-es, which allowed for tests of sphericity to assess whether there was a significant response-order bias (there was not). Measures within each learning outcome were also tested for high correlation; while a few questions appear to measure the same thing. Those measures will be either removed or combined in future evaluations. Further statistical analysis may investigate the internal consistency of subscales by compiling cohort data (to attain a larger sample).

Of the three learning outcomes, student responses had significantly improved from pre- to post- for Self-Awareness and Connection & Collaboration. A barely significant change was measured on Community Impact, suggesting that improvements can be made to the curriculum to focus more on how to create an impact in our communities.

Additionally, the sample is too small to make meaningful claims on the data; while significant change occurred, we do not know if that change was actually meaningful. Finally, response shift and social desirability biases may have greatly influenced the data.

Despite reservations in concluding that the program did, in fact, effectively alter behaviors and attitudes necessary to fostering a socially just community, the exploratory evalu-ation has built a foundation for further improvements and evidence toward the need and effectiveness of such social justice education and retreat programs.

What makes SIL unique is the staff’s commitment to the students who come through the office. SIL becomes

an integral part of the campus community for many because it becomes a place where staff and students authentically engage in learning from one another, discussing important issues and talking about ways in which students can better themselves and their communities, in, outside of, and beyond Washington University.”

—Yaala Muller, Class of 2017 Portland, Oregon International and Area Studies; Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Anthropology

t df p-value Pretest Mean

Posttest Mean

Self Awareness -0.39 57 0.000 3.06 3.44

Connection & Collaboration -0.39 57 0.000 2.95 3.37

Community Impact -0.29 57 0.05 2.87 3.09


Destination Q is a two-day, overnight retreat for undergraduate students in lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and ally (LGBTQIA*) communities at Washington University to explore leadership and identity development. Coming together as a community is formative for LGBTQIA* students and critical to their retention and success in college. Not only do students build connections with others who hold similar identities, they grow in self-awareness as leaders and community members.

Learning and Leading TogetherAt Destination Q, students learn about themselves through activities such as Hopes and Fears, a Community Walk, and Johari Window. Students discuss power and privilege dynamics, dive deeper and unpack their social identities, and discuss intersectionality. They dialogue about their personal and community values and participate in round-table discussion on topics such as coming out, family, friends, sex, relationships, sexual assault and violence in the LGBTQIA* community, gender, and spirituality.

While this retreat is coordinated by the staff of LGBT Student Involvement & Leadership (SIL) staff, undergraduate students serve as peer leaders, facilitating many of the sessions and all of the roundtables.

Destination Q


Changes for 2015In the past, LGBTQIA* undergraduate student leaders from Pride Alliance have led Destination Q annually. However, Pride Alliance approached LGBT SIL for support in Fall 2013, so our staff has been coordinating this for the past two iterations. In the first year, it was held in March 2014 due to the time needed to recruit peer leaders and build a curricu-lum. With anecdotal and assessment feedback from partic-ipants and peer leaders, we learned that students strongly preferred to hold the retreat each fall. LGBT SIL organized the next retreat for October 2014, which was received far better with regards to timing; however, students felt this was a busy time in the semester. They recommended Destination Q be organized earlier in the fall each year. Therefore, in Fall 2015, Destination Q was scheduled for September 19–20 in order to accommodate student schedules and to reach incoming first-year and transfer students during their first 40 days. In order to meet this need, LGBT SIL held organi-zational meetings with peer leaders during the Spring 2015 semester in preparation and recruited participants during the first few weeks of classes.

Five undergraduate students, returning participants from last year’s retreat, served as peer leaders for the October 2014 retreat, leading five family groups of participants. After reviewing the participants’ assessment data, we noted that participants were not gaining as much from their family time, in terms of connection and support, as we had project-ed. Therefore, for our Fall 2015 retreat, we have accepted eight undergraduate returning participants as peer leaders, and we have paired them up to serve together to head four families. Our hope and projection is that with the larger family size and having two leaders, participants will gain more. We also hope peer leaders will feel more prepared to lead their families in pairs and be able to offer more mentor-ship to each other in this way.

Fall 2014 AssessmentAt the end of the retreat, each participant was asked to fill out a survey to gather assessment data. The survey asked students to rate their growth in different areas on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) before and after their experiences at the retreat. Some of the data is reported below.

3 4.5 Recognize their own multi-ple identities, experiences, and biases and how they affect their ability to lead

3 5

4 4.5 Define and articulate their personal values

Seek to understand the communities in which they are a part

to

to

to

Increases from...


The Office of Undergraduate Research supports and promotes the undergraduate research experience for all students, in all disciplines and in all schools at Washington University. We facilitate undergraduate research by maintaining a knowledge base of available opportunities, uniting students and mentors, and providing financial support.

Enriching Student Education Through ResearchWe regularly assess the effectiveness of our programs, generally focusing on the student experience. Recently, we turned our assessment efforts toward determining how we can best support faculty mentors in their work with under-graduate researchers. In the fall of 2014 after the Summer Undergraduate Research Awards program concluded, we surveyed participating faculty mentors. With a response rate of 46% (25 of 54), the results provided a treasure trove of information, which we are still analyzing. Mentors told us the vast majority of their student researchers were prepared (88%) and provided suggestions for how we can help them be even more prepared. The mentors also said the summer

Office of Undergraduate Research


had been a good experience for them (92%) and, perhaps most gratifying, gave very positive responses (22) to the question, “How does mentoring an undergraduate research-er benefit you?”

We then conducted a series of one-on-one interviews with faculty—including some who had never participated in one of our programs. In these interviews as well as in the survey, some faculty members told us that they or their colleagues were unaware of the Office of Undergraduate Research and encouraged us to do more outreach. At about this same time, we were developing plans to assess how well we are getting the word out to students about our services and funding. These two factors led us to contact the Office of Public Affairs to help us develop a comprehensive commu-nication plan to ensure both students and faculty are aware of the opportunities for undergraduate research available through our office. This process is still underway and is expected to culminate with a celebration of the Office of Undergraduate Research’s 10th anniversary this fall.

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) has not only fundamentally shaped my career goals, but it has

also opened new doors for me that I could not have possibly imagined. I received an OUR summer research grant to study young black women sentenced to insane asylums in the early 20th-century American South. Though that project would eventually morph into a study of the construction of black female juvenile delin-quency at three southern reformatories during the Progressive Era, I would not have even begun to conceptualize my research passions were it not for the initial support I received from the OUR. The OUR instantaneously creates the sense that every researcher is part of something larger, something meaningful, and something intellectu-ally rigorous. Ultimately, the office has been one of the most significant factors contributing to my positive undergraduate experience.”

—Lauren Henley, Class of 2015 Mechanicsville, Virginia History; African and African-American Studies; Spanish


With more than four million books and other holdings and 12 libraries on three campuses, the University Libraries are the academic heart of Washington University. Supporting each and every discipline at the university, our facilities include the renovated main Olin Library and newer libraries serving the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Listening to Our StudentsIn many ways, the library is at the physical center of the undergraduate campus experience. The libraries sometimes serve as a student’s home away from the dorm for large segments of the semester. This was confirmed in our two most recent Library Service Quality Surveys. Undergrads told us they needed a 24-hour library and asked for more seating during peak times of the semester—both quiet study space as well as collaborative areas. They also indicated that more locations were needed to charge their mobile devices, particularly phones, tablets, and laptops. We responded with an increase in seating in Olin library, as well as more electrical outlets. The library also began more ambitious plans to restructure library space, including expanding the lower levels of Olin beginning in the summer of 2016.

University Libraries


While the Service Quality Surveys provide a baseline understanding of user needs every three years, it is also a springboard for many more interim assessments. Each space change—whether shifting study carrels in Olin Library, or the 2014–15 redesign of the Kopolow Business Library—begins and ends with a dialogue with the users. Several years ago an Undergraduate Advisory Group was established for the libraries. This team has an active assessment role—brainstorming alternatives and acting as a sounding board for many changes.

One challenge to the shifting of furnishings in the library is that it occurs in phases. When an area clears, there is often a necessary delay before the area is re-purposed. Rather than leaving the space empty, the library has been experimenting with new ideas. For instance, on Level B in Olin, we tested eight different styles of beanbag chairs. We observed how they were used and asked the users to give us feedback on which they liked the best.

In an effort to increase our feedback while minimizing survey fatigue, we have begun collaborating with other survey efforts on campus. This included adding two questions to a

recent Campus Beat survey, (a survey supported by CAUSE that allows many staff groups to ask their questions in a combined survey) as well as adding more library questions to the PULSE survey. Students told us that seating in Olin still remains tight during finals week; however, overall, 96% of WashU undergraduates are “generally” or “very satisfied” with library facilities during the current academic year.


1. Goals and strategies should be evaluated periodically.

2. Student satisfaction should be measured regularly.

3. Ongoing assessment should focus on measurable results.

Our mission is to build and sustain an undergraduate experience of exceptional quality where

students, known by name and story, prepare themselves for lives of purpose and meaning.

Assessment Committee 2014–2015Ingrid Anderson Assistant Dean,College of Arts & Sciences

Tim Bono Assistant Dean and Lecturer in Psychology,College of Arts & Sciences

Shruti DesaiAssociate Director,Residential Life

Matthew DeVollAssistant Dean,College of Arts & Sciences

Debra HarpDirector of Administration,Habif Health & Wellness Center

Jenni HarpringAssistant Director of Campus and Community Partnerships,Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement

Mike HayesExecutive Director of Campus Life and Director of Greek Life

Leslie HeustedDirector,Danforth University Center & Event Management

Heidi KolkAssociate Director of American Culture Studies; Lecturer of American Culture Studies and English Literature; and Assistant Director, Assessment

Jason MarquartTeam Leader for Program-ming, International Student and Scholar Advisor,Office for International Students and Scholars

Carol MoakleyAssociate Director for Career Development,Career Center

Carol MollmanAssessment Coordinator,University Libraries

Katharine PeiDirectorFirst Year Center Programs

Christopher PresleyAcademic and Student Services Advisor,Olin Business School

Chris RamsayAssistant Dean,Engineering Student Services

Stacy RossAssessment and Publications Coordinator,Office of Undergraduate Research

CAUSE | Washington University in St. Louis, Box 1068, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis MO 63130 | (314) 935-3531 | cause.wustl.edu

From the Strategic Plan for Excellence in the Undergraduate Experience

cause annual report 2014-2015

Documents