Steven M. Culver

Examination of the gender–student engagement relationship at one university

Research examining the relationship between gender and student engagement at the post secondary level has provided mixed results. The current study explores two possible reasons for lack of clarity regarding this relationship: improper parameter estimation resulting from a lack of multi‐level analyses and inconsistent conceptions/measures of ‘student engagement’. Data from the 2006 administration of the National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) at a southeastern university were analysed. Results indicated that the relationship between gender and engagement is related to engagement type as well as an institution level factor (gender composition). Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Collaborative Dual-Degree Programs and Value Added for Students: Lessons Learned through the Evaluate-E Project.

Dual-degree programs are intended to prepare graduates to work in a global job market by providing more extensive international experiences, thus enhancing their employability. These programs typically take longer to complete and cost more, yet there is little documentation regarding their effectiveness. This study was designed to examine strengths and weakness of a sample of existing formalized programs at the graduate level in engineering through surveys and focus groups with four key stakeholder groups: students currently enrolled in dual- or joint-degree programs, faculty teaching in those programs, alumni who have recently graduated from those programs, and employers who have either hired alumni from these programs or are in a position to hire future graduates. Results indicate that all stakeholder groups were positive about these programs, and there is demand for them among students though gains were indicated in personal dimensions (e.g., self-reliance) rather than professional ones. In addition, employers were unclear about what dual-degree programs were and did not tend to view graduates as more marketable. Further study with more diverse groups is indicated.

The National Survey of Student Engagement: A university‐level analysis

The National Survey of Student Engagement has been administered to freshmen and seniors at colleges and universities across the USA and Canada, since the spring of 2000, to gather information about the nature and the quality of their education. After each administration, participating schools are provided with an institutional report, including results for five benchmarks of effective educational practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of these benchmark scores at a particular university. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis suggest that the benchmarks are not valid indicators of students’ perceptions at this school. Discussion regarding uses of national data collections for individual institutions is provided.

Evaluation of engineering double-degree programs in Sweden: results of the Lund Focus Groups

Abstract This study describes the results of focus groups at Lund University, Sweden, intended to gather the perceptions of stakeholder groups associated with double-degree programs at the graduate level in engineering: students currently enrolled in double-degree programs, faculty teaching in those programs, and alumni who have recently graduated from those programs. A fourth focus group was also conducted with undergraduate students preparing to study in the US during the following year. Results indicate that both students and alumni believe there are real benefits to obtaining double degrees. However, faculty in Sweden are less sure, particularly after separating technical and professional aspects from those related to an international experience that can be otherwise obtained.

Comparison of Engagement with Ethics Between an Engineering and a Business Program

Increasing university students’ engagement with ethics is becoming a prominent call to action for higher education institutions, particularly professional schools like business and engineering. This paper provides an examination of student attitudes regarding ethics and their perceptions of ethics coverage in the curriculum at one institution. A particular focus is the comparison between results in the business college, which has incorporated ethics in the curriculum and has been involved in ethics education for a longer period, with the engineering college, which is in the nascent stages of developing ethics education in its courses. Results show that student attitudes and perceptions are related to the curriculum. In addition, results indicate that it might be useful for engineering faculty to use business faculty as resources in the development of their ethics curricula.

Faculty Teaching Practices as Predictors of Student Satisfaction with a General Education Curriculum

This study examined student perceptions of the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ essential learning outcomes and the general education curriculum at a research-extensive university via the Student Perceptions of the Curriculum for Liberal Education Survey. Results indicate a gap between learning outcome importance and opportunities to develop outcomes.

Beginning the assessment institute and building global networks

Abstract The globalization of science and scholarship and the worldwide massification of post-secondary/tertiary education is creating an atmosphere that is at once competitive between and collaborative among colleges and universities. Because of the importance of these institutions to the shared economic futures of individuals and countries, there are increasing concerns on the part of many stakeholders related to quality, particularly as institutions create collaborative relationships that span international boarders. This focus has led to an amplified emphasis on accountability, most notably through standards and testing. While no one system of quality assurance and accountability is perfect, global universities have much to learn from each other. The purpose of this article is to present a rationale and description for a transatlantic institute for assessment in higher education, offering participants the opportunity to discuss these issues and to begin the development of an international network of assessment and evaluation specialists that integrate with the global academic system.

Assessment, accountability, and educational quality in the United States and Sweden

Abstract In both Europe and the United States, accountability pressures have continued to increase, spurred by the higher-level policy groups represented by the EC in Europe and by the federal government in the US, forcing institutions to measure their effectiveness in ways that are more transparent to governmental bodies and the general public. These ways are increasingly focused on student learning outcomes, the outputs of the educational process, an approach that is different from the historical norm of looking at input measures. This article compares the progress of such accountability pressures on higher education institutions in Sweden and the US, with a particular eye toward changes in educational policy.