STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT THE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY (SERU & GRADSERU)

CLIENT:

The Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium is an academic and policy research collaboration between the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and research-intensive public universities around the world. The Office of Measurement Services (OMS) manages data collection operations for the SERU North American Division, working with 19 universities across the United States and Canada.

DESCRIPTION:

The SERU Consortium offers a survey for undergraduate students, a survey for graduate/professional students (gradSERU), and a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on student experience. SERU surveys are administered to all degree-seeking students at participating universities. Data from these surveys serve as indicators of academic program and institutional effectiveness, providing actionable information for faculty, staff, and administrators. Results can be easily compared across universities to make peer comparisons within fields of study.

Our office has led the SERU Consortium’s North America data collection efforts since 2013. Our Project Managers work closely with campus representatives to implement all aspects of survey administration, including customizing surveys to meet universities’ unique needs, consulting on best practices to improve response rates, and implanting process controls to ensure data quality. We also provide scientific and administrative guidance on survey research operations to SERU Consortium leadership and members through our participation in various workgroups, as well as the annual SERU Research Symposium and Business Meeting.

RESULTS:

Data collected through the SERU surveys is used by a wide array of scholars and institutional analysts to pursue academic and policy relevant research related to the student experience. A sampling of projects utilizing SERU data collected by OMS includes:

Presentations:

Being a Student during the Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Undergraduate and Graduate Student Experience Moderator John Douglass; Panelists Igor Chirkov, Krista Soria, and Pamela Brown; Discussants Catherine Koshland and Scott Lanyon. June 2020.

Using gradSERU Deliverables: A Demonstration and Discussion presented by Igor Chirikov, Daniel Jones-White, Scott Lanyon, Mylene Culbreath, and Schee Moua.

SERU Response Rates: Trends, Challenges and Recommendations presented by Erin Tower, Andrew Zehner, Krista Soria, Igor Chirikov, and Helen Horner. December 2019.

Publications, Articles, and Policy Briefs:

Amid Pandemic-Induced Boost, Schools Look to Address Food Insecurity by Owen Daugherty, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, August, 2020.

Signs of depression and anxiety soar among US graduate students during pandemic by Chris Woolston, Nature.com, August, 2020.

First-Generation Students Struggle With Finances, Unsafe Environments, Online Learning Amid Pandemic, New Report Finds by Hugh T. Ferguson. National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. August, 2020.

Will Students Come Back? Undergraduate Students’ Plans to Re-Enroll in Fall 2020 by Igor Chirikov. SERU COVID-19 Survey Policy Briefs, June 2020.

A Diagnostic Mechanism for Assessing Respondent Burden: Sensitive Item Nonresponse Bias in Student Surveys by Victoria Porterfield, Marc D. Weiner, and Paul C. Siracusa. Journal of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness. Vol 6, No. 2. 2017. pp. 165-190.

Civic Engagement and Community Service at Research Universities Engaging Undergraduates for Social Justice, Social Change and Responsible Citizenship by Kista Soria, Tania Mitchell, and June Nobbe (Ed). Palgrave 2016.

Recent Immigrant Students at Research Universities: The Relationship Between Campus Climate and Sense of Belonging by Michael J. Stebleton, Krista M. Soria, Ronald L. Huesman Jr., and Vasti Torres. Journal of College Student Development, 55:2, 196-202. March 2014.

SERVICES PROVIDED:

Project Management | Consulting | Questionnaire Design | Survey Programming | Survey Administration | Data Cleaning | Data Analysis | Report Building | Incentive Management

MODES USED:

Online