Diverse Learning Environments: Assessing and Creating Conditions for Student Success

Diverse Learning Environments Survey

The Diverse Learning Environments instrument was designed to evaluate the campus climate, institutional practices, and a set of outcomes related to skills for lifelong learning, competencies for a multicultural world, and retention and achievement. A central survey will assess the majority of the Diverse Learning Environments project conceptual model:

[Source: Hurtado et al., 2009. Adapted from Jackson, B.W. (1988) as cited in Marchesani & Adams (1992).]

Five additional modules will further help institutions understand how students navigate and experience their campus environment. These modules assess:
1) Classroom Climate
2) Transition Into Major
3) Intergroup Relations
4) Community College Students Intending to Transfer
5) Student who have Transferred into a 4-Year Institution.

Below are the factors included in the survey and modules that help assess the different components of the DLE conceptual map:

Demographics & Pre-Dispositions External Impact on Student Experience Climate Institutional Practices Outcomes
  • Knowledge of diverse groups
  • High School GPA
  • Experiences related to diversity
  • Form of college admission (freshman or transfer)
  • Years at Institution
  • Current Class Standing
  • Units Completed
  • Enrollment Status
  • Religion
  • Major (current/second)
  • Financial Status
  • Degree Aspirations
  • English Language
  • Housing
  • Parental Education
  • Disabilities
  • Sex
  • Transgender
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Veteran Status
  • Citizenship status
  • Age
  • Marital Status
  • Number of Children
  • Race/ethnicity
  • Financial Obligation & Challenges
  • Work Hrs/Week
  • Commuting Distance
  • External Barriers to Success
 Behavioral
  • Diverse & Cross-racial Interactions (Behavioral Climate)
  • Discrimination and harassment experiences (psychological climate)
  • Home Department/Major Climate
  • Classroom Climate
Psychological
  • Validation (classroom, home department, general)
  • Sense of Belonging
  • Overall Perceptions of Climate
  • Classroom Validation
  • Social Identity Groups
  • Social Identity Collective Self-Esteem
  • Structural Diversity
Structural Diversity
  • Satisfaction with structural diversity and campus response
  • Co/curricular involvement
  • Curriculum of Inclusion
  • Institutional Commitment to Diversity
  • Academic Support Programs/ Navigation
  • Disability Services/Support Programs
  • Institutional Transfer Culture
  • Institutional Barriers to Success
Habits of Mind
  • Integration of Learning
  • Habits of Mind for Lifelong Learning
Competencies for a Multicultural World
  • Anticipated Involvement in Redressing Inequalities
  • Pluralistic Orientation
  • Social Action Engagement
  • Awareness of Privilege
  • Civic Values & Commitment
  • Self-Appraisal of Skills in Dealing with Conflict
  • Attitudes about Dealing with Conflict
  • Intergroup Parallel Empathy
  • Awareness of and Structural Attribution for Racial/Ethnic & Gender Inequality
  • Intergroup Collaboration Fraction
  • Other- & Self-Directed Actions
Retention/Achievement
  • Academic & Leadership Self-Concept
  • Navigational Actions
  • Navigational Tools & Support
  • Student Mobility
  • Transfer Preparation
  • College GPA
  • Academic Barriers to Success

This instrument is currently in its pilot phase and your participation is highly encouraged. Basic CIRP Survey costs for the 2009-2010 year include an institutional participation fee of $775 plus a processing fee based upon how many completed questionnaires are submitted. These fees cover all the costs for the data collection, data processing, preparation of campus reports, your institutional profile in Excel spreadsheet format, as well as the raw survey data file in SPSS format. Please note that these fees apply only to the pilot year and will increase once the survey is launched nationally.

Details Standard Fees Pilot Fees
Participation Fee $775 $775
Charge incurred for each processed questionnaire $3.00 per processed questionnaire $1.00 per processed questionnaire
Additional questions $325 Free
Email distribution to students $350 Free
Reporting package - includes a power point of institutional data, executive summary, comparison report (if there are at least 5 peer institutions in the pilot), online data analysis $250 Free


EXAMPLE

Based on these fees, if an institution surveying 1000 students had a response rate of 50%, then 500 completed questionnaires would be returned. The total fees for this institution would be:
Details Standard Fees Pilot Fees
Participation Fee $775 $775
Charge incurred for each processed questionnaire $1,500 $500
Additional questions $325 Free
Email distribution to students $350 Free
Reporting package $250 Free
Total Costs $3,200 $1,275

Please feel free to contact us if you would like to participate in this project or if you have any questions.

Forms and Documents

Survey Instrument and Modules



Portal and Registration