Diverse Learning Environments Survey

The Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE) captures student perceptions regarding the institutional climate, campus practices as experienced with faculty, staff, and peers, and student learning outcomes. Diverse student populations are at the center of the survey, and the instrument is based on studies of diverse student bodies and the complexity of issues that range from student mobility to intergroup relations.

The 2018 DLE Registration is now closed. Registration for the 2019 DLE will open in September 2018 and survey administration dates will be October 2018 – April 2019.

Institutions use the DLE to:

Evaluate the campus climate
DLE was designed to include measures that specifically focus on aspects related to the climate for diversity, including experiences with discrimination, cross-racial interactions, validation and sense of belonging.

Collect information about institutional practices
The survey focuses on connecting diversity efforts with campus practices, including items related to a curriculum of inclusion, student support services and co-curricular diversity activities.

Assess student learning outcomes
DLE emphasizes student learning outcomes as a core component of diversity efforts and the survey includes measures such as the integration of learning, social action, and civic engagement.

Assess the pervasiveness of sexual assault
The survey includes sets of questions to measure the prevalence of unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault, including questions related to reporting of incidents and satisfaction with the institutional response.

Assess baseline strengths, identify areas for improvement, and track progress related to diversity efforts
DLE provides a snapshot of the campus climate, institutional practices, and student outcomes that can be used for campus diversity improvement efforts. Institutions can use the DLE as a tool for strategic planning and benchmarking.

Foster/initiate dialogue about diversity
Using data from the DLE, institutions can initiate dialogue about diversity related issues on their individual campuses.

Disaggregate student perceptions, experiences, and outcomes by different social identities (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation)
The survey includes measures that can be disaggregated by different social identities, including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability/disability status, socioeconomic status, and military veteran status.

What Will a Participating Institution Receive?

Schools participating in the DLE survey receive an institutional profile report, which includes institutional results broken out by sex, comparisons with other similar institutions, significance testing, effect sizes, and CIRP Constructs and Themes, and a data file of unit record responses for the institution.

Administering the 2018 DLE Survey

DLE Survey is open for Registration. 2017 DLE survey can be administered anytime between October 1, 2017 – April 30, 2018.

The DLE is a web-based survey administered annually to students at both 2- and 4-year institutions who have had the opportunity to experience the campus climate (i.e., after 24 credit hours in community and 2-year colleges or second- and third-year students at 4-year institutions). The DLE contains a “core” section of questions that all institutions administer and six optional modules:

Classroom Climate
Transition to the Major
Intergroup Relations
Spirituality
Climate for Transfer at 2-Year Institutions
Climate for Transfer at 4-Year Institutions

The Web Survey can be administered either with your campus managing the email notification process, or for ease of use, you can elect to have HERI manage the email notifications to students. Our web portal allows you to select email notification and reminder dates, customize “welcome” and “thank you” pages, customize email notifications, and upload your additional questions. Throughout the administration, you can monitor your response rate and adjust email reminder text as needed. Your survey data updates in real time, so you can download your preliminary data file at any point to analyze early responses.

Web Survey Features

HERI can send customizable email notifications (including reminders) to your students
Your “Welcome” and “Thank you” screens can be customized
You can include your own additional questions, including 20 closed-ended questions and five open-ended questions
You can add up to five different modules to the core survey

The Survey Instrument and Modules

2018 DLE Instrument

2018 DLE Core Survey Instrument – All institutions participating in the DLE administer this “core” section of questions.
2018 DLE Survey Changes
2018 DLE Classroom Climate Module – This optional module asks respondents about their perception of the classroom environment and the various types of pedagogical practices employed by instructors
2018 DLE Transition to the Major Module – This optional module asks respondents about their experiences in selecting a major. It is appropriate for students who have not yet declared a major as well as those who have declared a major. Because many institutions report student attrition at this point in college, this information may be useful to help campuses investigate difficulty at this important transition stage
2018 DLE Intergroup Relations Module – This optional module asks respondents about their capacity to engage respectfully across group differences.
2018 DLE Spirituality Module asks respondents about the importance of spirituality in their lives, their spiritual development, and their level of engagement in spiritual activities
2018 DLE Climate for Transfer at 2-Year Institutions Module – This optional module asks respondents about practices at 2-year institutions regarding the transfer pathway and climate of support. It is designed for 2-year institutions and community colleges only.
2018 DLE Climate for Transfer Students at 4-Year Institutions Module – This optional module asks respondents about their transitional experiences understanding the campus climate at 4-year institutions. It is designed to be administered at 4-year institutions, and it contains questions relevant to all respondents as well questions specifically for those who transferred to the institution.

Forms and Documentation

2018 DLE Survey

Administration Guidelines – Necessary information for schools concerning the administration of the DLE
Administration Timeline – Use the timeline to track the general tasks required during a survey cycle
Survey Information Sheet – Copy of the informed consent given to survey respondents
Student Identifiers – Find out how student identifiers can help you merge data for longitudinal analyses
Additional Questions – Important information for campuses adding their own questions to the instrument
School Managed Distribution – Instructions for sending your email invitations directly from your institution
Mailing List – Sample file for uploading student names/email addresses
Invitation and Reminder Templates– Sample text for inviting your students to participate
Welcome and Thank You text – Editable text for your welcome and thank you survey pages
Anti-Spam Guidelines – How to prevent survey invitations and reminders from CIRP being filtered out as bulk or junk mail
Group Codes – Comparing specific subgroups of your student sample
Confidentiality and Privacy – Protocol for ensuring the confidentiality and privacy of our data and suggestions about how to assure your students that their information is safe
Encouraging Participation – Suggestions for increasing response rates
Promo-Pack Instructions – Instructions on how to use the DLE Promo-Pack
Data and Reporting – Descriptions of the institutional data and reporting institutions will receive from CIRP
UCLA IRB Approval – Copy of the current UCLA IRB approval for the DLE

Fees / Withdrawal Policy

You can find the survey fees for your institution by searching on our pricing page.

Please contact us at heri@ucla.edu or 310-825-1925 for our withdrawal policy.