First Longitudinal Study 1989-92: Class
of 1992
Second Longitudinal Study 1996-99: Class
of 1999
Longitudinal Study 1995-98 for the Office of the
Dean of Students:
Class
of 1998
First
Longitudinal Study
The First Longitudinal Study was based on a sample of 20% of the
undergraduate class of 1992, 482 students. From their first year
(1989) to their last (1992), study participants responded to annual
questionnaires administered in the spring. In addition, personal
interviews with 100 to 150 students selected from the larger group
were conducted each year by University faculty and staff. Anticipating
some attrition within the sample of students, the designers of the
study selected a sample large enough to prevent modest losses from
invalidating the survey results. Of the original first-year cohort
of 482 students, 419 were still enrolled in spring 1992, from whom
we recovered 357 completed questionnaires and conducted 88 personal
interviews. Eighty-one percent of our cohort graduated in spring
1992. By spring 1993 this graduation rate rose to 92%, slightly
higher than the 90% five-year graduation rate of the entire class
of 1992. Both our cohort and the class of 1992 entered the University
with an average SAT score of 1220 (580 verbal, 640 math) and graduated
with a mean grade point average of 3.2 on a scale of 4.0. Demographically,
our cohort changed little from their first year and, in the fourth
year, still mirrored the demographic composition of the entire class.
Our questionnaire consisted of more than 350 questions about
a broad array of topics, designed to provide depth as well as
breadth. The survey covered five major areas of student experience:
goals and accomplishments; important decisions; academic
work; extracurricular activities; and personal life. We
asked students what their educational goals were, whether they
saw themselves making progress toward these goals, and
whether they credited the University with helping them attain
their goals. We also asked them about the extent of their satisfaction
and level of involvement with academic matters, extra-curricular
and volunteer activities, student services, and their
personal lives and how they distributed their time among these
activities. Finally, we asked them about their choice of courses,
major, and career, and what influenced these choices.
For the most part, the questionnaire remained the same throughout
the four years. In the third year we added new sections asking students
to elaborate on their experiences with academic advising and the
general education area requirements. Also in the third year we added
a cohort of transfer students and increased the size of our cohort
of students in the transition program. All of these changes and
additions were retained in the fourth-year questionnaire, which
also included new sections asking students to explain their post-graduation
plans and reflect on how well they felt prepared for life after
the University. Like the questionnaire, the interviews followed
the pattern of the first two years with some minor variations. While
the interview primarily involved a discussion of students’
learning experiences, interviewers were encouraged to allow students
to take the lead in the discussion. As in past years, interviewers
prompted students for discussion of a few specific topics if those
topics did not come forward naturally. These topics included faculty
contacts, academic advising, general education, and student civility.
Within this loosely structured format students told us much about
their lives and how their experiences at the University were changing
them.
To view reports
and questionnaires for the First Longitudinal Study, click here.
Second
Longitudinal Study, 1996-99: Class of 1999
In the fall of 1995, the
University of Virginia’s Office of Institutional Assessment
and Studies (IAS) began a study with the general purpose of assessing
the effectiveness of undergraduate education at the University of
Virginia. The more specific goals of the study were to know what
undergraduate students learn and accomplish during their years at
U.Va., both in conjunction with and beyond the formal curriculum,
and to determine whether these outcomes correspond with the University’s
purposes. We also wanted to gain some insight into how the University
contributes to student development.
To answer these questions
we designed a longitudinal survey that we administered to a random
sample of undergraduate students who first arrived at the University
in fall 1995. Each spring, the students in our sample were sent
a questionnaire that asked them between 200 and 250 questions about
their experiences during the past academic year, their future academic
and career plans, and their opinions on university life. The Spring
1999 Questionnaire, which was the fourth and final questionnaire
of the study, included questions about their
- progress meeting general
educational goals over the past four years
- academic advising experiences
during the past academic year
- academic experiences
during the past academic year
- participation in extracurricular
activities during the past academic year
- involvement with university
organizations during the past four years
- satisfaction with academic
life during the past academic year
- satisfaction with student
life during the past academic year
- satisfaction with student
services during the past academic year
- satisfaction with their
courses during the past academic year
- post-graduation plans,
including plans for fall 1999.
The survey was administered
between March 2, 1999 and July 12, 1999 to the 623 students who
were part of our original sample and still were enrolled for the
spring 1999 semester. A total of 543 students completed the questionnaire,
for a response rate of 87%. The margin of error for questions that
were answered by all 543 respondents on the Spring 1999 Questionnaire
is ± 4.2%.
To view reports
and questionnaires for the Second Longitudinal Study, click here.
Office
of the Dean of Students (ODOS) Survey of Student Participation
1995-98
A longitudinal study of student participation
and development over four years for the class of 1998. ODOS wanted to know
the
extent
to
which
undergraduate
students
demonstrate
certain behaviors in accord with four of its educational objectives:
1.
Students will pursue intellectual inquiry beyond the classroom.
2. Students
will demonstrate the skills to be citizens in a world of peoples
similar to and different from themselves.
3. Students
will recognize their responsibilities in regard to greater societal
needs and engage in activities for the benefit of their communities.
4. Students
will be accountable for their decisions by acknowledging the
positive and negative consequences of those decisions for themselves,
others, and their environment.
The office
also wanted to understand more clearly their influence—through
programs, services, and staff—on these behaviors. Ultimately,
the office wanted to know how it could better foster the intellectual,
personal, and social development of undergraduate students.
To view reports
and questionnaires for the Office of the Dean of Students Longitudinal Study, click here.
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