Climate for Learning Survey | Institutional Research, Analytics, and Decision Support

In 2009, the Climate for Learning Survey was administered to undergraduate, graduate and first-professional students in an effort to assess the academic and social climate on campus. The 63-item questionnaire was the product of collaboration between the President’s Commission on Diversity and Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness. A total of 2,856 students responded to the survey. The overall response rate was 28 percent, and the overall margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent.

Since the sample was not a simple random one and response rates varied within demographic groups, scores were weighted to reflect the composition of the University student body and each college in Spring 2009. Nine scales were constructed to assess the learning environment at the University: Openness to diversity: Discomfort with diversity, Welcoming campus environment, Curricular/co-curricular effectiveness, Perceptions of disparate treatment, Engaged community, Volunteerism, Faculty interactions, and Diverse social interactions.

Initial Efforts to Evaluate the Social and Academic Climate

The University’s first efforts to assess the social and academic climate occurred in 2004 when the President’s Commission on Women, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research, surveyed the University student body on various aspects of campus life. The 2004 Campus Climate Survey assessed how comfortable students were working and interacting with diverse student groups, faculty, and staff in a variety of campus settings and situations. Over 6,500 students completed the 106-item questionnaire.

The survey was designed to measure dimensions of campus life that contribute to student satisfaction and identify areas where the University needs to improve upon its overall sense of community. Seven scales emerged from the items appearing on the questionnaire: openness to diversity, perceived freedom to express opinions and beliefs, campus safety concerns, feelings of social isolation, perceived encouragement and respect from faculty, perceived unfairness in classroom management, and overall satisfaction with the University experience.