Browsing by Author "Soria, Krista M."

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2010 Analysis of the SERU Survey for the University of Minnesota Office for Public Engagement
(2010) Huesman, Ronald L. Jr.; Soria, Krista M.; Office for Institutional Research
Adapting to Online Instruction: Disparities Among Graduate and Professional Students
(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020-06) Soria, Krista M.
Nearly two-thirds of graduate and professional students enrolled at five large, public research universities reported that they were able to adapt to online instruction “well” or “very well” according to the Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (gradSERU) COVID-19 survey of 7,690 graduate and professional students (Figure 1). Preliminary survey results suggest that 24% of students adapted “very well” to the transition to remote learning while 42% of students adapted “well” to the transition to online learning implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, approximately one-third (34%) of graduate and professional students indicated that they adapted only “slightly well” or “not at all well” to the transition to remote instruction implemented by their universities. Although many students adapted well to online instruction, the data suggest that students from low-income or working-class backgrounds and students with disabilities did not adapt as easily to online instruction.
Advising Satisfaction: Implications for First-Year Students' Sense of Belonging and Retention
(2012-02-21) Soria, Krista M.
This study examined the relationship between advising satisfaction and first-year students' sense of belonging and retention to their second year. Using the Student Experience in the Research University survey, this study suggests that students' satisfaction with faculty, peer, college/staff, and department advisers is positively predictive of their sense of belonging while only students' satisfaction with college/staff advisers is predictive of their retention.
Advising Scholars with Blue Collars
(2012-10-05) Soria, Krista M.; Bultmann, Mark
Presented at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) annual conference, this presentation provides insights into the experiences of working-class students in large, public research universities. Using the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) national survey, results indicate that working-class students have less engagement and a lower sense of belonging as compared to their middle/upper-class peers. Practical strategies that academic advisers can use to engage working-class students in large universities are discussed.
Alternatives to Study Abroad
(2012-11-16) Soria, Krista M.; Troisi, Jordan
This presentation was delivered at the annual Association for the Study of Higher Education conference. Colleges and universities are increasingly internationalizing their curricular and co-curricular efforts on campuses; subsequently, it is important to compare whether participation in study abroad or on-campus global/international activities may be associated with students’ self-reported development of global, international, and intercultural (GII) competencies. This study examined undergraduate students’ participation in study abroad and on-campus global/international activities within nine large, public research universities in the United States (n = 15,807). Framed within contact theory and person-environment-interaction theory, the results of this study suggested that students’ participation in activities related to internationalization at home—participation in on-campus global/international activities such as enrollment in global/international coursework, interactions with international students, and participation in global/international co-curricular activities—may yield greater benefits than study abroad for students’ development of GII competencies.
Assessing the Benefits of Undergraduate Leadership at Research-Intensive Universities: Evidence from the SERU Survey
(2012-12-09) Soria, Krista M.
The benefits of undergraduate leadership participation are often overlooked, especially at research intensive universities, where the undergraduate experience competes with other institutional priorities. This session shares results from the SERU survey and provides evidence for the benefits of participation in undergraduate leadership across large, public research universities, with a focus on assessment of the leadership minor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The data shared will provide useful evidence for leadership educators seeking to justify investment in undergraduate leadership opportunities.
The Benefits of Low-Income Students’ Participation in Living Learning Leadership Programs
(University of Minnesota, 2021) Soria, Krista M.; Roberts, Brayden J.
Scholars have illuminated significant disparities in higher education degree attainment between college students from low-income and upper-income backgrounds. Instead of increasing social mobility of college students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, structural barriers prohibit many low-income and working-class students from entering into higher education and graduating (Soria, 2015). Sixty percent of students from high socioeconomic status backgrounds earned a bachelor’s degree or higher within eight years compared with 14% of those from low socioeconomic backgrounds (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015). While the extant research on the benefits of living in residence halls substantiates the vital role residential life plays in students’ success (Astin, 1993; Blimling, 1989, 1993; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005), the scholarship base about the benefits of on-campus living among students from lower-income backgrounds is underdeveloped (Lopez Turley & Wodkte, 2010), as is research around the impact specifically of living and learning leadership programs. Research on the identities of students from lower-income backgrounds is also relatively absent in living and learning leadership literature, and most scholars fail to take into account the self-selection biases of students who participate in living-learning leadership communities. The purpose of our study is to examine whether participating in a living and learning leadership program might be associated with low-income students’ resilience and sense of belonging. Students’ resilience and belonging are factors commonly associated with low-income students’ persistence and degree attainment in higher education.
Beyond Retention: Community Service for Leadership and Social Change
(2011-10) Soria, Krista M.; Nobbe, June; Huesman, Ronald L. Jr.
This presentation examines the relationship between participation in community service and the development of leadership values among a random sample of 1,107 undergraduates who took the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL) survey at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The MSL is an annual, national survey of leadership development among college students. It explores the role of higher education in developing leadership capacities with a special focus on specific environmental conditions that foster leadership development. The MSL is developed under the Social Change Model (HERI, 1996), which describes leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, values-driven process. Its central principles—social responsibility and change for the common good—are assessed through eight core values that describe students’ level of self-awareness and ability to work with others. Using the framework of the Social Change Model (HERI, 1996) and Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Output model, multiple regression was used to examine the relationship between participation in community service and the eight core values when controlling for demographic factors, precollege participation in activities, and precollege leadership antecedents. This presentation highlights these findings and demonstrates an effective partnership between institutional research and student affairs.
Blue Collar Scholars: Engagement and Integration among Working-Class First-Year Students
(2012-02-20) Soria, Krista M.
Presented at the 31st Annual Conference on the First Year Experience, this poster presentation addresses differences in sense of belonging, academic engagement, and mental health between working-class and middle/upper-class first-year undergraduate students. Utilizing the Student Experience in the Research University survey, administered to 240,000+ undergraduate students enrolled at 10 large, public universities in 2010, this study suggests that working-class students have lower sense of belonging and higher rates of depression and stress as compared to their middle/upper-class peers.
Career Development Courses and Social Capital
(2012-03-26) Hall, Becky; Nagel Newberg, Sara; Soria, Krista M.
Held at the annual American College Personnel Association convention, this presentation highlights research conducted in partnership with Career Services at the University of Minnesota. Using a sample of first-year students who completed the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey (n = 1,864), of whom approximately one-third (n = 666) enrolled in career courses, this study suggests that students who enrolled in career courses are more socially involved than those who did not enroll in career courses. Contending that social involvement increases students' social networks, it is suggested that career courses can, in turn, increase students' social capital.
Class(ism) in Co-Curriculars? Investigating Low-Income and Working Class Students' Participation in Co-Curricular Activities
(2012-10-18) Soria, Krista M.; Svoboda, Victoria
Presented at the Minnesota College Professionals Association, this discussion focuses on the engagement of low-income and working-class students in higher education. Research suggests that students from lower social class backgrounds are historically underrepresented in higher education, less likely to feel a sense of belonging on campus, and less likely to persist toward graduation. This presentation examines intersections between students' social class and their participation in the types of co-curricular experiences that can enhance students' belonging and retention. In increasing their awareness of social class, student affairs practitioners can discover institutional and structural barriers preventing lower/working-class students from full participation in college.
College Student Leadership and Social Change
(2012-11-16) Soria, Krista M.; Lepkowski, Chris
This presentation was delivered at the annual Association for the Study of Higher Education conference. Colleges are under increasing pressure to develop future citizens who are interested in--and capable of--creating positive social change and improving their communities. Using data from the multi-institutional SERU survey, this study suggests students' participation in leadership positions can promote their engagement in social change.
Community-Engaged Learning and Academic Gains in College
(2011-11) Furco, Andrew; Huesman, Ronald L. Jr.; Jones-White, Daniel R.; Soria, Krista M.
Presented at the International Association for Research on Service-learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE) 2011 Annual Conference in Chicago from November 2-4, 2011
Defining First-Generation Students by Degrees: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice
(2012-06-05) Soria, Krista M.; Gorny, Laury
Presented at the Association for Institutional Research annual forum, this presentation presents information about the use of parental education variables among college students. Many scholars, federal agencies, and institutions define first-generation students using different criteria; furthermore, most researchers collapse students into dichotomous categories of first-generation/non-first-generation. Both strategies of defining first-generation students may mask important insights about first-generation students--insights that can be highlighted by using a differentiated definition of first-generation status based on varying degrees of parents' educational attainment. Using the multi-institutional Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey, this paper presents evidence that suggests a more nuanced understanding of parents’ educational achievement can highlight the unique experiences of students from different parental educational backgrounds and potentially benefit research, policy, and practice.
Developing an Integrative, Inclusive Framework For Undergraduate Assessment: Supporting Data Managers and Decision-Makers At A Decentralized University
(2013-10-26) Soria, Krista M.
Presented at the American Evaluation Association annual conference, this presentation was featured in a panel of two other universities from the Twin Cities. A large, public research university typically has several stakeholders spanning across the state in which it is located; consequently, responding to the needs of these diverse constituents requires strategic planning. Further, challenges in collecting student data, reporting the data to constituents, and sharing the results of data-driven decisions made with student data can be exacerbated in a highly decentralized environment. This portion of the presentation highlights the ways in which a small institutional research office at a large, public university has proactively shared the results of assessment research and student data with the university community, developed effective partnerships across the university with regard to data analysis and reporting, and created a framework for undergraduate assessment.
Dusting Off the Data: Using the 2007 CIRP Data to Predict First-Year Students’ Four-Year Outcomes
(2013-02-12) Soria, Krista M.
In summer 2007, the majority of first-year (non-transfer) students (4,500+) completed the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) survey during Orientation sessions at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The CIRP provides practitioners and administrators with valuable insights into college student behaviors, academic preparedness, college expectations, values and goals, motivations for attending the University, and interactions with peers and faculty. Four years later, it is time to take the data off the shelf, dust it off, and utilize this substantive source of information to examine factors predictive of first-year students’ first term/year grade point averages, ongoing retention, and four-year graduation rates. Practitioners and administrators attending this session can learn more about the factors (e.g. behaviors, goals, expectations, etc.) predicting first-year students’ retention, graduation, and grade point averages. The results of these analyses can be used to promote data-driven decision-making for the purposes of developing interventions to reach out to the students most at risk for attrition and prioritizing initiatives to enhance students’ long-term success.
Examining Class in the Classroom: Utilizing Social Class Data in Institutional and Academic Research
(2012-06-05) Soria, Krista M.; Barratt, Will
Presented at the Association for Institutional Research annual forum, this presentation presents information about the use social class indicators in institutional and educational research.Social class and related indicators (socioeconomic status, parental education, and other forms of social/cultural capital) are strong determinants of students’ access and success in higher education. This presentation explores the use of different social class indicators in institutional and academic research, with a focus on the theoretical basis for social class, current demographic trends in higher education, the advantages/disadvantages to measuring social class, and the credibility of students' self-identification in a social class. Using the Student Experience in the Research University survey, the study also examines differential relationships between social class variables on students' sense of belonging on campus.
Examining Financial Decisions and Actions among Undergraduates from Different Social Class Backgrounds
(2013-04-28) Soria, Krista M.; Weiner, Brad
Low-income and working-class students face many challenges related to the costs and affordability of higher education; yet, little is known about the ongoing financial decisions made by low-income and working-class students while they are currently enrolled in higher education and how those decisions might differ from those made by their middle/upper-class peers. This paper examines the different financial decisions and behaviors of undergraduate students from five social class backgrounds using data from undergraduates enrolled at 11 large, public research universities in 2010. Results suggest that low-income and working-class students are more likely to make decisions that could negatively impact their immediate academic experience, serve as disruptive barriers to success, delay or prolong graduation, or lead to increased debt upon graduation.
The experiences of first-generation students at large, public research universities: Engagement and Outcomes
(2011-05-25) Soria, Krista M.
Greater numbers of students from non-college educated families are enrolling in higher education than ever; as the numbers of first-generation college students increases on college campuses (Choy, 2001), so do concerns about their success rates as compared to their non-first generation peers. This paper examines the academic and social engagement of first-generation college students who attended large, public research universities in 2009. It was found that first-generation students have lower levels of academic and social engagement as compared to their non-first-generation peers. Additionally, regression analyses were used to examine the association between academic and social engagement factors and academic and developmental outcomes among first-generation students so that administrators and practitioners can focus their efforts in areas that are associated with student outcomes.
The Experiences of Undergraduate Students with Physical, Learning, Neurodevelopmental, and Cognitive Disabilities During the Pandemic
(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020-10) Soria, Krista M.; Horgos, Bonnie; Chirikov, Igor; Jones-White, Daniel
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted students with physical, learning, neurodevelopmental, and cognitive disabilities who are enrolled at large public research universities, according to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey administered from May to July 2020 of 30,099 undergraduate students at nine universities. Approximately 6% of respondents (n = 1,788) reported having at least one disability (physical, learning, neurodevelopmental, or cognitive). Students with physical, learning, neurodevelopmental, and cognitive disabilities were more likely than students without disabilities to experience financial hardships during the pandemic, including unexpected increases in spending for technology, unexpected increases in living expenses, and loss or reduction in income (from family members or personal wages from off-campus employment). Furthermore, students with disabilities were also more likely to experience food and housing insecurity compared to students without disabilities. Students with physical, learning, neurodevelopmental, and cognitive disabilities were less likely to believe that they feel like they belong on campus and less likely to agree that the campus supported them during the pandemic. Students with those disabilities also experienced higher rates of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder than students without disabilities. Students with disabilities were also less likely to live in safe environments compared to students without disabilities. As institutional leaders continue to adapt to higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic, we encourage them to consider the impact different instructional modalities may have in perpetuating disparities for students with disabilities.

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