Office of Institutional Data and Research
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Institutional Data and Research (IDR), formerly the Office of Institutional Research, is the home for official University of Minnesota institutional reporting, institutional research, and information on policy analysis and formation, and publishes systemwide and campus/collegiate data to provide transparency and promote systemwide achievements. https://idr.umn.edu/
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Item 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.Item 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.Item 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, DanielThe 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.Item 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) Soria, Krista M.; Horgos, Bonnie; Chirikov, Igor; Jones-White, DanielThe 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.Item First-Generation Students’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic(Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium, 2020-08) Soria, Krista M.; Horgos, Bonnie; Chirikov, Igor; Jones-White, DanielThe COVID-19 pandemic has negative impacts on first-generation students enrolled at large public research universities, according to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 28,198 undergraduate students conducted May through July 2020 at nine universities. In the survey, 26% of respondents (n = 7,233) identified as first-generation students (those whose parents have not earned a bachelor’s degree). First-generation students were more likely than continuing-generation students to experience financial hardships during the pandemic, including lost wages from family members, lost wages from on- or off-campus employment, and increased living and technology expenses. Compared to continuing-generation students, first-generation students are nearly twice as likely to be concerned about paying for their education in fall 2020. Furthermore, first-generation students were also less likely to live in safe environments free from abuse (physical, emotional, drug, or alcohol) and more likely to experience food and housing insecurity. First-generation students also experienced higher rates of mental health disorders compared to their peers. The results of our study suggest that first-generation students experienced more challenges adapting to online instruction compared to continuing-generation students, including encountering obstacles related to lack of adequate study spaces and lack of technology necessary to complete online learning. Compared to continuing-generation students, first-generation students were also less likely to be able to meet during scheduled virtual class times. As institutional leaders look forward to the fall 2020 semester, we encourage them to consider the impact different instructional modalities may have in perpetuating existing disparities for first-generation students.Item Graduate and Professional Students’ Fall 2020 Re-Enrollment Plans: Evidence from the gradSERU COVID-19 Survey(2020-06) Soria, Krista M.Approximately 95% of graduate and professional students plan to re-enroll for the fall 2020 semester, according to a recent survey of over 7,500 graduate and professional students enrolled at five large, public research universities. According to the Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (gradSERU) COVID-19 survey, less than 1% of graduate and professional students do not plan to re-enroll while 4% are still undecided about re-enrolling for the fall 2020 semester. Among the graduate and professional students who are not planning to re-enroll, 51% indicated that financial constraints are their primary reason for not re-enrolling, while 29% are concerned that all of their classes would continue to be held online and 24% were not re-enrolling because they needed to work to support their families or themselves.Item Graduate and Professional Students’ Financial Hardships During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the gradSERU COVID-19 Survey(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020) Soria, Krista M.While approximately one-third of graduate and professional students did not experience financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic, 27% experienced unexpected increases in their living expenses, 24% experienced unexpected increases in spending for technology, and 24% experienced a loss or reduction in income from other family members (Figure 1). According to the Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (gradSERU) COVID-19 survey of 7,690 graduate and professional students enrolled at five large, public research universities, an additional 19% experienced the loss or cancellation of an expected job or internship offer and 16% experienced loss of wages from off-campus employment (Figure 1). Furthermore, the gradSERU COVID-19 survey data suggest that fewer graduate and professional students experienced additional hardships, including loss of wages from on-campus employment (8%), loss or reduction of a scholarship (3%), loss or reduction of insurance coverage (2%), loss or reduction of grant aid (2%), and loss or reduction of student loan aid (1%) (Figure 2). There are also disparities in the financial hardships encountered by students based upon students’ parental education levels, caretaking responsibilities for adults or children, and social class background, as reported below.Item International Students’ Experiences and Concerns During the Pandemic(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020-07) Chirikov, Igor; Soria, Krista M.In contrast to domestic students, international students at research universities are more satisfied with their academic experiences and institutional support during the pandemic, according to the recent Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 22,519 undergraduate students and 7,690 graduate and professional students at five public research universities. International students’ primary concerns are not with universities themselves but with health, safety and immigration issues.Item Leadership On Campus: Prosocial Behavior Benefits for Resident Assistants(University of Minnesota, 2021) Soria, Krista M.; Roberts, Brayden J.The roles and responsibilities of resident assistants are increasingly complex (Taub et al., 2016). Resident assistants are often first responders to student-related crisis or emergency situations, including those of safety, behavioral, and mental health (Boone et al., 2016). Resident assistants receive many levels of training and professional development and develop a wide range of skills from on-the-job experiences (Benjamin & Davis, 2016). Although resident assistants are slated to receive these developmental benefits from training and experience, the research on learning outcomes and developmental benefits associated with serving as a resident assistant is limited. Though the current research suggests resident assistants may develop outcomes such as interpersonal communication, problem-solving, intercultural, and teamwork skills (Benjamin & Davis, 2016), less is known about the development of resident assistants’ prosocial behaviors, such as their engagement in social change, social generativity, and social perspective taking. Resident assistants are predominantly drawn to the position because of their desire to help others (Boone, 2018). Such evidence provides an opportunity for resident assistants to be better primed to further develop greater prosocial behaviors through their training and experiences. The purpose of this study is to examine whether serving as a resident assistant has an effect on undergraduate students’ prosocial behaviors.Item Living On Campus: Benefits for First-Generation Students from Low-Income Backgrounds(University of Minnesota, 2020) Soria, Krista M.; Roberts, Brayden J.The results of this research suggest that first-generation students from low-income backgrounds may experience some benefits from living on campus during their first year of enrollment. Specifically, we found that living on campus is positively associated with students’ feelings of belonging on campus and their resilience. We also found that living on campus was associated with a reduction in students’ beliefs that their campus was discriminatory, hostile, or unwelcoming.Item The Obstacles to Remote Learning for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Students(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020-07) Soria, Krista M.; Chirikov, Igor; Jones-White, DanielThe vast majority of students at research universities—96% of undergraduate students and 88% of graduate students—experienced at least one obstacle in their transition to remote learning, according to the recent Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 22,519 undergraduate students and 7,690 graduate and professional students at five public research universities. The biggest obstacle among undergraduate, graduate, and professional students was the lack of motivation for remote learning during the pandemic. Other common obstacles included lack of interaction with other students, inability to learn effectively in an online format, and distracting home environments or lack of access to appropriate study spaces. The obstacles vary by students’ social class background and major/program.Item Residents Assistants’ Leadership Efficacy(University of Minnesota, 2020) Soria, Krista M.; Roberts, Brayden J.Resident assistants play an indisputably important role in college and university housing as they help to connect residents with campus resources (Servaty-Seib & Taub, 2010), socialize and develop relationships with other students (Manata et al., 2017; Roland & Agosto, 2017), and integrate within the greater college community (Blimling, 2010). Resident assistants also promote greater university outcomes by facilitating students’ engagement and retention through programming (Soria & Taylor, Jr., 2016), imparting university values, and promoting student learning outcomes (Healea, 2006). Yet, while much is known about how resident assistants contribute to their institutions, little is known about the developmental outcomes resident assistants gain through their experiences (Martin & Blechschmidt, 2014). Specifically, even though leadership is often an implicit expectation or explicit requirement in resident assistants’ position descriptions (Benjamin & Davis, 2016), little is known about the potential for resident assistants to develop leadership outcomes from their paraprofessional training, interpersonal interactions or relationships, and leadership experiences. Researchers have left breadcrumbs pointing toward the potential impact of serving as a resident assistant on students’ leadership efficacy; however, there is still a void in terms of understanding whether serving in a resident assistant capacity itself is associated with leadership efficacy. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether resident assistants have a significantly different leadership efficacy compared to their peers who are not resident assistants.Item Social Class Differences in Students’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020) Soria, Krista M.; Horgos, BonnieThe COVID-19 pandemic has created significant hardships for students from low-income, poor, and working-class backgrounds enrolled at large, public research universities, according to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 30,697 undergraduate students conducted May through July 2020 at nine universities. In the survey, 7% of respondents (n = 2,112) identified as low-income or poor, 16% identified as working-class (n = 4,970), 42% identified as middle-class (n = 12,815), 32% identified as upper-middle or professional-middle class (n = 9,924), and 3% identified as wealthy (n = 876). The results of our study suggest that students from low-income/poor and working-class backgrounds were significantly more likely than their peers to experience financial hardships, including the loss or reduction of income from other family members, unexpected increases in living experiences and technology, the loss/cancellation of expected jobs or internships, and the loss of wages from off-campus employment. Furthermore, students from low-income/poor and working-class backgrounds were significantly more likely than their peers to experience food insecurity and housing insecurity. Additionally, students from low-income/poor and working-class backgrounds had significantly higher rates of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder and academic obstacles during the transition to remote learning, such as lack of access to appropriate study spaces, technology, academic advising, and learning support services. As campuses roll out their programs and services for the fall 2020 semester, we encourage them to consider the unique needs and experiences of students from low-income/poor and working-class backgrounds and reconfigure their programs to address those students’ financial hardships, food/housing insecurity, mental health disorders, and academic obstacles.Item Undergraduate and Graduate Students’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020-07) Chrikov, Igor; Soria, Krista M.; Horgos, Bonnie; Jones-White, DanielThe COVID-19 pandemic has looming negative impacts on mental health of undergraduate and graduate students at research universities, according to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 30,725 undergraduate students and 15,346 graduate and professional students conducted in May-July 2020 at nine public research universities. Based on PHQ-2 and GAD-2 screening tools, 35% of undergraduates and 32% of graduate and professional students screened positive for major depressive disorder, while 39% of undergraduate and graduate and professional students screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder. Major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder rates are more pronounced among low-income students; students of color; women and non-binary students; transgender students; gay or lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, asexual, and pansexual students; and, students who are caregivers. The prevalence of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder is higher among the undergraduate and graduate students who did not adapt well to remote instruction. Furthermore, the pandemic has led to increases in students’ mental health disorders compared to previous years. In fact, the prevalence of major depressive disorder among graduate and professional students is two times higher in 2020 compared to 2019 and the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder is 1.5 times higher than in 2019.Item Undergraduate Student Caregivers’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Financial Hardships, Food and Housing Insecurity, Mental Health, and Academic Obstacles(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020) Soria, Krista M.; McAndrew, Molly; Horgos, Bonnie; Chirikov, Igor; Jones-White, DanielThe COVID-19 pandemic has created significant hardships for student caregivers enrolled at large, public research universities, according to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 30,593 undergraduate students conducted May through July 2020 at nine universities. In the survey, 6% of respondents (n = 1,767) identified as caregivers for children, 11% of respondents (n = 3,236) identified as caregivers for other adults (age 18 and over), and 3% (n = 874) cared for both children and adults during the pandemic. Students who were caregivers for children may have been parents caring for their own children or family members (e.g., siblings). Students who were caregivers for adults may have been caring for their family members (e.g., parents, partners, spouses) or others. The results indicated that the pandemic has heightened caregivers’ financial hardships; specifically, students who were caregivers were more likely to experience the loss or reduction in family members’ income, loss or reduction of wages from off-campus and on-campus employment, and unexpected increases in living expenses or technology expenses compared to their peers who were not caregivers. Students who were caregivers were also more likely to experience food insecurity and housing insecurity compared to their peers who were not caregivers. Additionally, students who were caregivers were also more likely to screen positive for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder than their peers who were not caregivers. Finally, students who were caregivers were also more likely to lack access to an appropriate study environment and were less likely to be able attend scheduled online classes during the transition to remote learning.Item Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Students’ Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020-08) Soria, Krista M.; Horgos, Bonnie; Jones-White, Daniel; Chrikov, IgorOne in five undergraduates (22%) and graduate and professional students (19%) enrolled at large public research universities experienced food insecurity, according to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 31,687 undergraduate students at nine universities and 16,453 graduate and professional students from ten universities during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from the survey suggest that undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds experienced significantly higher rates of food insecurity compared to their peers. Specifically Black, Hispanic and Latinx, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and international students; low-income, poor, or working-class students; students who are caregivers to adults during the pandemic; first-generation students; and students who are transgender, nonbinary, bisexual, pansexual, or queer all experienced significantly higher rates of food insecurity during the pandemic compared to their peers. As colleges and universities prepare for the upcoming fall 2020 semester, we encourage them to provide resources to alleviate students’ food insecurity, offer students greater access to nutritious and affordable food, and expand food security efforts given that the pandemic is likely to disrupt students’ traditional means of accessing food on campus. We encourage institutional leaders to provide targeted outreach efforts to the students who are most likely to experience food insecurity and consider novel ways of providing students with access to free or discounted meals, even if institutions are offering primarily online classes.Item Undergraduates’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Disparities by Race and Ethnicity(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020) Soria, Krista M.; Roberts, Brayden J.; Horgos, Bonnie; Hallahan, KatieThe COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC students). The Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey was administered from May to July 2020 to 31,687 undergraduate students enrolled at nine large public research universities. Among the respondents, 0.1% were American Indian or Alaska Native (n = 36), 19.9% were Asian (n = 6,301), 4.2% were Black (n = 1,336), 3.7% were Latinx (n = 1,171), 0.1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (n = 42), 53.4% were White (n = 16,917), 13.1% were multiracial (n = 4,152), and 5.5% had an unknown or unreported race or ethnicity (n = 1,732). According to the results, BIPOC students were more likely to experience academic obstacles in the transition to remote instruction, including lacking access to technology, not being able to attend online class sessions, and lacking access to appropriate study spaces. BIPOC students were also more likely than White students to experience financial hardships, including the loss or reduction of wages from on-campus employment, unexpected increases for living expenses and technology, and loss or reduction of income of family. BIPOC students also experienced higher rates of food and housing insecurity, and were more likely to experience symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Finally, BIPOC students were less likely than White students to live in places free from emotional or physical abuse, where they felt their identities were respected, and where they felt safe and respected.Item Undergraduates’ Mental Health During the Pandemic: New Insights into Links with Financial Hardships, Academic Obstacles, and Support(SERU Consortium, University of California - Berkeley and University of Minnesota., 2020) Soria, Krista M.; Horgos, Bonnie; Luu, KevinThe COVID-19 pandemic has looming negative impacts on mental health of undergraduate students at research universities. According to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey of 31,048 undergraduate students conducted in May-July 2020 at nine public research universities, 35% of undergraduates screened positive for major depressive disorder and 39% screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder. We previously reported about the demographic disparities in students’ mental health disorders during the pandemic. In this brief, we highlight other factors during the pandemic that may compromise students’ mental health. Students who experienced financial hardships, including unexpected increases in spending for technology or living expenses, the loss or wages from on-campus or off-campus employment, the loss or cancellation of an expected job or internship, and food and housing insecurity had significantly higher rates of screening positive for symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder compared to students who did not experience financial hardships. Furthermore, students who experienced academic obstacles in the transition to online instruction had significantly higher rates of screening positive for symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder compared to their peers who did not experience those academic obstacles. Students who felt more supported by their institutions during the pandemic had lower rates of screening positive for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder compared to their peers who did not feel supported by their institutions.