- What is the purpose of the assessment tools?
The research team has created two unique assessment tools. The Student Academic Engagement and Success survey (SAES) measures undergraduate students’ academic engagement, psychological factors like motivation and self-regulation, and GPA in relation to their own academic success. The Online Weekly Journal (OWJ) is an online journal capturing students’ weekly academic engagement activities over eight weeks. It prompts students to report on the frequency of their engagement activities, motivations, reflections, and factors affecting their engagement.
2. How will I know if the assessment tools are right for my library?
If you are experiencing any of the following—interest in learning about students’ engagement across campus, or a desire for a deeper understanding of how students’ various abilities relate to their academic engagement—then these tools are right for you. The assessment tools are designed for academic libraries seeking to enhance their evaluation of library impact on student success. They are particularly valuable for libraries that lack the capacity or policies to implement learning analytics, as well as for those looking to supplement or replace their current use of learning analytics. For more information, please consult Powerpoint presentation entitled “Research Design (goals, tips, and timeline)”.
3. Do I need an IRB approval to use this assessment tools at my institution?
If you plan to generalize your findings, obtaining IRB approval is necessary. However, if you intend to use the assessment tools solely for improvement purposes, IRB approval may not be required; you will need to check your institutional policy for clarification. For more information, please consult Powerpoint presentation entitled “Research Design (goals, tips, and timeline)”.
4. Which online survey software did you use for the assessment tools?
The research team used the Qualtrics online software to create and disseminate the assessment tools and track student responses.
5. Can I customize survey questions to better suit our institution’s context, such as those related to campus activities?
Yes, any institution using the assessment tools should review each component carefully and identify areas that need adjustment based on their institutional context. For example, consider revising the names of campus centers in the response options for campus activities. For more information, please consult Powerpoint presentation entitled “Research Design (goals, tips, and timeline)”.
6. How did you attract students to participate in the two assessment tools?
Direct emails to students were used to recruit for the Student Academic Engagement and Success Survey, which also served as a recruitment tool for the follow-up Online Weekly Journal. As the first survey was a single survey and the latter a weekly commitment, follow up emails were scheduled to remind students to complete the Online Weekly Journals each week.
7. For the online weekly journal (OWJ), how did you incentivize the participants?
Effective recruitment of participants may involve offering an incentive, as our students’ time is valuable and limited. For this study, we offered incentives for both the Student Academic Engagement and Success (SAES) Survey and Online Weekly Journal (OWJ). However, because the large number of participants needed for the Student Academic Engagement and Success Survey, a random drawing was used to attract participants. Ten participants were randomly selected to receive a prize or e-gift card worth $100. The Online Weekly Journal participants were given an $80 incentive, representing $10 for each week of the eight-week period. The number of lottery winners and the amount of their prizes, as well as the compensation for OWJ, will depend on the institutional budget. For more information, please consult Powerpoint presentation entitled “Setting up Survey Tools & Collecting Data”.
8. Do I have to use all 8 weeks of the online weekly journal (OWJ) to use the assessment tools?
No, you do not need to use all 8 weeks of the OWJ. You have two options: you can use all 8 weeks, or only use the first and last weeks (weeks 1 and 8) of the OWJ.
9. Can I view the data collected through the original assessment tools?
Yes, the tools, datasets, and codebook are available here.
10. What are the key findings from the assessment tools?
From the SAES, it was found that at both host institutions, the most reported campus activity was visiting the University Library, followed by accessing the library website and visiting student organizations. Students most often reported visiting the library for individual study, computer use, taking a break, and socializing, while students reported they did not visit the library because they did not need library materials for their coursework or used alternative study spaces. Students primarily used the University Library website for database searches for books or articles and to check library hours, while reasons for not using the online library were not needing library materials for their coursework as or being able to find what they needed on Google.
Students reported that they struggled to avoid distraction and maintain concentration, and stress and social media emerged as top factors affecting academic work. Finally, students overwhelmingly gave “getting good grades/doing well in class” as their definition of academic success, followed by “balancing school, life, and other responsibilities” and “working hard, personal fulfillment and satisfaction”.
11. Are there any upcoming workshops or presentations about the assessment tools?
The research team has been invited to present the assessment tools and their findings at several conferences. Please consult the Publications, Conference presentations and workshops page for more details.
