Archive for category: Center for Educational Assessment

In March of 2023, researchers from the Center for Educational Assessment (CEA), along with instructor Kirsten Turlo, prepared a poster for the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success in Henderson, Nevada. The poster presented results from data collected over three quarters from a life science general education (GE) course that also meets the university diversity curriculum requirements. University diversity degree requirements are largely intended to change campus climate and increase cultural competency. CEA evaluated the effectiveness of instruction by examining student agreement on whether or not the course met the learning outcomes for the life science and diversity instructional units. Simultaneously, researchers assessed students’ attitudes about science and diversity before and after they completed the course. After each quarter, the instructor was given the results of the assessment, which were used to make changes to the course for subsequent quarters.

Pre-course attitudes about science were consistently and strongly positive, with small increases in positive responses upon course completion. For diversity attitudes, researchers found increased agreement with the statement, “a more diverse faculty would enhance my university” and “discriminatory practices still exist in American higher education because it has been institutionalized” from the pre- to post- course surveys. Moreover, between the Fall and Winter quarters, a lecture was added expressly addressing why course developers, Kirsten Turlo and Diana Rigueur, felt diversity content was critical. In the next quarter, there was an 11% decrease in agreement with the statement, “too much attention divides the campus community.” These findings suggest that continuously engaging with diversity content leads to greater shifts in positive attitudes toward diversity. Additionally, in all three quarters, students—whether or not they held positive attitudes toward diversity—overwhelmingly reported that the course achieved both the science and diversity learning outcomes.

The annual UCLA Senior Survey collects feedback from graduating seniors regarding their academic and social experiences, campus life, and post-graduate plans; over the past decade, it has become a powerful tool to support program review and wide-ranging efforts to improve teaching and learning on campus. This year, we piloted a customizable bank of questions, inviting departments with upcoming program reviews to design their own survey items. Two majors and two minors have participated so far in this new opportunity, with questions about equity and inclusion at the forefront. We look forward to reviewing findings from our pilot effort this summer.

As the nation grapples with the impact of historical and structural racism, UCLA seeks to create systemic change on campus and within the community. As part of a larger effort, the Center for Educational Assessment (CEA) recently received the Racial and Social Justice Grant, funded by UCLA’s Institute for American Cultures (IAC) and the Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA). The project, “All Bruins Belong: Addressing Inequities Through Positive Academic Engagement,” will work with underrepresented minority (URM) students and faculty to explore factors related to inequities and positive engagement in the classroom. In doing so, the project will identify best practices that encourage critical thinking and respectful dialogue to increase the sense of belonging at UCLA.

“All Bruins Belong” will bring together a team of researchers from across campus, including Adrienne Lavine (Associate Vice Provost, the Center for the Advancement of Teaching; Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), Charles J. Alexander (Associate Vice Provost for Student Diversity; Director, Academic Advancement Program), Paul Barber (Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), Molly S. Jacobs (Coordinator for Curriculum Assessment, CEA), Marc Levis-Fitzgerald (Director, CEA), Victoria Marks (Professor, Department of World Arts and Cultures; Associate Dean, School of Arts and Architecture; Chair, Disability Studies minor), and Vilma Ortiz (Professor, Department of Sociology). For more information on the grant, visit the RSJ program information page here.