A meta-analysis of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum student experiences at U.S. research universities
Greathouse, M., BrckaLorenz, A., Hoban, M., Huesman, R., Rankin, S., & Stolzenberg, E.
In Krista M. Soria Evaluating Campus Climate at U.S. Research Universities: Opportunities for Diversity and Inclusion Palgrave MacMillan, 2018.
Queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students remain a significantly underserved population within higher education, despite the presence of significant disparities related to campus climate, academic engagement, and health outcomes. In this chapter, the authors explore the climate for queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum undergraduate students attending US Public Research Universities within higher education through a meta-analysis of 2016 and 2017 national datasets assessing campus climate, academic outcomes, and health outcomes?each of which has incorporated sexual identity and gender identity demographics within their respective survey instruments.
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High-impact practices and student-faculty interactions across sexual orientations
Garvey, J. C., BrckaLorenz, A., Latopolski, K., & Hurtado, S. S.
Journal of College Student Development, 59(2), 211-226, 2018.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between high-impact practices and student?faculty interactions for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) students. Results yield few differences in participation of high-impact practices for LGBQ students compared to heterosexual students. Results also demonstrate the significant influences of student and institutional characteristics on high-impact practice participation for LGBQ students, and in particular student?faculty interactions.
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High-impact practices and student-faculty interactions for gender-variant students
BrckaLorenz, A., Garvey, J. C., Hurtado, S. S., & Latopolski, K.
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, , Advance online publication, 2017.
The vast amount of research on student success and engagement in college focuses on a narrative for majority student populations that does not account for unique experiences across social identities. This article examines the experiences of gender-variant students (i.e., students who do not identify as either cisgender men or women) regarding engagement in high-impact practices and student?faculty interactions using a large-scale, multi-institution quantitative data set collected from the 2014 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement. Although high-impact practice participation was similar for gender-variant and cisgender students, positive student-faculty interaction was found to be a significant predictor for increased high-impact practice participation for gender-variant students. Results from this study may also point to chillier climates of certain major fields for gender-variant students. Implications for these findings focus on investigating major choice as a mediating factor for high-impact practice participation and advocating for the inclusion of different gender identities in surveys, institutional data, and higher-education research.
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Creative cognitive processes in higher education
Miller, A. L., & Dumford, A. D.
The Journal of Creative Behavior, 50(4), pp. 282–293, 2016.
This paper explores whether or not students in higher education settings are using creative cognitive processes, how these processes are related to deep approaches to learning, and in what types of settings and students these processes are most prevalent. Data collected from 8,724 students at 17 institutions participating in the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement suggests that first-year and senior students employ several different creative cognitive processes in their everyday activities. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggest two distinct types of processes: deliberate creative processes and intuitive cognitive processes. Additional analyses indicate significant positive relationships between both types of creative processes and deep approaches to learning, as well as statistically significant differences in the use of creative processes based on gender, enrollment type, and type of institution. Potential reasons for and implications of these findings are discussed.

A lottery improves performance on a low-stakes test for males but not females
Cole, J. S., Bergin, D. A., & Summers, J.
Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy, and Practice, , 1–16, 2016.
The purpose of this study was to address the effectiveness of autonomy support and a lottery-based reward in enhancing test performance and test-taking motivation on a low-stakes test. Two hundred and forty-six university students were randomly assigned to three groups ? lottery, autonomy support and control ? and took a mathematics test. Students in the autonomy support and lottery group reported putting forth more test-taking effort than students in the control group. Males who were offered a chance at winning the financial reward scored almost 10 points higher on the exam compared to females. Results showed no significant difference in test scores for female students among groups, suggesting that neither intervention had an impact on females.

The who, what, and where of learning strategies
Dumford, A. D., Cogswell, C. A., & Miller, A. L.
The Journal of Effective Teaching, 16(1), 72-88, 2016.
Learning strategies have been shown to be an important part of success in the classroom, but little research exists that examines differences across major fields concerning the use and faculty emphasis of learning strategies. This study uses data from the National Survey of Student Engagement and the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement to explore whether there is congruence for academic disciplines between the student use and faculty encouragement of learning strategies. Patterns in the results suggest that are certain fields, including health professions, biology, agriculture, natural resources, and social service professions most frequently emphasizing and using learning strategies, while others, including engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, and computer science are less likely to do so. OLS regression models also suggest demographic and environmental predictors of student use of learning strategies, such as gender, enrollment status, cumulative college grades, Greek affiliation, and participation in a learning community. Potential reasons for and implications of these findings are discussed.

Creative cognitive processes in higher education
Miller, A. L., & Dumford, A. D.
The Journal of Creative Behavior, 50(4), pp. 282–293, 2014.
This paper explores whether or not students in higher education settings are using creative cognitive processes, how these processes are related to deep approaches to learning, and in what types of settings and students these processes are most prevalent. Data collected from 8,724 students at 17 institutions participating in the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement suggests that first-year and senior students employ several different creative cognitive processes in their everyday activities. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggest two distinct types of processes: deliberate creative processes and intuitive cognitive processes. Additional analyses indicate significant positive relationships between both types of creative processes and deep approaches to learning, as well as statistically significant differences in the use of creative processes based on gender, enrollment type, and type of institution. Potential reasons for and implications of these findings are discussed.

Making college count: An examination of quantitative reasoning activities in higher education
Rocconi, L. M., Lambert, A. D., McCormick, A. C., & Sarraf, S. A.
Numeracy, 6(2), Article 10, 2013.
Findings from national studies along with more frequent calls from those who employ college graduates suggest an urgent need for colleges and universities to increase opportunities for students to develop quantitative reasoning (QR) skills. To address this issue, the current study examines the relationship between the frequency of QR activities during college and student and institutional characteristics, as well as whether students at institutions with an emphasis on QR (at least one QR course requirement for all students) report more QR activity. Results show that gender, race-ethnicity, major, full-time status, first-generation status, age, institutional enrollment size, and institutional control are related to the frequency of QR activities. Findings also suggest that such activities are indeed more common among institutions that emphasize QR.
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Gender gaps in collegiate teaching style: Variations by course characteristics
Nelson Laird, T. F., Garver, A. K., & Niskodé-Dossett, A.S.
Research in Higher Education, 52, 261–277, 2011.
Using data from over 9,000 faculty members that participated in the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), this study examined the moderating role a range of course characteristics played on the effects of gender on the percentage of class time spent on various activities, a measure of teaching style. Results revealed gender differences, but that the gaps between men and women in lecturing and active classroom practices varied by disciplinary area, course level, and the number of times a course had been taught by the same instructor. The results confirm that gender effects depend on context, which implies that efforts to improve teaching and learning must also adapt to the instructional context.

How gender and race moderate the effect of interactions across difference on student perceptions of the campus environment
Nelson Laird, T. F., & Niskodé-Dossett, A. S.
The Review of Higher Education, 33(3), 333–356, 2010.
Relying on data from 37,122 first-year students and 42,285 seniors who participated in the 2006 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement, this study illustrates how student interactions across difference positively affect student perceptions of the campus environment. The magnitude of the effect of these interactions varies meaningfully by racial/ethnic group, but not by gender.

Gender differences in student engagement among African American undergraduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Harper, S. R., Carini, R. M., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J.
Journal of College Student Development, 45(3), 271–284, 2004.
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Gender, race, and performance expectations of college students
Mayo, M. W., & Christenfeld, N.
Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 27(2), 93–104, 1999.

Gender-based differences in perception of experiences in higher education: Gaining a broader perspective
Drew, T. L., & Work, G. G.
The Journal of Higher Education, 69(5), 542–555, 1998.

Differential impacts of academic and social experiences of college-related outcomes across different ethnic and gender groups at four-year institutions
Nora, A., Cabrerra, A., Hagedorn, L., & Pascarella, E.
Research in Higher Education, 37(4), 427-451, 1996.

Gender differences among incoming African American freshmen on academic and social expectations
Kim, S. H., & Sedlacek, W. E.
Journal of the Freshman Year Experience and Students in Transition, 8(1), 25-37, 1996.

The impact of the freshman year on epistemological development: Gender differences
Magolda, M. B.
The Review of Higher Education, 13(3), 259–284, 1990.

High-impact practices and student-faculty interactions for gender-variant students
BrckaLorenz, A., Garvey, J. C., Hurtado, S. S., & Latopolski, K.
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, , , 0.
The vast amount of research on student success and engagement in college focuses on a narrative for majority student populations that does not account for unique experiences across social identities. This article examines the experiences of gender-variant students (i.e., students who do not identify as either cisgender men or women) regarding engagement in high-impact practices and student?faculty interactions using a large-scale, multi-institution quantitative data set collected from the 2014 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement. Although high-impact practice participation was similar for gender-variant and cisgender students, positive student-faculty interaction was found to be a significant predictor for increased high-impact practice participation for gender-variant students. Results from this study may also point to chillier climates of certain major fields for gender-variant students. Implications for these findings focus on investigating major choice as a mediating factor for high-impact practice participation and advocating for the inclusion of different gender identities in surveys, institutional data, and higher-education research.

Connecting College Student Civic Engagement and Cultural Center Involvement
Copeland, Olivia; Feldman, Steven; BrckaLorenz, Allison
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, 2024, April.
In this study, we explore the relationship between cultural center involvement and college studentsâ?? civic engagement outcomes. We utilize data from a large-scale, multi-institutional data set to run a series of regression analyses. Findings indicate that participating in the activities of a cultural center positively correlates with higher levels of civic engagement skills and abilities as well as frequency of civic engagement. We also used effect coding in our models to explore sub-group differences within gender, sexual, and racial identity categories. Disaggregating by identity, our results indicate some disparities among students prior to considering their cultural center involvement. These findings present a significant counter to the widespread attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, evidencing the continued relevance and positive influence of cultural centers on all students.
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Connecting College Student Civic Engagement and Cultural Center Involvement
Copeland, Oliva M., Feldman, Steven, BrckaLorenz, Allison
ACPA Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, 2024, March.
In this study, we explore the relationship between cultural center involvement and college studentsâ?? civic engagement outcomes. We utilize data from a large-scale, multi-institutional data set to run a series of regression analyses. Findings indicate that participating in the activities of a cultural center positively correlates with higher levels of civic engagement skills and abilities as well as frequency of civic engagement. We also used effect coding in our models to explore sub-group differences within gender, sexual, and racial identity categories. Disaggregating by identity, our results indicate some disparities among students prior to considering their cultural center involvement. These findings present a significant counter to the widespread attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, evidencing the continued relevance and positive influence of cultural centers on all students.
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Investigating the Campus Pride Indexâ??s Relationship to Perceived Student Support
Copeland, Olivia M., Feldman, Steven, BrckaLorenz, Allison
ACPA Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, 2024, March.
The Campus Pride Index (CPI) is often used as a litmus test for assessing the level of LGBTQ+ inclusion and support within higher education institutions. However, little research has explicitly examined the relationship between CPI rating and LGBTQ+ studentsâ?? perceptions of supportiveness. To explore this, we analyzed 118,244 student responses about their institutionâ??s support for diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Results indicate that at top-rated CPI institutions, LGBQ+ students had lower perceptions of support than their peers. We discuss the implications of these results, focusing on how institutions may uncritically utilize CPI as the ceiling for LGBTQ+ support rather than a minimum, with ideas for how student affairs practitioners can utilize CPI while also going beyond CPIâ??s metrics.
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Teaching during the Pandemic: A Spectrum of Faculty Perspectives
Fassett, Kyle T.; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Hu, Tien-Ling
Association for the Study of Higher Education, 2021, November.
In this study, we holistically investigated the ways the pandemic altered how faculty navigated their roles. We examined how faculty adapted course reparation and teaching practices while considering faculty teaching needs and personal relationships. Findings from two national surveys show differences in faculty experiences by race, gender, sexual orientation, rank, and discipline. One finding showed White faculty tended to be less flexible regarding changes to their courses while Asian faculty tended to be more flexible in comparison to the average faculty response. We discuss both broad and specific implications for institutions and faculty for comprehending faculty teaching practices as well as understanding faculty holistically.
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A Quasi-Experimental Multilevel Study Examining High-Impact Practices and Deep Approaches to Learning
Fassett, Kyle T.; Haeger, Heather; BrckaLorenz, Allison
Association for the Study of Higher Education, 2020, November.
High-impact practice research often focuses on improving student persistence and academic achievement with less of an emphasis on the development of student learning processes. Further, many studies historically center majority populations in research due to sample size restrictions or methodological procedures. This study uses national survey data to examine over 347,000 seniors? experiences at more than 1,100 four-year colleges and universities with high-impact practices and students? reported learning processes. A hierarchical linear model with propensity scores and effect codes show the relationship between six high impact practices and students? learning processes while de-centering motivating factors and majority populations. Findings indicate both service-learning and learning communities promoted the outcomes under investigation with mixed results among the others. Differences emerged by race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ability status. We broadly discuss implications for higher education and future research.
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Student Living Arrangements: An Exploration of Marginalized Identities
Fassett, Kyle T.; Gonyea, Robert M.; Graham, Polly A.; Fosnacht, Kevin
ACPA-College Student Affairs Educators International Convention, Nashville, TN, 2020, March.
While past research found on-campus living to benefit student success, recent studies find mixed support, particularly for marginalized groups. This study focuses on first-year and sophomore students of color, LGBQ+ students, gender non-binary students, and students with disabilities, analyzing where they live as related to a variety of outcomes. Data come from 76 residential colleges and universities that participated in NSSE during 2018. Results show differences in where students report living and students? engagement and perceptions of belongingness and safety in their living communities.
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High-impact practices and student-faculty interactions for gender variant students
BrckaLorenz, A., Garvey, J. C., Hurtado, S. S., & Latopolski, K.
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 2016, April.
The vast amount of research on student success and engagement in college focuses on a narrative for majority student populations that does not account for unique experiences across social identities. This paper examines the experiences of gender variant students (i.e., students who do not identify as either cisgender men or women) regarding engagement in high-impact practices and student-faculty interactions using a large-scale, multi-institution quantitative data set. Although high-impact practice participation was similar for gender variant and cisgender students, positive student-faculty interaction was found to be a significant predictor for increased high-impact practice participation for gender variant students. Results from this study may also point to chillier climates of certain major fields for gender variant students. Implications for these findings focus on increasing gender variant students‘ participation in high-impact practices, creating more safe and positive learning environments for gender variant students, and advocating for the inclusion of different gender identities in surveys, institutional data, and higher education research.
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Understanding faculty experiences with discrimination: The role of intersecting identity and institutional characteristics
Hurtado, S., & BrckaLorenz, A.
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 2016, April.
Understanding the experience of faculty members has been an important focus of higher education literature, particularly the prevalence of discrimination for underrepresented populations. Experiences with discrimination have the potential to negatively impact aspects of faculty overall experience, including satisfaction and retention and perceptions of campus climate. Most previous literature focuses on one or two specific identity characteristics (e.g. gender and race/ethnicity) and less attention has been paid to ways in which various identity characteristics intersect in one‘s experience. Using a large-scale multi-institution data set, this quantitative study examines faculty experiences with discrimination by identity and institutional characteristics, its impact on faculty ability to work, and perceptions of institutional support. Findings indicate nearly half of faculty who experienced discrimination indicated it was based on two or more identities and of the identities provided, academic rank was the highest reported reason for discrimination.
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Undermatching and the first-year experience: Examining effect heterogeneity
Fosnacht, K.
Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, Denver, CO, 2015, November.
Academic undermatching, which occurs when a student with the academic credentials to compete for admission to a selective school enrolls at a substantially less-selective institution, has increasingly gained the attention of policymakers and researchers as a potential reason for the nation‘s lower-than-desired college completion rate. The relationship between undermatching and college outcomes, however, is not well understood. Following up on a previous study that found undermatching had mixed effects on outcomes in first-year students‘ engagement, perceived gains, and satisfaction, this study examines if these relationships vary by race/ethnicity, parental education, and gender. Results indicate that the relationship between undermatching and the aforementioned outcomes differed by race/ethnicity and gender but not by parental education. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
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Item nonresponse bias on the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement
Chiang, Y.-C., & BrckaLorenz, A.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Denver, CO, 2015, May.
Survey researchers often wonder about the impact of missing data and whether a sample with missing data is representative of a larger population. This study investigates the prevalence of item nonresponse bias among participants in the FSSE survey and its impact on the estimates of ten FSSE scale scores by comparing item nonresponse patterns across faculty-level characteristics such as gender identity, racial or ethnic identification, citizenship, employment status, academic rank, and the number of undergraduate or graduate courses taught. These analyses examined a set of FSSE items that comprise ten FSSE scales.
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Global perspectives in curricula and deep approaches to learning: Examining faculty practices for engagement
Peck, L., Chiang, Y.-C., & BrckaLorenz, A.
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 2015, April.
Many higher education institutions today are placing a high level of importance on internationalization. One of the most popular means of providing students with a global perspective is through internationalizing a course curriculum. Global learning experiences in the classroom are seen as a way to expose students to multiple points of view on issues and foster cross-cultural understanding. Using results from the 2014 administration of the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), this study compared faculty use of global perspectives in student learning to their use of reflective and integrative learning and higher order learning practices?to see how the two are related. The influences of faculty characteristics, such as gender and academic rank, as well as institutional characteristics, will also be explored.
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Student perspectives on the importance and use of technology in learning
BrckaLorenz, A., Haeger, H., Nailos, J., & Rabourn, K.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Long Beach, CA, 2013, May.
Under constant demands to improve the quality of higher education within an increasingly digital world, technology is often seen as a way to increase learning and collaboration on college campuses. The current generation of college students has grown up with technology, and these students are among the earliest adopters of new advances in technology (Jones, 2002; Haney, 2011). Allowing students to connect to their campus community, collaborate with peers, acquire new information, and demonstrate their learning through technology is essential for college campuses seeking to meet the needs of today‘s college students. Though access and use of technology is highest in traditional age college students, disparity still exists in who uses technology and at what age they are exposed to it (Jones et al., 2009; Pew Research Center, 2012; Wilson, Wallin, & Reiser, 2003). Race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, among other factors, can impact the level of technical proficiency students come to college with and should be considered in how technology is implemented on college campuses (Goode, 2010; Hargittai, 2010; Huang, Hood, & Yoo, 2012). In order to effectively use technology to improve education, we must investigate how students are currently using technology, what they want from their colleges in the use of technology, how technology impacts educational outcomes, and how these factors differ for different student populations. How do these perceptions of importance vary by different types of students and students in different institutional settings? To what extent has students‘ technology use enabled them to understand, demonstrate their understanding, or study on their own or with others? How does such uses of technology relate to other important forms of educationally effective engagement? This study uses a large-scale dataset to explore these issues and provide information to institutions of higher education to effectively implement greater technology use among students.
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Faculty emphasis on diversity conversations and conversations with diverse others
BrckaLorenz, A., Nelson Laird, T., & Shaw, M.
AAC&U Modeling Equity, Engaging Difference Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2012, October.
Using data from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), this study examines how often faculty structure class sessions around diverse topics and how often faculty report students having serious conversations with diverse others in their courses. Findings suggest that faculty most often structure course sessions around economic and social inequalities and report students having the most conversations with people of differing economic or social backgrounds. Faculty members‘ gender and race matter in predicting these measures of diversity in the classroom, but disciplinary area was the strongest predictor. Implications for assessment and institutional research are discussed.
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Faculty emphasis on diversity topics and conversations with diverse others
Nelson Laird, T. F., Shaw, M. D., Cole, E. R., BrckaLorenz, A., & Cervera, Y.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, New Orleans, LA, 2012, June.
Using data from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), this study examines how often faculty structure class sessions around diverse topics and how often faculty report students having serious conversations with diverse others in their courses. Findings suggest that faculty most often structure course sessions around economic and social inequalities and report students having the most conversations with people of differing economic or social backgrounds. Faculty members‘ gender and race matter in predicting these measures of diversity in the classroom, but disciplinary area was the strongest predictor. Implications for assessment and institutional research are discussed.
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Time spent on research with undergraduate students: Gender differences among STEM faculty
Lambert, A. D., Garver, A. K., BrckaLorenz, A., & Haywood, A.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Atlanta, GA., 2009, June.

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Gender & racial-ethnic gaps among entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors
Cole, J. S., & Kinzie, J.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Seattle, WA, 2008, May.

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How gender and race moderate the effect of peer interactions across difference on student and faculty perceptions of the campus environment
Nelson Laird, T. F., & Niskodé, A. S.
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 2008, March.

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Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students and their engagement in educationally purposeful activities in college
Gonyea, R. M., & Moore, J. V.
Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, Louisville, KY, 2007, November.
Three research questions guided this study: 1. What are the demographic and enrollment characteristics of GLBT students attending four year colleges? 2. What is the relationship of GLBT status to student engagement as represented by the NSSE benchmarks of effective educational practice? 3. Do GLBT students who are more open to others about their sexual orientation differ from those who are less open?
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The relationship between gender and student engagement in college
Kinzie, J., Gonyea, R., Kuh, G. D., Umbach, P., Blaich, C., & Korkmaz, A.
Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, Louisville, KY, 2007, November.
This paper examines the engagement patterns of male and female undergraduates in different types of baccalaureate-granting institutions. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical linear modeling show that on balance, undergraduate women participate more frequently than their male counterparts in educationally purposeful activities. Male first-year and senior students devote less time and effort to academic challenge tasks, such as working hard to meet expectations and spending time studying; senior males also participated less often in active and collaborative learning activities. Institutional type is unrelated to gender differences in engagement. The results point to areas where institutions could focus efforts to enhance the quality of the undergraduate experience for all students.
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Gender gaps: Understanding teaching style differences between men and women
Nelson Laird, T. F., Garver, A., & Niskodé, A. S.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Kansas City, MO, 2007, June.
Using data from over 9,000 faculty that participated in the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, this study found gender differences in the percentage of class time spent on various activities, a measure of teaching style, but that the gaps between men and women in lecturing and active classroom practices, for example, can vary by factors including disciplinary area and course size.

Gender gaps: Understanding teaching style differences between men and women
Nelson Laird, T. F., Garver, A. K., & Niskodé, A. S.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Kansas City, MO, 2007.
Using data from over 9,000 faculty that participated in the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, this study found gender differences in the percentage of class time spent on various activities, a measure of teaching style, but that the gaps between men and women in lecturing and active classroom practices, for example, can vary by factors including disciplinary area and course size.
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Student living arrangements: An exploration of marginalized identities
Fassett, K. L., Gonyea, R. M., Graham, P. A., & Fosnacht, K. J.
American College Personnel Association Annual Convention, Columbus, OH, March.
While past research found on-campus living to benefit student success, recent studies find mixed support, particularly for marginalized groups. This study focuses on first-year and sophomore students of color, LGBQ+ students, gender nonbinary students, and students with disabilities, analyzing where they live as related to a variety of outcomes. Data come from 76 residential colleges and universities that participated in NSSE during 2018. Results show differences in where students report living and students? engagement and perceptions of belongingness and safety in their living communities.

Exploring how inclusive name/pronoun policies and practices relate to quality of interactions
Feldman, Steven; Copeland, Olivia; BrckaLorenz, Allison
Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2024, November.
Using a large-scale, multi-institution dataset, we explore the relationship between name/pronoun policies and practices and college studentsâ?? quality of interactions with other students, advisors, faculty, staff, and administrators on campus. Findings indicate that more affirming policies and practices were associated with more positive quality of interactions, especially for transgender students.
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Beyond Demographics: Incorporating Equitable and Inclusive Language about Student Identities in Surveys
Miller, Angela; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Kilgo, Cindy Ann; Priddie, Christen; Wenger, Kevin; Zhu, Yihan
Assessment Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 2023, October.
A new workgroup within the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) focuses on Equity in Survey Design, Administration, Analysis, and Reporting (ESDAR). The workgroup has made changes to survey items for the 2023 administration. These revisions were aimed at more inclusive and equitable language, particularly related to items asking about student identities such as gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, first-generation status, and Greek life participation. Attendees will learn about the rationale behind these revisions, and be asked to reflect on whether their own institutional assessments use equitable and inclusive language.
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How Do We Know Advising Is Done Well? Using NACADA Core Competencies to Assess Advising
Cole, James & Kinzie, Jillian
NACADA Annual Conference, 2020, October.
This sessions suggests how institutions can use NSSE & the Advising Module to:
* consider advising practice overall (are students experiencing quality advising to support learning, engagement and persistence?),
* assess the impact of advising aligned with NACADA standards,
* investigate differences in advising experiences by race/ethnicity, first generation status, gender identity, and disability status for their students, and
* determine if groups of students for example, those earning lower grades or who have lower intentions to return differ in their advising experiences.
View the recorded presentation
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Lost at the crossing? Tips for assessing intersectional experiences
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Fassett, Kyle T.; Kirnbauer, Tom; Washington, Sylvia
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, 2020, May.
Faculty and administrators are often tasked with educating the whole student upon their arrival at college, so it is important to understand ways to assess the whole student. Often student demographics and characteristics are examined one at a time such as by examining differences by racial/ethnic, gender, or other known influences on the student experience. Disaggregating data in this way, allows us to better understand how different students understand and participate in their environment. This poster provides an overview of four different examples to better examine small populations with attention to intersections of identity.
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"Step it up": Increasing LGBTQ+ inclusivity in and out of class
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Duran, Antonio; Haeger, Heather; Velasquez, Selena
AAC&U's Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Conference, 2020, March.
Creating a positive campus climate for LGBTQ+ folx requires efforts both in-and out-of-class. The lack of representation/visibility of diverse experiences can be detrimental for all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. To frame the discussion of LGBTQ+ inclusive courses and campuses, this session will utilize analyses from a large-scale, multi-institution quantitative and qualitative data set. This study examined student perceptions of the inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues in curricula and the relationship to other forms of engagement. We use individual?s write-in responses along with scholarship to guide an organic dialogue where participants share their experiences as well as learn strategies to bring back to their own communities.
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Including mental wellness: A more holistic view of student success
Washington, S.; Brandon, J.; Holmes, B.; BrckaLorenz, A.
ACPA-College Student Affairs Educators International Convention, 2020, March.
To better support diverse student populations, this study uses large-scale, multi-institution survey data that focuses on students? mental wellness. Participants in this session will discuss the relationship that race and gender have on students? mental wellness, explore how adverse feelings affect student success, and gain insight into students? awareness of how to get help. Implications will focus on holistic and proactive solutions.
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An examination of inclusivity and support for diversity in STEM fields
Haeger, H., BrckaLorenz, A., & Priddie, C.
AAC&U Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019, March.
To diversify STEM fields, it is imperative that institutions of higher education move beyond looking at diversity in terms of numerical representation on a narrow set of categories (race/ethnicity, gender 38 and socioeconomic status) by exploring the culture and climate of campuses. Using data from a large- scale, multi-institution study of undergraduate students, we not only look at how proportionally represented students are in STEM fields by a wide variety of identity characteristics, but also explore how perceptions of institutional commitment to inclusivity and culturally engaging coursework compare for STEM and non-STEM students. Within STEM fields, we also examine how students with different identity characteristics perceive institutional commitment to inclusivity.

Searching for belonging: Queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students of color in American higher education
Greathouse, M., & BrckaLorenz, A.
National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Annual Conference, New Brunswick, NJ, 2019, March.
This session will highlight findings from a national study of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students of color at 4-year colleges and universities across the United States. Participants will learn about the intersections of race, gender, sexuality and gain a better understanding of the experiences, strengths and disparities among queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students of color.
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Using evidence to promote effective educational practice and the success of all students
Hayek, J., Kinzie, J., & McCormick, A.
SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference, Denver, CO, 2018, August.
Combining findings from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) with insights from a system-level chief academic officer, this session first provides an overview of public institutions‘ student engagement results by race/ethnicity and first-generation status, including results suggesting progress in American higher education in providing welcoming, supportive environments for all students and a positive association between participation in high-impact practices and higher levels of satisfaction and perceived support for all racial/ethnic groups. The presenters then highlight new evidence regarding students‘ experiences with a variety of inclusive and culturally engaging practices, showing?by student characteristics such as racial/ethnic identity, gender identity, and sexual orientation?the relationships of these activities to educational practices that promote learning and development and to students' perceived gains in areas such as informed, active citizenship and understanding people of other backgrounds. The session concludes by discussing how institutions and states can best promote equitable experiences and what the findings on inclusivity and cultural diversity suggest for preparing students to participate in a diverse workplace and a globally interconnected world.
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Assessing small populations: Recognizing everyone counts in your counts
BrckaLorenz, A., & Hurtado, S.
Student Affairs Assessment and Research Conference, Columbus, OH, 2018, June.
Quantitative and survey research depends heavily on large sample sizes, but a focus on the ?average student? in quantitative analyses often hides diverse voices. Participants in this session will discuss common issues and solutions associated with giving voice to small populations of college students (e.g., gender variant, multiracial, LGBQ+). Participants will discuss administration issues related to small populations such as increasing response rates, identifying special subpopulations, and writing more inclusive survey questions. Tips for disaggregating, responsibly aggregating, and choosing inclusive comparative information will be provided. Additionally, participants will discuss strategies for analyzing and communicating about the results from small populations as well as approaches for communicating about the validity and data quality from small sample sizes.
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Assessing small populations: Recognizing everyone counts in your counts
BrckaLorenz, A., Fassett, K., & Hurtado, S.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Orlando, FL, 2018, May.
Quantitative and survey research depends heavily on large sample sizes, but there are a variety of reasons why larger sample sizes may not be possible. Participants in this presentation will discuss common issues and solutions associated with assessing small populations of college students and instructors. Examples will focus on the experiences of gender variant and LGBQ+ students and faculty. Participants will also learn about and discuss administration issues related to small populations such as increasing response rates and identifying special subpopulations. Next, participants will learn about and discuss strategies for analyzing and communicating the results from small populations. Finally, participants will learn about and discuss approaches for communicating the validity and data quality from small sample sizes.

Capturing demographic data on queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students
Greathouse, M., BrckaLorenz, A., Hoban, M., Huesman, R., & Stolzenberg, E.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Orlando, FL, 2018, May.
diversity, gender, sexual orientation
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Emerging research on queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students in higher education
Greathouse, M., BrckaLorenz, A., Hoban, M., Rankin, S., & Stolzenberg, E.
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 2018, April.
Queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students remain a significantly underserved population within higher education, despite the presence of significant disparities across measures of campus climate, academic engagement, and overall health. This paper explores the campus climate, overall health, and academic engagement of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum undergraduate students attending four-year colleges and universities in the US through an analysis of seven national data sets, including the 2017 data sets of the National Survey of Student Engagement (Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University Bloomington), the 2016 Undergraduate Student Experience at the Research University Survey (SERU-AAU Consortium, Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California-Berkeley and University of Minnesota Twin Cities), the 2016 American College Health Association--National College Health Assessment, and the 2016 data sets of four surveys conducted by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, including The Freshman Survey (TFS), the Your First College Year Survey (YFCY), the Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE), and the College Senior Survey (CSS) (University of California-Los Angeles, Higher Education Research Institute).
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Queer and gender variant students: Exploring civic engagement for increasingly diverse populations
BrckaLorenz, A., Greathouse, M., Kinzie, J., & Stolzenberg, E.
AAC&U Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Democracy 2018 Conference, San Diego, CA, 2018, March.
Colleges and universities offer students a significant opportunity to be exposed to issues of inclusion and diversity, including course-based diversity initiatives and inclusive environments. Yet, it is critical to know how much faculty include these initiatives in their practice and how they align with students‘ perceptions of their experiences and the environment. Workshop facilitators will highlight results from the 2017 National Survey of Student Engagement and Faculty Survey of Student Engagement Inclusiveness and Engagement with Cultural Diversity topical module to introduce participants to these new findings and the important relationship between course-based diversity experiences and perceptions of inclusive environments. Results will be disaggregated by various student demographic and institutional characteristics to strengthen discussion. Participants will consider a case study from an institution that administered the module and then engage in the identification of actionable ideas.
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Queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum student experience in higher education
Greathouse, M., Rankin, S., BrckaLorenz, A., & Hoban, M.
NASPA Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, 2018, March.
Presenters in this session conducted a joint meta-analysis of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum student responses to their respective surveys. The meta-analysis includes NSSE, ACHA-NCHA, SERU and all CIRP surveys conducted during the 2016-2017 academic year. Presenters will discuss the complicated landscape for survey research with these populations, the limitations of these instruments, and implications for policy and practice.
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Student engagement with inclusivity and cultural diversity: Considering new NSSE module results
Kinzie, J., BrckaLorenz, A., & Silberstein, S.
AAC&U Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Democracy 2018 Conference, San Diego, CA, 2018, March.
Colleges and universities today are invested in preparing their graduates for democratic participation. Learning more about the extent to which queer and gender variant students engage with civic activities is important to ensure responsive programming, but also to understand the ways that queer and gender variant students may be participating and making civic commitments. Participants will engage in an interactive presentation of findings from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the CIRP Freshman Survey and College Senior Survey, sharing their perspectives on anticipated and unanticipated findings related to queer and gender variant students‘ engagement in civic-minded activities and leadership experiences. Participants will discuss findings utilizing case studies that explore the ways in which institutions of various profiles cultivate and sustain civic engagement among queer and gender variant students. They will work together to generate ideas for sustaining or creating high levels of civic learning.
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Engagement and characteristics of queer students
BrckaLorenz, A., & Clark, J.
Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Annual Conference, Halifax, NS, Canada, 2017, June.
Research shows there are differences in the college experience for queer students. Sexual orientation impacts academic experiences, intellectual development, and student perceptions of campus climate. This session will explore the participation of nearly 800 queer first-year and seniors students in activities that promote learning and development at ten institutions. Additional demographics and characteristics of queer students as well as patterns of engagement in activities such as reflective and integrative learning, student-faculty interaction, and high-impact practices. Although some comparison will be made to straight students at Canadian institutions and queer students at institutions in the US, the focus of this discussion will be on queer students at Canadian institutions. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on and discuss the engagement of queer students in different contexts and what that means for efforts to increase or maintain a high level of engagement for queer students in courses and across institutions.
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Evolving identities: Survey changes over time
BrckaLorenz, A., & Clark, J.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Washington, DC, 2017, May.
Studies show there are differences in the college experience for students from underrepresented backgrounds, including non-heterosexual and gender variant students. These differences in experience are due in part to experiences of discrimination and negative campus climate for these students. This presentation will examine how a large-scale survey for students at colleges and universities was updated to include more inclusive items about gender identity and sexual orientation, and will explore the various identities described by students. Challenges for surveying, analyzing, and disseminating results will also be discussed. Finally, participants will learn about the engagement, perceptions of campus support, and satisfaction of students with varying gender identities and sexual orientations from a longitudinal, large-scale, multi-institution survey of students at four-year colleges and universities.
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Exploring student engagement, gender identity, and sexual orientation
BrckaLorenz, A., Clark, J., & Hurtado, S.
AAC&U Diversity, Learning, & Student Success Conference, Jacksonville, FL, 2017, March.
This session will present the latest NSSE findings about gender identity and sexual orientation and how students with gender variant and non-straight identities engage in effective educational practices. After three years of data collection from hundreds of colleges and universities across the country, a fairly comprehensive picture of student identity can be examined. Participants will discuss study findings and share issues their campuses face in identifying and engaging students with nontraditional identities. Further, session facilitators and participants will work together to create plans for making change in areas they can influence (courses, departments, programs.)
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Collecting, analyzing, and reporting on data from small populations
BrckaLorenz, A., Hurtado, S., & Nelson Laird, T.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, New Orleans, LA, 2016, June.
Quantitative and survey research depends heavily on large sample sizes, but there are a variety of reasons why larger sample sizes may not be possible. Participants in this session will discuss common issues and solutions associated with assessing small populations of college students and instructors, with considerations for special subpopulations (gender variant, multiracial, etc.) as well as considerations for small institutions. Participants will also learn about and discuss administration issues related to small populations such as increasing response rates and identifying special subpopulations. Next, participants will learn about and discuss strategies for analyzing and communicating about the results from small populations. Finally, participants will learn about and discuss approaches for communicating the validity and data quality from small sample sizes.
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Gender identity and sexual orientation: Survey challenges and lessons learned
BrckaLorenz, A., Clark, J., & Hurtado, S.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, New Orleans, LA, 2016, June.
Research shows there are differences in the college experience for students from underrepresented backgrounds, including non-heterosexual and gender variant students. This is due in part to experiences of discrimination and negative campus climate for these students. Participants in this session will learn about and discuss the assessment of and conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation on other campuses, and the challenges and potential solutions for writing more inclusive survey questions about complex identities. Challenges and potential strategies for surveying, disseminating results, and talking about difficult or sensitive topics on college campuses will also be discussed. Finally, participants will learn about the engagement, perceptions of campus support, and satisfaction, of students with varying gender identities and sexual orientations from a longitudinal, large-scale, multi-institution survey of students at four-year colleges and universities.
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A look within: STEM faculty emphasizing deep approaches to learning
Dumford, A. D., Ribera, A. K., & Nelson Laird, T.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Denver, CO, 2015, May.
Disciplinary culture plays a significant role in the extent faculty emphasize and students‘ engage in deep approaches to learning. This study narrowly focuses on STEM faculty and the variation in their emphasis on two components of deep learning--reflective and integrative learning and higher-order learning. Specifically, patterns in faculty promoting deep approaches to learning in mathematics, biology, mechanical engineering, computer science, physics, and psychology are examined. The effect of gender in these fields is also considered.
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Gender identity: What we can learn from inclusivity
BrckaLorenz, A., & Hurtado, S.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Denver, CO, 2015, May.
The number of students with gender variant identities is growing on college campuses, but, currently, it is difficult to collect reliable statistics on this population. This presentation examines how a large-scale survey for students at colleges and universities was updated with a more inclusive item about gender identity and explores the various gender identities described by students. Study results will also investigate similarities and differences between students with gender variant identities on measures of student engagement, campus support, and satisfaction. Participants will discuss challenges in assessing students with complex or nontraditional identities and strategies for providing an equitable, high-quality education for all.
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Exploring student engagement and gender identity
BrckaLorenz, A., & Nelson Laird, T. F.
AAC&U Diversity, Learning, & Student Success Conference, San DIego, CA, 2015, March.
Through an interactive presentation of findings from a new item about gender identity on the National Survey of Student Engagement, participants in this session will learn about the different gender identities of college students and how students with diverse gender identities engage in effective educational practices. Participants will discuss study findings and share issues their campuses face in identifying and engaging students with nontraditional gender identities. Further, session facilitators and participants will work together to create plans for making change in areas they can influence (courses, departments, programs, etc.).
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Categorizing identities: Race, gender, disability, and sexual orientation
BrckaLorenz, A., Haeger, H., & Zilvinskis, J.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Orlando, FL, 2014, May.
In survey research, the treatment of demographic information often ignores the complexity of identity. Instead of treating aspects of identity as clear-cut, simple questions, self-categorization theory illustrates the fluid and contextual nature of self-identification (Abdelal, 2009; Onorato & Turner, 2004; Turner, Oakes, & Haslam, 1994). Accounting for the fluidity and multiplicity of individual identity in survey research can be difficult. For example, the U.S. Census in 2000 was the first time that respondents could select more than one racial category. Certainly, this change in the survey could lead to more accurate representation of individual identity, but there may be disadvantages to augmenting demographic questions, such as difficulty comparing to data from previous years or unintended consequences like multiracial individuals being ?lumped‘ together despite having very different experiences. For institutional researchers, collecting demographic data can create competing priorities between uniform data reporting for national agencies, specialized information gathering for institutional partners, and inclusive question wording that represent the complexity of identity.
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Racial and gender inequities in undergraduate teaching: Findings and concerns
Nelson Laird, T., & BrckaLorenz, A.
Professional & Organizational Development Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 2013, November.
As campuses try to reinvigorate undergraduate education, they encourage faculty to rely on educational experiences and promote outcomes much applauded in higher education (e.g., high-impact practices). In this session, participants will learn about racial and gender differences in how much faculty use and emphasize some of these practices and outcomes. Facilitators and participants will discuss implications of the findings, including concerns about equity and the need for institutional planning and faculty development as avenues to mitigate inequity.
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Faculty understanding and perceptions of the tenure process
BrckaLorenz, A., Peck, L., Ribera, A., & Ribera T.
Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Long Beach, CA, 2013, May.
The tenure process varies greatly by disciplinary area and institutional type. Gender, race or ethnicity, and age have also shaped the way faculty experience and perceive the process. In order to support faculty members with diverse backgrounds and interests, campus leaders should make it a priority to routinely evaluate the equity of tenure processes at their institutions. This poster informs participants of a multi-institutional study that assessed the peer support faculty received while going through the process as well as to what extent their processes were reasonable, fair, work-life balanced, and satisfying. Differences by faculty and institutional characteristics are shared.
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First-year student engagement and STEM: Gender and racial-ethnic differences
Lambert, A. D., Kinzie, J., & Cole, J. S.
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA., 2009, April.

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Gender matters in college choice: Asking the right questions
Kinzie, J.
NACAC National Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 2006, October.

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New Insights on Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Engagement
In Engagement Insights: Survey Findings on the Quality of Undergraduate Education—Annual results 2017, 6.
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Out on Campus
In Engagement Insights: Survey Findings on the Quality of Undergraduate Education—Annual results 2017, 7.
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Winthrop University: Improving Retention and Graduation for Special Populations
In Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education—Annual results 2016, 6.
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Perceptions of Safety and Belonging
In Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education—Annual results 2016, 7.
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Instructional Staff Race and Gender Relate to Experiences with Faculty
In Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education—Annual results 2016, 10 - 11.
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Difficulty Paying for College
In Fostering student engagement campuswide—Annual results 2011, 19.
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Another Look at Gender
In Experiences that matter: Enhancing student learning and success—Annual report 2007, 27 - 28.
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How Do We Know Advising Is Done Well? Using NACADA Core Competencies to Assess Advising
Jim Cole & Jilian Kinzie
October 5, 2020.

Recording