A New Generation: Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, Immigration and the Undergraduate Experience at the University of California. General Report on the Results of the 2006 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey
Author: Brint, Steve
Date: 2007-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Research Universities,Student Experience,Socioeconomic Status,Ethnicity,Immigrants,Undergraduate Study,College Students,Satisfaction,Student Attitudes,Educational Improvement,Accountability,Academic Achievement,Student Characteristics,Income,Language Usage,Time Factors (Learning),Student Responsibility,Student Participation,Socioeconomic Influences,Scores,Leisure Time,Writing Skills,Communication Skills,Academic Aspiration,Student Personnel Services,Service Learning,Political Issues

The Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Project is a collaborative effort of academic scholars, IR staff, and academic and administrative leaders at each of the UC (University of California) undergraduate campuses and at UCOP (University of California Office of  the President). The objective is to develop new types of data and scholarly analyses that are innovative and policy-relevant for the academic and civic experience of students at the University of California, and more generally the students of major research universities. The project's initial focus has been on the burgeoning ten-campus University of California system, which is estimated to grow by some 60,000 additional students in the next ten or so years. As noted, one of the main products of the SERU Project is the development of the University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), currently administered in association with the Office of Student Research at Berkeley, the University of California's Office of the President, and the nine undergraduate UC campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. First administered in Spring 2002, UCUES is currently the only census survey of students at a large research university system. This report provides a sample of the rich data resource provided by UCUES. This university-wide survey provides new information on the variety and breadth of the undergraduate experience at the University of California. In general, the university achieves very high rates of satisfaction in key academic areas; however, there is significant variation in that experience that needs further study. The authors intend this report and subsequent surveys and analysis to stimulate discussion among UC faculty, students and administrators about: (1) How to improve the undergraduate experience at the University of California; (2) Possible integration of UCUES into accountability and program review processes, such as accreditation; and (3) Further research into the nature and causes of academic engagement and disengagement, and about how underlying differences in students' backgrounds affect their learning experience. SERU Project Research Team and Collaborators is appended. (Contains 1 footnote and 52 figures.) [Funding for this report was provided by the Vice Chancellors for Student Affairs on each of the nine undergraduate campuses of the University of California, along with the UC Berkeley Office of Student Research.]