UNCW Picked for National Study of Liberal Arts Education
10/28/2004 9:41:41 AM
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Oct. 28, 2004
Wilmington, N.C. – The University of North Carolina Wilmington has been picked as one of four pilot sites to participate in the National Study of Liberal Arts Education. UNCW is the only university in the South or on the East Coast to be selected along with the University of Michigan, Coe College and Kirkwood Community College.
The purpose of the first-of-its-kind study is to look at the impact of the college experience on a number of outcomes associated with student learning. The pilot project, to be conducted this academic year, is the first phase of an intensive study that will expand to include 20 colleges in fall 2005.
“This groundbreaking research will be used to improve educational experiences for our students as well as understand how these experiences facilitate student learning,” said Matt Mayhew, director of student life assessment in the UNCW Division of Student Affairs and study coordinator. Researchers will collect attitudes, opinions and perceptions of college from a select group of 200 UNCW students, 50 from each class, randomly selected. Participants will be paid $50.
These students will complete personal background and non-academic surveys this fall. In the spring, these same students will be asked to take a series of assessments measuring student learning. Fifty of these will then be interviewed to capture more detailed information about their experiences at UNCW. They will get an additional $30 for the interviews. Then a research team will come to campus to gather information about UNCW’s institutional culture and practices.
“This type of study has never been done before,” he said. “The results will let us know what UNCW is doing to help students learn. For instance, we will know how any experiences, such as participation in community service opportunities, attending lectures or engaging in student organizations, affect student learning.”
Mayhew explained that this study is intended to be longitudinal, meaning that the same students will be tracked over time. In this case, the same students will be tracked through college and into their professional careers.
The study will focus on seven outcomes: integration of learning; inclination to inquire and lifelong learning; effective reasoning and problem solving; moral character; intercultural effectiveness; leadership; and well-being.
A team of researchers from the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, and ACT will coordinate administration and data collection. The National Study of Liberal Arts Education is sponsored by the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College (www.liberalarts.wabash.edu).
Mayhew joined the UNCW staff in September of this year. He recently received his doctorate in higher education with a concentration in research, evaluation, and assessment from the University of Michigan. During his time at Michigan, he was part of the research team that wrote the grant request for the National Study of Liberal Arts Education, so he brought this research grant with him when he was hired at UNCW.
Prior to this, Mayhew received his master’s in social and development psychology from Brandeis University and his bachelor’s degree in psychology and theology from Wheaton College. His research interests include student outcomes assessment, evaluative research design and research methodologies.
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