Aligning Curricular Support With Student Acculturation:

Results of a Mixed-Method Study

CNI Project Briefing, Minneapolis, April 2009

Andrea Nixon, Heather Tompkins, and Paula Lackie

Sample Findings: Characteristics of Study Spaces

The student survey analysis provides rich insights into the ways in which Carleton students perceive their working environments and the choices they make in engaging the campus while working on assignments. 

Survey Analysis: Study Space Preferences and Assignment Type

Students working on writing assignments (text analyses, essays, research papers, short essays) more frequently reported looking for comfortable furniture, solitary, and quiet spaces with wireless access than did students reporting about other assignment types. This same group was less likely to select the characteristic of “help nearby” than other student respondents.  …In contrast, students working on problem sets, image creation, lab assignments, exams, and presentations more frequently reported looking for study locations based on having help nearby. This group was less likely to look for comfortable furniture, solitary work environments, or wireless networking. (p. 76)

Case Study Interviews: Departmentally-Based Support Communities

In the course of interviews, student participants described the environment in the departmental lab in which they worked on their assignment: “people [are] around so if we have questions, we can ask them,” said Student 4, noting that there were normally one or two other students in the class working on the lab. Student 2 noted that the support community extended beyond members of the class. The student described the computer lab as a place “where you go and wait for a senior to come who knows how to use Illustrator.” These comments reflected a community in which students received help from students who were either enrolled in the class or who were majors in this field. (p. 41)

To learn more about the Curricular Uses of Visual Materials study, take a look at the full report, available at http://go.carleton.edu/cuvm. The report contains descriptions of research methods and materials for those interested in replicating some or all of the study for their own institutions.

In addition to the above mentioned findings, the report also covers:

Academic professionals are regularly called upon to provide and improve upon curricular support. This session will report on a mixed-method research study carried out at Carleton College centered on the question: Are the sources of support the College provides well suited to the work demanded of students and faculty members as they make curricular use of visual materials. Results include: student preferences for characteristics study spaces, variations in the ways students seek curricular support based on class year, faculty-identified desires for and concerns about curricular support, and an inventory of curricular support.

Implications for Student Support, Faculty Support, and Staff Members

Student Work Patterns

Evaluating Student Work

Student Researchers and Case-Study Methods

The Student Survey prompts students to report where and when they work on assignments as well as when and from whom they seek assistance. The following figure is indicative of the study’s larger findings that there were significant variations in the ways students reported seeking curricular support by class year.

Using GIS to Map Student Work in Case Studies

The map below shows that residence halls were the most popular places for students working from 5-midnight, followed by the third and fourth floors of the library. The students in this case were all in the fall term of their first year.

Aligning Curricular Support With Student Acculturation: Results from a Mixed-Method

Study (Continued)

Distinct Patterns in the Way Student Report Seeking Curricular Support by

Class Year on Challenging Assignments