Overall Program
Student Experience in the Research University Survey
The Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey is a comprehensive national survey administered to all undergraduates at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMNTC). The University of Minnesota has participated in the survey since 2009, most recently in 2022. Data are used to provide UMNTC staff, faculty, and administrators with unique insights into students’ experiences. Student surveys can be a powerful and cost-effective way to gain insight into the student experience. This survey is offered in most years to all undergraduates and used to gather information about student engagement in activities that have been empirically shown to influence student learning and positive educational outcomes, both inside and outside of the classroom. A benefit of the SERU is that item responses provide actionable information for faculty, staff, and administrators. The responses can also serve as indicators of academic program and institutional effectiveness. SERU results can be viewed across institutions as a way for a college or university to make peer comparisons.
The survey is administered to all degree-seeking University of Minnesota undergraduate students. The items provide a comprehensive snapshot of the student experience, tapping into diverse domains of interest to a variety of campus stakeholders. Some of the items are designed to gather information on academic and civic engagement, student learning and development, student services, and globalization. Students also respond to items that provide insight into their academic and personal development, perceived campus climate for diversity, overall satisfaction, and evaluation of the major (if applicable). Since the survey asks students about their background, beliefs, motivations, and perspectives, it imparts additional understanding into academic and co-curricular engagement (or disengagement). The diversity in responses reveals the student experience through a variety of lenses.
There is also a customizable module available with which colleges and universities can create items that reflect topics and issues of particular interest to them. Finally, SERU items were created to gather information about a specific college student population: students who attend research institutions. Based on the unique context of research universities, a deliberate effort was made to capture the complexity of these institutions. Survey items are designed to allow for analysis at not only the institutional level but also by college and even academic major. Since research universities are often complex organizations, the ability to identify specific areas within the institution can inform targeted self-improvement efforts, as well as provide evidence of quality at various levels.
Results for Construction Management from the 2024 SERU survey are given below, with comparative data for the University of Minnesota.
