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From retention to satisfaction: New outcomes for assessing the freshman experience

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Abstract

To meet higher education's challenge of accountability from a customer-satisfaction perspective, one urban institution has developed an integrated approach to studying the freshman-year experience in order to develop comprehensive outcome measures for assessing freshman success. Multiple sources of data (freshman satisfaction survey data, enrollment data, and academic performance data) are integrated into a database that provides the institution with a comprehensive set of outcome indicators and a model of the freshman experience. This institution used the integrated data set to develop models of freshman retention. In order to focus more clearly on customer satisfaction, models of student satisfaction were developed to determine critical components in freshman satisfaction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information and Institutional Research, Illinois Institute of Technology, 10 West 32nd E1-117, 60616, Chicago, IL, USA

    Liz Sanders (Director)

  2. Academic Support, DePaul University, 2320 N. Kenmore Ave., 60614-3298, Chicago, IL, USA

    John D. Burton (Director)

Authors
  1. Liz Sanders
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  2. John D. Burton
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Sanders, L., Burton, J.D. From retention to satisfaction: New outcomes for assessing the freshman experience. Res High Educ 37, 555–567 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01724938

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01724938

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