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More than meets the eye: Curricular and Programmatic Effects on Student Learning

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Abstract

This article reports the effects of program characteristics and faculty activities on students’ experiences and, ultimately, the development of students’ analytical and group skills. Data come from nationally representative samples of 4,330 seniors, 1,243 faculty members, and 147 engineering program chairs on 40 campuses nationwide. Findings indicate that program characteristics and faculty behaviors and values have significant, if relatively small and largely indirect, effects on student learning by encouraging (or discouraging) certain kinds of student experiences, which, in turn, influence student learning. The results point to a need for more complex designs than are typically adopted in most learning outcomes studies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Accrediting Board of Engineering and Engineering Technology (ABET). The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of ABET, and no official endorsement should be inferred. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the members of the research team who participated in the development of the design, instruments, and databases for this project: Dr. J. Fredericks Volkwein, co-PI; Dr. Linda C. Strauss, senior project associate; Vicki L. Baker, Robert J. Domingo, Betty J. Harper, Javzan Sukhbaatar, graduate research assistants; and Suzanne Bienart, project assistant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for the Study of Higher Education, Pennsylvania State University, 400 Rackley Building, University Park, PA, 16802-3203, USA

    Amber D. Lambert, Patrick T. Terenzini & Lisa R. Lattuca

Authors
  1. Amber D. Lambert
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  2. Patrick T. Terenzini
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  3. Lisa R. Lattuca
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Correspondence to Amber D. Lambert.

Additional information

Paper presented at the meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, May 16, 2006, Chicago, IL.

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Lambert, A.D., Terenzini, P.T. & Lattuca, L.R. More than meets the eye: Curricular and Programmatic Effects on Student Learning. Res High Educ 48, 141–168 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-006-9040-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-006-9040-5

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