Curiosity Corner

This is a place where we share data collected across campus and get curious about its implications and uses. We will explore the relationship between what the data seems to tell us and the lived experiences of UNC Asheville students and employees.

As a campus community we want to start to understand – What does this data mean? What is the context? To do this, we are partnering with you, the people on campus, who are making an impact!

Have an example to share? Send it to datastories@unca.edu and we will update it on this page.

Sophomore Elevation Experience

Analysis of last year’s continuing student survey confirmed what our ASC and Career Center colleagues already suspected, sophomores often face issues related to retention and success. “It’s an ‘in-between time’ where Sophomores are settled into campus, so the nerves and excitement have calmed down, but then they face the big questions of ‘what do I want to do with my life?’ Students also begin to take more challenging classes in their major and even realize they may not want to pursue the major they intended” says Anne Marie Roberts, Associate Director of Advising. Read more…

Students Initial Interest Areas Endure

During their application process, students are asked to choose which majors are of interest to them. Over the summer, the Office of Institutional Research conducted an interest analysis and discovered several thought-provoking findings. For instance, there were some differences based on sex – interest in Computer Science, Engineering, and Economics was dominated by males, while interest from females dominates Health and Wellness Promotion, Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology. Read more…

Helping Students Achieve Post-Graduation Goals

We learned in last semester’s Continuing Student Survey that 51% of students need more help understanding what they can do with their degree. Read more…

 

Student Discrimination Rates

Do you know the rates at which our students experience racial discrimination at UNC Asheville? According to the Fall 2020 Racial Equity Task Force Survey, 44% of BIPOC students personally experienced an act they considered to be racial discrimination or harassment by another member at our institution as compared to 12% of white students. Read more…

 

Campus Collaboration to Help Students Improve Mental Health

In a 2019 survey of first year students and seniors, we learned that they felt anxious, overwhelmed, and depressed more frequently than students at peer schools. The pandemic has heightened these feelings among our students, learn more about how Health and Counseling and Campus Recreation have collaborated to help tackle these numbers. Read more…

 

How Categories are Chosen for Reporting Demographic Data

Have you ever had to choose your race category on a survey or studied data about our students and wondered how UNC Asheville decides which race categories to include?

Like most campuses, UNC Asheville has historically followed the conventions set forth by the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS, part of the Department of Education, requires submission of data in a number of areas, and mandates that it be in a specific format. However, as UNC Asheville works towards more inclusive practices, IREP is exploring ways to report race information in ways that better reflect how members of our campus community see themselves. Read more…

 

Differences in Staff and Faculty Experiences

We all know that our experiences as employees can be different, but have you ever wondered what the data says about the differences between faculty and staff experiences? For instance, take the following question: “There is a good balance of teaching, service and research at this institution.” Read more…

 

Students Report Support from Faculty, Staff, and Friends

Everyone deserves a round of applause for their hard work last semester. In the continuing student survey students expressed overwhelming appreciation for their advisors, friends, and professors for supporting them through the Fall 2020 semester. Students lauded their community for allowing their human-ness by being compassionate and flexible. Read more…

Understanding BIPOC Student Experiences

In Fall 2020, the System Office administered the Racial Equity Task Force survey to understand more about perceptions of equity, diversity, and inclusion at institutions across the system. In analyzing the survey results, we found that white students are much more likely to feel included, valued, and like they belong at UNC Asheville. Read more …

First Year Pilot a Success!

We learned that students who participated in the FYE pilot are more likely to feel connected than first year students who were not in pilot classes. Read more …

UNCA Students Want More Support Thinking about Post-Graduation

In the most recent continuing student survey, we learned that more than half of our students want more support in understanding what they can do with their degree and figuring out what they want to do when they leave UNC Asheville (57.3% and 51.7% of students responded agree or strongly agree to the following statements, I wish I had more help understanding what I could do with my degree and I wish I had more help figuring out what I want to do when I leave UNC Asheville ). Read more …