Perceptions of the Role CAB Plays in

Academic and Professional Success

Submitted by
Lori Korth, Joshua Hutchinson, and Carly Tucker
December 13, 2017
 Executive Summary
This assessment investigated how involvement in the Campus Activities Board (CAB) at

Northern Illinois University (NIU) impacted students' academic success and professional

development. The assessment utilized a mixed methods assessment design. Methods of data

collection included three focus groups of CAB executive board members, committee

coordinators, and committee members, an interview with the CAB advisor, demographic

surveys, and NIU’s Huskie Link data.

The results of the assessment indicated students perceived involvement in CAB

contributed to their academic and professional growth. Students reported being more

academically successful and professionally developed because of their involvement in CAB.

Overall, CAB students described the enhancement of the following skills: time management,

planning, organization, innovation, teamwork, and communication. Students identified a

supportive culture within CAB that has helped them succeed. Lastly, the assessment found that

the average cumulative GPA of CAB students, 2.66, was below the average NIU cumulative

GPA, 2.99.

Based on the results, the assessment prompted several recommendations. First,

investigate what CAB students consider academic success to be and how this definition is

created. Second, CAB needs to better promote the relationship between involvement in CAB

and academic success. Third, the use of Huskie Link needs to be assessed and better

implemented if intended for data collection. Lastly, CAB needs to continue implementing and

further develop opportunities for students in CAB to interact across various levels of

involvement and outside of their usual committees.

2
 Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………….……………..4

Literature Review…………………….……………..…….………..5

Campus Activity Board……………………………………………10

Methods………….……………………………..…...……………..10

Results……………………………………………. …..…….….…12

Discussion………………………………………..……...……..….18

Recommendations……………………….……………….……......20

Limitations……………………………………..……………....…..21

Conclusion…………………………………………………………22

References…………………………………..……………………...23

Appendix A: Focus Group Protocol ………….……..……..….…...25

Appendix B: Interview Protocol……………..………..………..…..27

Appendix C: Demographic Survey…………..………….……...…..29

3
 Introduction

A pillar of an institution’s status is their students’ success. Institutions look more

desirable when their students are successful, but how can student success be measured? Students

who are successful are considered students who benefit from their college experience, are

satisfied with their college, and persist to graduation (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt, 2005).

Student success can arguably be measured by GPA, persistence, and graduation rates.

Therefore, institutions are taking steps to make sure their students are successful by

fostering an environment that contributes to that success. One way to help students be successful

is encouraging them to be engaged and involved on campus. According to Astin (1984), the

more a student is involved, the more the student will learn and have personal development,

which contributes to student success. Astin (1984) describes student involvement as the

“quantity and quality of the physical and psychological energy that students invest in the college

experience” (p. 528).

While Astin looks to the student to be involved with the institution, others focus on the

institution to promote engagement. According to Wolf-Wendel, Ward, and Kinzie (2009),

engagement has two aspects, what students do and what institutions do. They looked at the

amount of time students allocated, as well as the resources and hours the institution allots into

planning events and encouraging students to participate. Engagement considers student

involvement, but adds additional focus on the institution, by doing so Wolf-Wendel, Ward, and

Kinzie (2009) drew a distinction between involvement and engagement.

One of the ways students can be involved on campus is with student organizations. The

most prevalent and active way students can get engaged in student organizations is through

Campus Activities Programs. The overall goal of campus activities programs is to enhance

4
students’ experiences through participation in activities that foster cooperation and leadership

outside their academic program (CAS, 2016). Campus activities programs are an institution’s

way of being engaged with their student and promoting student involvement.

This report will provide an assessment of the perceptions of students who are involved in

the Campus Activities Board (CAB) at Northern Illinois University, and how their involvement

in CAB impacts their academic success and professional development. First, the report will

review the literature regarding student involvement, academic success, and professional

development. Second, it will discuss the assessment design utilized, as well as the results

collected. Lastly, recommendations for CAB to impleement will be provided.

Literature Review

The literature review will discuss Astin’s Involvement Theory, how co-curricular

activities have transitioned into learner-centered experiences, and the impact engagement has had

on academics, persistence, and student development.

Involvement Theory

To provide context and a framework for this assessment project, this assessment utilized

Astin’s (1984) student involvement theory. Astin’s (1984) theory of student involvement states

that students who are involved are more likely to be academically engaged and successful. Astin

(1984) defines involvement as “the amount of physical and psychological energy that the student

devotes to the academic experience” (p. 518). This theory is designed to be simple and easily

applicable to the study of the student’s behavior and motivation (Astin, 1984). For example, a

student that becomes involved and engaged within a student organization is more likely to feel

connected to their campus community and therefore more motivated to succeed. However, it is

5
important to note that students can become overinvolved, leading to lower academic

performance (Kuh et al., 1991).

Student involvement theory places emphasis on the student’s role in pursuing

involvement opportunities. Astin’s (1984) theory also frames time and energy as an institutional

resource that students dedicate to involvement, which can be measured and used to better cater

programs based on their students’ availability. By viewing students’ time and energy as an

institutional resource, campus administrators and staff can better determine the effectiveness of

their programs and set benchmarks for how involved the campus community should be in order

to cultivate the greatest amount of student growth and development.

To provide better structure to the concept of student involvement theory, Astin (1984)

proposed five postulates. First, involvement consists of the investment of energy in

experiences. Second, different students will invest their energy differently across different tasks.

Third, involvement can be viewed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Fourth, the level of

learning and development gained through educational programs is proportional to the quantity

and quality of the student’s involvement in it. Finally, that effectiveness of an initiative

correlates directly with its ability to increase student involvement.

While student involvement theory is widely accepted and utilized, it is not without

flaws. Astin’s (1984) theory is now more than thirty years old and the majority of research

supporting it is based within individual institutions, so it is not universally applicable (Kuh,

2008). It also operates within the precedent that seeking out involvement and engaging with

these opportunities is primarily the student’s responsibility (Rendon et al., 2000). This precedent

assumes that students are aware of the benefits of involvement, are knowledgeable about how to

get involved, and have time that they can commit to involvement. This assumption excludes

6
non-traditional students, first-generation students, and students of low socioeconomic

backgrounds, as they may not have access to these privileges, which causes them to struggle to

matriculate (Rendon et al., 2000; Tinto, 1987). However, while the original student involvement

theory is not truly representative of today’s student population, research still shows that students

of all backgrounds benefit from involvement in educational programs. Kuh, Cruce, Shoup,

Kinzie, and Gonyea (2008) discovered that students from non-privileged backgrounds gained

greater benefit from their involvement in high-impact educational programs than their peers from

traditionally privileged identity groups. Even though, Astin’s student involvement theory has

possible criticisms, the overall idea of the theory has beneficial implications on student success

and how institutions can help students succeed during their college career and afterwards.

Co-Curricular Activities as Educational Purposeful Experiences

There is a real importance for institutions of higher education to prepare their students to

lead productive lives after they leave the institution, including the ability to deal with major

societal challenges effectively (Wooten, Hunt, LeDuc, & Poskus, 2012). When co-curricular

activities have an educational purpose, they have been shown to be an important tool in the

development of students. Therefore, co-curricular and campus activities have continued to

transition from “‘fun and games’ into intentional, learner-centered opportunities that promote

students’ cognitive, affective, and civic development” (Wooten et al., 2012, p. 46). Kuh

describes co-curricular experiences as being the “other curriculum,” as campus activities are

becoming so learning focused (Kuh et al., 1991, p. 48). Therefore, it is important that

institutions not only focus on what is being taught in the classroom, but what is happening within

student organizations.

7
 Student engagement and academic success. Participation in student engagement

activities has been shown to have a statistically significant effect on grades, specifically in the

first-year (Kuh et al., 2008). Student engagement particularly helps increase the GPA of students

with lower levels of academic achievement, as these students see their GPA affected at a higher

rate than those with higher levels of academic achievement (Kuh et al., 2008). This means

student engagement is more likely to help students who are struggling academically to become

better students and become more likely to graduate.

Overall, student engagement affects academic success and academic success is one

characteristic that affects persistence. According to Pascarella and Terenzini (2005), “college

grades may well be the single best predictors of student persistence, degree completion, and

graduate school enrollment” (p. 396). This connection between students’ involvement, GPA,

and persistence is important for staff within higher education institutions to understand.

Student engagement and persistence. Student engagement is linked to persistence and

an increase in graduation rates. Among students who started at a four-year public institution in

fall 2010, only 62.4 percent finished a degree within six years (Shapiro et al., 2017, p. 2). While

this number has increased over 10 percent in the past two decades, it is noteworthy there is still a

vast discrepancy among racial groups. It has been shown that students who are leaving college

before graduation are less engaged within their institution than those who persist to graduation

(Kuh et al., 2008). Students’ who are involved in educationally purposeful activities, including

co-curricular activities, are more likely to persist to graduation than those who are not involved

(Wooten et al., 2012). According to Kuh, co-curricular activities positively influence persistence

through two pathways (Wooten et al, 2012). The first is through a psychological and social

connection to an affinity group that is achievement-oriented, which reinforces one’s desire to

8
graduate. The second is through the engagement in activities that help students develop skills

and competencies that enable them to succeed, such as interpersonal skills and self-

confidence. Both pathways lead students to feel connected to their institution and help them

persist to graduation. Also, students’ involvement and their engagement in these activities help

them develop as students, individuals, and as citizens.

Student engagement and student development. The majority of research on how

involvement contributes to student development focuses on students’ cognitive development

(Foubert & Urbanski, 2006). However, the contribution of involvement on psychosocial

development is growing. Foubert and Urbanski (2006) have found that students who were more

involved reported greater development in moving from autonomy to interdependence and

establishing a clarifying purpose. This means that students are more likely to make connections

with others and have a sense of purpose in their lives.

Involvement in student organizations has shown a positive correlation with psychosocial

development, which is illustrated by the scores of college juniors who were members of student

organizations (Foubert & Urbanski, 2006). Their scores were higher than nonmembers on

factors such as educational involvement, career planning, lifestyle planning, cultural

participation, and academic autonomy (Foubert & Urbanski, 2006). Not only does being a

member of an organization show increased development over nonmembers or those who just

attended a meeting, but being a leader in an organization has shown even higher levels of

development (Foubert & Urbanski, 2006). Specific leadership responsibilities including

planning, organizing, managing, and decision-making have been found to promote growth

among student leaders in interpersonal competence, practical competence, cognitive complexity,

and humanitarianism (Foubert & Urbanski, 2006). Further research needs to be done in order to

9
understand the impact of specific types and levels of involvement. While there are gains in this

area, it is still a weakness in the field.

Campus Activity Board

One way students can get involved is with their Campus Activity Board (CAB). CAB

organizations are a part of the National Association of Campus Activity (NACA), and can be

found on a majority of campuses around the country. CAB is a peer led organization that hosts

events on campus for all students to attend. Events foster school pride and range from block

parties, festivals, sporting events, volunteer opportunities, leadership training, and much

more. Each institution structures CAB a little differently; they have different committees and

different numbers of students on each committee. This allows flexibility, and allows CAB to fit

the particular institution's needs.

NIU’s CAB has six programming committees and a marketing team (Northern Illinois

University, 2017). The programming committees include: athletic events, classic events,

educational leadership, Huskie traditions, performing arts, and special events. Each committee

has a coordinator and four executive positions that leads their team to ensure events are

successful and foster Huskie Pride.

This assessment will seek to understand how students involved in CAB at NIU perceive

this involvement contributing to their academic and professional success. The assessment will

analyze students engaging in CAB’s various levels of involvement in order to study how these

differences might relate to the student’s success.

Methods

The data collection methods for this assessment included three focus groups, an

interview, demographic surveys, and data from Huskie Link. Since this assessment contains

10
both focus groups, interviews, and demographic surveys along with data from Huskie Link, it

was a mixed method design. Mixed method designs collect and study information by using both

quantitative and qualitative data (Creswell, 2015). By having both forms of data, it allows for a

deeper understanding of CAB and the different involvement levels. In addition, the data from

Huskie Link gives supplemental information to provide information about students’ academic

performance. By collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, the assessment is able to

collect students’ perception of their experience and evidence that could support those

perceptions.

Focus Group and Individual Interview

In order to understand the difference between involvement levels, each tier of CAB was

asked about their experience in the organization and how the students perceived CAB influenced

their academic success and professional development. Therefore, focus groups were conducted

with the executive board, committee coordinators, and committee members (See Appendix A for

Focus Group Protocol). The focus groups were held in CAB’s office in the Campus Life

Building for participants’ convenience. In total, 17 students participated in the focus groups. All

four executive board members participated in the focus group. Eight of the ten committee

coordinators participated in that tier’s focus group. Meanwhile for the committee member’s

focus group, there were five participants. After meeting with the students of CAB, an interview

was conducted with CAB’s advisor to hear the overarching goals of CAB (See Appendix B for

Interview Protocol). By conducting three different focus groups and an interview, there was a

better understanding about CAB and students’ perception of how it influences students’

academic success and professional development.

Demographic Survey and Huskie Link

11
 As students came into the focus groups, they completed a demographic survey (n=17).

The survey asked about students’ year in school, age, ethnicity, gender, if they transferred, how

long they have been involved in CAB, and average time a week they commit to CAB (See

Appendix C for Demographic Survey). There were nine males and eight females that

participated in the focus groups. Twelve participants self-identified as African-American, three

identified as White, one participant as Hispanic, and one as other.

This survey allowed for a better understanding of the specific students that participated in

the focus groups instead of relying on the data from Huskie Link, which would present

information about all of CAB’s members. By using the demographic surveys and Huskie Link,

understanding of CAB’s demographic information becomes clearer. Huskie Link provided the

data on students' cumulative GPAs per involvement level, how many years they have been

involved, and how many other organizations they are involved with for the whole CAB

organization. However, this assessment relied only on the cumulative GPA data from Huskie

Link.

Results

There were many positive perceptions found around the role CAB plays in students’

academic success and professional development. These include: the culture of CAB,

enhancement of skills, and how it applies to academics and professional development, as well as

characteristics of involved CAB members.

Culture of CAB

Students discussed the “culture of CAB.” This culture was the main reason for students’

initial involvement in the organization, their continued involvement, and the reason for their

perceived academic and professional success. Students shared that the culture of CAB created

12
an environment that felt like a second home. CAB members were described as family and were

supportive of each other. Participant eight was introduced to the culture of CAB through friends

who were involved. She decided to start going to meetings because “it was like a family...This is

a place where you can come and you can

just talk to people, whether it’s about
school, or campus involvement, or events
that occur.” Participant 17 expressed her
involvement developed out of a feeling
that CAB “felt like a home.” She wanted
“…IT WAS LIKE A FAMILY…THIS IS A PLACE
WHERE YOU CAN COME AND YOU CAN
JUST TALK TO PEOPLE, WHETHER IT’S
ABOUT SCHOOL, OR CAMPUS
INVOLVEMENT, OR EVENTS THAT
OCCUR.” – PARTICIPANT EIGHT

to get involved in an organization and was drawn to the culture of CAB.

Members of the focus groups described a culture of support within CAB, ranging from

support to join, to move up within the organization, to develop professionally, and to improve

academically. Participant 11 stated other members took the time to help develop him as a leader

and help him to grow as a person. The culture of support within CAB helped students not only

be more open to getting academic help, but also giving support to other students. Since joining

CAB, Participant 16 realize he was open to receiving help with his academics. The support he

received and the culture of CAB helped him be more willing to seek help and encourage other to

seek help. He indicated that he was “building bonds and friendships with people based around

education.” The feeling of being a home and like a family within CAB, not only led Participant

17 to join CAB, but also helps her academically. Like a family, everyone is willing to help out

on academics and individuals are more willing to open up that they are in need of help. CAB

members, no matter the level of involvement, identified that CAB facilitated a community that

was supportive and trusting of each other.

13
Enhancement of Skills

Participants all agreed that CAB helped them develop knowledge and skills they use in

their academic and professional development. Time management, planning, organization,

innovation, teamwork, and communication were the most common skills identified by

participants. These skills aligned with what the advisor stated are goals of the executive board

and committee coordinator positions.

Application to academics. Participants noted how planning for CAB has helped them

plan better in their academics. The participants specifically used the example of how the day-

planners they received through CAB has helped them to stay organized and on task. In addition

to the executive board member, the other levels of involvement state that the additional

responsibility through CAB has taught them to manage their time better. Participants have

learned how to plan ahead through CAB, and have transferred that skill to their

academics. Participant 10 stated:

When you're planning an event, you got to

think ahead…I do the same thing now with

“I’M PLANNING AHEAD. IF A TEST
my class work. Syllabus week I’m looking
IS ON WEDNESDAY, I’M
at the syllabus. Okay cool, it’s due on this STUDYING FOR IT TWO WEEKS
BEFORE.” – PARTICIPANT 10
day. I’m planning ahead. If a test is on

Wednesday, I’m studying for it two weeks

before.

This direct quote shows that students adapt what they have learned in CAB and apply it to their

schoolwork in a positive way. Therefore, it is expected that being involved in CAB helps

students become academically successful.

14
 Creativity was another skill participants reported gaining through their CAB involvement

that was applicable to their academics. Participants discussed developing this skill through

having to create engaging events and marketing. Participants found that creativity fostered in

CAB helped them academically when it was time to write essays and come up with ideas for

papers. Participant 17 stated “In CAB you have to brainstorm ideas. When it comes to writing

papers, it’s like how can I make this interesting? How will the audience like this? It helps you

write your papers.” Participants were more prepared and came up with better topics than before

their involvement in CAB.

Some participants feel their participation in CAB has had a positive effect on their

grades. Participant seven stated “my grades improved

since coming into CAB.” He contributed his improved “MY GRADES IMPROVED
grades to the support he received in CAB and using his
SINCE COMING TO CAB” –
PARTICIPANT SEVEN
planner. He stated that he need to manage his time better

with his additional responsibility of a leadership role in

CAB. Participant five also stated his grades improved since joining CAB, also noting his

planner as one reason for the increase. However, he also noted that he feels a responsibility to

put in as much work to his academics as he does to CAB. He stated that if he dedicated ten

hours to CAB during a week, he felt he had to dedicated that same amount of time to his

academics. Thus, expending more time and effort towards his academics was attributed as a

reason for his improved grades.

Application to professional development. Participants shared how experiences in CAB

contributed to their own professional development and career aspirations. The advisor of CAB

helped to make sure each student is receiving the experience they want out of their time in the

15
organization. The advisor of CAB mentioned how the organization is able to tailor the

experience of the committee coordinators to the academic and professional interests of the

student. For example, one of the students with a Human Resources major was able to get hands-

on experience with human resource management within CAB by helping with interviewing,

checking the time clock, reviewing resumes and cover letters, and giving feedback. Other CAB

members experience similar personalized “hands on experience...and insight from professionals”

that gives them an advantage over others in the actuarial science program.

Students reported a professional environment within CAB that helped new and upcoming

members build their own professional identity. Participant 14 stated “you definitely have to be

professional when you’re in here, especially when you see the e-board and how they dress and

carry themselves. You look up to them.” Participants shared how CAB helped them develop a

more professional outlook and how to carry themselves in professional situations.

Additionally, CAB required members to work in teams to achieve a common goal. This

experience helps students understand the importance of diversity and how to work with people

from different backgrounds and opinions. Participant three stated she was able to “learn how to

work with a wide range of people. I’ve learned how to communicate with them on what works

best for them and work together to be successful.” By having these types of experience, they

said they have developed better teamwork skills along with communication skills. A few

students stated that they learned how to better articulate their thoughts and ideas. This

development allows others to understand their perspective. Students shared that the ability to

communicate their thoughts and being able to work in a team setting were skills that will help

them to be successful in their professional career.

Characteristics of Involved CAB Members

16
 Students who hold a higher leadership position tended to be further along in their college

career and tend to be older than other students in lower involvement levels in CAB. The

executive board had three seniors and one

junior, whereas committee coordinator had

two seniors, four juniors, and one

sophomore. The committee members who

participated were two freshmen, two

sophomores, and one senior. The average

ages for the executive board members was

21.5 years old, committee coordinators was

20.43 years old, and committee members

was 19.6 years old.

On average, the higher position a student holds, the longer they have been a part of

CAB. Executive board members have been involved with CAB for two or more

years. Committee Coordinators have been involved anywhere from one semester to two and a

half years. Meanwhile, the committee members have a wider range of time involved from two

weeks to two years.

The weekly time commitment students had with CAB depended on what position they

held in CAB. Executive board members said they commit an average of 15 to 20 hours a week

on CAB. The Committee Coordinators spend anywhere from five to 20 hours a week on CAB,

with the majority of them saying they commit about five to ten hours on CAB each

week. Committee members spend, on average, a few hours a week on CAB.

17
 The GPA’s came from Huskie Link, which gave the cumulative GPA for each member

within the executive board, committee coordinators, and committee members, not just those who

participated in the focus groups. The executive board have the lowest average GPA of the three

groups with an average GPA of 2.548. The committee coordinators have the highest with an

average GPA of 2.796, and general members next with an average GPA of 2.636, excluding

those who do not yet have a GPA, such as first-year students since their first semester GPA’s are

not posted. Meanwhile, according to institutional research, the average cumulative GPA for all

of NIU’s students was 2.99 for spring 2017, while the average cumulative GPA of CAB is 2.66.

Discussion

The results from the assessment have shown that CAB members perceive that they have

had positive development that impacted their professional skills and academic success. They

reported that they have improved their time management, communication, creativity, and

teamwork, which they said helped them improve their academic success. While that might be

true, the average cumulative GPA of CAB members was lower than the average cumulative GPA

of NIU. The average cumulative GPA of NIU students is a 2.99, while the average cumulative

GPA for CAB is 2.66. Their cumulative GPA were high enough to keep in “good standing” with

the university. However, they were lower than the university average which might not support

the idea that involvement helps students be academically successful.

For this assessment, GPAs were a summative measure of academic success. However,

students might be defining academic success differently. Participants indicated that CAB helped

them be more academically successful, however, their definition might be different than the use

of GPAs. Seeming, they were defining academic success as the skills and knowledge they

learn. Students also referenced the culture of CAB that seemingly provided academic supported

18
and encouragement to do well in classes. Students shared how CAB members created study

groups to study for exams or work on assignments together. Students stated that they felt that

other members in CAB supports them and understand the struggles they face in courses. Thus,

this support might have translated into a feeling of succeeding academically rather than

demonstrating academic success through their GPAs.

In addition to academic success, the student leaders of CAB were able to articulate how

they have developed professional skills. The students were able to draw strong connections

between what they have learned in courses, skills they have gained through CAB, and the

connection to career development and success. Multiple students believed their experience in

CAB would set them apart from other job candidates due to their hands-on experience. CAB

seems to have given students confidence while developing their ability to articulate their

thoughts and presentation of themselves well.

The level of professional development demonstrated by CAB members was greater the

more involved the students were. The executive board were more articulate about their

experience than the committee members. They were able to provide more concrete examples

than committee members about how their involvement related to their career aspirations. Since

the executive board members tend to be older with more experiences, they have more chances to

reflect on those experiences. Overall, students in CAB indicated that their involvement in the

organization was a significant influence in their professional development.

According to Astin’s theory (1984), involvement helps increase students’ success

because involved students tend to be more motivated to do well in classes. However, this

assessment found that the executive board members had the lowest GPA comparison to the rest

of CAB. This difference could be due to being overinvolved and not having enough time to

19
dedicate to school work. Many of the executive board members stated that they held leadership

positions in other organizations as well. This over-involvement could result in a lower GPA

(Kuh et al., 1991). However, this is hard to prove since this assessment was unable to receive

their grades from years past. Plus, grades could be the result of many other factors, in addition to

being involved in multiple organizations.

Recommendations

Based on the findings above, the following recommendations are offered.

1. Better understand CAB students’ definition of academic success.

Due to the findings, it became apparent that students did not define academic success by

their GPA. With that, more information needs to be collected regarding their definitions of

academic success and what it means to them. For instance, do CAB members view academic

success as simply passing classes? Making all As? Or just successfully balancing their academic

and extracurricular commitments? More information about how students understand academic

success would help develop strategies to enhance their academic performance.

2. Increase students' understanding of CAB's impact on academic development and

success.

Throughout the focus groups, participants appeared to struggle when discussing the

correlation between their involvement in the organization and the impact that it has on their

academic life. As seen in the focus groups and interview with the advisor, CAB places a great

deal of programmatic focus on developing students professionally and promoting this

development. By helping students better understand the intentional academic development

carried out by CAB and being able to identify their academic growth throughout their

20
involvement, CAB students will not only be able to better appreciate their involvement, but also

better understand their own academic growth.

3. Assess the Huskie Link System as a data collection tool.

At the start of this assessment, the office of Student Involvement and Leadership

Development (SILD) suggested that the assessment team utilize the data collected through the

Huskie Link system. However, the data collected from Huskie Link appeared to be contradictory

upon review. Students' academic classification and other information did not match what the

assessment team had gathered from focus group participants. The assessment team was unable

to determine if the information was simply outdated or if there was an error in the data collection

process. As Huskie Link is primarily intended to be a student organization portal, this

assessment team recommends that the process of how data is collected through Huskie Link be

assessed. It is also recommended that if SILD’s desire is to utilize Huskie Link to collect

assessment data regularly that the collection of this data be regulated and implemented

systematically.

4. Create More Opportunities for Organizational Team Building

Throughout the student focus groups, participants at all levels of involvement indicated

enjoying and benefiting from activities that involved all organizational members. According to

the students, a great developmental opportunity is being able to interact with students

participating in all of the levels of involvement. Participants also shared that these meetings

made them more aware of how the organization as a whole operates. Members referred to

CAB’s all board meetings as one of the leading examples of this type of interaction. While the

CAB advisor interview revealed that there are future plans to make these meetings more

21
frequent, finding ways to have members interact across the organization would allow them to

become more invested within CAB.

Limitations

There are a few limitations one must be mindful of when reading the results. The Huskie

Link data is not completely accurate, so it is hard to know what data were correct and what data

were not. Moreover, the participants knew the data collected in the focus groups would be

reported to SILD and CAB's advisor, which could have altered their answers in some

ways. Students were assured that their individual identities and who said what would remain

confidential. However, since all members of the executive board and the majority of committee

coordinators participated in the focus group, there is a possibility that their answers might reveal

their identities to the advisor or others. Lastly, the assessment team also did not specifically

define what academic success was, so it is unclear how each individual defined academic success

to them.

Conclusion

This assessment analyzed the perceptions that CAB students had on the organization's

impact on their academic success and professional development. It found that students identified

they gained significant skills and professional development from their experiences within CAB.

The development of these skills also contributed to their perceived academic success. The

assessment found there was a greater level of emphasis placed on identifying the professional

development provided by CAB than there was identifying academic success. These results,

paired with the recommendations made above, can be used to better implement the initiatives

and programs facilitated by CAB, to ensure that the organization's learning outcomes are

realized.

22
 References
Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal

of College Student Personnel, 25(4), 297-308.

Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2015). CAS professional

standards for higher education (9th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating

Quantitative and Qualitative Research (5 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
th

Hall.

Foubert, J. D., & Urbanski, L. A. (2006). Effects of involvement in clubs and organizations on

the psychosocial development of first-year and senior college students. NASPA Journal,

43(1), 166-182.

Kuh, G. D. (1989). The Contributions of Institutional Agents to High Quality Out-of-Class

Experiences for College Students.

Kuh, G. D., Cruce, T. M., Shoup, R., Kinzie, J., & Gonyea, R. M. (2008). Unmasking the effects

of student engagement on first-year college grades and persistence. The Journal of

Higher Education, 79(5), 540-563.

Kuh, G. D., Schuh, J. H., Whitt, E. J., Andreas, R. E., Lyons, J. M., Strange, C. C., Krehbiel, L.

E., MacKay, K. A. (1991). Involving colleges: Successful approaches to fostering student

learning and development outside the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Northern Illinois University. (2017). Campus Activity Board. Student Involvement and

Leadership Development. Retrieved from

http://www.niu.edu/studentinvolvement/campus-activities-board/index.shtml

Pace, C. R. (1984). Measuring the Quality of College Student Experiences. An Account of the

Development and Use of the College Student Experiences Questionnaire.

23
Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students. San Francisco, CA:

Jossey-Bass.

Pike, G. R., & Kuh, G. D. (2005). A typology of student engagement for American colleges and

universities. Research in Higher Education, 46(2), 185-209.

Rendon, L. I. (1994). Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and

student development. Innovative Higher Education, 19(1), 2-25.

Rendón, L. I., Jalomo, R. E., & Nora, A. (2000). Theoretical considerations in the study of

minority student retention in higher education. Reworking the Student Departure Puzzle,

1, 127-156.

Shapiro, D., Dundar, A., Huie, F., Wakhungu, P., Yuan, X., Nathan, A & Hwang, Y., A. (2017).

Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates by Race and Ethnicity

– Fall 2010 Cohort (Signature Report No. 12b). Herndon, VA: National Student

Clearinghouse Research Center.

Wolf-Wendel, L., Ward, K., & Kinzie, J. (2009). A tangled web of terms: The overlap and

unique contribution of involvement, engagement, and integration to understanding

college student success. Journal of College Student Development, 50(4), 407 - 428.

Wooten, B. M., Hunt, J. S., LeDuc, B. F., & Poskus, P. (2012). Peer leadership in the

cocurriculum: Turning campus activities into an educationally purposeful enterprise. New

Directions for Higher Education, (157), 45-58.

24
 Appendix A

Focus Group Protocol

Good [morning/afternoon/evening]. Thank you for taking the time to participate in our
discussion about the impact of student involvement on student success.

My name is [name] and I will be facilitating the focus group today. I am joined by [name] and
[name] who will serve as note takers during the focus group. We are graduate students enrolled
in CAHE 572: Assessment Methods in Higher Education. As part of the course we have been
asked to conduct an assessment project for the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership
Development.

We are trying to identify the relationship between student involvement and academic success and
professional preparedness. Primarily, we were focusing on the Campus Activity Board (CAB)
and students actively involved in it.

Because of your involvement in CAB, you were recommended as someone who might be able to
provide insight into the impact that CAB has on the student experience. We will be discussing
your involvement throughout your undergraduate career, your experience with CAB, and your
perception of college experience.

We will only use first names during the focus group. To maintain your confidentiality, we will
not share your name in our report or with anyone outside of this room. We also ask that you
respect the confidentiality of everyone in this room, so please do not repeat what is said outside
of this room.

Before we start recording, we want to note it is important that you speak up and that only one
person speaks at a time. We don’t want to miss any of the important information you will share.
If there are any questions you are not comfortable answering, you are welcome to skip them.

We want to hear from everyone. We’re interested in all points of view and the varying
perceptions you all bring. As the facilitator, I might call on people who have been quiet or ask
others who have contributed to hold off for a minute.

If this is okay with everyone, we will turn on the recorder and start now.

25
 Focus Group Questions

1) Why did you choose to get involved in CAB?

2) Why did you decide to seek further involvement within CAB?

3) What skills and/or knowledge have you developed through your involvement in CAB?
3a) How have you used these skills in CAB?

3b) How have you used these skills in your academics?

4) How do you feel your experience in CAB has prepared you for your professional career?

5) Are there any competencies you wish were developed further?

6) What did your involvement in CAB look like prior to you obtaining a position on the board?

6a) How does it differ now?

6b) What impact has this had on you personally and as a student?

7) What do you wish was different about CAB?

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this discussion. If you have any questions, please
don’t hesitate to contact us.

26
 Appendix B

Interview Protocol

Good [morning/afternoon/evening]. Thank you for taking the time to participate in our
discussion about the impact of student involvement on student success.

My name is [name] and I will be facilitating the interview today. I am joined by [name] and
[name] who will serve as note takers during the interview. We are graduate students enrolled in
CAHE 572: Assessment Methods in Higher Education. As part of the course we have been
asked to conduct an assessment project for the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership
Development.
We are trying to identify the relationship between student involvement and student success and
satisfaction. Primarily, we were focusing on the Campus Activity Board (CAB) and students
actively involved in it. Because of your position with CAB, you will be able to provide insight
into the impact that CAB has on the student experience.

27
 Interview Questions

1. What is your role as a CAB advisor?

2. What do you view as the purpose of CAB?

3. What skills and knowledge do you hope the Executive Board and Committee Leaders get out of
their experience with CAB? (What are the Learning Objectives for students involved in CAB?)
a. Academics
b. Professional
c. How does CAB develop these things?

4. Is there an academic requirement that students need to meet to be involved in CAB? Has this had
any impact on the students who participate?
a. Do you see any trends with student GPA

5. Do you notice any difference between the development between CAB’s Executive Board,
committee coordinators, and committee members?

6. (Additional questions based on focus group observations)

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. If you have any questions, please
don’t hesitate to contact us.

28
 Appendix C

Demographics Survey

Year in School (circle one): Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Senior +

Age:
Ethnicity:
Gender:

How many years have you been at NIU?

Did you transfer (circle one)? Yes No

If so, where from?
Were you involved in CAB, or something similar, at your previous institution?

How long have you been involved in CAB?

How much time on average do you commit to CAB on a weekly basis?

29