Impact and Assessment

At Student & Family Transitions, we believe that great programs are built on more than tradition — they’re built on data. We use a data-informed, student-centered approach to continuously assess and improve our orientation experiences, student communications, and family engagement efforts.

Our assessment strategy is intentional and ongoing. It’s designed to help us understand student needs, evaluate program effectiveness, and align our work with UNK’s student success and retention goals. We collect both quantitative and qualitative data through a variety of methods, including surveys, feedback forms, stakeholder focus groups, and institutional data reviews.

Core Survey Methods

Six-Week Survey

Audience: All first-time, first-year and transfer students
Purpose: This early pulse-check gauges how students are adjusting to UNK after their initial transition. It helps identify common challenges, resource gaps, and early signs of disengagement. Key focus areas include:

  • Sense of belonging
  • Academic confidence and support-seeking behavior
  • Social connection
  • Awareness and use of campus resources

Responses are used to flag at-risk students for outreach and to guide mid-semester programming, outreach messaging, and resource alignment.

End-of-Year Survey

Audience: All first-time, first-year students
Purpose: This summative assessment captures the full arc of the student transition experience. It evaluates the long-term impact of orientation, campus involvement, and communication efforts. Topics include:

  • Retrospective program feedback
  • Continued sense of connection and belonging
  • Use and effectiveness of support services
  • Opportunities for improving future transitions

Data from this survey informs strategic planning for the following academic year and helps measure alignment with learning outcomes and retention efforts.

Check back soon to explore our full assessment summaries and see how student feedback is shaping the future of SFT!