Measuring impact of pillar events through Campus Connect
Student Affairs' Revitalizing Engagement and Belonging strategic initiative aims to create a campus where every student feels connected and engaged. A key component of this effort is the development pillar events—large-scale, thoughtfully curated experiences that shape the college journey. To assess their impact consistently, Student Affairs is using Campus Connect to track attendance and gather feedback, and gain real-time insights.
Campus Connect is the University of Utah’s official online platform designed to help students connect with student-led organizations and discover campus events that match their interests. Managed by the Office for Student Leadership and Involvement, it serves as a virtual hub for students seeking community and involvement opportunities.
Additionally, the platform will allow departments to promote, track attendance and assess events. By integrating the card reader system into Campus Connect, students can check in at pillar events by tapping their UCard on the card reader machine. This process enables the platform to automatically send post-event surveys to attendees.
The post-event survey asks attendees to rate their satisfaction with the event and how it impacted their sense of belonging on campus and pride in the university.
"By evaluating how our events influence students’ sense of belonging, pride, and satisfaction, we hope to advance the university's mission toward student success,." said Annalisa Purser, chief of staff and special assistant for strategic initiatives in Student Affairs.
Recognizing that not all events focus on these metrics, Student Affairs leadership is working with the Engagement and Belonging Committee to develop additional assessment methods, including measuring skills gained and learning outcomes.
Through these efforts, Student Affairs is fostering a more connected, data-driven approach to student engagement, ensuring that pillar events make a lasting impact on the campus experience.
By analyzing this data, we'll soon be able to identify trends across demographics, majors, and academic years, helping us understand which students might be missing out, said Erica Andersen, associate dean for Student Engagement and Leadership, “This information will guide us in refining our strategies to ensure every student has the opportunity to engage and connect at the U."