UW System Campus Climate Survey

Diverse Learning Environments (DLE)
Spring 2021

In Spring 2021, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater participated in a Campus Climate Survey, as part of University of Wisconsin system-wide initiative to learn more about student experiences on our campus. This survey, which is administered by Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA, is known as the Diverse Learning Environments (DLE) survey. The DLE collects information about the experiences of undergraduate students from approximately 30 colleges and universities in the U.S. each year. HERI is a national organization that has conducted research on the undergraduate experience since 1989.

In this survey, respondents are asked to share their perceptions about UW-Whitewater related to academic work, interactions with faculty and peers, participation in campus activities, perceptions of the climate on campus, and use of campus services. In order to encourage participation in this important survey, UW-Whitewater provided incentives for participation. All respondents were entered in a random drawing for 120 $25 Amazon gift cards. In addition, one lucky respondent was chosen to receive a free academic-year parking pass.

This was the the second time in which UW-W participated in the DLE survey (the first time being in Spring 2018). Survey invitations were sent out to all undergraduate students enrolled at both main and branch campus locations as of the 10th day of the Spring 2021 semester. The survey was open between 1 March and 1 April 2021, and students in the survey population received multiple reminders encouraging participation. Over 1,400 UW-Whitewater students chose to participate in the survey this spring, resulting in a 16.1% response rate. The majority of respondents were full-time students.

HERI reports the results of the survey in its own publications, as well as in other venues, such as The Chronicle of Higher Education. Aggregated survey results have been shared with appropriate decision-makers on campus, as well as with students in two open forums in December 2021. The findings from this survey will be used at UW-Whitewater to understand and improve the undergraduate experience at our institution. Please note that participation in this survey was completely voluntary, and all individual responses to the survey are kept confidential.

Executive Summary of Results (2018)

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at 262-472-5671 or irp@uww.edu.