Assessing the Civic Campus

AASCU and Ithaka S+R partner on an important research project focused on the link between higher education, civic engagement, and democratic attitudes and behaviors.

While Assessing the Civic Campus details the complexities of researching the exact nature of the relationship between higher education and civic engagement, the link between the two is as close to a social science universal truth as there is.

This report details what we know so far about that link, and where future research is needed. Most pressing is the need for institutions to prioritize civic engagement in their missions and commit to measuring and tracking civic outcomes alongside established student learning and success outcomes, in order to deepen our understanding of the role civic education plays in shaping learners’ long-term civic attitudes and behaviors.