Assessing Personal and Social Responsibility

 

The Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI) is a web-based campus climate survey used to assess five dimensions of personal and social responsibility on college and university campuses. The PSRI is beneficial for those involved with institutional assessment and improvement initiatives. Climate assessment data can deepen institutional knowledge and inform action

 

  • Analyze gaps and assets in curricular and co-curricular experiences
  • Confirm or challenge existing beliefs about the campus climate
  • Determine the influence of perceptions of campus climate on learning and development outcomes
  • Enhance the educational experience of students
  • Inform decisions about resources and strategic initiatives
  • Understand differences in perceptions of campus climate within and across groups

We provide data collection, reporting, and national norms to help meet your assessment, benchmarking, and accreditation needs. Data collected from the PSRI can be used to guide conversations related to student learning, program improvement, and institutional effectiveness.

History of the PSRI

The Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory: An Institutional Climate Measure is a campus climate survey developed originally as part of an initiative called Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility. Sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and directed by Caryn McTighe Musil, Core Commitments was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

The PSRI was developed in 2006 by L. Lee Knefelkamp, Teachers College, Columbia University, who consulted with Richard Hersh, Council for Aid to Education, and drew on the research assistance of Lauren Ruff. The PSRI was refined in cooperation with Eric L. Dey and associates at the University of Michigan's Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and refined after Dey's death by Robert D. Reason at Iowa State University.

In 2011, Iowa State University began hosting the PSRI under the direction of Robert D. Reason. The PSRI is housed at the Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE), a unit of the School of Education. RISE was formed in 1974 to conduct comprehensive, integrated research and evaluation studies that enhance PK-20 education locally, nationally, and globally. RISE promotes the integration of evaluation, research, and policy through partnerships with schools, colleges and universities, federal and state education agencies, and private agencies and foundations.

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises 1300 member institutions--including accredited public and private colleges, community colleges, research universities, and comprehensive universities of every type and size.