In response to recent incidents of sexual assault and violence on college campuses, many institutions have focused increased effort on resources related to sexual assault awareness. Part of this effort often includes training sessions and program for students on general awareness, prevention, and reporting.
How many students are receiving this type of training? Is the training effective? Does participation in and/or satisfaction with training related to sexual assault awareness resources relate to students’ perceptions of the institution, the administration, campus safety, and overall satisfaction with their college experience?
This research note explores the topic of campus training programs related to instances of sexual assault. Using data from the 2016-2017 Benchworks Campus Climate, Safety, and Sexual Assault Assessment, this research note examines whether or not participation in training has a relationship to perceptions of campus climate and safety.
Key Questions:
- How many students participated in training related to sexual assault awareness and incidents?
- How satisfied were participants in training related to sexual assault awareness and incidents?
- How does satisfaction with sexual assault awareness and incident training relate to perceptions of sexual assault incidents?
- How does satisfaction with sexual assault awareness and incident training relate to broader perceptions of campus climate and safety?
Key Points
- Students who participated in training related to sexual assault awareness and prevention reported being highly satisfied with the quality of the training.
- Generally, students who were satisfied with campus training related to sexual assault incidents and awareness were more likely to indicate positive perceptions of other aspects of campus, in particular the institution as a whole and campus administration.
- Students who were dissatisfied with campus training on sexual assault awareness were less likely to indicate positive perceptions of other aspects of campus, even more so than students who did not participate in any training.
How Does Training Related to Sexual Assault Awareness and Resources Relate to Perceptions of Campus Climate? About the Data
The data used in this research note are from the 2016-2017 Benchworks Climate Survey. The survey was designed by the research team at Skyfactor in 2014 and helps institutions assess student perceptions on topics related to campus climate, safety, diversity, and sexual assault. The data in this research note are from 7,165 college students from 14 four-year institutions in the United States.
