Student engagement is a crucial tool that Arizona State University uses through multiple different methods to improve the student experience and increase retention. While student engagement has been implemented for decades, many methods come with weaknesses and areas for improvement that are evident through research on student engagement, critical factors towards student’s success, and high impact student engagement practices. Through research, student engagement has proven to be multi-faceted, crucial for a student’s success, and an ever-evolving tool that the university must continue to improve to meet the changing needs of the student body. This paper defines student engagement and high impact student engagement practices, lists and explains the many methods of student engagement, explains critical factors for student engagement, details Arizona State University’s current student engagement methods on the Downtown Phoenix Campus, and provides recommendations for improvement based on those aforementioned findings. This paper finds that many of the current methods could be improved through the implementation of new practices and programs such as Engage-Credits, the use of Design Thinking, and improvements for current systems surrounding collaboration, diversity initiatives, advising, student’s relationships with faculty and staff, and implementing the difference between engaged and disengaged students.

While Latinos are assumed to be a homogenous group regarding political opinions, there are actually a variety of factors than can affect them. This thesis analyzes the opinions of Latinos across four generations regarding immigration opinions and how their generational and nativity status can affect those opinions. Using survey data, Latinos were asked about their opinions on various immigration policies and analyzed across generations and nativity status. It was found younger generations of Latinos may actually be more likely to be in favor of restrictive immigration policies.