Variables

Variable descriptions

Variable	Type	Description
SUBJECT	Categorical	The academic subject of the course, such as introductory biology.
Coursecode	Categorical	The course identifier used to distinguish specific sections or offerings.
GRADING_BASIS_ENRL	Categorical	The grading basis used for enrollment in the course, such as A-F or S-N.
Gender	Categorical	A binary indicator for student gender, recoded here as Women and Men.
AGE	Numeric	Student age in years.
YearSchool	Categorical	The student’s class standing, such as freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.
COMP_ACT_SCORE	Numeric	Composite ACT score, used as a proxy for academic preparation.
URM	Categorical	Underrepresented minority indicator, recoded here as URM and Non-URM.
msl01	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl02	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl03	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl04	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl05	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl06	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl07	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl08	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl09	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl10	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl11	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl12	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl13	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl14	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl15	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl16	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl17	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl18	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl19	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
msl20	Numeric	One item from the motivation and learning-strategy survey instrument.
Exams_percent	Numeric	The share of the course grade associated with exams.
Course_percent	Numeric	The share of the course grade associated with coursework.
NonExam_percent	Numeric	The share of the course grade associated with non-exam activities.
ZExams_percent	Numeric	Z-scored version of Exams_percent for standardized comparison.
ZCourse_percent	Numeric	Z-scored version of Course_percent.
ZNonExam_percent	Numeric	Z-scored version of NonExam_percent.

The table below explains the variables in the dataset. The response variables describe the share of course performance associated with exams, coursework, and non-exam assessment, while the predictor variables capture student background and course context.

Understanding these variables is essential because the analysis is about how student characteristics and course design work together to shape performance.