Within ISSAQ, Effort Focus refers to students’ beliefs about the role of effort in academic success. Specifically, it reflects whether students view effort as a meaningful and effective pathway to improvement, rather than attributing outcomes primarily to fixed ability or external circumstances.

Within ISSAQ, Persistence refers to students’ tendency to continue working toward academic goals despite obstacles, setbacks, or temporary failure. It captures sustained effort in the presence of challenge, particularly in academic contexts.

During a recent conversation with a faculty friend of mine, the topic of Engagement  came up. For those unaffiliated with our ISSAQ platform, when we talk about Engagement , we are referring to a set of observable behaviors that reflect students’ active participation in college-level learning. These includethings like attending class consistently, participating in discussions, completing assignments on time, collaborating with peers, and utilizing office hours. These behavior

Within the ISSAQ framework, Goal Commitment refers to the extent to which students are psychologically invested in achieving their educational goals and willing to persist in pursuit of them. In other words, how much does a student value and prioritize their success in college/getting their degree? It's a reflection - not just of goal clarity, but the strength of students’ attachment to those goals and their intention to follow through over time.

Importantly, within ISSAQ, Engagement is framed as a behavioral factor, not a personality trait. Students are not inherently “engaged” or “disengaged.” Rather, Engagement reflects how students respond to academic expectations, structures, and opportunities. This distinction matters because behaviors can be shaped, supported, and taught.

Self-efficacy is one of the most frequently cited—and most frequently misunderstood—factors in conversations about student success. We often default to terms like confidence, motivation, or belief in oneself to explain why students persist or disengage. Yet anyone who has worked closely with students knows that these explanations are often incomplete.

Quality Focus is one of the more nuanced factors in the ISSAQ model. At first glance, it feels intuitive—of course we want students to produce high-quality work. Faculty regularly emphasize careful writing, complete solutions, well-supported arguments, and attention to detail. Yet, when we look more closely, Quality Focus, while behavioral in nature, can represent some of the most important aspects of motivation.

Sense of Belonging captures something both beautiful and tragic about higher education. It reflects the deeply human need to feel connected and valued - and the reality that many students leave college not because they lacked ability, but because they felt they did not belong.

In the end, regardless of our perception of it, Organization is important. College requires students to manage competing deadlines, balance coursework with work and family obligations, and independently structure their time in ways that may be entirely new to them.

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