Gary Whisenand Director, Institutional Research August 26, 2011

Presentation Overview 1.NSSE and the Concept of Student Engagement 2.NSSE 2011 & Selected Whitworth Results 3.Focus on Student-Faculty Interaction  General comments  Department Specific  Questions & Discussion

NSSE and the Concept of Student Engagement

What is Student Engagement?  What students do -- time and energy devoted to studies and other educationally purposeful activities  What institutions do -- using resources and effective educational practices to induce students to do the right things  Educationally effective institutions channel student energy toward the right activities

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Experiences with diversity Cooperation among students Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE: Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7.

NSSE Background YearInstitutions  Launched with grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts in 1999, supported by institutional participation fees since  Nearly 1,500 baccalaureate-granting colleges and universities in the US and Canada have participated to date.  Institution types, sizes, and locations represented in NSSE are largely representative of U.S. baccalaureate institutions.

Goals of NSSE Project  Focus conversations on undergraduate quality  Enhance institutional practice and improvement initiatives  Foster comparative and consortium activity  Provide systematic national data on “good educational practices”

NSSE Survey Content Student Behaviors in College Student Behaviors in College Institutional Actions And Requirements Institutional Actions And Requirements Student Reactions to College Student Reactions to College Student Background Information Student Background Information Student Learning & Development

NSSE Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice Active & Collaborative Learning Enriching Educational Experiences Student – Faculty Interaction Supportive Campus Environment Level of Academic Challenge

Survey Administration  All first-year & senior students are notified. Juniors are also invited to participate to obtain adequate feedback for smaller departments  Spring administration  Web-based  Multiple follow-ups to increase response rates

NSSE 2011 & Selected Whitworth Results

NSSE 2011 Survey Population and Respondents  Almost two million students were invited to participate in NSSE 2011, with 537,605 responding  1,130 First-Year and Senior Whitworth students were invited to participate, with 42% responding

NSSE 2011 Institution Response Rates Whitworth response rate = 42% NSSE 2011 Institutional Response Rates All NSSE 2011 institutions = 33% Paper mode institutions = 30% Web-only institutions = 34% Web+ institutions = 31%

Whitworth Results - Seniors  Thinking about your overall experience at this institution, how would you rate the quality of relationships with faculty and administrative personnel and offices?

Whitworth Seniors 2009 & 2011  Thinking about your overall experience at this institution, to what extent does the college encourage contact between students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds?

Whitworth Findings ClassWhitworthSelected Peers First-Year84%66% Senior59%56% What percentage of our students (in comparison to selected peers) reported that coursework emphasized memorizing facts, ideas, or methods quite a bit or very much?

Whitworth Findings ClassWhitworth Selected Peers Carnegie Class First-Year90%88%81% Seniors85%82%77% Item: Overall, how would you evaluate the quality of academic advising you have received at your institution? (Percent reporting Good or Excellent)

Student Faculty Interaction (SFI)

SFI Multi-Year Benchmarks First-YearSeniors

SFI Score of Juniors and Seniors by Department of Declared Major-1

SFI Items  Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor  Talked about career plans with a faculty member  Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class  Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (e.g. committees, student-life activities, etc.)  Received prompt written or oral feedback from faculty on your academic performance  Worked on a research project with a faculty member outside a course or program requirements

Item: Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor.

Item: Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class

Item: Received prompt written or oral feedback from faculty on your academic performance

Item: Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (committees, student life activities, etc.)

Item: Work on a research project with faculty member outside of class or program requirements

Whitworth and Peer Results  Item: Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor.

Item: Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor

Item: Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor – Selected departments by Gender

Questions & Discussion