Mind the Gap: Overview of FSSE and BCSSE Jillian Kinzie NSSE

The family of NSSE surveys  FSSE – emerged from the field as a tool to promote faculty reflection on student engagement  BCSSE – obvious pre-test to NSSE; can we measure what the institution contributes to student engagement, or “value-added”?  LSSSE – Law School Survey

Rejected “essies”  Student Affairs Survey of Student Engagement (sassy!)  Administrator Survey of Student Engagement  Medical School Survey of Student Engagement (messy!)  Graduate School Survey of Student Engagement …..We are focused on UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION. Surveys grounded in body of research on undergraduate student learning and development.

Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (pronounced “fessie”) FSSE measures faculty expectations and activities related to student engagement in effective educational practices

FSSE and NSSE Point to “Disorienting Dilemmas” Situations in which usual perspectives or ways of responding do not work or don’t fit are more likely to motivate us to learn and change (Mezirow, 1990)

Faculty Priorities and Student Engagement

Faculty Priorities and Selected Student Outcomes

What to make of this? 1.When faculty members emphasize certain educational practices, students engage in them to a greater extent than their peers elsewhere. 2.Good things go together

Deep Learning Sub-Scale Integrative Learning  Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources  Included diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc.) in class discussions or writing assignments  Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions  Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class  Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.)

Disciplinary Comparisons Integrative Learning

BCSSE How much do student’s background characteristics affect NSSE scores? Are institution’s benchmark scores the result of good practices or good recruitment? Pilot 04, 05,06

BCSSE  BCSSE measures: HS experiences; Importance of college activities Baseline self-assessment of knowledge and skills Demographics  Use to examine gap between expectations and engagement  Study effect of students’ background on NSSE scores

Focus on First-year students: Expectations for Engagement High importance: Asking questions Come to class with readings/assignments completed Discuss grades/assignm’t with faculty Talk about career plans Feedback on performance Work hard Learn something that changes way you understand issue Low or mixed importance: Make class presentation Work with peers in AND out of class Tutor peers Service learning Work with faculty on activities other than coursework Discuss ideas with others, and also faculty outside of class Important NSSEville emphasis : Spend significant amount of time studying Provides support to succeed academically Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, racial-ethnic backgrounds Less important NSSEville emphasis: Helping students cope with non-academic responsibilities Provide support to thrive socially Using computers in academic work

Mind the Gap: FY expectations and engagement Match value to engagement Ask questions in class* Prepare 2 drafts Work on integrated paper* Include diverse perspectives Work with peers out of class Put together different ideas Tutor peers – Service learning – Used * Discuss ideas with faculty Receive feedback Discuss ideas with others Serious conversation race- ethnicity – Serious conversation beliefs Better understand diff POV Learn something change view on issue* * High value- High engagement - Low value – Low engagement  Students who do not value activity are less motivated to participate in it in college.  How to re-shape student values concerning activity?

Mind the Gap: FY expectations and engagement Mixed value – Low engagement Class presentation Work with peers in class Work with faculty on activities High value – Mixed engagement Discussed grades Talk about career plans Work hard Examine strength of views  Activity is valued, but students don’t do it much; Is “sometimes” an acceptable response?  College providing students with fewer experiences than they anticipated

Mind the Gap: FY expectations and engagement Time Gaps:  45% entering students expect to spend 20+ hrs per week studying, but only 30% actually spent this much time studying  FY spent less time in co-curriculars (avg. 5 hrs per week) than they expected (avg. 11 hrs per week)  Estimates for working were slightly higher; relaxing & socializing about what they expected

Patterns in FY NSSE Results Diversity Experiences: Slightly more FY report conversations with students of different race-ethnicity More FY & SR perceive an institutional emphasis on encouraging contact among students from different economic, social and racial-ethnic backgrounds More FY report gains in understanding people of other racial-ethnic backgrounds Student Faculty Interaction: FY have less interaction with faculty outside class Enriching Experiences Some flux over the years. –Plan to do an internship –Study abroad (71% plan to do in 2005; 63% in 2006) More emphasis on attending campus events FY students plans match what Seniors report in terms of Enriching Experiences –51% FY plan to do research with faculty; 52% seniors do