An Introduction: NSSE and the Concept of Student Engagement

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

Time on task (Tyler, 1930s) Quality of effort (Pace, s) Student involvement (Astin, 1984) Social, academic integration (Tinto, 1987, 1993) Good practices in undergraduate education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987) College impact (Pascarella, 1985) Student engagement (Kuh, 1991, 2005) Foundations of Student Engagement

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Experiences with diversity Cooperation among students

National Survey of Student Engagement (pronounced “nessie”) Assesses the extent to which students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development

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

NSSE Benchmark Definitions  Level of Academic Challenge - Engagement in intellectually challenging and creative work.  Active & Collaborative Learning - Engagement in collaborative learning and learning in different settings.  Student-Faculty Interaction - Student engagement with faculty as role models and mentors.  Supportive Campus Environment - Quality of campus environment to support student success.  Enriching Educational Experiences - Participation in many activities not typically completed by first-year students (e.g., internships, capstone courses, study abroad).

NSSE 2011 & Selected Oneonta Results

Survey Administration  Sample included all first- year & senior students  Administration occurred in the spring academic term  Web-based survey  Multiple follow-ups to increase response rates  Administered 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2011 at Oneonta

NSSE 2011 Respondent Characteristics First-YearSenior Respondents Response Rate 28%30% Female 77%61% Caucasian/White 83%80% Transfer 1%36% Full-time 100%99% Live On-campus 92%32% Traditional Age 99%89%

For both student cohorts, most scores stayed about the same or increased from 2008 to Selected Oneonta Results on NSSE Benchmarks Over Time:

First-Year StudentsSeniors Level of Academic Challenge (LAC)

First-Year StudentsSeniors Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL)

First-Year StudentsSeniors Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI)

First-Year StudentsSeniors Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE)

First-Year StudentsSeniors Supportive Campus Environment (SCE)

For seniors, Oneonta scores are most often significantly higher. However, first-year student scores are significantly lower overall. Selected Oneonta Results Compared to National Peer Institutions:

Level of Academic Challenge (LAC) SUNY OneontaMid East PublicCarnegie ClassNSSE 2011 ClassMean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c First- Year *** *** ***-.26 Senior **

Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL) SUNY OneontaMid East PublicCarnegie ClassNSSE 2011 ClassMean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c First- Year *** *** ***-.25 Senior *** * ***.23

Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI) SUNY OneontaMid East PublicCarnegie ClassNSSE 2011 ClassMean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c First- Year *** *** ***-.29 Senior *** ** ***.25

Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE) SUNY OneontaMid East PublicCarnegie ClassNSSE 2011 ClassMean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c First- Year * **-.14 Senior ** *** ***.22

Supportive Campus Environment (SCE) SUNY OneontaMid East PublicCarnegie ClassNSSE 2011 ClassMean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c Mean a Sig b Effect Size c First- Year Senior *** * ***.20

Who Were These Peer Institutions?  NSSE Institutions - Consisted of all 672 institutions participating in NSSE 2011  Carnegie Class Institutions - Consisted of 36 Master’s colleges and universities – smaller programs  Mid-East Public Institutions – Consisted of 48 institutions

Recommendations

1.Oneonta should initiate a campus-wide discussion of student engagement and strategies for enhancing this process, to include faculty, staff, and students.

2.Oneonta should focus on initiatives to improve engagement with first-year students.

3.These initiatives should target the following areas: Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI) Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL) Level of Academic Challenge (LAC) Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE)

4.Aspirational goal: To compare favorably to other mid-east public and Carnegie Class institutions, for both first-year students and seniors, when the NSSE is next conducted in 2014.

Questions & Discussion