NSSE Working Student Study Assessment Day Presentation Office of Assessment Fitchburg State College

Background – January NSSE Report Comparison Groups QuestionBenchmarkPercent of students who... Fitchburg State NE Public Masters Ntnl Public Masters USA NSSE 2009 Seniors 2d.LAC Said courses emphasized making judgments about the value of information 69%74% 3a.LAC Read more than 10 assigned books or book-length packs of readings 30%36%32%35% 3c.LAC Wrote at least one paper or report of 20 pages or more 42%53%47%50% 3d.LAC Wrote more than 4 papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages 42%49%41%46% 7e.EEE Completed foreign language coursework 18%33%31%41% Lowest Performing Items Compared to Peers

Follow-on Discussion FSC students seem to have heavy work schedules … are they unique that way? How does working impact student engagement self-reports?

Methodology “Special Work Analysis” ordered from NSSE. Item responses controlled by answer to Question 9c, “Hours worked per week off- campus.) Item frequencies, percent frequencies, means, standard deviations generated for New England Public Masters (NEPM) peer group. FSC data generated from College data file.

NSSE’s Analysis

Results – Hours Worked FSC seniors work more than NSSE respondents generally, but about the same as other peers. Comparison Groups (Seniors) QuestionResponses Fitchburg State NE Public Masters Ntnl Public Masters USA NSSE 2009 About how many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week … 9c.Working for pay off campus?N ,471158, %24%37%42% 1-55%4%5% %7%6% %7%6%7% % 9% % 7% %8%5% 30+19%27%26%19% Mean

NSSE “Benchmark” Scores Scaled scores combining inputs from many items – LAC – Level of Academic Challenge – ACL – Active and Collaborative Learning – SFI – Student-Faculty Interaction – SCE – Supportive Campus Environment – EEE – Enriching Educational Experiences

LAC – Level of Academic Challenge Spent appropriate time preparing for class Reported broad scope and appropriate depth of resources used Reported many and challenging required papers and reports Reported perceptions of high intellectual and academic priorities

ACL – Active /Collaborative Learning Asked questions or contributed to discussions Made presentations Worked with other students in or out of class Tutored or taught other students Participated in community-based projects as part of a course Discussed course-related ideas outside of class

SFI – Student-Faculty Interaction Discussed grades/assignments with instructor Discussed career plans with faculty or advisor Discussed ideas from course with faculty out of class Worked with faculty on other activities (committees, research, etc.) Received prompt feedback from faculty on academic performance

SCE – Supportive Campus Environment Reported available/helpful academic support Reported non-academic support (work, family, etc.) Reported campus social activities Reported good relationships with other students, faculty members, administration, and staff

EEE – Enriching Educational Experiences Talked with students holding different beliefs, opinions, and values Talked with students of different races ethnicities, in and out of class Used technology to enhance academics Participated in internships, service learning, study abroad, co-curricular activities, capstone experiences, etc.

Level of Academic Challenge Hrs WorkedFSCNEPMDifference > Overall

Active and Collaborative Learning Hrs WorkedFSCNEPMDifference > Overall

Student/Faculty Interaction Hrs WorkedFSCNEPMDifference > Overall

Supportive Campus Environment Hrs WorkedFSCNEPMDifference > Overall

Enriching Educational Experiences Hrs WorkedFSCNEPMDifference > Overall

Observations - 1

Observations - 2 LAC – working students are more likely to come to class unprepared and to skimp on work they submit. SFI – even students who work >30 hours report frequent contacts with faculty for academic and career advisement. ItemFSCNEPM facplans: Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor 1 Never24%23% 2 Sometimes31%40% 3 Often24%22% 4 Very often21%15%

Observations - 3 SCE –FSC’s working students report more strongly favorable interactions with administrators than NEPM peers. They also place more faith in FSC’s support for their academic success, non-academic (e.g., life skill) success, and social success.

Observations - 4 EEE – students working <20 hours are more likely than NEPM peers to be interns. They are much LESS likely to take foreign languages or study abroad.

Questions?