1 NSSE Results Fort Lewis College (2010) Richard A. Miller Exec. Dir – OIRPA

2 Presentation Outline  Why is student engagement important?  What is NSSE?  NSSE 2010  Highlights – Fort Lewis  Using NSSE data  Questions and discussion

Question: Why is Engagement Important? 3 InputEnvironment Outcome Alexander Astin’s Assessment Paradigm

Why is Engagement Important?  Typical Measures  Funding  Tuition  Test scores  Faculty Pay  Focus is on operations  Ranking publications 4 Input

Why is Engagement Important?  Measures (selected)  Academic Challenge  Student/Faculty Interactions  Student Support  Type of Learning  Enriching Experiences 5 Environment

Why is Engagement Important?  By focusing on engagement, we shift the focus from external factors, to internal.  We focus on processes, experiences, and interactions that are more within our control. 6

77 Education research suggests, “…students who are actively involved in both academic and out-of- class activities gain more from the college experience than those who are not as involved.” Pascarella & Terenzini. (1991). How College Affects Students. Why is Engagement Important?

8 What students do during college counts more in terms of what they learn, and whether they will persist in college than who they are, or even where they go to college. Kuh et al (2005) Student Success in College Why is Engagement Important?

99 What is NSSE? (pronounced “nessie”)  Evaluates the extent to which first-year and senior students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development  Supported by grants from Lumina Foundation for Education and the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College  Co-sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning

NSSE 2010  NSSE surveys students at hundreds of colleges and universities, annually. GROUPFirst-YearSeniors FLC COPLAC12,23014,424 Public 4 Yr26,39724,639 All NSSE558,788584,728 GROUP# Inst. COPLAC16 Public 4 Yr46 All NSSE563 10

Overview – Fort Lewis Results  NSSE Measures Five Principle Areas:  Level of Academic Challenge  Active & Collaborative Learning  Student-Faculty Interaction  Enriching Educational Experiences  Supportive Campus Environment 11

Level of Academic Challenge ● Number of assigned textbooks, books, or book-length packs of course readings  Hours spent preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab work, etc. related to academic program ● Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages or more, between 5 and 19 pages, and fewer than 5 pages ● Coursework emphasizes: Analysis of the basic elements of an idea, experience or theory ● Coursework emphasizes: Synthesis and organizing of ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships ● Coursework emphasizes: Making of judgments about the value of information, arguments, or methods ● Coursework emphasizes: Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations ● Working harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations ● Campus environment emphasizes: Spending significant amount of time studying and on academic work 12

Level of Academic Challenge 13

Areas of Distinction: Academic Challenge  FLC freshmen report significantly more (p <.01) written papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages.  FLC Freshmen report significantly fewer (p <.01) written papers that are less than 5 pages.  FLC Seniors report significantly less (p <.01) time memorizing facts, compared to other NSSE respondents.  FLC Seniors report modestly more (p <.05) time spent synthesizing and organizing ideas; or making judgments about the value of information.  FLC students report significantly (p<.001) less time studying and doing academic work. 14

Active & Collaborative Learning  ● Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions  ● Made a class presentation  ● Worked with other students on projects during class  ● Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments  ● Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)  ● Participated in a community-based project (e.g., service learning) as part of a regular course  ● Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.) 15

16 Active & Collaborative Learning 16

17 Areas of Distinction: Academic & Collaborative Learning  FLC seniors seem more likely to say they asked questions in class (p <.05)  FLC Seniors are much more likely (p<.001) to say they have made a class presentation.  FLC Freshmen and Seniors are both much more likely (p<.001) to say they worked with other students on projects during class.  FLC Freshmen are much less likely (p<.001) to report working with classmates outside of class.  FLC Seniors are much more likely (p<.001) to report participating in a community-based project as part of a course.  FLC Seniors are much more likely (p<.001) to report tutoring or teaching other students. 17

18 Student-Faculty Interaction ● Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor ● Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor ● Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class ● Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (committees, orientation, 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 of course or program requirements 18

19 Student-Faculty Interaction 19

Areas of Distinction: Student- Faculty Interaction  FLC Seniors are more likely (p<.01) to say they talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor.  FLC Seniors are much more likely (p<.001) to say they discussed ideas from readings/classes with faculty members outside of class.  FLC seniors are much more likely (p<.001) to say they received prompt written or oral feedback from faculty on their academic performance  FLC seniors are more likely (p<.01) to say they worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework.  Trivia note: Our students rate their relationship with faculty higher than they rate their relationship with other students. 20

21 ● Hours spent participating in co-curricular activities (organizations, campus publications, student gov., social fraternity or sorority, etc.) ● Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment ● Community service or volunteer work ● Foreign language coursework and study abroad ● Independent study or self-designed major ● Culminating senior experience (capstone course, senior project or thesis, comprehensive exam, etc.) ● Serious conversations with students of different religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values ● Serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than your own 21 Enriching Education Experiences

Enriching Education Experiences - cont  ● Using electronic medium (e.g., listserv, chat group, Internet, instant messaging, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment  ● Campus environment encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds  ● Participate in a learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together 22

23 Enriching Educational Experiences 23

24 Areas of Distinction: Enriching Education Experiences  FLC Seniors are less likely (p<.01) to have used an electronic medium to discuss or complete an assignment.  FLC seniors are more likely (p<.01) to say they had conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity.  FLC Seniors are more likely (p<.05) to report serious conversations with students with different religious, political, or personal values.  FLC Freshmen are much less likely (p<.001) to have reported community service or volunteer work.  All FLC students are much less likely (p<.001) to have taken foreign language coursework.  FLC seniors are slightly more likely (p<.05) to have studied abroad  FLC seniors are much more likely (p<.001) to say that FLC encourages contact among students from different economic, social, and racial/ethnic backgrounds. (curiously, not the case with freshmen) 24

25 ● Campus environment provides the support you need to help you succeed academically ● Campus environment helps you cope with your non- academic responsibilities (work, family, etc.) ● Campus environment provides the support you need to thrive socially ● Quality of relationships with other students ● Quality of relationships with faculty members ● Quality of relationships with administrative personnel and offices 25 Supportive Campus Environment

26 Supportive Campus Environment 26

27 Areas of Distinction: Supportive Campus Environment  FLC Freshmen report lower quality of relationship with other students (p<.01)  FLC Seniors report much higher quality (p<.001) relationships with other students.  FLC Freshmen report slightly (p<.05) better relationships with faculty.  FLC Seniors report much higher (p<.001) relationships with faculty.  FLC Seniors reports much higher (p<.001) levels of academic support.  FLC seniors report higher (p<.01) levels of support with non-academic responsibilities. 27

So What? Some Observations  Freshmen at FLC are consistently less engaged than Seniors (expected). However, they are also less engaged than their peers (concerning)  The level of engagement at FLC has been very stable for nearly a decade. The College may wish to target some specific items where FLC will be distinguished, and work toward ensuring these areas become visible in subsequent administrations of NSSE. 28

Affirmations? 29

Surprises? 30