UNDERSTANDING 2012 NATIONAL SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT (NSSE) RESULTS Nicholls State University October 17, 2012

Questions to be answered include… What is NSSE? What does NSSE measure? How many students completed the 2012 NSSE survey? How did Nicholls perform on the 2012 administration compared with other UL system institutions? How did NSSE scores for Nicholls change between the administrations compared with other UL system institutions? What additional NSSE data and resources can the AIR office provide?

What is NSSE? NSSE is an national survey of freshmen and senior college students conducted every spring that measures the level of student engagement in academic and social practices that are linked to student learning, satisfaction, and overall success. In 2012 over 285,000 students at 546 institutions completed a NSSE survey. The large number of NSSE-participating institutions allows for comparisons between Nicholls and other universities.

What does NSSE measure? NSSE benchmarks NSSE consists of five benchmarks which cover different areas of student engagement. These benchmarks are: Level of Academic Challenge measures time spent preparing for class, amount of student reading and writing, and institutional emphasis on academics. Active and Collaborative Learning measures class participation, working collaboratively with other students, and involvement in tutoring or community-based projects. Student-Faculty Interaction measures the extent to which students talk, work with, and receive feedback from faculty members.

What does NSSE measure? NSSE benchmarks (continued) Enriching Educational Experiences measures campus diversity and student participation in out-of-class learning activities (e.g., internships, capstone courses, etc.). Supportive Campus Environment measures student perceptions of campus social/academic support and quality of relationships with other students, staff, and faculty.

What does NSSE measure? Other items Other NSSE items of interest include: Time usage items ask students how many hours per week they spent preparing for class, working, participating in co-curricular activities, relaxing/socializing, caring for dependents, and commuting to class. Global items ask students how they feel about their entire educational experience and if they would attend Nicholls if they could start over again.

How many students completed the 2012 NSSE survey? 540 Nicholls students completed the NSSE in Spring 2012 (149 freshmen and 391 seniors). Nicholls had a 30% response rate, which was higher than the 24% response rate for UL system institutions overall. The national response rate was 32%.

How did Nicholls perform on the 2012 administration compared with other UL system institutions? – NSSE Benchmarks

How did Nicholls perform on the 2012 administration compared with other UL system institutions? – Global Items

How did Nicholls perform on the 2012 administration compared with other UL system institutions? - Time usage items

How did NSSE scores for Nicholls change between the administrations compared with other UL system institutions? – NSSE benchmarks

How did NSSE scores for Nicholls change between the administrations compared with other UL system institutions? – Global items

How did NSSE scores for Nicholls change between the administrations compared with other UL system institutions? – Time usage items

Summary of NSSE results: NSSE benchmarks Nicholls freshmen had significantly lower scores that UL system freshmen on four out of five benchmarks. Some improvement was seen between , especially on Student-Faculty Interaction (4 pt. increase). Nicholls seniors had significantly lower scores on the Level of Academic Challenge benchmark than UL system seniors, but significantly higher scores on Active and Collaborative Learning. Substantial improvement was seen between on all benchmarks except Level of Academic Challenge.

Summary of NSSE results: Global Items (Attending the same institution) When asked “If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending?”, 39% of Nicholls freshmen said “definitely yes” compared with 49% of UL system freshmen. The percentage of seniors that said “definitely yes” was the same for both groups (47%). Similar results were observed for Nicholls students in 2010, with a slight increase seen between for UL system freshmen/seniors.

Summary of NSSE results: Global Items (Entire educational experience) When asked “How would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this institution?”, 32% of Nicholls freshmen said “excellent” compared with 38% of UL system freshmen. A 7% decrease of Nicholls freshmen responding “excellent” or “good” was seen between % of Nicholls seniors responded “excellent”, which is the same percentage UL system seniors. Little change was observed since 2010.

Summary of NSSE results: Time usage Nicholls freshmen work almost 2.5 hours more than UL system freshmen, and spent slightly more than 1 hour relaxing/socializing than UL system freshmen. Compared with 2010, Nicholls freshmen spent almost 1 hour more working, and 1 hour less commuting to school. UL system freshmen worked over an hour less than in Nicholls seniors work between 1.5 – 2 hours less than UL system seniors, spent 1 hour more relaxing, and spent almost 1 hour more commuting. Compared with 2010, Nicholls seniors work 2.5 hours less, and spent almost an hour less commuting to school.

What additional NSSE data and resources can the AIR office provide? Information about statistical significance tests and effect sizes on NSSE benchmarks and items Breakouts by major and program area (Major field reports) Breakouts for specific populations (e.g., international students, students with disabilities, athletes, etc.) Information about using NSSE data to conduct focus groups and cognitive interviews with students For more information about NSSE, contact Tucker Handley at ext or