1. Bringing Together Survey Results of the UNLV Student Experience
Sunny Gittens, Campus Life Assessment
Angelina Hill, Academic Assessment
Peter Kim, Academic Advising

2. Bringing Together Survey Results of the UNLV Student Experience
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
2009
Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI)
2008
Academic Advising Survey
2007
Graduating Senior Exit Survey
2008/2009
Alumni Survey

3. Overview Key Demographics of UNLV Undergraduates
Satisfaction with Academic Experience
Impact of Academic Advising
Sense of Community/Campus Life

4. Key Demographics: Undergraduates
College/School
2009 Profile
UNLV
21,650
100%
Allied Health Sciences
1,178
5.4%
Business
3,460
16.0%
Education
1,348
6.2%
Engineering
1,605
7.4%
Fine Arts
1,937
8.9%
Hotel Administration
2,632
12.2%
Liberal Arts
2,981
13.8%
Nursing
967
4.5%
Public Health
125
0.6%
Sciences
2,111
9.7%
Urban Affairs
1,877
8.7%
Academic Success Center
1,429
6.6%
Institutional Analysis & Planning, Current Student Profile

5. Key Demographics: Undergraduates
Gender
Female
12,470
54.9%
Male
10,238
45.1%
Age
24 & Under
16,234
71.5%
25 & Older
6,474
28.5%
Average 24
Full/Part Time
Full-Time
16,391
72.2%
Part-Time
6,317
27.8%
Residency
Resident
18,233
80.3%
Non-Nevada, U.S.
3,286
14.5%
International
1,189
5.2%
Race/Ethnicity
Underrepresented
41.8%
Institutional Analysis & Planning,
Current Student Profile

6. Key Demographics: Undergraduates
Avg. Credits Attempted
Full-Time Students
13.8
Part-Time Students
6.4
Avg. GPA
Avg. High school GPA
Retention
2.96
3.37
Fall
73.2%
41.9%
Graduation Rate (Fall 2003 entering fresh)
4 Years or fewer
12.0%
6 Years
39.3%
Average time to graduate
5.3 years
Employment
Full-Time [21+ hours]
Part-Time [1 to 20 hours]
Not employed
30%
45%
25%
(9% on campus)
Current Reside
Residence Hall
Off-campus, alone or with friends
Off-campus, with parents
Off campus, with spouse / children 6%
29%
63% 2%
First Generation
Non-traditional Student
35.1%
Decision to attend UNLV
1st choice
2nd choice
62%
Institutional Analysis & Planning, Current Student Profile
Survey data – multiple sources

7. Key Demographics: Undergraduates
Graduate or professional school
36% of undergraduates plan to attend graduate or professional school [SSI]
23.7% of graduating seniors anticipated going to grad or professional school [Exit Survey]
45.0% of alumni reported that they completed or were currently enrolled in grad or professional school [Alumni Survey]

8. Time Spent Preparing for class Socializing or relaxing
Never -- Less than 2% [Graduating Senior Exit Survey, Alumni Survey]
Many reported preparing for class a great deal
Over 35% of Alumni reported having prepared very often
24% of graduating seniors report preparing at least 11 hours/week
Socializing or relaxing
Never -- Less than 8% [Graduating Senior Exit Survey, Alumni Survey]
More reported socializing a great deal
34% of freshman report socializing at least 16 hours /week [NSSE]
15% of graduated seniors report socializing at least 16 hours/week
15% of alumni reported having socialized very often

9. Time Spent Work unrelated to major Work related to major
Many report never engaging in work unrelated to major
39.8% (Graduating senior exit survey), 34.0% (Alumni Survey)
Over 20% of alumni report engaging in work unrelated to major very often (23% of graduating seniors responded > 31 hours/wk)
Work related to major
More graduating seniors indicated never working related to their major than did alumni
Never: 52.5% (Graduating senior exit survey), 28.0% (Alumni Survey)

10. Time Spent Preparing for class 12.7 14.7 Working 6.5 12.5
Average hours per week spent:
Freshman Seniors
Preparing for class
Working
Student organizations
Watch TV / Socialize
Commuting
In the Student Union 4
In the SRWC 4
National Survey of Student Engagement
NOTE: Data related to working and student organizations is impacted by percentage of students reporting zero hours.

11. Overall Experience at UNLV
80% of freshman and 73% of seniors rated their overall UNLV experience as good or excellent
77% of freshman and 68% of seniors would attend UNLV again if they had to make the decision over
National Survey of Student Engagement

12. Academic Experience Quality of Instruction & Program
~ 75% of undergraduates reported satisfaction with each [SSI]
~ 90% of graduating seniors reported satisfaction with each
~ 75% of alumni reported satisfaction with each
Alumni gave lower ratings, but out of the 15 services & experiences they were presented, they rated these and their overall academic experience the highest

13. Academic Experience Quality of Relationships with Faculty
~ 67% of freshman and seniors rated faculty as available, helpful
How students rated quality of relationships with faculty was one of the four best predictors of how they rated their overall experience
Faculty qualities associated with positive relationships:
Provides prompt feedback
Interactions outside of class
Communicate via
Talk about career plans / educational goals
High expectations
National Survey of Student Engagement

14. Academic Experience
Activities associated with student learning and retention:
Prompt feedback from faculty
Diverse perspectives included in class
Put together concepts from different courses
Worked hard to meet instructors standards
Discussed course concepts outside of class
Ask questions in class
Class presentations
Group projects
Service learning projects
National Survey of Student Engagement

15. Academic Experience
Students rated Instructional Effectiveness as 6.20 in importance and 4.95 in satisfaction [7 point scale]
Nearly all faculty are knowledgeable in their field ~ 76%
The instruction within my major field is excellent ~ 75%
The quality of instruction I receive in most of my classes is excellent ~ 71%
Faculty are usually available after class and during office hours ~ 76%
Faculty provide timely feedback about student progress in a course ~ 67%
Faculty care about me as an individual ~ 63%
Graduate teaching assistants are competent as course instructors ~ 68%
Adjunct faculty are competent as course instructors ~ 68%
Student Satisfaction Inventory

16. Academic Experience
Students attribute their best UNLV experience to the following:
Faculty/Instruction
Quality of the Curriculum/Degree Program
Campus Community/Fellow Students
Students attribute their worst UNLV experience to the following:
Parking/Traffic
Advising Survey (2007)

17. Academic Experience
The following factors were most related to alumni having an excellent opinion of the university:
Overall academic experience
Quality of instruction
Quality of program
Experience with faculty

18. Academic Experience
Alumni rated the following as having the most critical impact on their current overall opinion of UNLV, in addition to value and respect for the degree:
Accomplishments of faculty
Accomplishments of alumni
Accomplishments of students
Success of athletic teams was rated as having the least impact.

19. Experience with Advising
Ratings of the quality of academic advising and academic support were two of top four predictors of how students rated their overall experience [NSSE]
Academic advising was most related to alumni’s overall opinion of the university in comparison to other services (career, tutorial & remedial, financial aid, library, campus activities, leadership opportunities) [Alumni Survey]

20. Experience with Advising
65% of freshman and 57%of seniors reported UNLV provides “quite a bit” or “very much” of the support you need to succeed academically.
73% of freshman and 62% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising as good or excellent
Amount & type of contact with advisor affected satisfaction ratings.
National Survey of Student Engagement

21. Experience with Advising
Students rated Academic Advising as 6.26 in importance and 4.81 in satisfaction [7 point scale]
My academic advisor is knowledgeable about requirements in my major ~ 72%
My academic advisor is approachable ~ 70%
My academic advisor is concerned about my success as an individual ~ 65%
My academic advisor helps me set goals to work toward ~ 64%
Out of 12 scales in the SSI, Academic Advising rating improved the most between 2005 and 2008.
Student Satisfaction Inventory

22. Experience with Advising
Graduating Seniors rated academic advising by faculty and by advising centers very similarly
Faculty: 86% satisfied, Advising centers: 87% satisfied
Alumni gave lower ratings
61% satisfied

23. Experience with Advising
Student Satisfaction with Academic Advising:
Average satisfaction rating = 4.43 (on 6-point scale).
Students rated an overall preference for individual advising sessions of 4.88 (on 6-point scale).
72% of UNLV students prefer to see the same Academic Advisor
Characteristics of Good Academic Advisors:
Communication
Professionalism
Personal Connection
Availability
Accurate Information
Advising Survey (2007)

24. Experience with Advising
Course Availability and it’s Impact on Advising:
Difficulty with full classes
Difficulty with days and time of classes
Difficulty with availability of required courses
Difficulty with number of course selections
Graduating seniors were least satisfied with availability of courses than any of the 17 services & experiences they rated.
Advising Survey (2007)

25. Sense of Community / Campus Life
Quality of Relationships with other Students
~ 67% of freshman and seniors rated other students as friendly, supportive
How students rated quality of relationships with other students was one of other top four predictors of how they rated overall experience
Activities linked with positive student relationships:
Involvement in student organizations [40% of students]
Community service [45% of students]
Study groups [70% of students]
Group project assignments [85% of students]
National Survey on Student Engagement

26. Sense of Community / Campus Life
Students rated Student Centeredness a 5.86 in importance and 4.66 in satisfaction [7 point scale]
Enjoyable experience to be a student ~ 69%
Students are made to feel welcome ~ 69%
Most students feel a sense of belonging ~ 65%
I feel a sense of pride about my campus ~ 68%
Intercollegiate athletics contributes to strong sense of school spirit ~ 63%
Student Satisfaction Inventory

27. Sense of Community / Campus Life
According to the Advising Survey, the level of student connectedness to campus community most attributed to a student’s best UNLV experience.
32% of UNLV students described student activities, student organizations, and the campus community as the reason for their best UNLV experience.
Advising Survey (2007)

28. Conclusion The academic experience is what matters most.
Relationships with faculty in & outside the classroom
Students consider academic advising and academic support to be key to their overall experience
Encouraging students to be a part of the campus community enhances their experience.
Academic and social student organizations
Group projects, study groups, service projects

29. Questions? Thanks for attending!
Future inquiries can be directed as follows:
NSSE & SSI: Sunny Gittens
Advising Survey: Peter Kim
Alumni Survey: Angelina Hill
Graduating Senior Exit Survey:
Bea Babbitt, Lindsay Couzens