Highlights of NSSE 2001: University of Kentucky December 10, 2001

Presentation Overview  Why is student engagement important?  The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)  What do we know about the engagement of UK students?  The five benchmarks of good practice  Other important findings  Ways to enhance student engagement  Retention of UK students

January 9, 2001 "As an educator, it's an embarrassment that we can tell people almost anything about education except how well students are learning." Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education

What Really Matters in College: Engagement “The research is unequivocal: students who are actively involved in both academic and out-of-class activities gain more from the college experience than those who are not so involved.” Ernest T. Pascarella & Patrick T. Terenzini, How College Affects Students

What is Student Engagement?  Represents two important aspects of collegiate quality: –The amount of time and effort students put into their studies and other meaningful academic activities –How the institution deploys resources and organizes its curriculum and other learning opportunities  Correlates with student learning and retention

What is the NSSE? (pronounced “nessie”)  Refocuses conversations about quality in undergraduate education  Assesses students engagement in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and personal development  Provide systematic national data on “good educational practices”  Enhances institutional improvement efforts

NSSE Design Parameters  Relatively short survey administered to first- year and senior students at public and private 4-year institutions  Items directly related to college outcomes –Student behaviors –Institutional requirements and practices –Student reactions to colleges  Administered directly by credible third-party survey organization

NSSE Respondent Characteristics UK NSSE 2001 Response rate 40%42% Mode Paper Paper Web Web78%22%64%36% No. of Students 34171,425 Sampling Error Freshmen Freshmen Seniors Seniors +/- 7.7% +/- 7.1% +/- 0.4% +/- 0.5%

How Engaged Are UK Students? What percent of UK 1st-year students spent 10 hours or less per week preparing for class? More than half (54%) What about UK seniors? About six in ten (60%)

How Engaged Are UK Students? What percent of UK 1st-year students have never talked to faculty about readings outside of class? One-half (50%) What about our seniors? Over one-third (35%)

How Engaged Are UK Students? What percentage of UK seniors did community service or volunteer work? About 6 in 10 (60%) ‘ Often’ or ‘very often’ used an electronic medium to complete assignments? More than two-thirds (about 70%) Had a culminating senior experience, such as a capstone course or thesis? Had a culminating senior experience, such as a capstone course or thesis? Less than half (40%)

Five Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice  Clusters of related activities, institutional actions, attitudes, and perceptions  Comparisons with the: – KY Consortium –doctoral research extensive institutions –national sample

I. Level of Academic Challenge Items on this benchmark include:  Level of preparation for class  Number of assigned books  Number of written papers of varying length  Types of cognitive demands emphasized by coursework

Observations about the Academic Challenge Benchmark  UK 1st-year students scored higher than the KY consortium and Doctoral/Research institutions (between the 50 th and 60 th percentiles)  UK seniors scored slightly below these groups (between 20 th and 30 th percentiles)  Our freshmen spend less time preparing for class than their national counterparts  UK freshmen write significantly more short and mid-length papers than their KY peers

II. Active and Collaborative Learning Items on this benchmark include:  Contributions to class discussions  Class presentations  Work with other students on projects  Frequency of discussions about readings outside of class

Observations about the Active and Collaborative Learning Benchmark  UK freshmen and seniors scored below the KY consortium and doctoral/research ext. institutions  Freshmen scored at the 20 th percentile and seniors scores between the 30 th and 40 th percentiles  Our freshmen made fewer class presentations than other KY students  UK seniors were less likely than other KY students to discuss ideas from readings outside of class

III. Student Interaction with Faculty Members Items on this benchmark include:  Frequency of discussions with faculty on: –grades –assignments –career plans –readings  Promptness of feedback  Participation in research projects

Observations about the Faculty Interaction Benchmark  UK freshmen and seniors scored slightly below students from the KY consortium  Our freshmen and seniors scored above students from other doctoral/research ext. institutions  Freshmen scored at the 70 th percentile and seniors scores between the 60 th and 70 th percentiles

IV. Enriching Educational Experiences Items on this benchmark include:  Participation in co-curricular activities  Involvement in community service  Participation in internships and co-ops  Enrollment in capstone courses  Study abroad

Observations about the Enriching Educational Experiences Benchmark  Our students scored well below their peers from the KY consortium and research universities  Freshmen scored between the 10 th and 20 th percentiles and seniors scored at the 20 th percentile  UK freshmen and seniors reported their school placed less emphasis on contact among students from different backgrounds than other research universities  Our students were less likely than those from research institutions to converse with students of other races

V. Supportive Campus Environment Items on this benchmark include:  Perceived support to succeed academically  Perceived support to thrive socially  Perceived quality of relationships with: –Other students –Faculty –Administrators

Observations about the Supportive Campus Environment Benchmark  Our students scored well below their peers from the KY consortium and research universities  Freshmen and seniors scored between the 20 th and 30 th percentiles  Compared to the national sample, our students reported relatively less support to help them... –Succeed academically –Thrive socially –Cope with non-academic responsibilities at home

Other Important Findings  First-year students’ self-reported hours spent preparing for class  Ratings of satisfaction with the University of Kentucky

Reasons to be pleased...  Our first-year students... –appear to be challenged academically –give high ratings to the quality of advising  Our freshmen and seniors... –are more likely than their KY peers to use electronic media to complete an assignment and to communicate with their instructors –report greater interaction with faculty than students from other research institutions

Things to think about...  Encourage students to: –collaborate with peers –make more presentations –engage in more discussions outside of class –take more capstone courses –study abroad  Emphasize the importance of diversity

Things to think about...  Provide needed academic and social support  Find out why the gap in UK’s level of engagement is greater for our seniors than our first-year students  Raise expectations regarding the amount of time students should devote to their studies

First-Year Retention Rates

Attrition Cohort 2000 Enrolled at LCC10% Suspension24% Academic Peril44% < 20 ACT12% < 2.5 HS GPA 6%

Retention Rates for Students on Probation

Retention Rates for Freshmen with Selected Course Grades

Action Plan for Implementing Swift Report Freshman Seminars Writing-Oral Communications Course Student Resource Center Living / Learning Communities Departmental Teaching Awards Peer Mentors Teaching Assistants Junior/ Senior Experience Technology Undergraduate Research Institutional Research Capacity Class Availability Faculty Resources and the Best Students Classroom and Laboratory Renovations Classroom Space and Efficient Scheduling Simplify & Improve USP Challenging Courses Honors Program Development Enhance Intellectual and Cultural Diversity

Retention Initiatives 2001  Increase sections of UK-101 from 43 to 45  Establish Senate Committee on Advising  Expand Academic Recovery  Enhance Undergraduate Research Program  Launch Instructional Innovation Program  Coordinate tutoring services  Enrollment Management Group  Project Elevation

Questions and Discussion

How Do I Find Out More? NSSE Website Roger Sugarman