An Introduction: NSSE and the Concept of Student Engagement
Feb 12, 2016
An Introduction:NSSE and the Concept of Student Engagement
What is Student Engagement?
What students do -- time and energy devoted to educationally purposeful activities
What institutions do -- using effective educational practices to induce students to do the right things
Educationally effective institutions channel student energy toward the right activities
Time on task (Tyler, 1930s)
Quality of effort (Pace, 1960-70s)
Student involvement (Astin, 1984)
Social, academic integration (Tinto, 1987, 1993)
Good practices in undergraduate education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987)
College impact (Pascarella, 1985)
Student engagement (Kuh, 1991, 2005)
Foundations of Student Engagement
Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate
Education(Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005)
Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Experiences with diversity Cooperation among
students
National Survey of Student Engagement(pronounced “nessie”)
Assesses the extent to which students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development
NSSE Benchmarks ofEffective Educational Practice
Level of Academic Challenge
Active & Collaborative
Learning
Enriching Educational Experiences
Student – Faculty
Interaction
Supportive Campus
Environment
NSSE Benchmark Definitions Level of Academic Challenge - Engagement in intellectually
challenging and creative work.
Active & Collaborative Learning - Engagement in collaborative learning and learning in different settings.
Student-Faculty Interaction - Student engagement with faculty as role models and mentors.
Supportive Campus Environment - Quality of campus environment to support student success.
Enriching Educational Experiences - Participation in many activities not typically completed by first-year students (e.g., internships, capstone courses, study abroad).
NSSE 2011 & Selected Oneonta Results
Survey Administration Sample included all first-
year & senior students Administration occurred
in the spring academic term
Web-based survey Multiple follow-ups to
increase response rates Administered 2003, 2005,
2008 and 2011 at Oneonta
NSSE 2011 Respondent Characteristics
First-Year Senior
Respondents 319 493Response Rate 28% 30%Female 77% 61%Caucasian/White 83% 80%Transfer 1% 36%Full-time 100% 99%Live On-campus 92% 32%Traditional Age 99% 89%
For both student cohorts, most scores stayed about
the same or increased from 2008 to 2011.
Selected Oneonta Results on NSSE Benchmarks Over Time:
First-Year Students
Seniors
Level of Academic Challenge (LAC)
First-Year Students
Seniors
Active and Collaborative Learning
(ACL)
First-Year Students
Seniors
Student-Faculty Interaction(SFI)
First-Year Students
Seniors
Enriching Educational Experiences
(EEE)
First-Year Students
Seniors
Supportive Campus Environment
(SCE)
For seniors, Oneonta scores are most often significantly
higher. However, first-year student
scores are significantly lower overall.
Selected Oneonta Results Compared to National Peer
Institutions:
Level of Academic Challenge (LAC)
SUNY Oneonta Mid East Public Carnegie Class NSSE 2011
Class Mean a Mean a Sig bEffect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c
First-Year 50.2 53.5 *** -.25 53.1 *** -.21 53.7 *** -.26
Senior 58.5 56.7 ** .13 58.4 .01 57.4 .08
Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL)
SUNY Oneonta Mid East Public Carnegie Class NSSE 2011
Class Mean a Mean a Sig bEffect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c
First-Year 38.9 42.1 *** -.19 44.7 *** -.35 43.2 *** -.25
Senior 55.3 50.1 *** .30 53.5 * .10 51.3 *** .23
Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI)
SUNY Oneonta Mid East Public Carnegie Class NSSE 2011
Class Mean a Mean a Sig bEffect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c
First-Year 29.0 33.9 *** -.26 36.6 *** -.40 34.4 *** -.29
Senior 47.3 42.2 *** .24 44.5 ** .13 41.9 *** .25
Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE)
SUNY Oneonta Mid East Public Carnegie Class NSSE 2011
Class Mean a Mean a Sig bEffect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c
First-Year 25.8 27.5 * -.13 27.2 -.10 27.8 ** -.14
Senior 44.5 41.9 ** .14 41.7 *** .15 40.4 *** .22
Supportive Campus Environment (SCE)
SUNY Oneonta Mid East Public Carnegie Class NSSE 2011
Class Mean a Mean a Sig bEffect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c Mean a Sig b
Effect Size c
First-Year 62.7 61.2 .08 63.9 -.06 62.7 .00
Senior 62.9 57.0 *** .31 60.8 * .11 59.1 *** .20
Who Were These Peer Institutions?
NSSE Institutions - Consisted of all 672 institutions participating in NSSE 2011
Carnegie Class Institutions - Consisted of 36 Master’s colleges and universities – smaller programs
Mid-East Public Institutions – Consisted of 48 institutions
Recommendations
1. Oneonta should initiate a campus-wide discussion of student engagement and strategies for enhancing this process, to include faculty, staff, and students.
2. Oneonta should focus on initiatives to improve engagement with first-year students.
3. These initiatives should target the following areas:• Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI)• Active and Collaborative Learning
(ACL)• Level of Academic Challenge (LAC)• Enriching Educational Experiences
(EEE)
4. Aspirational goal: To compare favorably to other mid-east public and Carnegie Class institutions, for both first-year students and seniors, when the NSSE is next conducted in 2014.