Gary Whisenand Director, Institutional Research August 26, 2011

Gary WhisenandDirector, Institutional

Research

August 26, 2011

Presentation Overview

1. NSSE and the Concept of Student

Engagement

2. NSSE 2011 & Selected Whitworth Results

3. Focus on Student-Faculty Interaction General comments Department Specific

Questions & Discussion

NSSE and the Concept of Student Engagement

What is Student Engagement?

What students do -- time and energy devoted to studies and other educationally purposeful activities

What institutions do -- using resources and effective educational practices to induce students to do the right things

Educationally effective institutions channel student energy toward the right activities

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Experiences with

diversity Cooperation among

studentsChickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE: Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7.

NSSE Background

Year Institutions

2001 3212002 3672003 4372004 4732005 5292006 5572007 6102008 7692009 6402010 5952011 751

Launched with grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts in 1999, supported by institutional participation fees since 2002.

Nearly 1,500 baccalaureate-granting colleges and universities in the US and Canada have participated to date.

Institution types, sizes, and locations represented in NSSE are largely representative of U.S. baccalaureate institutions.

Goals of NSSE Project Focus conversations on

undergraduate quality Enhance institutional

practice and improvement initiatives

Foster comparative and consortium activity

Provide systematic national data on “good educational practices”

NSSE Survey Content

Student Behaviors in College

Institutional Actions And Requirements

Student Reactions to College

Student BackgroundInformation

Student Learning & Development

NSSE Benchmarks ofEffective Educational

PracticeActive &

Collaborative Learning

Enriching Educational Experiences

Student – Faculty

Interaction

Supportive Campus

Environment

Level of Academic Challenge

Survey Administration All first-year & senior

students are notified. Juniors are also invited to participate to obtain adequate feedback for smaller departments

Spring administration Web-based Multiple follow-ups to

increase response rates

NSSE 2011 & Selected Whitworth Results

NSSE 2011 Survey Population and Respondents

Almost two million students were invited to participate in NSSE 2011, with 537,605 responding

1,130 First-Year and Senior Whitworth students were invited to participate, with 42% responding

NSSE 2011 Institution Response Rates

Whitworth response rate = 42%

NSSE 2011 Institutional Response Rates

All NSSE 2011 institutions = 33%Paper mode institutions = 30%

Web-only institutions = 34%Web+ institutions = 31%

Whitworth Results - Seniors

0% 0% 1% 3%11%

35%

49%

1% 2% 4%

22% 20%

31%20%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%

Unavailable,Unhelpful,

Unsympathetic

2 3 4 5 6 Helpful,Available

Faculty Administrative Staff

Thinking about your overall experience at this institution, how would you rate the quality of relationships with faculty and administrative personnel and offices?

Whitworth Seniors 2009 & 2011

5%

35%31% 29%

6%

34% 35%

25%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Very Little Some Quite a Bit Very Much

2009

2011

Thinking about your overall experience at this institution, to what extent does the college encourage contact between students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds?

Whitworth Findings

Class Whitworth Selected PeersFirst-Year 84% 66%

Senior 59% 56%

What percentage of our students (in comparison to selected peers) reported that coursework emphasized memorizing facts, ideas, or methods quite a bit or very much?

Whitworth Findings

Class Whitworth Selected Peers

Carnegie Class

First-Year

90% 88% 81%

Seniors 85% 82% 77%

Item: Overall, how would you evaluate the quality of academic advising you have received at your institution? (Percent reporting Good or Excellent)

Student Faculty Interaction (SFI)

SFI Multi-Year Benchmarks

First-Year Seniors

SFI Score of Juniors and Seniors

by Department of Declared Major-1

SFI Items

Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor

Talked about career plans with a faculty member

Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class

Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (e.g. committees, 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 a course or program requirements

Item: Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor.

Department

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.2

Avg. facgrade

Philosophy

Theatre Arts

Kinesiology

SOE

English

History

Psychology

SGCM

Math/Comp Sci

Political Sci

Art

Sociology

Communications

Modern Lang

Physics

Health Science

Music

Theology

Biology

Nursing

ChemistryAverage = 2.906

FACGRADE-JuniorSenior

Average of facgrade for each Department. The data is filtered on Class, which keeps JR, SR and PB. The view is filtered on Department, which excludes Undeclared.

Item: Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class

Item: Received prompt written or oral feedback from faculty on your academic performance

Item: Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (committees, student life activities, etc.)

Department

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0

Avg. facother

Theatre Arts

Theology

Health Science

English

Music

SOE

Sociology

Psychology

Biology

Physics

Political Sci

Kinesiology

Communications

SGCM

Math/Comp Sci

Chemistry

History

Modern Lang

Art

Nursing

PhilosophyAverage = 2.005

FACOTHER-JuniorSenior

Average of facother for each Department. The data is filtered on Class, which keeps JR, SR and PB. The view is filtered on Department, which excludes Undeclared.

Item: Work on a research project with faculty member outside of class or program requirements

Department

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.2

Avg. resrch04

Chemistry

History

Theatre Arts

Physics

Psychology

Political Sci

Nursing

Math/Comp Sci

Biology

Theology

English

Music

Health Science

Kinesiology

SGCM

Modern Lang

Art

Communications

SOE

Sociology

PhilosophyAverage = 2.273

RESRCH04-JuniorSenior

Average of resrch04 for each Department. The data is filtered on Class, which keeps JR, SR and PB. The view is filtered on Department, which excludes Undeclared.

Whitworth and Peer Results

4%

37%32%

27%

5%

34% 34%28%

10%

39%31%

21%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Never Sometimes Often Very Often

Seniors 2009

Seniors 2011

Selected Peers

Item: Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor.

Item: Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor

Item: Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor – Selected departments by Gender

Department Gender

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0

Avg. facideas

Chemistry F

M

Communications F

M

Health Science F

M

SGCM F

M

SOE F

M

Average = 1.750

Average = 2.138

Average = 2.423

Average = 2.191

Average = 2.048

FACIDEAS and GenderGender

F

M

Average of facideas for each Gender broken down by Department. Color shows details about Gender. The data is filtered on Class, which keeps JR, SR and PB. The view is filtered on Department, which keeps SGCM,Health Science, Chemistry, Communications and SOE.

Questions & Discussion