April 2014 The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects information from first-year (FY) and senior (SR) undergraduates from hundreds of universities about their participation in programs and activities relevant to their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how students spend their time (which we know influences their success) and can be used as an indirect measure of student learning and development. The survey includes 85 items; 42 of the most critical items are used to build five ‘Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice’. The benchmarks reflect student behaviors and institutional features that are powerful contributors to student learning and personal development (http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/nsse_benchmarks.pdf). The purpose of this report is to explore differences in benchmark means between students with an undeclared major and all other majors. An appendix is also included, which shows the frequency responses for all of the survey questions in the 2012 NSSE across undeclared status. Since NSSE surveys at the first-year and senior student levels comparisons of NSSE responses always need to be made within a student level. Among the 2012 NSSE sample about 20% of first-year respondents and .3% of senior respondents have an undeclared major. At CSU in spring 2012, about 29.3% of freshmen and about .7% of seniors have an undeclared major. Students with an undeclared major are underrepresented in the NSSE samples. Please note that these rates are based on the number of undeclared NSSE respondents (337 first-year and 5 seniors) as well as the total number of NSSE respondents and CSU enrollment at census of the spring 2012 semester. Since there is such a small number of senior NSSE respondents, discussion of results is limited to first-year students. Results by benchmark for undeclared first-year respondents are as follows: Level of Academic Challenge (LAC): Undeclared first-year students have a lower LAC benchmark mean compared to other first-year NSSE respondents. o Compared to other first-year respondents, a smaller proportion of undeclared first-year students (10% compared to 17%) responded that they very frequently work harder than they thought they could to meet academic expectations. o Only 41% of undeclared first-year students (compared to 51% of other first-year students) report studying more than 15 hours a week. Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL): Undeclared first-year students have a lower ACL benchmark mean compared to other first-year NSSE respondents. o Ten percent of undeclared first-year respondents (compared to 16% of other first-year students) report asking questions in class very often. o A smaller proportion of undeclared first-year students, compared to other first-year respondents, report discussing classroom topics outside of class very often (17% compared to 26%). Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI): Undeclared first-year students have a very similar mean score for SFI compared to other first year NSSE respondents. NSSE Scores for Undeclared Students
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April 2014
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects information from first-year (FY) and senior (SR) undergraduates from hundreds of universities about their participation in programs and activities relevant to their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how students spend their time (which we know influences their success) and can be used as an indirect measure of student learning and development. The survey includes 85 items; 42 of the most critical items are used to build five ‘Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice’. The benchmarks reflect student behaviors and institutional features that are powerful contributors to student learning and personal development (http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/nsse_benchmarks.pdf). The purpose of this report is to explore differences in benchmark means between students with an undeclared major and all other majors. An appendix is also included, which shows the frequency responses for all of the survey questions in the 2012 NSSE across undeclared status. Since NSSE surveys at the first-year and senior student levels comparisons of NSSE responses always need to be made within a student level. Among the 2012 NSSE sample about 20% of first-year respondents and .3% of senior respondents have an undeclared major. At CSU in spring 2012, about 29.3% of freshmen and about .7% of seniors have an undeclared major. Students with an undeclared major are underrepresented in the NSSE samples. Please note that these rates are based on the number of undeclared NSSE respondents (337 first-year and 5 seniors) as well as the total number of NSSE respondents and CSU enrollment at census of the spring 2012 semester. Since there is such a small number of senior NSSE respondents, discussion of results is limited to first-year students.
Results by benchmark for undeclared first-year respondents are as follows:
Level of Academic Challenge (LAC): Undeclared first-year students have a lower LAC benchmark mean compared to other first-year NSSE respondents.
o Compared to other first-year respondents, a smaller proportion of undeclared first-year students (10% compared to 17%) responded that they very frequently work harder than they thought they could to meet academic expectations.
o Only 41% of undeclared first-year students (compared to 51% of other first-year students) report studying more than 15 hours a week.
Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL): Undeclared first-year students have a lower ACL benchmark mean compared to other first-year NSSE respondents.
o Ten percent of undeclared first-year respondents (compared to 16% of other first-year students) report asking questions in class very often.
o A smaller proportion of undeclared first-year students, compared to other first-year respondents, report discussing classroom topics outside of class very often (17% compared to 26%).
Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI): Undeclared first-year students have a very similar mean score for SFI compared to other first year NSSE respondents.
Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE): Undeclared first-year students have a lower EEE benchmark mean compared to other first-year NSSE respondents.
o Smaller proportions of undeclared first-year students plan to do senior capstones, volunteer work, or internships compared to other first-year students.
o Compared to other first-year students, a larger proportion of undeclared first-year students do not participate in co-curricular activities (32% compared to 40%).
Supportive Campus Environment (SCE): Undeclared first-year students have a very similar mean score for SCE compared to other first-year NSSE respondents.
Note: Each box and whiskers chart plots the 5th (bottom of lower bar), 25th (bottom of box), 50th (middle line), 75th (top of box), and 95th (top of upper bar) percentile scores. The dot shows the benchmark mean.
Level of Academic Challenge (LAC) ItemsChallenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and collegiate quality. Colleges and universities promote high levels of student achievement by emphasizing the importance of academic effort and setting high expectations for student performance.
Distributions of Student Benchmark Scores
a Benchmarks with mean differences that are larger than would be expected by chance alone are noted with one, two, or three asterisks, denoting one of three significance levels (p<.1, p< .05 and p<.01). The smaller the significance level, the smaller the likelihood that the difference is due to chance. Please note that statistical significance does not guarantee that the result is substantive or important. b * p<.1 ** p<.05 ***p<.01 (2-tailed)c Effect size (only shown for statistically significant differences) indicates the practical significance of the mean difference. It is calculated by dividing the mean difference by the pooled standard deviation. In practice, an effect size of .2 is often considered small, .5 moderate, and .8 large.
Undeclared
All Other Majors
NSSE 2012 Benchmark Comparisons
Level of Academic Challenge (LAC)
Mean Comparisons
Colorado State University
Undeclared
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● Hours spent preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab work, etc.) ● Number of assigned textbooks, books, or book-length packs of course readings ● Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages or more, between 5 and 19 pages, and fewer than 5 pages ● Coursework emphasizes: Analysis of the basic elements of an idea, experience or theory ● Coursework emphasizes: Synthesis and organizing of ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships ● Coursework emphasizes: Making judgments about the value of information, arguments, or methods ● Coursework emphasizes: Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations ● Working harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations ● Campus environment emphasizes: Spending significant amount of time studying and on academic work
Note: Each box and whiskers chart plots the 5th (bottom of lower bar), 25th (bottom of box), 50th (middle line), 75th (top of box), and 95th (top of upper bar) percentile scores. The dot shows the benchmark mean.
Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL) ItemsStudents learn more when they are intensely involved in their education and asked to think about what they are learning in different settings. Collaborating with others in solving problems or mastering difficult material prepares students for the messy, unscripted problems they will encounter daily during and after college.
a Benchmarks with mean differences that are larger than would be expected by chance alone are noted with one, two, or three asterisks, denoting one of three significance levels (p<.1, p< .05 and p<.01). The smaller the significance level, the smaller the likelihood that the difference is due to chance. Please note that statistical significance does not guarantee that the result is substantive or important. b * p<.1 ** p<.05 ***p<.01 (2-tailed)c Effect size (only shown for statistically significant differences) indicates the practical significance of the mean difference. It is calculated by dividing the mean difference by the pooled standard deviation. In practice, an effect size of .2 is often considered small, .5 moderate, and .8 large.
Distributions of Student Benchmark Scores
All Other Majors
Colorado State UniversityNSSE 2012 Benchmark Comparisons
Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL)
Mean Comparisons
Undeclared
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● Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions ● Made a class presentation ● Worked with other students on projects during class ● Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments ● Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary) ● Participated in a community-based project (e.g., service learning) as part of a regular course ● Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.)
a Benchmarks with mean differences that are larger than would be expected by chance alone are noted with one, two, or three asterisks, denoting one of three significance levels (p<.1, p< .05, and p<.01). The smaller the significance level, the smaller the likelihood that the difference is due to chance. Please note that statistical significance does not guarantee that the result is substantive or important. b * p<.1 ** p<.05 ***p<.01 (2-tailed)c Effect size (only shown for statistically significant differences) indicates the practical significance of the mean difference. It is calculated by dividing the mean difference by the pooled standard deviation. In practice, an effect size of .2 is often considered small, .5 moderate, and .8 large.
Distributions of Student Benchmark Scores
Note: Each box and whiskers chart plots the 5th (bottom of lower bar), 25th (bottom of box), 50th (middle line), 75th (top of box), and 95th (top of upper bar) percentile scores. The dot shows the benchmark mean.
Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI) ItemsStudents learn firsthand how experts think about and solve practical problems by interacting with faculty members inside and outside the classroom. As a result, their teachers become role models, mentors, and guides for continuous, life-long learning.
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● Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor ● Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor ● Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class ● Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (committees, orientation, 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 of course or program requirements
a Benchmarks with mean differences that are larger than would be expected by chance alone are noted with one, two, or three asterisks, denoting one of three significance levels (p<.1, p< .05, and p<.01). The smaller the significance level, the smaller the likelihood that the difference is due to chance. Please note that statistical significance does not guarantee that the result is substantive or important. b * p<.1 ** p<.05 ***p<.01 (2-tailed)c Effect size (only shown for statistically significant differences) indicates the practical significance of the mean difference. It is calculated by dividing the mean difference by the pooled standard deviation. In practice, an effect size of .2 is often considered small, .5 moderate, and .8 large.
Distributions of Student Benchmark Scores
Note: Each box and whiskers chart plots the 5th (bottom of lower bar), 25th (bottom of box), 50th (middle line), 75th (top of box), and 95th (top of upper bar) percentile scores. The dot shows the benchmark mean.
Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE) ItemsComplementary learning opportunities enhance academic programs. Diversity experiences teach students valuable things about themselves and others. Technology facilitates collaboration between peers and instructors. Internships, community service, and senior capstone courses provide opportunities to integrate and apply knowledge.
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● Hours spent participating in co-curricular activities (organizations, campus publications, student gov., social fraternity or sorority, etc.) ● Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment ● Community service or volunteer work ● Foreign language coursework and study abroad ● Independent study or self-designed major ● Culminating senior experience (capstone course, senior project or thesis, comprehensive exam, etc.) ● Serious conversations with students of different religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values ● Serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than your own ● Using electronic medium (e.g., listserv, chat group, Internet, instant messaging, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment ● Campus environment encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds ● Participate in a learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together
a Benchmarks with mean differences that are larger than would be expected by chance alone are noted with one, two, or three asterisks, denoting one of three significance levels (p<.1, p< .05, and p<.01). The smaller the significance level, the smaller the likelihood that the difference is due to chance. Please note that statistical significance does not guarantee that the result is substantive or important. b * p<.1 ** p<.05 ***p<.01 (2-tailed)c Effect size (only shown for statistically significant differences) indicates the practical significance of the mean difference. It is calculated by dividing the mean difference by the pooled standard deviation. In practice, an effect size of .2 is often considered small, .5 moderate, and .8 large.
Distributions of Student Benchmark Scores
Note: Each box and whiskers chart plots the 5th (bottom of lower bar), 25th (bottom of box), 50th (middle line), 75th (top of box), and 95th (top of upper bar) percentile scores. The dot shows the benchmark mean.
Supportive Campus Environment (SCE) ItemsStudents perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relations among different groups on campus.
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● Campus environment provides the support you need to help you succeed academically ● Campus environment helps you cope with your non-academic responsibilities (work, family, etc.) ● Campus environment provides the support you need to thrive socially ● Quality of relationships with other students ● Quality of relationships with faculty members ● Quality of relationships with administrative personnel and offices