2008 National Survey of Student Engagement SUNY Oneonta

2008 National Survey of Student Engagement – SUNY Oneonta Patty Francis Steve Perry Fall 2008

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

Foundations of Student Engagement Time on task (Tyler, 1930 s) Quality of effort (Pace, 1960 -70 s) 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)

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) ü ü ü ü 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 of Effective Educational Practice Active & Collaborative Learning Level of Academic Challenge Enriching Educational Experiences Student – Faculty Interaction Supportive Campus Environment

NSSE Benchmark Definitions § Level of Academic Challenge - Engagement in intellectually challenging and § Active & Collaborative Learning - Engagement in collaborative learning and § Student-Faculty Interaction - Student engagement with faculty as role models § Supportive Campus Environment - Quality of campus environment to support § Enriching Educational Experiences - Participation in many activities not typically creative work. learning in different settings. and mentors. student success. completed by first-year students (e. g. , internships, capstone courses, study abroad).

Survey Administration § Administered to random samples of first-year & senior students § Administration occurs in the spring academic term § Paper & Web-based survey § Multiple follow-ups to increase response rates § Administered 2003, 2005 and 2008 at Oneonta

NSSE 2008 & Selected Oneonta Results

NSSE 2008 Respondent Characteristics First-Year Senior Respondents 473 579 Response Rate 40% 39% Female 71% 65% Caucasian/White 78% 83% Transfer 6% 45% Full-time 100% 97% Live On-campus 90% 30% Traditional Age 99% 85%

Selected Oneonta Results on NSSE Benchmarks Compared to Other SUNY Institutions: OVERALL, ONEONTA SCORES WERE SIMILAR OR HIGHER, ESPECIALLY FOR SENIORS.

Oneonta Benchmark Scores Compared to SUNY Institutions LAC First-Year Senior ACL First-Year Senior SFI First-Year Senior EEE First-Year Senior SCE First-Year Senior ***p<. 001 Oneonta 51. 3 57. 0 SUNY Peers 52. 2 55. 5 39. 0 55. 5 39. 4 47. 3 *** 32. 1 46. 8 32. 9 40. 8 *** 26. 7 42. 8 27. 4 39. 6 *** 62. 6 62. 3 59. 0 *** 55. 9 ***

Selected Oneonta Results on NSSE Benchmarks Over Time: FOR BOTH STUDENT COHORTS, ALMOST ALL SCORES INCREASED FROM 2003 TO 2008, SOME MARKEDLY.

Level of Academic Challenge (LAC) First-Year Students Seniors 85 85 75 75 65 65 57, 2 55 48, 0 51, 3 47, 8 57, 0 56, 3 55 45 45 35 35 25 25 15 15 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08

Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL) First-Year Students Seniors 85 85 75 75 65 65 55 55 45 33, 7 35 39, 0 36, 0 55, 5 53, 9 53, 0 45 35 25 25 15 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08

Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI) First-Year Students Seniors 85 85 75 75 65 65 55 55 45 45 36, 9 35 30, 2 51, 5 50, 4 44, 5 35 25 25 15 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08

Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE) First-Year Students Seniors 85 85 75 75 65 65 55 55 45 45 35 42, 8 41, 6 35 26, 7 25, 6 25 25 15 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08

Supportive Campus Environment (SCE) First-Year Students Seniors 85 85 75 75 65 62, 6 59, 7 57, 9 65 57, 2 55 55 45 45 35 35 25 25 15 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 62, 3 58, 7 15 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08

Selected Oneonta Results Compared to National Peer Institutions: FOR SENIORS, ONEONTA SCORES WERE SIMILAR OR HIGHER BUT FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS ONEONTA

Oneonta Benchmark Scores Compared to National Peer Institutions LAC First-Year Senior ACL First-Year Senior SFI First-Year Senior EEE First-Year Senior SCE First-Year Senior **p<. 01 Oneonta 51. 3 57. 0 Carnegie Class 53. 2 ** 58. 1 NSSE 2008 52. 9 ** 56. 5 39. 0 55. 5 45. 9 *** 52. 7 *** 42. 5 *** 50. 8 *** 32. 1 46. 8 38. 3 *** 45. 9 34. 6 ** 42. 3 *** 26. 7 42. 8 28. 3 41. 4 27. 5 40. 4 ** 62. 6 62. 3 62. 9 61. 3 61. 0 57. 9 ***p<. 001

Who Were These Peer Institutions? § NSSE Institutions - Consisted of all 714 institutions participating in NSSE 2008 § Carnegie Class Institutions § Consisted of 46 non-SUNY institutions in Oneonta’s Carnegie Class (i. e. , Master’s colleges and universities – smaller programs) § Included relatively large public institutions as well as small privates

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)

4. Aspirational goal: To compare favorably to other institutions in our Carnegie Class, for both first-year students and seniors, when the NSSE is next conducted in 2011.

Questions & Discussion

Contact Information Oneonta Contacts: Patty Francis francipl@oneonta. edu Steve Perry perrysr@oneonta. edu NSSE Web site www. nsse. iub. edu National Survey of Student Engagement Center for Postsecondary Research Indiana University Bloomington Phone: 812. 856. 5824 E-mail: nsse@indiana. edu.