Lessons from the National Survey of Student Engagement

Dan Bureau Mahauganee ShawIndiana University Center for Postsecondary Research

Learning Outcomes

As a result of participation, you will:1. Identify concepts core to student engagement.2. Understand the scope and function of the

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).3. Examine NSSE in light of your work.4. Determine approaches to work in college unions

and student activities that may use NSSE data. • Questions are welcome!

Tell Us About How You Interact with NSSE Data

• Which of the following statements best describes your use and familiarity with NSSE data on your campus?

a) I am chiefly responsible for NSSE administration and data analysis on my campusb) I have reviewed relevant NSSE data results for my functional areac) I know we participate in NSSE; never seen or used resultsd) What’s NSSE?

What is NSSE?

• An annual snapshot of student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development– Results show how undergraduates spend their time and what

they gain from attending college– NSSE survey measures behaviors associated with desired

outcomes of college– The time and energy students devote to educationally

purposeful activities is the single best predictor of their learning and personal development

– Data belongs to the institution

Who’s Participating?

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100

100200300400500600700800900

Chart Title

YearNum

ber o

f Par

ticip

ating

Sch

ools

Since 2000, NSSE has been used by 1,400 colleges and universities in all 50 states

Who’s Participating?

Institutional Type (Carnegie Classifications)

RU-VHRU-HDRUMaster's LMaster's MMaster's SBac-A&SBac-Diverse

Public – 42%Private – 58%

Conceptual Background• The time and energy students devote to

educationally purposeful activities is the single best predictor of their learning and personal development (Kuh, 2002; Wolf-Wendel, Ward, & Kinzie, 2009).

• These things can be measured and then changed by institutions

• Schools can foster change if they know what needs to be done

• Create a yearly, national snapshot of students in the U.S.

Effective Educational Practices

• Student-faculty contact• Active learning• Prompt feedback• Time on task• High expectations• Cooperation among students• Respect for diverse talents and ways

of learning Chickering and Gamson. (1987). Seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education.

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

Situating Engagement in Student Affairs Work

• Involvement – “accounts for the time and energy that students spend but also acknowledges the contribution of the environment” (p. 411)

• Engagement – “is about two elements: what the student does and what the institution does. Engagement is about 2 parties who enter into an agreement about the educational experience” (p. 413)

• Integration – “used to explain the extent to which students come to share the attitudes and beliefs of their peers and faculty and the extent to which students adhere to…the institutional culture” (p. 414).

Wolf-Wendel, L., Ward, K., & Kinzie, J. (2009). A tangled web of terms: The overlap and unique contribution of involvement, engagement, and integration to understanding college students success. Journal of College Student Development, 50(4), pp. 407-428.

What does NSSE capture?

What does NSSE report?

Benchmarks of

Effective Educational

Practice

NSSE Results• Are diagnostic; to help institutions look

holistically at undergraduate experience• Help pinpoint aspects not in line with

mission, or what institution expects• Identify weaknesses and strengths in

educational programs• Help institutions know what to focus on to

improve student learning and success

Lessons from NSSE• The single best predictor of student satisfaction

with college is the degree to which they perceive the college environment to be supportive of their academic and social needs.

• Effective educational practices measured by NSSE are independent of institutional selectivity.

• Grades, persistence, student satisfaction, and engagement go hand in hand.

Connecting NSSE to Your Work

It Takes a Whole Campus to Educate a Student

Assessment with NSSE: Where To Start?

1. Identify and describe a few aspects of your union (facilities, programming, staff, organization, etc.) that contribute to the educational mission of your institution; then go to the data

a. What burning questions do you have about your students? b. What are the hot topics on your campus? In your office or

department?c. How can these data feed you with information on those topics?

2. How is your institution stacking up in terms of NSSE benchmarks, and educational practices of interest to your campus?

a. Where is there room for improvement?

Student Affairs Questions that NSSE Can Answer

• Do NSSE results match our institutional mission?• Are FYs who withdraw from the institution different

in terms of engagement than students who are retained?

• Are we meeting our expectations for having a supportive campus environment?

• Since implementing a new ____ initiative and/or expanding our _____ programming, has our score on the ____ scale/item(s) increased/decreased?

Possible Items of InterestStudent Union Facilities

• About how many hours do you spend in a typical week…– Working for pay on/off campus?– Participating in co-curricular activities?– Commuting to class?

• To what extent does your institution emphasize…– Proving the support you need to thrive socially/succeed academically?– Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social,

and racial/ethnic backgrounds?

* Items above may be crossed with demographic data

Possible Items of InterestProgramming Initiatives

• To what extent has your experience at this institution contributed to your knowledge, skills, and personal development in…– Working effectively with others?– Voting in local, state, or national elections?– Understanding yourself/people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds?– Developing a personal code of values and ethics?– Contributing to the welfare of your community?– Developing a deepened sense of spirituality?

• To what extent does your institution emphasize…– Attending campus events and activities?– Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial/ethnic

backgrounds?

* Items above may be crossed with demographic data

Activity

• Select survey items that could best inform:– how students are impacted by your daily work– the types of programming from which your students would

benefit the most– your work with a particular student demographic

• If you had this data, what would you know? How would it impact your work in college unions and student activities?

How will you put this information to work when you return to your campus?

Contact Information

• http://nsse.iub.edu

• Mahauganee Shaw = shawmd@indiana.edu• Dan Bureau = dabureau@indiana.edu