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 319 493

Response 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 b

Effect 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 b

Effect 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 b

Effect 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 b

Effect 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 b

Effect 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.

Questions & Discussion