BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Interpreting the Cross-Sectional Results
The cross-sectional results are based on all first-year student respondents from your institution's BCSSE 2007 and NSSE 2008 administrations (in contrast to the longitudinal results which contain only matched data). These data provide the best estimates of your first-year students' pre-college characteristics and of your students' engagement during their first year. By presenting your BCSSE-NSSE cross-sectional results side-by-side, you can identify areas of correspondence as well as gaps in engagement to develop a better understanding of the first-year student experience.
Variables
The items from the BCSSE and NSSE surveys appear in the left column of the report with same or similar wording as they appear on the instruments.
Response Options
Response options presented on the survey were collapsed into fewer categories for reporting purposes.
Data Source
These columns present the unweighted BCSSE 2007 frequencies and the weighted NSSE 2008 frequencies. BCSSE includes questions about the students high school academic engagement and their expected first year engagement.
Count
The actual number of students who answered within each response category.
Column Percentage (%)
The percentage of students responding to the particular option in each question.
2

How many hours in a typical 7-day week doing each of the following?
Preparing for class (studying, doing homework, rehearsing, etc.)
Participating in co-curricular activities (arts, clubs, athletics, etc.)
Working for pay
Relaxing and socializing (watching TV, partying, etc.)
BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Cross-Sectional Results
Western Carolina University
None
1-10
11-20
More than 20
15
287
68
8
Total 378
High School
Count %
BCSSE
1
Expected FY
Count %
4
76
18
2
100
1
117
187
68
373
0
31
50
18
100
NSSE
2
First Year
Count %
0
70
76
31
177
0
41
43
16
100
None
1-10
11-20
More than 20
33
158
124
64
Total 379
No
Yes
115
262
Total 377
9
42
33
17
100
31
69
100
38
208
88
39
373
200
171
371
10
56
24
10
100
54
46
100
62
82
25
8
177
98
77
175
33
47
15
5
100
56
44
100
None
1-10
11-20
More than 20
6
179
123
68
Total 376
2
48
33
18
100
3
198
133
40
374
1
53
36
11
100
1
106
44
23
174
0
59
27
14
100
How often did you do or expect to do each of the following?
Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions
Made a class presentation
Came to class without completing readings or assignments
Discussed grades or assignments with a teacher/instructor
Worked with other students on projects during class
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
98
278
Total 376
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
179
195
Total 374
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
314
61
Total 375
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
173
200
Total 373
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
126
247
Total 373
84
16
100
46
54
100
34
66
100
26
74
100
48
52
100
90
283
373
134
238
372
24
76
100
36
64
100
136
239
375
149
224
373
36
64
100
40
60
100
180
33
213
70
121
191
106
111
217
53
164
217
92
125
217
84
16
100
37
63
100
48
52
100
24
76
100
42
58
100
1
Blank cells indicate BCSSE items with no similar item on NSSE.
2
Weighted NSSE frequencies. See Frequency Distributions in the NSSE section of this report.
3

How often did you do or expect to do each of the following?
Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments
Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in
Had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than your own.
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with teacher/faculty members outside of class
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, etc.)
Talked with a counselor, teacher, or other staff member about college or career plans
Had serious conversations with students who are very different from you in terms of relig. beliefs, pol. opinions, or values
Work on a paper or project that requires integrating ideas or information from various sources
Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions
Receive prompt feedback from faculty on your academic performance (written or oral)
Work with faculty members on activities other than coursework (committees, orientation, student life activities, etc)
Try to better understand someone else's views by imagining how an issue looks from his or her perspective
Learn something that changes the way you understand an issue or idea
Grades
BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Cross-Sectional Results
Western Carolina University
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Total
BCSSE
1
High School Expected FY
Count % Count %
280
96
376
74
26
100
163
212
375
43
57
100
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
271
103
374
218
157
375
181
194
375
184
191
375
235
141
376
176
198
374
63
38
100
47
53
100
72
28
100
58
42
100
48
52
100
49
51
100
160
213
373
225
144
369
163
210
373
43
57
100
61
39
100
44
56
100
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
Never/Sometimes
Often/Very often
A or A-
B or B+
B- or lower
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
146
126
103
375
39
34
27
100
25
75
100
44
44
12
100
68
32
100
30
70
100
36
64
100
31
69
100
40
60
100
10
90
100
94
280
374
163
165
45
373
254
117
371
113
259
372
136
237
373
117
255
372
148
224
372
37
336
373
142
48
190
65
116
181
73
118
191
59
131
190
60
122
182
82
54
34
170
129
61
190
74
115
189
17
200
217
75
115
190
88
102
190
54
163
217
87
103
190
NSSE
2
First Year
Count %
109
107
216
50
50
100
25
75
100
44
56
100
68
32
100
38
62
100
8
92
100
40
60
100
47
53
100
73
27
100
36
64
100
39
61
100
32
68
100
32
68
100
45
33
22
100
1
Blank cells indicate BCSSE items with no similar item on NSSE.
2
Weighted NSSE frequencies. See Frequency Distributions in the NSSE section of this report.
4

BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Interpreting the Longitudinal Results
The longitudinal results contain matched data from your first-year students who completed both the BCSSE 2007 and NSSE 2008 surveys. The purpose of this report is to analyze the relationships between incoming student characteristics and their reported engagement near the end of their first year. With longitudinal data, you can more effectively identify how students with varying levels of pre-college characteristics were actually engaged during their first year of college.
Six BCSSE scales and four NSSE benchmarks in the longitudinal data are categorized into quartile ranges based on the lower 25 percent (Low25), the middle 50 percent (Mid50), and the upper 25 percent (Top25) of respondents.
BCSSE Scales
The following BCSSE scales were constructed by converting the responses for each item to a 0-10 range. A mean scale score was then calculated for each student. Below is a brief description of each scale with the component BCSSE items in parentheses.
High School Academic
Engagement
Student engagement in educationally relevant activities during the last year of high school. (hreadasg, hwrite5, hwrite5m, hacadpr, hclquest, hclprese, hfacgrad, hclassgr, hoccgrp, hrewropa, hfacidea, hoocidea)
Expected First-Year
Academic Engagement
Expected engagement in educationally relevant behaviors during the first year of college.
(cacadpr, cclquest, cclprese, cfacgrad, cclassgr, coccgrp, cfacidea, coocidea)
Academic
Perseverance
1
Expected First-Year
Academic Difficulty
Perceived Academic
Preparation
Importance of Campus
Environment
Student certainty that they will persist in the face of academic adversity. (cotherint, cfindinfo, ccourdis, caskinst, cfinish, cstaypos)
Expected academic difficulty during the first year of college. (clearnma, cmantime, cgethelp, cintfac)
Student perception of their academic preparation. (cgnwrite, cgnspeak, cgnanaly, cgnquant, cgncompt, cgnother, cgninq)
Student-rated importance that the institution provides a challenging and supportive environment. (cenvscho, cenvsupr, cenvdivr, cenvnaca, cenvsoca, cenveven)
NSSE Benchmarks
Also included in this report are four of the five NSSE Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice.
2
Level of Academic
Challenge (adjusted)
Engagement in intellectually challenging and creative work. (readasgn, writemor, writemid, writesml, analyze, synthesz, evaluate, applying, workhard, acadpr01, envschol)
Active & Collaborative
Learning:
Engagement in collaborative learning and learning in different settings. (clquest, clpresen, classgrp, occgrp, tutor, commproj, oocideas)
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Student engagement with faculty as role models and mentors. (facgrade, facideas, facplans, facfeed, facother, resrch04)
Supportive Campus
Environment
Quality of campus environment to support student success. (envsocal, envsuprt, envnacad, envstu, envfac, envadm )
1
Academic Perseverence was named Academic Persistence in the BCSSE 2007 Report.
2
The benchmark "Enriching Educational Experiences" is not included in this section of the report given that it measures the
participation in many activities not typically completed by first-year students (internships, capstone courses, study abroad, etc).
5

BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Interpreting the Longitudinal Results
In the example below (NSSEville State), students who scored in the lower 25% ("Low25") for High School
Academic Engagement were engaged in their first year of college with an average Level of Academic Challenge benchmark score of 49.6. Of these students, 41% ended the year in the lower 25% on Level of Academic
Challenge, while only 13% of these students were in the top 25%. By comparison, 8% of the students in the top
25% on High School Academic Engagement were in the lower 25% and 43% were the top 25% for Level of
Academic Challenge.
BCSSE Scale
The six BCSSE scales are listed in the left column
Quartile Ranges
The lower 25%, middle 50%, and the top 25% of scores for each BCSSE scale and NSSE benchmark.
NSSE Benchmark
The NSSE benchmark is listed across the top of the page.
Count
The actual number of students who were included in each group.
Mean Benchmark Score
The average benchmark score for each of the BCSSE quartile ranges.
Row Percentages
Row percentages in table and graphical display. Each row sums to 100%.
How might NSSEville State use the BCSSE-NSSE Longitudinal Results?
There are many meaningful ways to use these data and results. One way NSSEville State could raise student participation in academically challenging activities is to work with their first-year students who are in the bottom
25% for high school engagement, stressing to them the importance, value, and benefits of engaging in academically challenging activities. NSSEville State may be concerned that 8% of their incoming first-year students who reported high levels of high school academic engagement are actually engaged in the bottom 25% of their class in academic challenge. Using the BCSSE-NSSE raw matched data as well as other available institutional data, NSSEville may want to learn more about these students and devise ways to facilitate engagement of similar first-year students in the future. Other information collected from students during the admission and advising processes, as well as inthe first few weeks of classes, can also inform program and institution-level assessment.
6

BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Longitudinal Results
Western Carolina University
NSSE Level of Academic Challenge (LAC) by BCSSE Scales
Level of Academic Challenge
BCSSE Scale
1
High School
Academic
Engagement
Quartile
Range
2
Low25
Count
13
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
27
12
52
Mean
47.0
55.8
59.2
Low25
46%
19%
17%
Mid50
54%
52%
33%
Top25
0%
30%
50%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Expected
Academic
Engagement
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Academic
Perseverance
3
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Expected
Academic
Difficulty
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
13
25
13
51
48.5
53.5
61.3
12
25
15
52
52.8
52.9
58.1
15
22
15
52
52.3
52.7
58.8
38%
24%
15%
62%
48%
31%
0%
28%
54%
25%
32%
13%
50%
44%
53%
25%
24%
33%
27%
32%
13%
47%
50%
47%
27%
18%
40%
Academic
Preparation
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Importance of
Campus
Environment
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
13
26
13
52
49.0
55.5
57.5
12
25
15
52
46.0
56.7
57.2
38%
23%
15%
46%
42%
62%
15%
35%
23%
58%
16%
13%
33%
56%
47%
8%
28%
40%
1
Rows sum to 100%
2
Low25=Lower Quartile; Mid50=Interquartiles; Top25=Upper Quartile
3
Academic Perseverance was named Academic Persistence in the BCSSE 2007 Report.
7

BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Longitudinal Results
Western Carolina University
NSSE Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL) by BCSSE Scales
Active and Collaborative Learning
BCSSE Scale
1
High School
Academic
Engagement
Quartile
Range
2
Low25
Count
15
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
32
16
63
Mean
43.8
52.9
59.1
Low25
47%
25%
6%
Mid50
47%
47%
56%
Top25
7%
28%
38%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Expected
Academic
Engagement
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Academic
Perseverance
3
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Expected
Academic
Difficulty
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
15
31
16
62
42.3
54.4
56.8
15
30
18
63
51.9
51.4
54.1
18
27
18
63
54.4
52.0
50.8
40%
23%
19%
60%
48%
44%
0%
29%
38%
20%
30%
22%
60%
43%
50%
20%
27%
28%
22%
19%
39%
50%
56%
39%
28%
26%
22%
Academic
Preparation
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Importance of
Campus
Environment
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
17
30
16
63
47.3
54.1
54.4
15
30
18
63
52.0
53.5
50.6
29%
27%
19%
65%
40%
50%
6%
33%
31%
27%
27%
22%
40%
50%
56%
33%
23%
22%
1
Rows sum to 100%
2
Low25=Lower Quartile; Mid50=Interquartiles; Top25=Upper Quartile
3
Academic Perseverance was named Academic Persistence in the BCSSE 2007 Report.
8

BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Longitudinal Results
Western Carolina University
NSSE Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI) by BCSSE Scales
Student-Faculty Interaction
BCSSE Scale
1
High School
Academic
Engagement
Quartile
Range
2
Low25
Count
13
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
27
12
52
Mean
34.6
41.9
50.9
Low25
31%
19%
8%
Mid50
54%
56%
42%
Top25
15%
26%
50%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Expected
Academic
Engagement
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Academic
Perseverance
3
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Expected
Academic
Difficulty
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Academic
Preparation
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Importance of
Campus
Environment
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
12
26
13
51
30.6
44.8
45.6
13
24
15
52
41.8
44.7
38.4
16
21
15
52
48.9
38.0
40.8
14
26
12
52
40.4
43.3
41.8
12
25
15
52
38.6
45.2
40.0
17%
19%
23%
83%
42%
46%
0%
38%
31%
15%
17%
27%
54%
50%
53%
31%
33%
20%
6%
24%
27%
56%
57%
40%
38%
19%
33%
14%
23%
17%
57%
46%
58%
29%
31%
25%
25%
16%
20%
50%
52%
53%
25%
32%
27%
1
Rows sum to 100%
2
Low25=Lower Quartile; Mid50=Interquartiles; Top25=Upper Quartile
3
Academic Perseverance was named Academic Persistence in the BCSSE 2007 Report.
9

BCSSE 2007-NSSE 2008 Combined Report
Longitudinal Results
Western Carolina University
NSSE Supportive Campus Environment (SCE) by BCSSE Scales
Supportive Campus Environment
BCSSE Scale
1
High School
Academic
Engagement
Quartile
Range
2
Low25
Count
13
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
26
11
50
Mean
67.3
61.6
63.1
Low25
15%
27%
27%
Mid50
54%
50%
45%
Top25
31%
23%
27%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Expected
Academic
Engagement
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Academic
Perseverance
3
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Expected
Academic
Difficulty
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
13
24
12
49
59.0
63.7
66.4
12
23
15
50
56.9
63.2
69.1
15
21
14
50
68.0
63.6
58.3
23%
29%
17%
77%
38%
50%
0%
33%
33%
42%
26%
7%
42%
48%
60%
17%
26%
33%
27%
19%
29%
33%
62%
50%
40%
19%
21%
Academic
Preparation
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
Importance of
Campus
Environment
Low25
Mid50
Top25
TOTAL
13
25
12
50
59.4
62.3
70.1
12
23
15
50
61.1
61.0
69.1
31%
28%
8%
54%
40%
67%
15%
32%
25%
25%
30%
13%
58%
39%
60%
17%
30%
27%
IPEDS: 200004
1
Rows sum to 100%
2
Low25=Lower Quartile; Mid50=Interquartiles; Top25=Upper Quartile
3
Academic Perseverance was named Academic Persistence in the BCSSE 2007 Report.
10