Highlights of NSSE 2001:
University of Kentucky
December 10, 2001
Presentation Overview

Why is student engagement important?

The National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE)

What do we know about the engagement of
UK students?

The five benchmarks of good practice

Other important findings

Ways to enhance student engagement

Retention of UK students
January 9, 2001
"As an educator, it's an embarrassment that we
can tell people almost anything about education
except how well students are learning."
Patrick M. Callan, president of the National
Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
What Really Matters in
College: Engagement
“The research is unequivocal: students
who are actively involved in both
academic and out-of-class activities
gain more from the college experience
than those who are not so involved.”
Ernest T. Pascarella & Patrick T. Terenzini,
How College Affects Students
What is Student Engagement?

Represents two important aspects of
collegiate quality:
– The amount of time and effort students put
into their studies and other meaningful
academic activities
– How the institution deploys resources and
organizes its curriculum and other learning
opportunities

Correlates with student learning and
retention
What is the NSSE?
(pronounced “nessie”)




Refocuses conversations about quality in
undergraduate education
Assesses students engagement in educational
practices associated with high levels of
learning and personal development
Provide systematic national data on “good
educational practices”
Enhances institutional improvement efforts
NSSE Design Parameters


Relatively short survey administered to firstyear and senior students at public and private
4-year institutions
Items directly related to college outcomes
– Student behaviors
– Institutional requirements and practices
– Student reactions to colleges

Administered directly by credible third-party
survey organization
NSSE Respondent Characteristics
Response rate
UK
NSSE 2001
40%
42%
78%
22%
341
64%
36%
71,425
+/- 7.7%
+/- 7.1%
+/- 0.4%
+/- 0.5%
Mode
Paper
Web
No. of Students
Sampling Error
Freshmen
Seniors
How Engaged Are UK Students?
What percent of UK
1st-year students
spent 10 hours or
less per week
preparing for class?
More than half
(54%)
What about UK
seniors?
About six in ten
(60%)
How Engaged Are UK Students?
What percent of UK
1st-year students
have never talked to
faculty about
readings outside of
class?
What about our
seniors?
One-half
(50%)
Over one-third
(35%)
How Engaged Are UK Students?
What percentage of UK
seniors did community
service or volunteer work?
About 6 in 10
(60%)
‘Often’ or ‘very often’ used
More than
two-thirds
(about 70%)
an electronic medium to
complete assignments?
Had a culminating senior
experience, such as a
capstone course or thesis?
Less than half
(40%)
Five Benchmarks of Effective
Educational Practice


Clusters of related activities,
institutional actions, attitudes, and
perceptions
Comparisons with the:
– KY Consortium
– doctoral research extensive institutions
– national sample
I. Level of Academic Challenge
Items on this benchmark include:
 Level of preparation for class
 Number of assigned books
 Number of written papers of varying
length
 Types of cognitive demands
emphasized by coursework
Level of Academic Challenge
65
55
51.6 49.3 51.4 52.9
56.6
54.6
53.1 53.4
45
35
25
First-Year
University of Kentucky
Doc/Res Extensive
Senior
Kentucky Universities
National Sample
Observations about the
Academic Challenge Benchmark




UK 1st-year students scored higher than
the KY consortium and Doctoral/Research
institutions (between the 50th and 60th
percentiles)
UK seniors scored slightly below these
groups (between 20th and 30th percentiles)
Our freshmen spend less time preparing
for class than their national counterparts
UK freshmen write significantly more short
and mid-length papers than their KY peers
II. Active and
Collaborative Learning
Items on this benchmark include:
 Contributions to class discussions
 Class presentations
 Work with other students on projects
 Frequency of discussions about
readings outside of class
Active and Collaborative Learning
65
55
45
38.3 37.5
35.6
40.9
44.8
48.0
45.8
49.7
35
25
First-Year
University of Kentucky
Doc/Res Extensive
Senior
Kentucky Universities
National Sample
Observations about the Active and
Collaborative Learning Benchmark




UK freshmen and seniors scored below the
KY consortium and doctoral/research ext.
institutions
Freshmen scored at the 20th percentile and
seniors scores between the 30th and 40th
percentiles
Our freshmen made fewer class
presentations than other KY students
UK seniors were less likely than other KY
students to discuss ideas from readings
outside of class
III. Student Interaction with
Faculty Members
Items on this benchmark include:
 Frequency of discussions with faculty
on:
–
–
–
–
grades
assignments
career plans
readings
Promptness of feedback
 Participation in research projects

65
Interaction with Faculty Members
55
45
35
33.6 34.5 31.6 35.1
39.1 40.6 38.4
42.9
25
First-Year
University of Kentucky
Doc/Res Extensive
Senior
Kentucky Universities
National Sample
Observations about the Faculty
Interaction Benchmark
UK freshmen and seniors scored
slightly below students from the KY
consortium
 Our freshmen and seniors scored
above students from other
doctoral/research ext. institutions
 Freshmen scored at the 70th
percentile and seniors scores
between the 60th and 70th percentiles

IV. Enriching Educational
Experiences
Items on this benchmark include:
 Participation in co-curricular
activities
 Involvement in community service
 Participation in internships and co-ops
 Enrollment in capstone courses
 Study abroad
Enriching Educational Experiences
65
55
50.4 52.3
55.3 55.4
42.5
45
47.6
45.2 45.9
35
25
First-Year
University of Kentucky
Doc/Res Extensive
Senior
Kentucky Universities
National Sample
Observations about the Enriching
Educational Experiences Benchmark




Our students scored well below their peers
from the KY consortium and research
universities
Freshmen scored between the 10th and 20th
percentiles and seniors scored at the 20th
percentile
UK freshmen and seniors reported their
school placed less emphasis on contact
among students from different
backgrounds than other research
universities
Our students were less likely than those
from research institutions to converse
with students of other races
V. Supportive Campus
Environment
Items on this benchmark include:
 Perceived support to succeed
academically
 Perceived support to thrive socially
 Perceived quality of relationships
with:
– Other students
– Faculty
– Administrators
Supportive Campus Environment
65
55
53.3
57.3 56.1
60.2
48.3
53.3 51.2
56.8
45
35
25
First-Year
University of Kentucky
Doc/Res Extensive
Senior
Kentucky Universities
National Sample
Observations about the Supportive
Campus Environment Benchmark



Our students scored well below their peers
from the KY consortium and research
universities
Freshmen and seniors scored between the
20th and 30th percentiles
Compared to the national sample, our
students reported relatively less support
to help them . . .
– Succeed academically
– Thrive socially
– Cope with non-academic responsibilities at home
Other Important Findings

First-year students’ self-reported
hours spent preparing for class

Ratings of satisfaction with the
University of Kentucky
Self-Reported Hours Per Week
Freshmen Spend Preparing for Class
60%
54.3%
42.0%
40%
20%
5.9%
13.0%
0%
'10 or Fewer'
University of Kentucky
'More than 25'
Doc/Res Extensive
Quality of Advising
Percent Answering 'Good or Excellent'
80%
77%
72%
71%
70%
66%
67%
63% 64%
57%
60%
50%
First-Year
University of Kentucky
Doc/Res Extensive
Senior
Kentucky Universities
National Sample
Satisfaction with One's Entire
Educational Experience
3.4
3.2
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
3.06 3.06
3.16 3.19
First-Year
3.11 3.15
3.24
2.97
Senior
University of Kentucky
Kentucky Universities
Doc/Res Extensive
National Sample
Reasons to be pleased . . .

Our first-year students . . .
– appear to be challenged academically
– give high ratings to the quality of advising

Our freshmen and seniors . . .
– are more likely than their KY peers to use
electronic media to complete an assignment and
to communicate with their instructors
– report greater interaction with faculty than
students from other research institutions
Things to think about . . .

Encourage students to:
– collaborate with peers
– make more presentations
– engage in more discussions outside of class
– take more capstone courses
– study abroad

Emphasize the importance of diversity
Things to think about . . .



Provide needed academic and social support
Find out why the gap in UK’s level of
engagement is greater for our seniors than
our first-year students
Raise expectations regarding the amount
of time students should devote to their
studies
First-Year Retention Rates
85
80
75
70
65
60
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
CPE
2002
Attrition Cohort 2000
Enrolled at LCC
Suspension
Academic Peril
< 20 ACT
< 2.5 HS GPA
10%
24%
44%
12%
6%
Retention Rates for
Students on Probation
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
ALL
Male Female
AA
W
Retention Rates for Freshmen with
Selected Course Grades
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
ENG 101
A
CHE 105
B
C
D
MAT 109
E
W
Action Plan for
Implementing Swift Report
Freshman Seminars
Writing-Oral Communications
Course
Student Resource Center
Living / Learning Communities
Departmental Teaching
Awards
Peer Mentors
Teaching Assistants
Junior/ Senior Experience
Technology
Undergraduate Research
Institutional Research
Capacity
Class Availability
Faculty Resources and the
Best Students
Classroom and Laboratory
Renovations
Classroom Space and Efficient
Scheduling
Simplify & Improve USP
Challenging Courses
Honors Program Development
Enhance Intellectual and
Cultural Diversity
Retention Initiatives 2001

Increase sections of UK-101 from 43 to 45

Establish Senate Committee on Advising

Expand Academic Recovery

Enhance Undergraduate Research Program

Launch Instructional Innovation Program

Coordinate tutoring services

Enrollment Management Group

Project Elevation
Questions and Discussion
How Do I Find Out More?
Roger Sugarman
rpsuga0@email.uky.edu
www.uky.edu/LexCampus/
NSSE Website
www.indiana.edu/~nsse