UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PLATTEVILLE
NATIONAL SURVEY OF
STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT
RESULTS & ANALYSIS
REPORT ORGANIZATION
•INTRODUCTION
•RESULTS
WHAT ARE OUR STRENGTHS?
WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION?
•ANALYSIS & COMMENTS
NSSE INTRODUCTION
•NATIONAL SURVEY OF
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
(NSSE) ADMINISTERED
ONLINE TO 1,745 UWP
FRESHMEN & SENIORS IN
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2004
•PARTICIPANTS SELFSELECTED
NSSE INTRODUCTION
•UWP: 41% RESPONSE RATE
•PARTICIPANTS’ GENDER
DISTRIBUTION MATCHED
UWP SENIOR POPULATION.
•HIGHLY RELIABLE RESULTS
•ABLE TO COMPARE UWP
WITH UW SYSTEM SCHOOLS,
“MASTER’S CLUSTER” &
NATIONAL DATA
NSSE INTRODUCTION
•NSSE DATA ARE “NOMINAL,”
I.E., CATEGORICAL.
•AVERAGES ARE “LESS
MEANINGFUL.”
• STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE
ASKS, “WHAT’S THE POSSIBILITY
THIS AVERAGE WAS CAUSED BY
‘RANDOM CHANCE’ ALONE?”
NSSE RESULTS
WHAT IS UWP “GOOD AT?”
•WHAT ARE OUR HIGHEST
AVERAGES?
•WHAT ARE OUR COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER
UW SYSTEM SCHOOLS?
•WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO OUR
STRENGTHS?
NSSE UWP STRENGTHS
•UWP STUDENTS WORK WELL
WITH COMPUTERS & INFO
TECHNOLOGIES.
•HIGHEST AVERAGE …
STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT
AT .001 LEVEL, COMPARED
TO UW SYSTEM SCHOOLS
•STRENGTH OF ENGINEERING,
MATH & SCIENCE PROGRAMS
NSSE UWP STRENGTHS
•UWP STUDENTS WORK
EFFECTIVELY WITH OTHERS.
•EMPHASIS ON TEAM WORK
WILL SERVE OUR GRADS
WELL IN ‘THE REAL WORLD.’
• CRITICAL IN PROGRAMS LIKE
ENGINEERING, BUSINESS,
CRIMINAL JUSTICE, ETC.
NSSE UWP STRENGTHS
•UWP STUDENTS ARE GOOD
AT APPLYING THEORIES OR
CONCEPTS TO PRACTICAL
PROBLEMS OR IN NEW
SITUATIONS …
•AND GOOD AT CRITICAL
THINKING & ANALYSIS.
• WHILE OTHER UWS SCHOOLS SEEM
TO STRESS MORE ROTE MEMORIZING
OF FACTS, IDEAS AND METHODS.
NSSE UWP STRENGTHS
•UWP STUDENTS ARE GOOD
AT IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF
BASIC ELEMENTS OF AN
IDEA, EXPERIENCE, OR
THEORY …
•AND THEN INTEGRATING
IDEAS OR INFORMATION
FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
INTO PAPERS & PROJECTS.
NSSE UWP STRENGTHS
•UWP STUDENTS ARE MORE
ENGAGED THAN ARE OTHER
UWS STUDENTS …
•IN PREPARING FOR CLASS
(STUDYING, READING, DOING
HOMEWORK OR LAB WORK,
WRITING, ANALYZING DATA,
REHEARSING, AND ACTIVITIES
RELATED TO ACADEMICS).
• STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT @ .001
NSSE UWP STRENGTHS
•UWP STUDENTS ARE MORE
ENGAGED THAN ARE OTHER
UWS STUDENTS …
•IN PARTICIPATING IN COCURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
(ORGANIZATIONS, STUDENT
GOVERNMENT, SPORTS, CAMPUS
PUBLICATIONS, ETC).
• STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT @ .001
NSSE WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION?
•UWP STUDENTS DON’T
WRITE AS MUCH AS WE’D
LIKE (ALTHOUGH NOT
SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN DO
STUDENTS AT OTHER SCHOOLS).
•UWP STUDENTS DON’T
ATTEND AS MANY THEATRE
PERFORMANCES, DANCES,
PLAYS, OR ART EXHIBITS AS
WE’D LIKE.
NSSE WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION?
•UWP STUDENTS DON’T HAVE
AS MUCH EXPOSURE TO
ETHNIC & RACIAL DIVERSITY
AS WE’D LIKE.
•FEWER CONVERSATIONS
WITH STUDENTS OF OTHER
RACES OR ETHNICITIES
• LESS CONTACT, LESS APPRECIATION
& LESS UNDERSTANDING
NSSE WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION?
•UWP STUDENTS HAVE NOT
RECEIVED ‘PROMPT FEEDBACK’
ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
FROM FACULTY …
• AS PROMPTLY AS THEY’D LIKE
(SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTION).
• MAY BE A FUNCTION OF THIS
GENERATION’S NEED FOR
INSTANT GRATIFICATION
NSSE WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION?
•UWP STUDENTS HAVE NOT
PARTICIPATED IN MANY
COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS
AS PART OF A REGULAR COURSE.
• “VERY LITTLE” TO “SOME” IS
IDENTICAL TO UWS, BUT LOWER
THAN NAT’L AVERAGE (BUT NOT
STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT) …
• DESPITE ON-GOING EFFORTS OF
C-U-P AND UWP FACULTY.
NSSE WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION?
•UWP STUDENTS DON’T SEEM TO
APPRECIATE OUR GENERAL
EDUCATION PROGRAM AS MUCH
AS WE’D HOPED.
• STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT AT .001
LEVEL BELOW UWS SCHOOLS, BUT …
• BOTH FRESHMEN & SENIORS SAY
THEIR UWP EXPERIENCE HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO A BROAD GENERAL
EDUCATION “QUITE A BIT”
(3
ON A SCALE OF 1-4).
NSSE WHAT NEEDS ATTENTION?
•RECENT UWP ALUMS (2001~03)
PARTICIPATED IN ACT STUDY
ASSESSING QUALITY OF
COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
• PERHAPS TOO RECENT TO
APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF
GENERAL EDUCATION
• SOME CONSISTENCIES WITH
NSSE RESULTS …
ACT STRENGTHS
•EFFECTIVE VERBAL SKILLS
•EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
SKILLS
•DEFINING & SOLVING
PROBLEMS
•WORKING COOPERATIVELY
WITH OTHERS IN GROUPS
•EFFECTIVE WRITTEN SKILLS
ACT WEAKNESSES
• UNDERSTANDING &
APPRECIATING ART, MUSIC,
LITERATURE … AND CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES AMONG PEOPLE
• UNDERSTANDING
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
• UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIONS
BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS & THE
ENVIRONMENT
• APPRECIATING / EXERCISING
RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES &
PRIVILEGES AS A CITIZEN
NSSE ANALYSIS & COMMENTS
•STUDENT PERCEPTIONS ARE
NOT THE SAME AS REALITY.
•NSSE’S NOMINAL DATA
STRUCTURES MAKE
COMPARISONS OF MEANS
SOMEWHAT AWKWARD …
•AND “STAT’L SIGNIFICANCE”
MAY BE LESS VALUABLE.
NSSE ANALYSIS & COMMENTS
EXAMPLE
• SECT. 4: READING & WRITING …
• ITEMS C, D & E ASK ABOUT WRITING
• C: 20 PAGES OR MORE …
D: 5~19 PAGES …
E:
FEWER THAN 5 PAGES
• IN OTHER WORDS, A 5-PAGE
PAPER IS MORE LIKE A 19-PAGE
PAPER THAN LIKE A 4-PAGE
PAPER.
NSSE ANALYSIS & COMMENTS
•WE ARE “LOCKED INTO”
SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN …
• LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR
COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS …
• FOR ETHNIC EXPERIENCES &
CULTURAL DIVERSITY …
• FOR THEATRE, MUSIC, DANCE,
ART, AND OTHER CULTURAL
EXPERIENCES.
NSSE ANALYSIS & COMMENTS
•UWP DOES PRETTY WELL,
CONSIDERING GEOGRAPHIC
& CULTURAL CONSTRAINTS.
•ON-GOING EFFORTS LIKE
STUDY ABROAD & EXCHANGE
PROGRAMS, C-U-P & FINE
ARTS’ PERFORMANCES MAKE
OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.
NSSE ANALYSIS & COMMENTS
•UWP ACADEMIC INITIATIVES
LIKE “WRITING ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM” & GENERAL
EDUCATION REVISIONS
ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’
ACADEMIC PREPARATION …
• EVEN IF STUDENTS MAY NOT
APPRECIATE IT AT THE TIME.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PLATTEVILLE
NATIONAL SURVEY OF
STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT
RESULTS & ANALYSIS
QUESTIONS
1. SHOULD WE “REFERENCE”
SPECIFIC NSSE ITEMS?
2. SHOULD WE “TAILOR” THIS
CONTENT FOR SPECIFIC
AUDIENCES (E.G., DEANS,
STUDENT AFFAIRS, ETC.)?
3. SHOULD WRITTEN SUMMARIES
BE PREPARED FOR SUCH
AUDIENCES?
4. WHAT ROLE FOR HLC?