SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

The SASSE Survey

26 March 2008

What we will cover in this session

• Broad areas the measure taps into – University activities – Reading, writing and educational programme characteristics – Student time usage – Personal growth – Opinions about your school • Benchmarks – Level of academic challenge – Active and collaborative learning – Enriching educational experiences – Student – staff interaction – Supportive campus environment • Report outline • Queries, Questions, Concerns

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Relying on self-reported data

Self-report data is more accurate when: • Information is known to respondents • Questions refer to recent activities • Questions are worded unambiguously • Items are not threatening and/or embarrassing • High construct and content validity SASSE is designed on these principles Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Broad Areas

• University activities • Reading, writing and educational programme characteristics • Student time usage • Personal growth • Opinions about your school Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

University activities

• Investigates the activities students engage in both inside and outside the classroom • First 22 items on the survey (e.g. Had conversations with students and staff; Discussing grades and future plans with staff)

Reliability NSSE 0.85

UFS 2007 0.81

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement Reading, writing and educational programme characteristics

Investigates the five mental activities of Bloom’s taxonomy, amount of reading and writing etc.

(e.g. How much of your coursework emphasised applying theories and concepts to practical problems or in new situations)

Reliability NSSE 0.7

UFS 2007 0.75

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Student time usage

Investigates what students do with their time including:

academic preparation, extracurricular activities, work on/off campus, socialising, caring for dependents and time spent travelling to class.

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Personal growth

Investigates students self-reported gains on various dimensions including the development of writing and speaking skills, various job related skills and understanding oneself.

• 15 items (e.g. To what extent has your experience at this institution contributed to your skills in solving complex real-world problems)

Reliability NSSE 0.9

UFS 2007 0.86

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Student satisfaction

Investigates students perception of the support they receive from the environment and their overall satisfaction (e.g. How would you evaluate your entire educational experience?)

Reliability NSSE 0.84

UFS 2007 0.75

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Benchmarks

• Level of Academic Challenge • Active and Collaborative Learning • Student-Staff Interaction • Enriching Educational Experiences • Supportive Campus Environment Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Level of Academic Challenge

Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and institutional quality. Universities promote high levels of student achievement by emphasizing the importance of academic effort and setting high expectations for student performance.

Reliability NSSE 0.72

UFS 2007 0.66

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Level of Academic Challenge

Items measure the following activities and conditions: • Time spent preparing for class (11a) • Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an lecturer’s standards or expectations (3r) • Amount of assigned reading (5a) • Amount of written work required (5 pages, 5-19 pages, 20+ pages) (5c, 5d, 5e) • Items related to Bloom’s taxonomy (4b, 4c, 4d, 4e) • Campus emphasis on spending significant amounts of time on academic work (12a) Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement Active and Collaborative Learning

Students learn more when they are actively involved in their education and have opportunities to think about and apply what they are learning in different settings. Collaborating with others to solve problems or master difficult materials prepares students to deal with the messy, unscripted problems they will encounter daily during and after university.

Reliability NSSE 0.67

UFS 2007 0.6

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement Active and Collaborative Learning

Items measure the following activities and conditions: • Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions (3a) • Made a class presentation (3b) • Worked with other students on projects during class (3g) • Worked with other students outside of class (3h) • Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary) (3j) • Participated in a community-based project (3k) • Discussed ideas from readings or classes with others outside of class (3t) Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Student-Staff Interaction

Students see first-hand how experts think about and solve practical problems by interacting with staff members inside and outside the classroom. As a result, their teachers become role models, mentors, and guides for continuous, life-long learning.

Reliability NSSE 0.75

UFS 2007 0.61

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Student-Staff Interaction

Items measure the following activities and conditions: • Discussed marks or assignments with an lecturer or tutor (3n) • Talked about career plans with an lecturer or counselor (3o) • Discussed ideas from readings or classes with lecturer outside of class (3p) • Worked with staff members on activities other than coursework (3s) • Received prompt feedback from lecturers on performance (3q) • Worked with a staff member on a research project (9d) Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement Enriching Educational Experiences

Complementary learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom augment the academic program. The benchmarks taps into diversity experiences, use of information technology and experiences such as internships and community service activities. Such experiences make learning more meaningful and, ultimately, more useful because what students know becomes a part of who they are.

Reliability NSSE 0.65

UFS 2007 0.60

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement Enriching Educational Experiences

• • • • Items measure the following activities and conditions: Talking with students with different religious beliefs, political opinions, or ethnicity (3v) An institutional climate that encourages contact among diverse students (12c) Use of electronic technology in academic activities (3l) Participating in supplementary activities such as: – Internships or field experiences (9a) – Community service or volunteer work (9b) – Foreign language coursework (9e) – Study abroad (9f) – Study of a subject or course for non-degree purposes (9g) – The development of a community project using knowledge obtained at university (9h) – Co-curricular activities (11d) – Academic student societies (law, psychology, etc.) (9c) Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement Supportive Campus Environment

Students perform better and are more satisfied at universities that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relations among different groups on campus.

Reliability NSSE 0.76

UFS 2007 0.64

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement Supportive Campus Environment

Items measure the following conditions on campus: • Environment provides support needed to help you succeed academically (12b) • Environment helps you cope with non-academic responsibilities (work, family, etc) (12d) • Environment provides the support needed to help you thrive socially (12e) • Quality of relationships with other students (10a) • Quality of relationships with lecturers and staff members (10b) • Quality of relationships with administrative personnel and offices (10c) Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

Report Outline

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

• • • • • •

Executive Summary of significant findings Respondent characteristics Summary of psychometric properties Frequency distribution (all items)

– First Year/Senior comparison (intra-institutional)

Means comparison (all items)

– First Year/Senior comparison (intra-institutional)

Benchmark comparison (inter-institutional)

– Sample overall and typology – First year/Senior comparison Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za

SASSE South African Survey of Student Engagement

Queries, Questions, Concerns

• Institution names • Student numbers • Questions?

• Comments?

Studente Ontwikkeling en Sukses • Student Development and Success

UNIVERSITEIT VAN DIE VRYSTAAT • UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE • YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Tel (051) 401 3000 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.ufs.ac.za