NSSE 2013

How to Use Results (or “Why you should care about NSSE”) 8/26/2013 1

What is NSSE?

National Survey of Student Engagement  Administered to first-year and senior students in the spring  > 1,400 US/Canada institutions have participated Used at CU Denver: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2013 Assesses

engagement

(NOT satisfaction) in / exposure to educational practices that promote student engagement 8/26/2013 2

NSSE’s benchmarks of effective educational practice

Level of Academic Challenge Active & Collaborative Learning (ACL) Enriching Educational Student – Faculty Interaction (SFI) Educational Experiences Supportive Campus Environment (SCE)

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8/26/2013 How to use NSSE data & what the NSSE data include 4

1. Integrate with other survey data If you have identified data from other surveys, NSSE data can be integrated with them  E.g., International Affairs’ International Student Barometer, your alumni surveys or course evaluations, ETS Proficiency Profile  To find out e.g., Are students who participate in service learning more engaged as alumni?

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2. Combine with student data

Merge NSSE data with student performance / outcomes data to get a sense of how student engagement:  influences GPAs and student retention  is associated with student gender, race/ ethnicity, financial aid, school/college, participation in online courses, study abroad Identify characteristics of under- engaged students 8/26/2013 6

3. Evaluate strategic goal progress Use longitudinal NSSE data to assess progress towards:  “student-centeredness”  increased service learning     development of capstone experiences participation in study abroad commitment to a diverse learning environment, faculty-student interactions enhanced student support services 8/26/2013 7

4. Evidence for accreditation, etc.

Establish evidence to meet accreditation standards such as diversity and active learning Use in program review reports, evaluation of First Year Seminar, Honors Program Compare data from CU Denver students to those from peer institutions Use areas of excellence for PR Reporting to CU System, VSA 8/26/2013 8

5. Assess specific activities

How much time do our students spend:  Preparing for class, reading for courses, in co curricular activities, working, performing community service, providing care for dependents Have or will students participate in:  internships, learning communities, study abroad, capstone courses, faculty members’ research projects 8/26/2013 9

6. Measure frequency of behaviors How often do our students:  Combine ideas from different courses  Connect learning to societal issues  Examine strengths/weaknesses of own views  Talk about career plans with faculty  Attend an arts performance  Discuss academic performance with faculty 8/26/2013 10

7. Assess students’ perceptions of quality Interactions with students, advisors, faculty, student services staff, other administrative staff/offices Overall educational experience at UCD Would they come here again?

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8. Initiate change

Expand learning communities Design faculty development initiatives Create online student support tools Cluster student services into a one-stop shop Provide 24-hr student access to computer labs Inform staffing decisions 8/26/2013 12

9. Venues to Discuss

Student and Faculty Orientation Sessions New Employee Orientation Leadership meetings  Provost Team, Deans’ Council, AD/ASG, UWG Chancellor’s State of the Campus Address Student Government meetings Survey Working Group (SWG) 8/26/2013 13

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NSSE Topical Modules

Used at CU Denver in 2013 14

Academic Advising

#Times discussed academic concerns Extent to which advisors offered specific behaviors (e.g., been available, listened closely, discussed career interests) Identify primary source of advice 8/26/2013 15

Development of Transferable Skills Frequency of behaviors, such as:  Made a speech to a group, critically evaluated multiple solutions to a problem, discussed ethical consequences Frequency when writing, that student:  Used information from a variety of sources, assessed conclusions of published work, included ideas from more than 1 discipline, presented multiple perspectives 8/26/2013 16

8/26/2013

Use NSSE to take action!

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What can OIRE do for you?

Provide school/college-specific reports and meet with leadership to discuss and interpret the findings  Identify areas of strength, opportunity Meet with your unit to discuss how NSSE data might enhance your strategic planning Recommend NSSE data/analyses that inform your curriculum committees 8/26/2013 18

Timeline

Summer: OIRE explains/promotes NSSE Early fall: NSSE distributes standard reports and raw data Fall: OIRE develops school/college specific reports that parallel NSSE’s standard reports, shares with academic/ business units Winter-ongoing: OIRE performs multivariate, other analyses 8/26/2013 19

8/26/2013

Data teaser…

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100%

2013 NSSE response rates

2013 NSSE Response Rates by School/College

80% First-Year Students Including Partial and Completed First-Year Students Including Complete Only Senior Students Including Partial and Completed Senior Students Including Complete Only 60% 40% 20% 0% CAM BUS CLAS CEAS SPA

Denver Campus School/College

Notes: Numbers in the base of each bar reflect the number of students who RESPONDED (NOT the total number surveyed).

Denominator for response rate calculations includes: Complete + Implicit Refusal + Nothing Returned + Partial + Refusal.

TOTAL 8/26/2013 21

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Questions?

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