National Survey of Student Engagement

							Gallaudet University Results
   on National Survey of
   Student Engagement
   Office of Institutional Research
             August, 2007
        Selecting a baseline group
► TheNational Survey of Student Engagement
 (NSSE) offers several comparison groups:
     selected peers,
     Carnegie Peers,
     the total of NSSE respondents,
     the top 50% of respondents,
     and the top 10% of respondents.
    the purposes of this report, the selected
► For
 peers were used.
            Selected Peers
 The 22 peers for Gallaudet University in NSSE
  tend to be small (1,500 to 3,500 students)
  liberal arts colleges or universities offering
  master’s degrees, many of which are affiliated
  with religious denominations.
 The selection of the comparison group is a
  value judgment.
 The physical structure of the peer group
  institutions is most like Gallaudet’s, so they
  were selected as the baseline.
                  Available metrics
►   The NSSE survey offers data on 5 sub-scales and 85 items.
     The subscale -- level of academic challenge – reflects how central
      challenging intellectual and creative work is to the institution
      through an emphasis of importance of academic effort and the
      setting of high standards.
     Active and collaborative learning focuses on the degree of
      involvement a student has in his or her own learning with an
      emphasis of various forms of collaborative learning.
     Student-faculty interaction includes contact both inside and outside
      of the classroom with the expectation that teachers are role models
      for continuous learning.
     Enriching educational experiences describes the range of learning
      opportunities ancillary to or outside of the classroom.
     Supportive campus environment reflects the students’ perception of
      the degree of responsiveness of the administration and faculty to
      student needs.
Analysis Strategy for 2005 and 2006
► To summarize all of the possible results for 2006,
  the data was examined for subscales in which the
  responses of the Gallaudet students were below
  those of the peer institutions.
► A tabular display is used instead of specific
  statistics because of the limits of interpreting the
  statistics imposed by the data set.
Summary of Gallaudet 2006 Results

                                    Freshmen      Seniors
Level of Academic Challenge         Below peers
Active and Collaborative Learning
Student Faculty Interaction
Enriching Educational Experiences
Supportive Campus Environment       Below peers
                Items Below Peers on
             Level of Academic Challenge
                     for Freshmen
►   Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience of theory such as
    examining a particular case or situation in depth and considering its
    components
►   Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or new situations
►   Number of assigned textbooks, books, or book-length packs of course readings
►   Number of written papers of 20 pages or more
►   Spending significant amounts of time studying and on academic work
             Items Below Peers on
         Supportive Campus Environment
                  for Freshmen
►   Providing the support you need to help you succeed academically
►   Relationships with faculty members
►   Relationships with administrative personnel and offices
        Trends: 2005 and 2006
► It is reasonable to argue that items reported
  unfavorably one year were the result of variation
  within the group reporting for that year;
  consequently, it is useful to look at trends over
  time.
► Specifically, items are listed that were identified
  both years as being substantially below the
  perceptions of the peer group.
             2005 Items Below Selected Peers
    Still Below Peers in 2006 for First Year Students
►   Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information
    from various sources.
►   Received prompt written or oral feedback from faculty on your academic
    performance.
►   Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class
    (students, family members, co-workers, etc.)
►   Participated in activities to enhance your spirituality (worship, meditation,
    prayer, etc.)
►   Community service or volunteer work.
►   Quality of relationship with faculty members.
►   Quality of relationships with administrative personnel and offices.
►   Working for pay off-campus.
►   Spending significant amounts of time studying and on academic work.
►   Providing the support you need to help you succeed academically.
►   Attending campus events and activities (special speakers, cultural
    performances, athletic events, etc.)
►   Acquiring a broad general education.
►   Satisfaction with entire educational experience at this institution.
              2005 Items Below Selected Peers
             Still Below Peers in 2006 for Seniors
►   Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information
    from various sources.
►   Worked with other students on projects during class.
►   Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class
    (students, family members, co-workers, etc.)
►   Participated in activities to enhance your spirituality (worship, meditation,
    prayer, etc.)
►   Examined the strengths and weaknesses of your own views on a topic or issue.
►   Working for pay off-campus.
►   Satisfaction with entire educational experience at this institution.
                            Summary
►   At the level of the subscales, Gallaudet Seniors tend to report similarly
    to the peer group institutions.
►   On two subscales – level of academic challenge and supportive
    environment – Gallaudet Freshmen report lower satisfaction than the
    peer group.
►   For the subscale -- level of academic challenge -- Gallaudet Freshmen
    report that they do not have to do large demanding projects nor do
    they devote much time to academic work.
►   For the subscale -- supportive environment -- Gallaudet Freshmen
    report that they have poor relationships with faculty and support staff
    and do not receive the support they need.
►   Many individual items were consistently negatively evaluated by both
    Freshmen and Seniors in both 2005 and 2006.
►   Both Freshmen and Seniors in both 2005 and 2006 were unsatisfied
    with their overall educational experience in relation to the peer
    institutions