• Abstract
• Background and Methodology
• Results:
  Use of Time
  Academic and Intellectual Experiences
  Reading, Writing, Homework, and Examinations
  Mental Activities
  Academic Enrichment Activities
  Educational and Personal Growth
  Opinions about Your School
  Institutional Engagement Index
• Summary and Conclusions
• NSSE Item Responses (BGSU only)

ABSTRACT

This report describes the results of the Spring 2003 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to BGSU's freshmen and seniors. The NSSE was designed by national assessment experts to gather information about undergraduates' characteristics, college activities, opinions about their institution, and learning and personal development as the outcomes of their college education. An Institutional Engagement Index that compares BGSU's students' academic engagement as measured by their responses to the NSSE with predicted responses based upon student and institutional characteristics is included in this report. The results of NSSE may be used to assist in BGSU's assessment and institutional improvement efforts.

BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

The Office of Institutional Research conducts surveys among undergraduate students at BGSU to assess the extent to which they engage in a variety of educational practices and to which they gain from their college experiences. One of the office's principal means of data collection is the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a commercial survey that was developed at the Indiana University Center for Post-Secondary Research & Planning.

This spring about 348,000 students representing 437 four-year public/private institutions participated in the NSSE. The BGSU sample was comprised of 500 first-year and 500 senior students who were randomly selected by the NSSE project staff from electronic data files provided by BGSU. Students had the option of responding either via a traditional paper questionnaire or via the World Wide Web. The overall response rate* for BGSU was 41%, which is slightly lower than the average institutional response rate for NSSE 2003 (42%) and the average response rate (44%) for six of the 39 other participating Doctoral / Research Intensive universities.

The respondents' characteristics are similar to the population at BGSU in terms of race, enrollment status, and living arrangements. Females (71% for sample vs. 56% for population) and seniors (50% for sample vs. 43% for population), however, were over-represented. The proportion of respondents who were in the College of Musical Arts (4%) was slightly higher than those in the population (2%). These  limitations require that results from the survey be interpreted with some caution.

NSSE results were analyzed by noting the percentages of participants who provided various responses to the survey items. Responses were compared with those of six other peer universities*. Internal group differences (e.g., class level, enrollment status, gender, race, and college) were also examined and significant differences are noted where they occurred.

A complete listing of the survey responses is included in this report. Unless otherwise stated, all numbers in the report indicate percentages of survey participants. Percentages may not always sum to 100 due to rounding.

* Response rate is adjusted for non-deliverable mailing address

* Six Peer Universities:
George Mason University
Illinois State University
Indiana State University
Miami University of Ohio
Northern Arizona University
University of Missouri-Kansas City

USE OF TIME

About how many hours do you spend in a typical week doing each of the following?

	BGSU Freshman						BGSU Senior
	0	1-5	6-10	11-20	21-30	>30	0	1-5	6-10	11-20	21-30	>30
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Preparing for class	0	17	26	41	14	2	0	22	22	32	16	8
Working for pay on campus	77	2	7	13	1	0	71	3	6	16	2	1
Working for pay off campus	79	3	5	11	1	1	49	5	9	17	12	8
Participating in co-curricular activities	38	38	8	14	1	1	32	42	12	7	5	3
Relaxing and socializing	1	18	25	30	19	7	0	20	28	33	13	6
Providing care for dependents living with you	86	9	2	2	0	1	83	8	3	3	0	3
Commuting to class	10	73	12	2	2	1	4	71	21	4	1	0

	Peer Universities' Freshman						Peer Universities' Senior
	0	1-5	6-10	11-20	21-30	>30	0	1-5	6-10	11-20	21-30	>30
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Preparing for class	0	19	28	35	15	4	0	20	26	34	14	6
Working for pay on campus	82	4	7	7	1	0	71	4	9	12	2	2
Working for pay off campus	77	3	3	8	5	2	47	4	5	17	13	14
Participating in co-curricular activities	35	34	15	12	3	2	43	30	13	10	2	2
Relaxing and socializing	1	18	27	36	10	8	1	23	29	33	9	5
Providing care for dependents living with you	84	10	2	2	1	1	67	10	6	5	3	9
Commuting to class	7	73	13	5	1	1	6	67	20	6	1	1

As shown on the tables above, roughly two-thirds of students, both at BGSU and the peer universities, spent 6-30 hours per week preparing for class or relaxing/socializing, and 5 hours or less per week commuting to class or participating in co-curricular activities (organizations, campus publications, student government, social fraternity or sorority, intercollegiate or intramural sports, etc). Most of them don't spend time working for pay on campus and don't have obligations to care for their family members. Seniors spent significantly more hours per week working off campus than did freshmen. BGSU seniors spent fewer hours per week providing care for dependents than did the seniors at peer universities.

Within BGSU, full-time students spent less time working for pay off campus, but more time preparing for class than did part-time students. Minority students were more likely to spend more than 30 hours per week providing care for dependents than were European American students.  Students in the College of Arts and Science and the College of Technology were more likely to spend time working on campus than were students in other colleges.

ACADEMIC AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES

In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following? (Percent "Very Often" or "Often")

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources	92	92	78	87
Used e-mail to communicate with an instructor	85	80	76	83
Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in	82	46	58	46
Included diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc.) in class discussions or writing assignments	63	51	59	56
Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor	60	68	50	60
Used an electronic medium (list-serv, chat group, Internet, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment	55	51	55	65
Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions	55	71	59	72
Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations	53	59	48	54
Received prompt feedback from faculty on your academic performance (written or oral)	51	63	51	62
Had serious conversations with students who are very different from you in terms of their religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values	51	52	57	53
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, coworkers, etc.)	49	61	53	62
Worked with other students on projects during class	42	55	39	43
Had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than your own	41	42	48	48
Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions	41	64	47	64
Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments	36	64	39	60
Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor	31	47	26	39
Made a class presentation	19	64	34	63
Come to class without completing readings or assignments	19	26	20	22
Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)	16	22	11	19
Participated in a community-based project as part of a regular course	14	16	9	12
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class	13	23	13	22
Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (committees, orientation, student life activities, etc.)	11	21	11	19

Seventy percent or more of BGSU respondents (both freshmen and seniors) indicated that they often or very often work on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources, use e-mail to communicate with their instructors, and complete their readings or assignments before coming to class. Another half or more of them reported that they often or very often prepare two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in, include diverse perspectives in class discussions or writing assignments, discuss grades or assignments with an instructor, use an electronic medium to discuss or complete an assignment, ask questions in class or contribute to class discussions, work harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations, receive prompt feedback from faculty on their academic performance, and have serious conversations with students who differ from them in terms of their religious beliefs/political opinions/personal values. Only 23% or less of BGSU respondents indicated that they often or very often tutor other students, participate in a community-based project as part of a regular course, discuss ideas from their reading or classes with faculty members outside of class, and work with a faculty member on activities other than coursework.

Compared with the freshmen in peer institutions, BGSU freshmen were less likely to make a class presentation, but much more likely to work on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources, prepare two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before tuning it in, and discuss grades or assignments with an instructor. Compared with seniors in peer universities, BGSU seniors used an electronic medium to discuss or complete an assignment less frequently, but more frequently worked with other students on projects during class.

BGSU seniors, as compare with freshmen, were more engaged with faculty in terms of career advising, discussing grades or assignments, and receiving prompt feedback on their academic performance. They were also more likely than freshmen to report that they often or very often make a class presentation, ask questions in class or contribute to class discussions, work with other students on projects during class, put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions, work with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments, and discuss ideas from their reading or classes with others outside of class. Freshmen, on the other hand, were more likely than seniors to state that they often or very often prepare two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in and include diverse perspectives in class discussions or writing assignments.

Full-time students were more likely than part-time students to make a class presentation, prepare two or more drafts of a paper/assignment before tuning it in, complete readings or assignments before coming to class, work with other students on assignments outside of class, discuss ideas from their readings or classes with others outside of class, use e-mail to communicate with their instructors, and use an electronic medium to discuss or complete an assignment.

While female students were more likely to claim that they often or very often make class presentations, and work harder than they thought they could to meet an faculty's standards or expectations, male students were more likely to say that they often or very often discuss ideas from their readings or classes with faculty members outside of class.

European American students were more likely than minority students to put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions. Minority students, on the other hand, were more likely than European American students to use an electronic medium to discuss or complete an assignment, talk about assignments or career plans with a faculty member or advisor, discuss ideas from their readings/classes with others outside of class, and have serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than their own.

Among the students in seven colleges, Musical Arts students were most likely to tutor or teach other students (paid or voluntary); Business Administration students were most likely to work with other students on projects during class as well as to put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions. While students in Health and Human Services and Academic Enhancement more frequently reported that they included diverse perspectives in class discussions or writing assignments, students in Musical Arts and Technology less frequently reported that they used e-mail to communicate with an instructor. Academic Enhancement students were least likely to indicate that they made a class presentation. Technology students were least likely to claim that they prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in, worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments, participated in a community-based project as part of a regular course, discussed ideas from their readings or classes with a faculty member or others out side of class, received prompt feedback from faculty on their academic performance, worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework, and worked harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations.

READING, WRITING, HOMEWORK, AND EXAMINATIONS

During the current school year, about how much reading and writing have you done?

	BGSU Freshman				BGSU Senior				Peer U. Freshman				Peer U. Senior
	0	1-10	11-20	>20	0	1-10	11-20	>20	0	1-10	11-20	>20	0	1-10	11-20	>20
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Number of assigned textbooks, books, or book-length packs of course readings	1	56	30	13	2	66	18	14	1	54	30	15	1	58	26	15
Number of books read on your own (not assigned) for personal enjoyment or academic enrichment	40	56	3	1	21	69	5	5	29	66	3	2	21	67	7	5
Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages or more	87	9	2	1	50	46	3	1	86	12	1	1	46	51	2	1
Number of written papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages	4	74	19	2	8	72	13	6	7	76	12	3	8	74	14	4
Number of written papers or reports of few than 5 pages	2	55	25	17	3	56	20	21	1	46	29	24	5	54	22	19

In a typical week, how many homework problem sets do you complete?

	BGSU Freshman				BGSU Senior				Peer U. Freshman				Peer U. Senior
	none	1-2	3-4	>=5	none	1-2	3-4	>=5	none	1-2	3-4	>=5	none	1-2	3-4	>=5
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Number of problem sets that take you more than an hour to complete	16	41	32	11	36	29	22	12	19	42	27	12	28	36	22	14
Number of problem sets that take you less than an hour to complete	13	33	34	20	32	33	19	16	16	34	27	23	32	34	19	15

In a typical week, how many homework problems take you more than 15 minutes each to complete?

BGSU Freshman					BGSU Senior					Peer U. Freshman					Peer U. Senior
none	1-3	4-6	7-10	>10	none	1-3	4-6	7-10	>10	none	1-3	4-6	7-10	>10	none	1-3	4-6	7-10	>10
%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
14	37	29	14	6	21	34	23	12	10	18	33	29	12	8	23	30	27	11	10

 To what extent have your examinations during the current school year challenged you to do your best work?

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Very Little , 1	1	1	1	0
2	1	2	1	2
3	2	8	3	4
4	10	10	9	13
5	35	35	32	33
6	38	35	38	33
Very Much, 7	14	9	16	16

Like the students in peer universities, the majority of BGSU respondents solve six or fewer homework problems that take them more than 15 minutes each to complete in a typical week, and read 20 or fewer assigned books as well as 10 or fewer not assigned books a year. They were more likely to write papers or reports 19 pages or fewer instead of 20 pages or more. Seniors, in general, write more papers of 20 pages or more per year, but complete less homework problem sets in a typical week than do freshmen. Most of the students, both at BGSU and in the peer universities, reported that the examinations they took last year have challenged them to do their best work.

BGSU freshmen read fewer unassigned books for personal enjoyment or academic enrichment per year than did the freshmen in the peer universities. Only 9% of BGSU seniors thought the examinations they took last year challenged them very much to do their best work compared with 16% of the seniors in peer universities.

Across internal groups, minority students were more likely to read 20 or more unassigned books a year than were European American students. Seniors read more unassigned books last year than did freshmen. While part-time students were more likely to complete none or more than six homework problem sets, full-time students were more likely to solve more homework problems that took them more than 15 minutes each to complete in a typical week . Full-time students and freshmen were also more likely to read 11 or more assigned text books a year than were part-time students and seniors.

Compared with students in other colleges, students in the College of Musical Arts and the College of Technology were less likely to read 11 or more assigned books a year. Musical Arts students were also least likely to write papers or reports of any size among the students in the seven colleges. Health and Human Services students were most likely to report that the examinations they took last year have challenged them very much to do their best work.

MENTAL ACTIVITIES

During the current school year, to what extent has your coursework emphasized the following mental activities? (Percent "Quite a Bit" or "Very Much")

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Memorizing facts, ideas or methods from your courses and reading so you can repeat them in pretty much the same form	76	64	75	60
Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience or theory, such as examining a particular case or situation in depth and considering its components	70	86	81	84
Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships	68	76	66	73
Making judgments about the value of information, arguments, or methods such as examining how others gathered and interpreted data and assessing the soundness of their conclusions	64	69	66	65
Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations	67	83	72	77

Most of the respondents, either at BGSU or in peer universities, reported that their coursework emphasized all the activities listed on the survey.
Coursework for BGSU freshmen placed less emphasis on analysis when compared with the freshmen in peer universities.

Within internal groups, males were more likely than females to indicate that their coursework emphasized applications of theories or concepts. European American students were more likely than minority student to claim that their coursework emphasized synthesis. Part-time students were more likely than full-time students to report that their coursework emphasized making judgments. While freshmen were more likely to claim that their coursework emphasized memorization, seniors were more likely to report that their coursework emphasized analysis, synthesis, making judgments and applications of theories.

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences, Academic Enhancement, and College of Business Administration were more likely than the students in other colleges to claim that their coursework emphasized synthesis. Health and Human Services as well as Business Administration students were more likely than the students in other colleges to report that their coursework emphasized analysis. Technology students were least likely to indicate that their coursework emphasized memorization, making judgments, and applications of theories or concepts to practical problems among the students in seven colleges.

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Which of the following have you done or do you plan to do before you graduate from your institution? (Percent "Have Done" or "Plan to Do")

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment	85	80	83	71
Community service or volunteer work	77	67	74	63
Participate in a learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together	35	27	38	26
Work on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements	29	19	28	26
Foreign language coursework	29	25	43	39
Culminating senior experience (comprehensive exam, capstone course, thesis, project, etc.)	27	41	46	67
Study abroad	24	9	35	18
Independent study or self-designed major	10	23	12	26

Like the undergraduates at peer universities, BGSU undergraduates were more likely to complete a practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment and to participate community service or volunteer work than to do an independent study or self-designed major, a foreign language coursework,  a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements, as well as to study abroad, and to participate a learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together. BGSU freshmen and seniors, in general , were less likely than their counterparts to take a foreign language coursework, to study abroad, and to participate in a culminating senior experience. BGSU seniors, however, were more likely than the seniors in peer universities to complete a practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment.

Between internal groups, BGSU freshmen were more likely than seniors to do or plan to do community service or volunteer work, to work or plan to work on a research project with a faculty member outside of course requirements, and to study abroad or plan to do so. Seniors were more likely than freshmen to do an independent study or self-designed major as well as a culminating senior experience. Full-time students were more likely than part-time students to do a practicum, internship, field experience, co-op, to participate in a community service or a learning community, and to work on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements. Females and minority students were more likely than males and European American students to do community service or volunteer work. Minorities were also more likely than their counterparts to study abroad as well as to take a foreign language course.

Students in the College of Education and Human Development, the College of Health and Human Services, the College of Musical Arts, and the College of Technology were more likely to complete a practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment than were the students in three other colleges. Students in the College of Business Administration and the College of Health and Human Services were less likely to do an independent study or self-designed major than were students in other colleges. While Arts and Sciences students were most likely to take a foreign language course, Health and Human Services students were least likely to study abroad. Technology students were least likely to participate community service or volunteer work among the students in seven colleges.

EDUCATIONAL AND PERSONAL GROWTH

To what extent has your experience at this institution contributed to your knowledge, skills, and personal development (Percent "Quite a Bit" or "Very Much")?

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Acquiring a broad general education	80	81	83	80
Writing clearly and effectively	79	76	72	76
Thinking critically and analytically	78	87	83	85
Learning effectively on your own	62	68	67	72
Understanding yourself	61	58	57	59
Using computing and information technology	61	82	68	80
Working effectively with others	61	78	66	78
Speaking clearly and effectively	56	68	61	70
Acquiring job/work-related knowledge/skills	55	81	54	70
Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds	51	47	50	47
Developing a personal code of value and ethics	49	49	48	49
Analyzing quantitative problems	44	60	54	63
Solving complex real-world problems	41	52	45	53
Improving the welfare of your community	32	35	31	35
Voting in local, state, or national elections	16	14	18	19

BGSU students overall give their college experience considerable credit with respect to most aspects listed on the table above, especially in the areas of acquiring a broad general education, writing clearly and thinking critically.

Compared with the seniors at peer universities, BGSU seniors were more likely to declare that their college experience contributed quite a bit or very much to acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills. BGSU freshmen were slightly more likely than the freshmen in peer universities to claim that their college education contributed a lot to their writing skill. BGSU freshmen, however, were less likely than the freshmen in peer universities to report that their college education contributed greatly to the skill of analyzing quantitative problems. They were also slightly less likely than their counterparts to claim that they gained quit a bit or very much in thinking critically and analytically, learning effectively on their own, using computing and information technology, working effectively with others, and speaking clearly and effectively.

Since seniors have spent more years in college than freshmen, they have benefited more from their college education than freshmen in most of the skills listed on the survey, especially in the areas of speaking clearly, using computing and information technology, working effectively with others, acquiring job related knowledge, analyzing quantitative problems, and solving complex real-work problems. Females at BGSU were more likely than males to report that their college education contributed to acquiring a broad general education, working effectively with others, learning effectively on their own, understanding themselves, developing a personal code of values and ethics, and contributing to the welfare of their community. While minority students reported more contribution of their education in understanding people of other racial backgrounds, European American students reported more gain in using computing and information technology.

Part-time students indicated greater contribution of their education to speaking clearly and effectively than their counterparts. Full-time students, on the other hand, reported greater contribution of their education to acquiring job related knowledge and skills, using computer and information technology, working effectively with others, learning effectively on their own, and understanding themselves than did part-time students.  Across the seven colleges, Business Administration students were most likely to claim that they gained a lot on working effectively with others; Health and Human Services students were most likely to claim that they gained quit a bit or very much on learning effectively on their own. Health and Human Service as well as Technology students were also more likely than the students in other colleges to credit their college experience improved their computing skills. Musical Arts students, however, reported less gain in writing clearly, analyzing quantitative problems, understanding people of other racial backgrounds, developing a personal code of values and ethics, and contributing to the welfare of their community than did the students in other colleges.

OPINIONS ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL

This portion of the survey asked students to express their opinions about the institution they were attending. Specifically, students were asked about 1) the extent to which they perceived that several aspects of students' development are emphasized, 2) their relationships with others, and 3) the quality of academic advising and the overall educational experience they had at their school. Results are summarized below.

1. Emphasis

To what extent does your institution emphasize each of the following? (Percent "Quite a Bit" or "Very Much")

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Using computers in academic work	87	93	86	90
Spending significant amounts of time studying and on academic work	77	69	79	75
Providing the support you need to help you succeed academically	73	69	71	64
Attending campus events and activities (special speakers, cultural performances, athletic events, etc.)	57	60	60	47
Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds	47	34	51	43
Providing the support you need to thrive socially	35	31	38	25
Helping you cope with your non-academic responsibilities (work, family, etc.)	30	19	23	16

Students, both at BGSU and in the peer universities, feel that their university emphasized academic works more than other activities listed on the survey. Freshmen, in general, were more likely than seniors to report that their school encouraged contact among students from different economic, social, and racial backgrounds, and provided "very much" or "quite a bit" of the support they needed to cope with their non-academic responsibilities. While BGSU seniors were more likely say that BGSU encouraged them to attend campus events and activities, seniors in the peer universities were more likely say that their universities encouraged them to contact students with different backgrounds from their own.

BGSU females perceived BGSU as having more emphasis on spending significant amounts of time studying and attending campus events  than did males. Minority students perceived BGSU as having more emphasis on encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and ethnic backgrounds than did European American students. Compared with part-time students, full time students perceived BGSU as having more emphasis on using computers, spending significant amounts of time studying, and providing the support they needed to thrive socially. Among the students in seven colleges, Academic Enhancement students were most likely to say that BGSU provided the support they needed very much or quite a bit on coping with their non-academic responsibilities; Technology students were least likely to report that BGSU provided enough support they needed to thrive socially; Musical Arts students were least likely to indicate that BGSU emphasized spending significant amounts of time on academic work as well as provided the support they needed to help them succeed academically.

2. Quality of Relationships

Please rate your relationships with people at your institution:

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Relationships with other students:
Unfriendly, Unsupportive, Sense of Alienation, 1	1	0	1	1
2	2	3	2	2
3	6	3	5	6
4	7	7	8	10
5	19	17	21	20
6	33	38	33	31
Friendly, Supportive, Sense of Belonging, 7	33	31	30	31
3
Relationships with faculty members:
Unfriendly, Unsupportive, Sense of Alienation, 1	2	1	1	1
2	2	3	2	2
3	3	3	5	5
4	11	9	13	10
5	32	27	31	26
6	32	42	34	34
Available, Helpful, Sympathetic, 7	17	15	14	23
Relationships with administrative personnel and offices:
Unfriendly, Unsupportive, Sense of Alienation, 1	5	6	3	5
2	6	6	5	8
3	8	16	10	12
4	17	18	18	18
5	27	23	29	25
6	28	19	25	19
Helpful, Considerate, Flexible, 7	10	11	11	12

There were no significant differences in the perception of students' relationships with others between BGSU and peers. Students, both at BGSU and in the peer universities, were more likely to feel that their fellow students were friendly and supportive, and their faculty members were available, helpful, and sympathetic than to feel that their administrative personnel and offices were helpful, considerate, and flexible. BGSU full-time students were more likely to have a positive feeling about their faculty members than were part-time students.

3. Quality of Academic Advising and Overall Educational Experience

Overall, how would you evaluate the quality of academic advising you have received at your institution?

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Poor	7	16	7	13
Fair	17	28	21	26
Good	52	37	50	42
Excellent	24	20	22	19

If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending?

	BGSU		Peer Universities
	Freshman	Senior	Freshman	Senior
	%	%	%	%
Definitely no	8	4	4	6
Probably no	12	15	13	16
Probably yes	41	42	44	42
Definitely yes	39	39	39	36

The majority of the BGSU and peer university students evaluated their entire educational experience as good or excellent, and most of them would go to the same institution again if they could. Like the students at peer universities, BGSU seniors gave lower ratings to the quality of academic advising than did freshmen. BGSU's minority students as well as  students in Academic Enhancement and in Health and Human Services were more likely to say that the academic advising service they received at BGSU was good or excellent than were European American students and students in other colleges.

INSTITUTIONAL ENGAGEMENT INDEX

The NSSE staff provided the Office of Institutional Research with an Institutional Engagement Index for BGSU based upon responses of BGSU students to the NSSE 2003 survey. Students' responses were grouped into five categories representing effective educational practice: Level of Academic Challenge, Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Interactions with Faculty Members, Enriching Educational Experiences, and Supportive Campus Environment. NSSE responses were formed into five summative scales along these dimensions and the five actual institutional engagement scores for BGSU students were compared with predicted scores based upon several student and institutional characteristics for BGSU: public/private, admissions selectivity, Carnegie Classification, undergraduate enrollment, level of urbanization, full-time vs. part-time student distribution, student gender and racial/ethnic composition, distribution of student majors, mean student-reported age, and proportion of students reporting on-campus residence. Results are shown below.

BENCHMARK SCORES*, BGSU
Benchmark	Actual			Predicted	Difference
	2000	2001	2003	2003	2003
First Year Students
Level of Academic Challenge	49.9	51.9	52.9	50.8	2.1
Active and Collaborative Learning	39.6	39.1	38.7	38.0	0.6
Student Interactions with Faculty Members	30.1	35.1	35.8	32.6	3.2
Enriching Educational Experiences	43.1	49.7	49.1	52.8	-3.7
Supportive Campus Environment	58.3	58.8	59.0	58.4	0.5
Seniors
Level of Academic Challenge	48.6	52.2	55.4	53.2	2.2
Active and Collaborative Learning	48.4	46.7	50.8	47.5	3.3
Student Interactions with Faculty Members	35.9	37.9	42.5	40.8	1.7
Enriching Educational Experiences	38.7	41.2	42.4	45.8	-3.3
Supportive Campus Environment	53.1	51.7	55.2	53.8	1.4
* Each benchmark was put on a 100-point scale. Source: National Survey of Student Engagement, The College Student Report, Indiana University Center for Post-Secondary Research & Planning

BGSU students' reported levels of academic engagement were clearly greater on average than predicted in four out of five areas. It should also be noted that the actual scores for seniors were higher in 2003 than in 2001.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

During the past academic year, the majority of BGSU undergraduates spent 6-30 hours per week preparing for class, the same amount of time relaxing or socializing, and 5 hours or less per week participating in co-curricular activities or commuting to class. Most of them don't spend time working for pay on campus and don't have obligations to care for their family members. Seniors worked more hours per week for pay off campus than did freshmen.

More than half of BGSU undergraduates indicated that they often or very often work on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources, use e-mail or an electronic medium to communicate with others or discuss/complete an assignment, prepare two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in, come to class with completed readings or assignments, include diverse perspectives in class discussions or writing assignments, discuss grades or assignments with an instructor, ask questions in class or contribute to class discussion, receive prompt feedback from faculty on their academic performance, work harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations, and have serious conversations with students who differ from them in terms of their religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values. Seventy-five percent or more of them, however, never or only occasionally participated in a community-based project as part of a regular course, discussed ideas from their reading or classes with faculty members outside of class, and worked with a faculty member on activities other than coursework.

The majority of BGSU respondents solve six or fewer homework problems that take them more than 15 minutes each to complete in a typical week, and read 20 or fewer assigned books as well as 10 or fewer unassigned books a year. They were more likely to write shorter papers (19 pages or fewer) than longer papers ( 20 pages or more). They were also more likely to have done or plan to do a practicum, internship, co-op, field experience, and volunteer work than to do an independent study, to take a foreign language coursework, to study abroad, to complete a culminating senior experience, and to work on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements. Most of the BGSU undergraduates claimed that the courseworks they have had emphasized all the mental activities listed on the survey and that the examinations they have taken challenged them to do their best work.

BGSU students overall give their college experience considerable credit with respect to most aspects of educational and personal development listed on the survey, especially in terms of  acquiring a broad general education, writing clearly, thinking critically, learning effectively on their own, understanding themselves, using computing and information technology, and working effectively with others. They were more likely to agree that BGSU emphasized using computers in academic work as well as spending significant amounts of time studying, and provided "quite a bit" or "very much" of the support they needed to help them succeed academically, than to agree that BGSU provided the support they needed to thrive socially and to cope with their non-academic responsibilities. Seniors, in general, were less satisfied with the academic advising they received at BGSU than were freshmen.

The majority of BGSU undergraduates described other students as friendly, supportive, and providing a sense of belonging, and their faculty members as available, helpful, and sympathetic. In terms of their relationships with administrative personnel and offices, more students chose helpful, considerate, and flexible as descriptors rather than unhelpful, inconsiderate, and rigid. Eighty-five percent of the undergraduates evaluated their entire educational experience at BGSU as good or excellent, and the majority of them would go to BGSU again if they could start over again.

There are some differences in the survey results between BGSU and the peer universities as well as between students in different internal groups. Of particular concern may be the differences between BGSU and our peers.

• Compared with freshmen/seniors in peer universities, BGSU freshmen/seniors were less likely to take a foreign language coursework, to study abroad, and to complete culminating senior experiences;
   
• Compared with freshmen in peer universities, BGSU freshmen were more likely to work on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources, prepare two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before tuning it in, and discuss grades or assignments with an instructor. They, however, made fewer class presentations and read fewer unassigned books a year than did the freshmen in the peer universities. They were also less likely than their counterparts to report that BGSU emphasized analysis skills quite a bit or very much.
   
• Compared with seniors in peer universities, BGSU seniors were more likely to work with other students on projects during class, to complete a practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment, to declare that BGSU encouraged them to attend campus events and activities, and that their college experience contributed quite a bit or very much to acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills. They were, however, less likely to use an electronic medium (list-serv, chat group, Internet, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment than were the seniors in peer universities. They were also less likely than their counterparts to report that their university encouraged them to contact students with different backgrounds from their own.

The major limitation of this study is the relatively low response rate (41%) and the overrepresentation of women and seniors. Some caution must be taken when interpreting the results.

The Office of Institutional Research welcomes feedback concerning this and other studies and how they can continue to be improved.

NSSE Item Responses (BGSU only)