 |
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 mo |
