Mid-Course NSSE Exercise

Kimberly Wojturski

Northern Arizona University

CCHE 687: Professional Development Seminar

Dr. Blue Brazelton

February 12, 2023

 Mid-Course NSSE Exercise

Each year, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects information

about first-year and senior students' participation in programs and activities. The results from

these surveys provide an idea of what undergraduates gain from attending college and how they

spend their time on campus. The NSSE data that will be discussed in this paper are responses

from 2,382 students that were randomly selected at Northern Arizona University in 2010. As a

staff member at NAU, our goal is to help students engage in more active learning experiences

outside of the classroom. By doing this, students build a connection with their own learning and

it enriches their entire academic experience.

When we look at the quantitative results from the 2010 NSSE, we can conclude only

about half of our students are engaging in enriching activities outside of the classroom. One of

the most compelling pieces of data from the survey is the answer to the question: how many

students participate in community-based projects in regular courses? Only 17% of first-year

students reported frequently participating in service learning or community-based projects and a

whopping 56% reported that they never took part in any of these types of activities (NSSE,

2010). That response is discouraging and tells us specifically that we are not providing enough

learning opportunities and engagement outside of the classroom for our first-year students.

The first year for college students is a crucial one which lays the groundwork for their

post-secondary academic journey. As a university, this is when we should be demonstrating how

highly we view experiences outside of the classroom. In a literature review for the National

Postsecondary Education Cooperative, Kuh et al. (2007) proposed that student success be

defined broadly to include academic achievement, engagement in educationally purposeful

activities, satisfaction, acquisition of desired knowledge, skills and competencies, persistence,

attainment of educational objectives, and post college performance (Kuh et al., 2008). The

challenge lies in utilizing the data from the NSSE survey in order to implement changes. The

action plan would address the curriculum of courses targeted for first-year students. The NSSE

survey denotes only 17% of first-year students are engaging in outside activities. With one of the

key factors in student engagement including educationally purposeful activities, we must add

community-based projects into the curriculum for first-year students.

If experiences outside of the classroom can be implemented for first-year students, we

should expect to see a better statistic by senior year. This leads to an additional piece of data

retrieved from the 2010 NSSE survey. The question asks: how many students apply their

classroom learning to real life through internships or off-campus field experiences? Again, we

can conclude from the quantitative results that only half of our students are engaging in outside

activities. Only 50% of students reported having participated in some form of practicum,

internship, field experience, co-op, or clinical assignment by their senior year (NSSE, 2010).

The importance of field experience extends beyond graduation. How can we expect our

students to enter the workforce after graduation without these experiences? Even an expert panel

from Forbes.com agrees stating, school teaches skills but doesn't give exposure to what work is

like in real life (2022). Additionally, field experience and internships allow students to

implement the knowledge they have gained into real world situations. So how do we include

field experiences for our students? Again, an action plan is needed in order to implement this

data we have acquired. We must look deeper into our curriculum and see which programs are

lacking in this area. This will take time to research and implement but it will lead to a better

outcome for our students.

 Keeping our goal here at NAU of helping students engage in more active learning

experiences, we also look at their general engagement in and out of the classroom. One piece of

data from the NSSE survey I found interesting asks: do students work together on projects –

inside and outside of class? Approximately half (49%) of first-year students work with other

students on projects in class and 48% report working with peers on assignments outside of class

(NSSE, 2010). Redundantly, only about half of the students surveyed reported working outside

of the classroom.

To realize the importance of this statistic we must look at the correlation between peer

relationship and learning engagement. Studies have shown that peer relationships can exert a

direct influence on learning engagement (Shao & Kang, 2022). We know that student

engagement contributes to academic successes. By encouraging group work, we can provide

opportunities for peer interaction. Having positive friendships and influences from peers can

provide the support students need. Students are then more likely to feel confident in their own

learning. So how can we harvest these peer relationships? An action plan would again include

looking deeper into our curriculum. We need to find opportunities for students to work in groups.

We need to prioritize group projects as much as individual work. These types of experiences with

peers will allow students to build relationships and find that connection with their own learning

thus enriching their entire academic experience.

While the NSSE provides us with valuable data, there is additional information we should

gather regarding student engagement outside of the classroom. I feel it would be beneficial to ask

specific questions about students' experiences out of the classroom. I would be curious for the

students who have participated in group work how they felt about it and how it could be

improved. I would like to know the students' thoughts on learning outside of the class. What
would be some experiences they feel would be beneficial to their learning. Our students are our

best resource. We should ask our students ways they feel we can integrate classroom learning

into outside experience.

The best way to get the answers to these questions would be through interviews and focus

groups. While the quantitative data retrieved by assessment tools such as surveys are beneficial,

they still have their drawbacks. As stated by Bowman (2013), students may select a response

category that portrays them in an overly positive light. A student may give a more socially

desirable response as opposed to a less appealing alternative. A good example would be a student

responding that they have gained a great deal while in college when in reality they have gained

very little, or potentially not at all. Additionally, as Krosnick (1991) explains, survey respondents

are likely to become increasingly fatigued, disinterested, and distracted as they continue to take a

survey (Bowman, 2013).

Conversely, qualitative research is more detailed and descriptive. According to Marshall

& Rossman (1999), the biggest benefit of interviews and focus groups are excellent methods of

gathering rich detail (Bresciani et al., 2004). In order for interviews and focus groups to be an

effective form of assessment, we must make sure we are not asking about sensitive topics. Any

topic that may make a student uncomfortable may lead to students not providing truthful

responses. For the topics we want to address concerning learning experiences outside of the

classroom, we can utilize both interviews and focus groups. With individual interviews the

conversation will be a one-on-one situation with the interviewer and the student. This allows the

interviewer to take detailed notes. Focus groups can be complex, making it more difficult to

effectively take notes and facilitate a conversation among six to eight students (Bresciani et al.,

2004).
 For individual interviews I would propose we take a random sample of first-year

students. This is where I would take the opportunity to ask what would enrich their outside

learning. I would ask questions pertaining to any ideas they may have for outside learning

experiences. I would also be curious about their areas of study, so I would ask about the

programs they are working towards. The focus groups I would reserve for students who have

already participated in outside learning experiences. Ideally we would find students who have

been involved in group activities. We would ask these students what could have made those

experiences better. We could also ask what additional experiences they would like to see

included in the curriculum.

Student engagement represents the amount of attention, interest, and passion students

show when they are learning. Effective engagement influences the level of motivation students

have to learn and progress in their own academic journey. By identifying student engagement on

campus, colleges are able to see the amount of time and effort students are putting into their

studies. It also shows how effective colleges are utilizing their resources and organizing

curriculum to get students to participate in learning opportunities. By helping our students

engage in more active learning experiences outside of the classroom, they will build a connection

with learning that will enrich their academic experience. With a positive correlation between

student engagement and academic achievement, improving engagement will ultimately lead to

improved outcomes and better academic success of our students.

 References

Bowman, N. (2013). Understanding and addressing the challenges of assessing college student

learning in student affairs. Research & Practice in Assessment, 8.

http://www.rpajournal.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SF1.pdf

Bresciani, M., Zelna, C., & Anderson, J. (2004). Assessing student learning and development: A

handbook for practitioners. NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Forbes Human Resources Council. (2022, Aug 12). The importance of internships and the

invaluable relationships they bring. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/08/12/the-importance-o

f-internships-and-the-invaluable-relationships-they-bring/?sh=444a63f67fd1

Kuh, G.D., Cruce, T.M., Shoup, R., Kinzie, J.L., Gonyea, R.M. (2008). Unmasking the effects of

student engagement on first-year college grades and persistence. The Journal of higher

education, 79 (5), 540-563.

National Survey of Student Engagement. (2010). The student experience in brief: NAU.

Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning.

Shao, Y., Kang, S. (2022, Aug 3). The association between peer relationship and learning

engagement among adolescents: The chain mediating roles of self-efficacy and academic

resilience. Frontiers in Psychology.13: 938756. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.938756