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A Different Kind of Score
Survey serves as tool for improvement as well as national measure
By Ginger Shepherd
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The survey is designed to collect information from different colleges and universities around the country; the data is used to see how students are participating in programs that institutions of higher education offer for student development as well as for education, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement's Web site, http://nsse.iub.edu. The survey targets first-year and senior students, so it measures both first impressions and the full experience.
Dr. Connie Sjoberg, director of the ORU Leadership Academy, said the test asks questions that measure how much students participate in class and their interaction with faculty, as well as how they are learning and using the information.
But it is more than a measure of learning. Sjoberg explained that the survey provides a tool that helps learning institutions improve all of their programs since questions are specific, such as, how do students interact with faculty, do they study with other students, and are they involved in service learning projects.
The survey also explores how engaged students are with other activities that contribute to their personal growth. Questions can help a university gauge how involved students are with their school.
As an example, the survey has shown that students who work on campus are more engaged with the campus than students who work off-campus, Sjoberg said.
The survey can serve a university in other ways, such as in the re-accreditation process, Sjoberg said, and can provide a way for the university to compare itself to other universities and colleges.
ORU is "not in a bubble. We value how we look compared to other institutions," she said.
In ORU's athletic conference, the Mid-Continent, all nine of the schools have participated in NSSE at some point. For the 2006 survey, five of the schools are participating, including ORU.
NSSE started as a pilot in 1999 with 70 schools participating. It was fully launched in 2000 with 276 schools participating, according to the Web site. ORU first participated in the survey in 2002.
For the 2006 survey, roughly 562 schools--including ORU--will participate. Sjoberg said the invitation to take the survey was sent to first-year and senior students in February. Students have two months to respond. The two groups will give two different perspectives: first impressions from first-year students and a full outlook from seniors. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.
"We are hoping that every first-year and senior student takes the survey, because their input is very valuable to us," Sjoberg said.
For more information about NSSE, go to www.nsse.iub.edu. Information regarding ORU's past NSSE survey can be found on the ORU Web site, www.oru.edu, under Academics and Institutional Research.
