The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is a self-report inventory that assesses the recalled frequency of student activities throughout a student's academic career. The data provide an assessment of opportunities for engagement that students had and, in fact, took advantage. This assessment is done independent of the student's view of the value of such activity which is more typical of student ratings.
UNK has participated in the NSSE program for two years and has discussed widely the implications of the results. Some of the data most relevant to the General Studies Program are presented below. The table shows those ratings wherein UNK is significantly different than its comparison institutions-Masters-level institutions.
| |
2002 comp grp |
2003 comp grp |
| |
UNK |
Masters |
UNK |
Masters |
| 1b:made class presentation |
2.11
|
2.27
|
2.1
|
2.27
|
| 1d:worked on paper req integ ideas from various sources |
2.91
|
3.06
|
2.93
|
3.05
|
| 1f:came to class without completing reading or assignm't |
|
|
2.11
|
1.98
|
| 1i:put together ideas from dif courses for assignm'ts or discus |
2.32
|
2.44
|
2.33
|
2.45
|
| 1o: talked about career w/fac |
|
|
2.28
|
2.14
|
| 1u:had serious discuss w/stud of dif race or ethnicity |
2.31
|
2.54
|
2.37
|
2.54
|
| 2.b:analyze basic elem of idea, experience,theory |
2.91
|
3.11
|
2.95
|
3.09
|
| 6:in typical week,how many homework prob take more than 15 minutes each to complete |
|
|
2.87
|
2.67
|
| 7c: participate in learning com where groups take classes together |
|
|
0.45
|
0.35
|
| 7e:foreign language coursework |
0.33
|
0.59
|
0.25
|
0.44
|
| 7f:study abroad |
0.31
|
0.49
|
0.16
|
0.33
|
| 7h:culminating senior exp |
0.56
|
0.73
|
0.22
|
0.4
|
| 8c:relationship w/admin & offices |
|
|
5.51
|
5.09
|
| 9a:prep for class |
3.58
|
3.91
|
3.56
|
3.91
|
| 9d:participate in co-curr activity |
|
|
2.39
|
2.13
|
| 9f:provide care for dep live w/you |
1.28
|
1.85
|
1.27
|
1.73
|
| 10a:spend sig amount of time studying and on academics |
2.87
|
3.1
|
2.98
|
3.12
|
| 10f:attend campus events |
|
|
2.92
|
2.73
|
| 11d:speaking clearly and effect. |
|
|
2.6
|
2.77
|
| 11e:thinking critically/analytically |
|
|
2.98
|
3.15
|
| 11h:working effectively w/others |
|
|
2.73
|
2.86
|
The most obvious conclusions about UNK relative to its comparison group that can be drawn from the data are:
- There seems to be less of an explicit attempt to bring together divergent ideas outside of the classroom.
- Some class work seems to be less for UNK students, e.g., class presentations, speaking, thinking critically, and working in groups.
- UNK students seems to be lack foreign language experiences and study abroad opportunities.
This has been a persistent observation at UNK. Given the location of the campus and the nature of the student body, most of whom are native Nebraskans who like to be close to home, this pattern has been a characteristic of UNK for a long time.