The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE):

Summary of 2008 Survey Results

Research Report No. 24-08

Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment

Northern Virginia Community College

October 2008

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Northern Virginia Community College Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)

Summary of 2008 Survey Results Introduction This brief report summarizes the results of the 2008 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) for Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). CCSSE is designed to capture student engagement as a means of institutional quality and provide community colleges with useful information for improving student learning and persistence. The survey provides information on students’ levels of engagement in five benchmarks of effective educational practices in community colleges identified by CCSSE. NOVA participated in the survey in 2004, 2005, and 2008. This report presents the 2008 results and consists of two sections. Section I presents NOVA’s results by each benchmark for the three years NOVA participated in the survey. It also compares NOVA’s 2008 results with those of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Consortium1 and with those of the 2008 CCSSE cohort2. Section II compares NOVA’s 2008 results with those of three area colleges that participated in the 2008 survey. The five benchmarks identified by CCSSE and addressed in this report are:

1) Active and Collaborative Learning 2) Student Effort 3) Academic Challenge 4) Student-Faculty Interaction 5) Support for Learners

These benchmarks allow institutions to monitor students’ experiences in those areas and compare their results with other institutions. Each college participating in the survey receives a score for each benchmark. Individual benchmark scores are an average of the scores on survey items that comprise that benchmark3. Benchmark scores are standardized so that the average of all participating students (CCSSE cohort) is always 50. This allows colleges to determine if their performance for a benchmark is above or below the average. NOVA focuses on providing access to higher education, fostering student success, and being a leader in higher education. CCSSE results assist NOVA in identifying effective educational practices to meet these goals and, in turn, meet the needs of its students.

1 The VCCS consortium refers to all colleges in the Virginia Community College System that participated in CCSSE in 2008. 2 The 2008 CCSSE cohort refers to all community colleges that participated in CCSSE in 2008. 3 To compensate for disproportionately large numbers of full-time students in the sample, all averages used in the creation of the benchmarks are weighted by full-time and part-time status. Institutions’ benchmark scores are calculated by taking the weighted average of their students’ standardized scores.

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Figure 2. Active and Collaborative Learning - Comparative Data 2008

Benchmark 2 - Student Effort The benchmark Student Effort states that students’ own behaviors contribute significantly to their learning and the likelihood that they will successfully attain their educational goals. The eight survey items that were used in the calculation of this benchmark are:

• Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in • Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from

various sources • Came to class without completing readings or assignments (reverse coded) • Used peer or other tutoring • Used skill labs • Used a computer lab • Number of books read on their own (not assigned) for personal enjoyment or

academic enrichment • Number of hours spent in a typical week preparing for class (studying, reading,

writing, rehearsing, or other activities related to their program) Figure 3 presents survey results for NOVA for the years 2004, 2005, and 2008. As the figure shows, the Student Effort benchmark score decreased from 47.9 in 2004 to 46.7 in 2008.

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Figure 6 compares the Academic Challenge benchmark score for NOVA students to that of students from the VCCS consortium and the average of 50 for the 2008 CCSSE cohort. As shown in the figure, the Academic Challenge benchmark score for NOVA students was below the average at 49.2, while the benchmark score for the VCCS consortium was 48.9.

Benchmark 4 – Student-Faculty Interaction The benchmark Student-Faculty Interaction states that the more contact students have with their teachers, the more likely they are to learn effectively and to persist toward achievement of their educational goals.

The six items used in the calculation of this benchmark are about students’ experiences in these areas:

• Used email to communicate with an instructor • Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor • Talked about career plans with an instructor or advisor • Discussed ideas from readings or classes with instructors outside of class • Received prompt feedback (written or oral) from instructors on performance • Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework

Figure 7 displays survey results for NOVA for the years 2004, 2005, and 2008. As the figure shows, the Student-Faculty Interaction benchmark score increased from 48.9 in 2004 to 50.4 in 2008.

Figure 6. Academic Challenge - Comparative Data 2008

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Section II: Comparison of NOVA’s Benchmark Scores with Selected Area Colleges Section II presents the 2008 survey results for NOVA and three other area colleges: J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College, Montgomery College, and Prince George’s Community College. Each figure displays scores for the five CCSSE-identified benchmarks. As the figures show, each individual benchmark score for Montgomery College (MD) and Prince George’s Community College (MD) was higher than NOVA’s individual benchmark scores. Each individual benchmark score for NOVA was higher than J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College’s individual scores, with the exception of the Student Effort benchmark.

Figure 11. Snapshot of Survey Results 2008 – Northern Virginia Community College

Figure 12. Snapshot of Survey Results 2008 – J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College

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Figure 13. Snapshot of Survey Results 2008 – Montgomery College (MD)

Figure 14. Snapshot of Survey Results 2008 – Prince George’s Community College (MD)