Mind the Gap: Overview of FSSE and BCSSE

Jillian Kinzie

NSSE

The family of NSSE surveys

FSSE – emerged from the field as a tool to promote faculty reflection on student engagement

BCSSE – obvious pre-test to NSSE; can we measure what the institution contributes to student engagement, or “value-added”?

LSSSE – Law School Survey

Rejected “essies”

Student Affairs Survey of Student Engagement (sassy!)

Administrator Survey of Student Engagement (#!@^:)

Medical School Survey of Student Engagement (messy!)

Graduate School Survey of Student Engagement

…..We are focused on UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION. Surveys grounded in body of research on undergraduate student learning and development.

Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (pronounced “fessie”)

FSSE measures faculty expectations and activities related to student engagement in effective educational practices

FSSE and NSSE Point to “Disorienting Dilemmas”

Situations in which usual perspectives or ways of responding do not work or don’t fit are more likely to motivate us to learn and change (Mezirow, 1990)

Faculty Priorities and Student Engagement

AVG STUDENT

AVG FACULTY Academic challenge

Active -collab

Diversity experiences

Stu dent-faculty

Academic challenge emphasis Active -collab practices Emphasis on diversity experiences Emphasis on higher order thinking Importance enriching educ experiences

Faculty Priorities and Selected Student Outcomes

AVG STUDENT

AVG FACULTY Integrative

learning General

education Personal/

social Practical

comp

Academic challenge emphasis Active-collab practices Emphasis on diversity experiences Emphasis on higher order thinking Importance enriching educ experiences

What to make of this?

1. When faculty members emphasize certain educational practices, students engage in them to a greater extent than their peers elsewhere.

2. Good things go together

Deep Learning Sub-ScaleIntegrative Learning

Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources

Included diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc.) in class discussions or writing assignments

Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions

Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty members outside of class

Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.)

Disciplinary ComparisonsIntegrative Learning

.29 .28.17 .15

-.12 -.15-.06

.40.51 .55

.64

-.36

-.11

.14

-.40

-.20

.00

.20

.40

.60

.80

Soc Sci Arts Prof Educ Phys Sci Eng Business

STUDENTSFACULTY

Standardized mean differences between indicated disciplinary area and the Biological Sciences

BCSSE

• How much do student’s background characteristics affect NSSE scores?

• Are institution’s benchmark scores the result of good practices or good recruitment?

• Pilot 04, 05,06

BCSSE

BCSSE measures:• HS experiences; Importance of college

activities• Baseline self-assessment of knowledge and

skills• Demographics

Use to examine gap between expectations and engagement

Study effect of students’ background on NSSE scores

Focus on First-year students: Expectations for Engagement

High importance:• Asking questions• Come to class with

readings/assignments completed• Discuss grades/assignm’t with faculty• Talk about career plans• Feedback on performance• Work hard• Learn something that changes way

you understand issueLow or mixed importance:• Make class presentation• Work with peers in AND out of class• Tutor peers • Service learning• Work with faculty on activities other

than coursework• Discuss ideas with others, and also

faculty outside of class

Important NSSEville emphasis:• Spend significant amount of

time studying• Provides support to succeed

academically• Encouraging contact among

students from different economic, social, racial-ethnic backgrounds

Less important NSSEville emphasis:

• Helping students cope with non-academic responsibilities

• Provide support to thrive socially

• Using computers in academic work

Mind the Gap: FY expectations and engagement

Match value to engagement• Ask questions in class*• Prepare 2 drafts• Work on integrated paper*• Include diverse perspectives• Work with peers out of class • Put together different ideas• Tutor peers –• Service learning –• Used email*

• Discuss ideas with faculty• Receive feedback• Discuss ideas with others• Serious conversation race-

ethnicity –• Serious conversation beliefs• Better understand diff POV• Learn something change view

on issue** High value- High engagement

- Low value – Low engagementStudents who do not value activity are less motivated to participate in it in college. How to re-shape student values concerning activity?

Mind the Gap: FY expectations and engagement

Mixed value – Low engagement

• Class presentation• Work with peers in class• Work with faculty on

activities

High value – Mixed engagement

• Discussed grades• Talk about career

plans• Work hard• Examine strength of

views

Activity is valued, but students don’t do it much; Is “sometimes” an acceptable response?

College providing students with fewer experiences than they anticipated

Mind the Gap: FY expectations and engagement

Time Gaps:45% entering students expect to spend 20+ hrs per week studying, but only 30% actually spent this much time studying FY spent less time in co-curriculars (avg. 5 hrs per week) than they expected (avg. 11 hrs per week)Estimates for working were slightly higher; relaxing & socializing about what they expected

Patterns in FY NSSE Results 2004-2006

Diversity Experiences:• Slightly more FY report

conversations with students of different race-ethnicity

• More FY & SR perceive an institutional emphasis on encouraging contact among students from different economic, social and racial-ethnic backgrounds

• More FY report gains in understanding people of other racial-ethnic backgrounds

Student Faculty Interaction:• FY have less interaction with

faculty outside class

Enriching Experiences• Some flux over the years.

– Plan to do an internship– Study abroad (71% plan to do

in 2005; 63% in 2006) • More emphasis on attending

campus events• FY students plans match what

Seniors report in terms of Enriching Experiences– 51% FY plan to do research

with faculty; 52% seniors do