Texas A&M University-Commerce participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a survey taken of 313,000 first-year and senior students at 610 universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada.
The survey provided universities with an idea of how well students are learning and their undergraduate experience.
According to Dr. Mary Hendrix, provost and vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, A&M-C first started participating in NSSE in 2003.
The results of the latest study can be found on the University’s Web site. NSSE compared A&M-C to other Texas A&M System institutions, peer institutions and institutions that participated in the survey in 2007.
“NSSE is becoming increasingly helpful in improving student success and building public confidence in the commitment of colleges and universities to improve teaching and learning,” Paul E. Lingenfelter, president of the State Higher Education Executive Officers, said in a press release dated Nov. 5, 2007, for NSSE.
NSSE surveyed 69 first year students and 411 seniors at the University. According to the NSSE Web site, the survey targets five areas of educational performance: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.
USA Today recently ran an article about the NSSE and what colleges and universities across the nation were participating.
According to Hendrix, A&M-Commerce was not listed among the universities because it was decided to not publicize the results.
“We wanted to make certain the reporting venue was presented in a way that accurately reports the results,” Hendrix said. “I am a strong proponent of accountability and transparency for higher education, but I want to make certain we are comparing apples to apples and that the reporting mechanism provides enough information for families and prospective students to make wise decisions.”
Results from the Mean Comparison spreadsheet prepared by NSSE showed the University excels in integrating diversity above all other Texas A&M System institutions and Carnegie peers. Diverse perspectives were included in class discussions or writing assignments and students engage in serious conversations with students from a different race or ethnicity than their own.
The study also showed students at A&M-C are asking more questions in class or contributing to class discussions as compared to other institutions. The University also excelled at student-faculty relationships.
“We are focusing our recruiting efforts by conveying what we do best: our student-faculty relationships,” Hendrix said. “Our mean scores for relationships with faculty members exceed all NSSE participants, Carnegie Peers and other A&M institutions.”
The spreadsheet also showed A&M-C students’ lack in working outside of class with classmates to prepare assignments, community service or volunteer work, foreign language coursework, working for pay off campus, providing care for dependents and critical thinking skills.
“Results of the 2007 administration of NSSE indicate we have made progress in reducing memorization and improving analyzing, synthesizing, making judgments and applying theories since the 2005 administration,” Hendrix said. She added, “However, we are still below our Carnegie peer institutions and other institutions in the A&M System.”
According to a press release titled “High Impact Practices Boost Learning, Involved Parents No Problem,” the NSSE found students who were first-generation college students were less likely to participate in enriching educational experiences such as internships, study abroad programs, or research with a faculty member. Also, 29 percent of seniors at public institutions participate in a culminating senior experience as compared to 42 percent at private colleges and universities.
“NSSE is an institution’s most trustworthy lens for seeing deeply into the quality of students’ experiences because its results can translate directly into plans for action and reform and transformation strategies,” Lee S. Shulman, president of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, said in the press release.
Hendrix stressed the importance of the study.
“As higher education enters this era of accountability, we must be careful to not just rely on instruments that measure input, but rather focus on how successful we are with the output,” Hendrix said.