Engaged Learning: Fostering Success for All Students—Annual Report 2006

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Date
2006
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research
Abstract
The 2006 report from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is based on information from about 260,000 randomly selected first-year and senior students at 523 four-year colleges and universities. The NSSE study, titled “Engaged Learning: Fostering Success of All Students,” gives schools an idea of how well students are learning and what they put into and get out of their undergraduate experience. Findings show that while student engagement helps all learners, those who come to college less well prepared academically or are from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds tend to benefit even more. Being involved in educationally purposeful activities such as interacting with faculty members and working with peers on projects inside and outside of class has positive effects on grades and increases the odds that students will return to college for a second year. Distance education and adult learners engage as often in many positive educational activities as do traditional-age students taking classes on campus. Compared with other students, part-time students who were working had less contact with faculty and were less likely to participate in enriching educational experiences such as community service or active and collaborative learning activities. • Both first-year and senior students spend on average only about 13-14 hours a week preparing for class, far below what faculty members say is necessary to do well in their classes. • New students studied fewer hours during their first year than they expected to when they started college. • Student engagement is positively related to grades and to persistence between the first and second year of college. • Compared with campus-based students, distance education learners reported higher levels of academic challenge and engaged more often in deep learning activities. • First-year students at research universities are more likely to participate in a learning community than their peers at other types of institutions. • First-year students at liberal arts colleges more often participate in class discussions and view their faculty more positively than students at other institutions. • Seniors at master’s level colleges and universities more frequently make class presentations and work with their peers on problems in class than students at other institutions.
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Keywords
Learner Engagement, National Surveys, Student Surveys, Undergraduate Student, Educational Quality, College Freshmen, College Seniors, Foreign Countries, Difficulty Level, Active Learning
Citation
DOI
10.5967/7y1k-s869
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Type
Report