Converting Data into Action: Expanding the Boundaries of Institutional Improvement—2003 Annual Report

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2003
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research
Abstract
The 2003 report from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is based on information from 185,000 first-year and senior students at 649 different four-year colleges and universities. The NSSE study, titled “Converting Data Into Action: Expanding the Boundaries of Institutional Improvement,” 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 the vast majority of undergraduate students are regularly using information technology in their academic work. About 83% frequently go to the World Wide Web to obtain resources for their classes and 80% report that their instructors often require them to use computer conferencing, the WWW, and other forms of information technology for completing assignments. The universal access to an endless stream of information has its downside, however, as 87% say that their peers at least “sometimes” copy and paste information from the WWW for reports and papers without citing the source. Other key findings from the 2003 report are: • Contrary to popular opinion, intercollegiate athletes are generally as engaged in learning activities as other students. • Men are generally less engaged than women, especially in the areas of academic challenge and enriching educational experiences. • Less than half of seniors frequently have serious conversations with students from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. • More than a third of all seniors only “occasionally” get prompt feedback from faculty members. • Student experiences vary greatly by major field, with students in professional areas such as architecture and health sciences reporting higher levels of engagement than other fields. • Two fifths of all students report A grades; only 3% of students have C or lower average grades. A third of the students earning A grades study only 10 or fewer hours per week.
Description
Keywords
Student engagement, information technology, internet, learner engagement, higher education, colleges, universities, intercollegiate athletics, learning activities, gender
Citation
DOI
10.5967/sy6b-1p28
Link(s) to data and video for this item
Relation
Type
Report