Measuring deep approaches to learning using the National Survey of Student Engagement

Abstract

The concept of deep learning is not new to higher education. However, deep learning has drawn more attention in recent years as institutions attempt to tap their student's full learning potential. To more fully develop student talents, many campuses are shifting from a traditional passive, instructor-dominated pedagogy to active, learner-centered activities. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis on multiple years of data from the National Survey of Student Engagement, this study examines the structure and characteristics of items about student uses of deep approaches to learning. Institutions and researchers can use the resulting scales to assess and investigate deep approaches to learning.