Engagement Insights: Survey Findings on the Quality of Undergraduate Education—Annual Results 2016

Abstract

Engagement Insights—Annual Results 2016 details results from more than 300,000 first-year and senior students attending 512 U.S. bachelor’s-granting institutions in spring 2016. Given the increasing national importance of postsecondary degree completion, the report also explored the relationship between first-year students’ engagement and institutional retention and graduation rates. While retention and graduation were positively related to student engagement, the strongest association was for the amount of time students spent preparing for class. Other noteworthy findings from NSSE—and its companion surveys, the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) and the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE)—include: • Seniors who were more inclined toward a growth mindset—meaning they embrace challenges and believe that rising to those challenges can enhance their capabilities—were more likely to use effective learning strategies and to engage in reflective and integrative learning. • About nine out of ten students felt safe and comfortable being themselves at their institution, and about eight in ten felt valued by the institution. However, students with a gender identity other than man or woman, as well as those who are African American, Native American, or multiracial, were less likely to feel safe and welcomed by their institutions. • About one in four beginning college students took college-level courses during high school as part of a dual enrollment program. Students who took academically rigorous dual-credit courses were significantly more engaged in the first year of college. • On average, African American faculty interacted with students most often, while White and Asian men faculty did so the least. Asian women and Latina faculty were most likely to implement effective teaching practices, while White men faculty were the least likely. The report also features examples from Carlow University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Winthrop University illustrating the use of NSSE results to guide improvement efforts.