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National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 2020 snapshot
Summary of Student Engagement Results
Student engagement represents two critical features of collegiate quality. The first is the amount of time and effort students put into their studies and other educationally purposeful activities. The second is how institutional resources, courses, and other learning opportunities facilitate student participation in activities that matter to student learning. NSSE surveys undergraduate students in their first and final years to assess their levels of engagement and related information about their experience at your institution.
This Snapshot is a concise collection of key findings from your institution’s NSSE 2020 administration. We hope this information stimulates discussions about the undergraduate experience. Additional details about these and other results appear in the reports referenced throughout.
Engagement Indicators
Sets of items are grouped into ten Engagement Indicators (compared with Ontario), organized under four broad themes. Below are summary results for your institution. For details, see your Engagement Indicators report.
Academic Challenge
Higher-Order Learning
- First-year: No significant difference
- Senior: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
Reflective and Integrative Learning
- First-year: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
- Senior: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
Learning Strategies
- First-year: No signficant difference
- Senior: No significant difference
Quantitative Reasoning
- First-year: No significant difference
- Senior: No significant difference
Learning with Peers
Collaborative Learning
- First-year: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
- Senior: No significant difference
Discussions with Diverse Others
- First-year: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
- Senior: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
Experiences with Faculty
Student-Faculty Interaction
- First-year: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
- Senior: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
Effective Teaching Practices
- First-year: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
- Senior: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
Campus Environment
Quality of Interactions
- First-year: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
- Senior: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size at least .3 in magnitude.
Supportive Environment
- First-year: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude
- Senior: Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size at least .3 in magnitude.
Comparison Group
The comparison group featured in this report is Ontario. See your Selected Comparison Groups report for details.
High Impact Practices (HIP)
Due to their positive associations with student learning and retention, special undergraduate opportunities are designated "high-impact." For more details and statistical comparisons, see your High-Impact Practices report.
First-Year
Service-Learning, Learning Community, and Research with Faculty.
The graph above indicates that in first year:
- Of the students who participated in two or more HIPs, Laurier students had a 6% participation rate compared to Ontario's 6% participation rate.
- Of the students who participated in one HIP, Laurier students had a 47% participation rate compared to Ontario's 43% participation rate.
Senior
Service-Learning, Learning Community, Research with Faculty, Internship, Study Abroad, and Culminating Senior Experience.
The graph above indicates that in senior year students:
- Of the students who participated in two or more HIPs, Laurier students had a 46% participation rate compared to Ontario's 53% participation rate.
- Of the students who participated in one HIP, Laurier students had a 36% participation rate compared to Ontario's 28% participation rate.
Academic Challenge: Additional Results
The Academic Challenge theme contains four Engagement Indicators as well as several important individual items. The results presented here provide an overview of these individual items. For more information about the Academic Challenge theme, see your Engagement Indicators report. To further explore individual item results, see your Frequencies and Statistical Comparisons, the Major Field Report, the Online Institutional Report, or the Report Builder.
Time Spent Preparing for Class
This figure reports the average weekly class preparation time for your students compared to students in your comparison group.
The graph above indicates:
- First-year Laurier students spent an average of 15.9 hours per week preparing for class compared to Ontario's 16.1 hours.
- Senior Laurier students spent an average of 16.3 hours per week preparing for class compared to Ontario's 16.3 hours.
Reading and Writing
These figures summarize the number of hours your students spent reading for their courses and the average number of pages of assigned writing compared to students in your comparison group. Each is an estimate calculated from two or more separate survey questions.
The graph above indicates:
- First-year Laurier students spent an average of 7.4 hours per week on course reading compared to Ontario's 7.1 hours per week.
- Senior Laurier students spent an average of 7.3 hours per week on course reading compared to Ontario's 7.1 hours per week.
The graph below indicates:
- First-year Laurier students had an average of 73.7 pages of assigned writing in the current year compared to Ontario's 75 pages.
- Senior Laurier students had an average of 113.4 pages of assigned writing in the current year compared to Ontario's 111 pages.
Challenging Students to Do Their Best Work
To what extents did students' courses challenge them to do their best work? Response options ranged from 1 ("Not at all") to 7 ("Very much).
The graph above indicates:
- In first-year, out of Laurier students, 49% felt high challenge (6 or 7), 49% felt moderate challenge (3, 4 or 5) and 2% felt low challenge (1 or 2) compared to Ontario where 43% felt high challenge (6 or 7), 54% felt moderate challenge (3, 4 or 5) and 3% felt low challenge (1 or 2).
- In senior year, out of Laurier students, 45% felt high challenge (6 or 7), 53% felt moderate challenge (3, 4 or 5) and 2% felt low challenge (1 or 2) compared to Ontario where 42% felt high challenge (6 or 7), 55% felt moderate challenge (3, 4 or 5) and 3% felt low challenge (1 or 2).
Academic Emphasis
How much did students say their institution emphasizes spending significant time studying on academic work? Response options included "Very much," "Quite a bit," "Some," and "Very little."
The graph above indicates that:
- Among first-year Laurier students 78% responded that their institution emphasizes spending significant time on studying and academic work compared to Ontario's 79%.
- Among senior Laurier students 74% responded that their institution emphasizes spending significant time on studying and academic work compared to Ontario's 79%.
Item Comparisons
By examining individual NSSE questions, you can better understand what contributes to your institution's performance on the Engagement Indicators. This section displays the five questionsa on which your students scored the highest and the five questions on which they scored the lowest, relative to students in your comparison group. Parenthetical notes indicate whether an item belongs to a specific Engagement Indicator or is a High-Impact Practice. While these questions represent the largest differences (in percentage points), they may not be the most important to your institutional mission or current program or policy goals. For additional results, see your Frequencies and Statistical Comparisons report.
First-Year
| Topic or Question | Item Number | Percentage Point Difference with Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Institution emphasis on providing support for your overall well-being...c (SE) | 14f | +11 |
| Institution emphasis on providing opportunities to be involved sociallyc (SE) | 14e | +11 |
| Quality of interactions with facultyd (QI) | 13c | +9 |
| Quality of interactions with other administrative staff and offices...d (QI) | 13e | +9 |
| Quality of interactions with academic advisorsd (QI) | 13b | +9 |
| Topic or Question | Item Number | Percentage Point Difference with Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Forming a new idea or understanding from various pieces of informationc (HO) | 4e | -0 |
| Spent more than 15 hours per week preparing for class | 15a | -0 |
| Institution emphasis on studying and academic workc | 14a | -1 |
| Worked with a faculty member on a research project (HIP) | 11e | -1 |
| Reached conclusions based on your own analysis of numerical information (...)b (QR) | 6a | -1 |
Senior Year
| Topic or Question | Item Number | Percentage Point Difference with Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Institution emphasis on providing opportunities to be involved sociallyc (SE) | 14e | +20 |
| Institution emphasis on providing support for your overall well-being...c (SE) | 14f | +16 |
| Quality of interactions with facultyd (QI) | 13c | +15 |
| Institution emphasis on providing support to help students succeed academicallyc (SE) | 14b | +15 |
| Quality of interactions with studentsd (QI) | 13a | +14 |
| Topic or Question | Item Number | Percentage Point Difference with Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Spent more than 15 hours per week preparing for class | 15a | -5 |
| Institution emphasis on studying and academic workc | 14a | -6 |
| Reviewed your notes after classb (LS) | 9b | -7 |
| Worked with a faculty member on a research project (HIP) | 11e | -7 |
| Completed a culminating senior experience (...) (HIP) | 11f | -14 |
Notes
a. The displays on this page draw from the items that make up the ten Engagement Indicators (EIs), six High-Impact Practices (HIPs), and the additional academic challenge items reported on page 2. Key to abbreviations for EI items: HO = Higher-Order Learning, RI = Reflective & Integrative Learning, LS = Learning Strategies, QR = Quantitative Reasoning, CL = Collaborative Learning, DD = Discussions with Diverse Others, SF = Student-Faculty Interaction, ET = Effective Teaching Practices, QI = Quality of Interactions, SE = Supportive Environment. HIP items are also indicated. Item numbering corresponds to the survey facsimile available on the NSSE website.
b. Combination of students responding "Very often" or "Often."
c. Combination of students responding "Very much" or "Quite a bit."
d. Rated at least 6 on a 7-point scale.
e. Percentage reporting at least "Some."
f. Estimate based on the reported amount of course preparation time spent on assigned reading.g. Estimate based on number of assigned writing tasks of various lengths.
How Students Assess Their Experience
Students' perceptions of their cognitive and affective development, as well as their overall satisfaction with the institution, provide useful evidence of their educational experience. For more details, see your Frequencies and Statistical Comparisons report.
Perceived Gains Among Seniors
| Perceived Gains (Sorted Highest to Lowest) | Percentage of Fourth-Years Responding "Very Much" or "Quite a Bit" |
|---|---|
| Thinking critically and analytically. | 87% |
| Working effectively with others | 79% |
| Writing clearly and effectively | 77% |
| Speaking clearly and effectively | 72% |
| Understanding people of other backgrounds (econ, racial/ethnic, polit., relig., nation., etc.) | 69% |
| Being an informed and active citizen | 63% |
| Solving complex real-world problems | 62% |
| Developing or clarifying a personal code of values and ethics | 62% |
| Analyzing numerical and statistical information | 59% |
| Acquiring job- or work-related knowledge and skills | 59% |
Satisfaction with Laurier
Students rated their overall experience at the institution, and whether or not they would choose it again.
The graph above indicates that,
- Among first-year students at Laurier, 82% rated their overall experience as "excellent" or "good" compared to the Ontario group who provided a 76% rating.
- Among senior students at Laurier, 84% rated their overall experience as "excellent" or "good" compared to the Ontario group who provided a 74% rating.
The graph above indicates that,
- Among first-year students at Laurier, 84% would "definitely" or "probably" attend this institution again compared to the Ontario group's 81%.
- Among fourth-year students at Laurier, 84% would "definitely" or "probably" attend this institution again compared to the Ontario group's 76%.
Administration Details
| Year | Count | Response Rate |
Female | Full-Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-year | 1,445 | 25% | 68% | 94% |
| Senior | 733 | 19% | 71% | 77% |
Additional Questions
Your insitution administered the following additional question sets:
- Development of Transferable Skills
- Ontario Universities
See your Topical Module and Consortium reports for results.
What is NSSE?
NSSE annually collects information at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about student participation in activities and programs that promote their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending their college or university. Institutions use their data to identify aspects of the undergraduate experience that can be improved through changes in policy and practice.
NSSE has been in operation since 2000 and has been used at more than 1,600 colleges and universities in the US and Canada. More than 90% of participating institutions administer the survey on a periodic basis.
Visit our website nsse.indiana.edu.