West Chester University has secured its efforts in implementing the National Survey of Student Engagement as of Jan. 21 in order to evaluate students’ collegiate experiences.According to the NSSE official web site, the survey was formulated in 2001 and has accrued a participation of nearly 800 universities across the country to date. The survey can either be completed electronically or through standard paper format; the University has selected the former. The survey is also designed to indicate several aspects of a student’s experiences, and therefore, reveal how the University can improve upon these elements.
Idna Corbett, interim Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Student Support Services, said that the University received official recognition of participation from NSSE on Sept. 5, 2007. From that point, the University has been completing the final steps of the process. The process entails reviewing the population of the University in addition to confirming additional questions. Corbett said that the total cost of the process was approximately $8,000-including a $6,000 cost for administering to a survey with an undergraduate populace of 8,000-12,000 students.
“It takes several months because you need to load a lot of data,” Corbett said,
Furthermore, Corbett has initiated steps to have the survey administered. The survey is structured for first-year students-evaluating their initial experiences-and graduating students-endeavoring to assess their collective experience. E-mails have been sent out to half of the two populations involved according to “NSSE WCU Participation.”
“I’d like to see what the students think in general of their experience,” Corbett said,
Additionally, WCU is a part of a consortium with the Pennsylvania State System for Higher Education (PASSHE) that allows the University to not only have its results compared to other universities nationally, but also compared with the 10 out of 14 state schools within the consortium as well. In fact, being a part of the consortium permits WCU to have additional questions a part of the survey that focus on the dynamic of general education classes. Corbett said that some of these questions include a student’s learning experiences with diversity, information literacy and academic advising. Corbett said that these questions are intended to reflect what exactly a person can elicit from a WCU education.
Another purpose of the survey is to allow prospective students to see what they should expect from a WCU education according to Corbett. Furthermore, certain questions are geared to provide these students, other students and guardians with information that is not necessarily available. For example, one question asks if a student has written a report that was 20 pages or more. Another question asks how many assigned text books a person has for each class.
“It’s the little things that people don’t think about,” Corbett said.
For those who are randomly selected to take the survey, it is reported to take approximately 15 minutes for completion.
Follow-up e-mails will be sent if a student chooses not to take it his or her first time receiving an e-mail.
The “NSSE WCU Participation” reported that WCU has asked NSSE to have the responses assessed according to certain groups within the University such as a person’s residency-in or out-of-state, resident/commuter, academic plan or participation in the Honors College.
“College is supposed to develop your ability to analyze, search and evaluate information, solve problems and make judgments.” Corbett said. “If we have data on first-year and senior students, and if in four to five years we see a difference, we know our students have made improvements [based on] their experiences in college.”
First-year and graduating students are encouraged, according to NSSE flyers on campus, to check their WCU e-mail accounts for e-mails from Idna Corbett on how to complete the survey.
Nicole Fortuna is a second-year student majoring in English with a concentration in Romantic languages. She can be reached at QuadEIC@wcupa.edu.