2005 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE )

1. 2005 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) SVC Office of Institutional Research Dr. Maureen Pettitt, Director

2. Presentation Topics • CCSSE Overview • What are the characteristics of the students who took the survey? • What activities did students engage in the most? • What activities did students engage in the least? • How did SVC do in comparison to other colleges?

3. CCSSE Overview • Emphasis on student engagement and student learning (e.g., Astin, Tinto, Pace) • Administered by Community College Leadership Program at University of Texas, Austin • Questions examine student involvement with faculty and peers, their engagement in the academic enterprise, and the outcomes of their learning experiences

4. 2005 CCSSE Administration • Sample randomly selected by CCSSE from Spring class info submitted (dept, enrollments, campus, days/time) • ABE and ESL courses excluded • Administration arranged with faculty during May 2005 • Script read to students by survey administrator; approximately 50 minutes for survey completion • 700 students survey in 60 classes on both campuses

5. A special THANKSto the faculty who let us “borrow” their class time…and the students!

6. Demographics • General • Gender • Ethnicity • Primary Reason for Attending • Weekly Activities

7. General Characteristics • Most of the students surveyed were: • Attending full-time (75%) • Taking classes only at SVC (83%) • Six percent were also taking classes at a high school • Slightly over half (53%) were 22 or younger • Sixty-seven percent were White, non-Hispanic • Three-quarters started college at SVC • A majority (64%) intended to re-enroll at the college within the next 12 months • 72% completed the survey at MV; 28% at WIC

8. Reason for Attending* *Multiple responses possible; total will be greater than 100%

9. Weekly Activities: Percent Spending Less Than Six Hours

10. Most Frequent Activities* • Used an electronic medium (list-serv, chat group, Internet, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment – 36.5% (up from 24% in 2003) • Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions – 32% • Prepared two or more drafts of a paper before turning it in – 29% • Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources – 28% * 20% or more reported doing this “Very Often”

11. Most Frequent Activities* • Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.) – 26% • Used email to communicate with an instructor – 20% • Had serious conversations with students of a race or ethnicity other than your own – 20% * 20% or more reported doing this “Very Often”

12. Least Frequent Activities* • Participated in a community-based project as part of a regular course – 74% • Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary) – 67% • Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework – 64% • Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with instructors outside of class – 40% * 20% or more reported they had “Never” done this

13. Least Frequent Activities* • Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments – 26% • Talked about career plans with an instructor or advisor – 26% (versus 21% in 2003) • Come to class without completing readings or assignments – 24% • Used email to communicate with an instructor – 20% * 20% or more reported they had “Never” done this

14. Student Effort In your experience at this college, about how often have you worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor’s standards or expectations?

15. Student Effort How much does this college encourage you to spend significant amounts of time studying?

16. Student Effort In your experience at this college, about how often have you skipped class?

17. Student Services • Satisfaction with admissions & registration* • Satisfaction with orientation program* • Satisfaction with advising, financial aid & career counseling • Where information about program requirements is obtained* * Items on Additional Questions Sheet

18. Satisfaction with Student Services

19. Student Advising Information

20. Overall Student Satisfaction • Availability of Classes* • Campus Climate* • Campus Safety* • Recommend to Friend or Family Member • Rate Entire Educational Experience * Additional Questions

21. “How satisfied are you with the availability of classes you need to meet your educational goal?”

22. “To what extent is your college a comfortable environment for all students; that is, an environment free of harassment of any kind (racial, sexual, or other harassment)?”

23. “As a student at this college, how safe do you feel on campus?” Percent responding “Very Safe” 1999 60% 2005 75% 0% 100% 1996 55% 2003 67%

24. Overall Satisfaction Items • “Would you recommend this college to a friend or family member?” • National  94% said “Yes” they would • SVC  93% • “How would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this college?” • National  86% rated their experience “Excellent” or “Good” • SVC  85% Note: For both questions, the National and SVC percentages increased by approximately 1% during the two year period

25. Learning and Engagement • Students who get involved with the people and activities of the college (beyond the traditional classroom) have • higher retention rates; • greater personal growth, achievement and satisfaction; and • increased participation in further learning opportunities (Astin, 1985)

26. Learning Communities Students who had taken a learning community were significantly more likely to have: • made a presentation in class • prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in • given SVC a high rating for encouraging them to spend significant amounts of time studying

27. Learning Communities • worked with classmates on assignments outside of class, • discussed ideas from readings and class with instructors and others outside of class, and • discussed grades with instructors.

28. Learning Communities Students who had taken a learning community were significantly more likely to have: • integrated ideas or information from various sources for a paper or project • engaged in higher-order cognitive activities, including analyzing, synthesizing, and making judgements • had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity

29. Learning Communities Students who had taken a learning community gave the college higher ratings for: • the degree to which contact among students of different demographic backgrounds is encouraged, and • the degree to which the college contributed to their working effectively with others and making contributions to the welfare of the community.

30. Five CCSSE Benchmarks • Active and Collaborative Learning • Student Effort • Academic Challenge • Student-Faculty Interaction • Support for Learners

32. The survey results give us some insight into student perceptions and self-reported behavior… How can we use this data to improve student learning, programs and/or services?