Independent colleges and student engagement: Descriptive analysis by institutional type
Gonyea, R. M., & Kinzie, J.
Critics of traditional, residential, liberal arts colleges and universities contend that this form of higher education is outmoded, too costly, and no longer educationally relevant for 21st century students. Economies of scale, large classes taught by contingent faculty members and graduate students, and increasing reliance on technology and online learning, so the argument goes, are the only cost-effective means of meeting the educational challenges of the future. This report, prepared for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), draws on the most current NSSE data, from 2013 and 2014, that include more than 540,000 first-year and senior students enrolled at more than 900 four-year colleges and universities. Findings are presented with comparisons across four institutional types: (1) baccalaureate and master‘s level private institutions (CIC‘s predominant membership profile), (2) baccalaureate and master‘s level public institutions, (3) doctoral private institutions, and (4) doctoral public institutions. Included in the analysis are measures from the updated NSSE that includes ten new Engagement Indicators, six High-Impact Practices, the Perceived Gains scale, and a Satisfaction scale. Findings from this study affirm the effectiveness of independent colleges and universities for undergraduate student learning. Students at private institutions are more likely to be engaged in educationally effective experiences than their peers at public institutions. Areas of distinction in the private institution undergraduate experience include a more academically challenging education, better relations with faculty members, more substantial interactions with others on campus, and the consistent perception that students have learned and grown more, in comparison with public institutions.
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Will these trees ever bear fruit? A response to the special issue on student engagement
McCormick, A. C., & McClenney, K.
There is broad consensus that U.S. higher education needs to do better. Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners have called attention to a range of challenges: too many students enter college unprepared for college-level work, yet many developmental programs are little more than revolving doors; too many students who begin college never graduate, often accumulating considerable debt; the most rapid enrollment growth is among the groups that higher education has historically served least well—so institutions have to do more to ensure their students‘ success; students‘ development of generalized critical-thinking and problem-solving skills falls short of what we want and need; we are not producing enough graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math; cost escalation is unsustainable, with most of the growth occurring outside of core educational functions; and the United States is losing ground to other countries with regard to postsecondary degree attainment. And as we confront these challenges, the national understanding of college quality is dominated by beauty contests that privilege reputation and resources over teaching and learning. The higher education research community has the capacity to contribute to our understanding of and response to these challenges. Indeed, scholars have engaged with many of them. Any could justifiably serve as the organizing theme for a special issue of one of the field‘s leading scholarly journals. Given the range of important topics where systematic, focused scholarly treatment could advance both research and practice, we find it curious that student engagement trumps these subjects as meriting a special issue of the Association for the Study of Higher Education‘s signature scholarly journal. We might be flattered that our work is seen as deserving such attention, but we are instead dismayed that the “special issue on student engagement” was in fact devoted to critiques focused exclusively on the two university-based research and service projects that we direct; that it included no contributions from scholars with a record of inquiry on student engagement; and that we had no opportunity to respond to the critique in the special issue itself so as to better advance scholarly discourse and professional practice. While our projects have always welcomed reasoned critique (continuous improvement based on feedback is a hallmark of both projects), we find these precedents worrisome. We are nevertheless grateful for the opportunity to submit this response after the fact. In the following pages, we situate our response relative to the long-decried disconnect between higher education research and practice, a gap that our respective projects attempt to bridge. We offer brief comments about the Olivas preface, mostly to correct factual errors and omissions, and then provide more detailed responses to the substantive critiques in the articles by Porter; Dowd, Sawatzky, and Korn; Campbell and Cabrera; and Nora, Crisp, and Matthews (all 2011).
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STEM/non-STEM differences in engagement at U.S. institutions
Nelson Laird, T. F., McCormick, A. C., Sullivan, D. F., & Zimmerman, C. K.

A comparison of student and faculty academic technology use across disciplines
Guidry, K. R., & BrckaLorenz, A.

Research and discovery across the curriculum
Elrod, S., Kinzie, J., & Husic, D.

Promoting student success: What business leaders can do
Lovett, C. M.
More than any other group of stakeholders, business leaders are aware that this country‘s ability to remain competitive in a global, technology-based economy is ever more closely tied to its ability to produce more and better prepared college graduates. Graduating more students from various backgrounds who are well prepared to meet the social, civic and economic challenges of the future is a national priority. Every college and university can improve its graduation rates and enhance the quality of its undergraduate programs by creating the conditions that matter to student success. Decades of research studies show that student engagement--the time and effort that students devote to their studies and related activities--is a key factor in student success. The Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project gathered data from 20 very different institutions of higher learning whose student scores on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were higher than what was predicted on the basis of their student and institutional profile, history, and other factors.
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Taking surveys with smartphones: A look at usage among college students
Sarraf, S., Brooks, J., & Cole, J.
The widespread adoption of mobile technologies has dramatically impacted the landscape for survey researchers (Buskirk & Andrus, 2012), and those focusing on college student populations are no exception. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), one of the largest U.S. college survey assessment projects, annually surveys hundreds of thousands of undergraduate students at college and university campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Internal NSSE analyses show the number of smartphone respondents is increasing each year.1 This analysis showed that in 2011, only about 4% of NSSSE respondents used a smartphone, but by 2013 that figure had increased to 13%. Preliminary results from the 2014 administration suggest the percentage continues to increase, with roughly 18% of respondents using smartphones to complete the survey. Using 2013 NSSE data, the purpose of this study is to examine college student demographics and engagement results by smartphone respondent status. The results of this study will provide insights into the prevalence of college?aged survey respondents using smartphones, and the impact this technology has on survey responses.

Student perspectives on the importance and use of technology in learning
BrckaLorenz, A., Haeger, H., Nailos, J., & Rabourn, K.
Under constant demands to improve the quality of higher education within an increasingly digital world, technology is often seen as a way to increase learning and collaboration on college campuses. The current generation of college students has grown up with technology, and these students are among the earliest adopters of new advances in technology (Jones, 2002; Haney, 2011). Allowing students to connect to their campus community, collaborate with peers, acquire new information, and demonstrate their learning through technology is essential for college campuses seeking to meet the needs of today‘s college students. Though access and use of technology is highest in traditional age college students, disparity still exists in who uses technology and at what age they are exposed to it (Jones et al., 2009; Pew Research Center, 2012; Wilson, Wallin, & Reiser, 2003). Race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, among other factors, can impact the level of technical proficiency students come to college with and should be considered in how technology is implemented on college campuses (Goode, 2010; Hargittai, 2010; Huang, Hood, & Yoo, 2012). In order to effectively use technology to improve education, we must investigate how students are currently using technology, what they want from their colleges in the use of technology, how technology impacts educational outcomes, and how these factors differ for different student populations. How do these perceptions of importance vary by different types of students and students in different institutional settings? To what extent has students‘ technology use enabled them to understand, demonstrate their understanding, or study on their own or with others? How does such uses of technology relate to other important forms of educationally effective engagement? This study uses a large-scale dataset to explore these issues and provide information to institutions of higher education to effectively implement greater technology use among students.

Faculty Members are Not the Problem: Improving Faculty Teaching Environments to Foster Teaching Excellence
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Nelson Laird, Tom
Given challenges with technology, the pressures of the academy, political meddling in higher education, inequitable conditions, and students whose needs are complex and changing rapidly, faculty members find themselves struggling with workload, their own health issues, competing priorities, and how to be effective teachers in a challenging time. Using data from two large-scale multi-institution assessment projects, we invite you to examine with us aspects of faculty teaching environments that contribute to faculty members' success as educators. By using measures of, for example, institutional policies and processes, access to instructional resources, and institutional climates for diversity, we will illustrate how a better understanding of the teaching environment can improve faculty development efforts. Join us for an exchange of ideas about ways to foster environments that motivate teaching excellence and support faculty in both their work and personal lives.

Examining Black STEM Students' Experiences with Collaborative Learning
Priddie, Christen
Educators continue to examine how to increase Black student representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education. There is an increased call to implement collaborative learning in STEM classrooms, but current implementations do not articulate how collaborative learning can be culturally relevant for Black students. Using a critical approach, the purpose of the current study was to establish knowledge of Black STEM studentsâ?? collaborative learning experiences. Results showed that Black STEM students valued the maintenance of their contributions in collaborative learning while placing little value in being recognized for their collaborative contributions. The current study highlighted how STEM educators should center Black STEM studentsâ?? values and experiences while transforming an active learning practices already being implemented.

Using the updated NSSE to support evidence-informed improvement and accreditation
Kinzie, J.
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and its affiliated surveys, FSSE and BCSSE, provide a fresh look at engagement, including insights about learning with technology, quantitative reasoning, and learning strategies. This presentation highlights findings, including those from the survey's new Topical Modules, and illustrates effective uses of NSSE results in accreditation as well as approaches to supporting evidence-informed improvement.

A fresh look at student engagement for accreditation and improvement
Kinzie, J.
The updated National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and its affiliate surveys, FSSE and BCSSE, provide a fresh look on engagement, including insights about learning with technology, quantitative reasoning, and learning strategies. This session will highlight findings, and demonstrate effective uses of NSSE results in accreditation self-studies and quality improvement.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology: Assessing the Effectiveness of Campus Programs and Services for First-Year Students and Seniors
In Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education—Annual results 2016
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Oregon Institute of Technology: Exploring General Education and Learning Outcomes
In Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education—Annual results 2016
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Carlow University: Assessing Learning with Technology to Enhance Instructional Practice
In Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education—Annual results 2016
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Topical Modules: Learning with Technology
In A fresh look at student engagement—Annual results 2013
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Online Learners
In Promoting engagement for all students: The imperative to look within—2008 results
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Information Technology
In Converting data into action: Expanding the boundaries of institutional improvement—2003 annual report
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Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
In From promise to progress: How colleges and universities are using student engagement results to improve collegiate quality—2002 annual report
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Promoting in a Crunch: Increasing NSSE Response Rates
Dajanae Palmer & Bridgette Holmes
Recording

Last minute prep for your NSSE 2014 administration
Cindy Ahonen and Katherine Wheatle
Recording

Last minute prep for your NSSE 2013 administration
Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director, NSSE Institute
Recording