Survey measures student involvement to assist with program improvement

By: Andrea Emery
News Editor

With a myriad of co-curricular activities at Monmouth College, it is hard to find someone who does not participate in something outside of the classroom. It is not surprising, then, that in 2006, Monmouth had one of the higher levels of interest among the 523 participating institutions taking the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

The NSSE was launched with the support from the Pew Charitable Trusts and is currently self-supported through institutional participation fees from schools such as Monmouth.

According to the NSSE educational website, the survey “is designed to obtain, on an annual basis, information from scores of colleges and universities nationwide about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development.” The results will provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college. Survey items empirically confirm “good practices” in undergraduate education. That is, they reflect behaviors by students and institutions which are associated with desired outcomes of a college experience.

The NSSE website states that institutions will use their data to identify aspects of the undergraduate experience, inside and outside the classroom, which can be improved through changes in policies and practices more consistent with good practices in undergraduate education. This information is also intended for use by prospective college students, their parents, college counselors, academic advisers, institutional research officers and researchers in learning more about how students spend their time at different colleges and universities and what they gain from their experiences.

According to Jane Jakoubek, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, “Monmouth College participated in the survey in 2003, 2004, 2006, and we’ll participate again this spring.”

Jakoubek added the survey asks students about the extent to which their Monmouth College education includes activities which are related to undergraduate education. These activities include such things as the number of papers written, amount of time spent preparing for class, contact with faculty outside of class, study abroad programs and many more.

Among comparable institutions, Monmouth’s seniors excelled in several areas, including asking questions in class or contributing to class discussion, working with classmates outside of class and talking about career plans with a faculty member or advisor.

For first-year students, Monmouth received high marks in areas such as the quality of relationships with other students and learning to speak clearly and effectively. Both classes of students excelled in foreign language coursework and participating in co-curricular activities.

“The response from students gives us feedback on how well we’re doing,” Jakoubek added.

“We use the results as one form of feedback about what we are doing well as a college and about where we can improve. Various groups review the results, including faculty and the student life staff, as well as the Board and President’s Council. The results are also being used in Monmouth’s accreditation review,” said Jakoubek.

The survey results will help Monmouth College faculty and staff assess what is going on inside and outside the classroom to help determine what programs and teaching methods need to be improved upon in the future.