National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Results for Fort Hays State University
Annually, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
collects information from samples of freshman and senior students about the
nature and quality of their undergraduate experience. The survey is a powerful tool that assesses
the extent to which undergraduate students are “engaged” in effective
educational practices. NSSE concludes
their analysis by calculating mean scores for each of its five benchmarks of effective
educational practice. The five
benchmarks of effective educational practice are:
| Benchmark
Title |
Benchmark
Description |
| Level of Academic Challenge
|
Challenging intellectual and creative
work is central to student learning and collegiate quality. Colleges and universities promote high
levels of student achievement by emphasizing the importance of academic
effort and setting high expectations for student performance.
|
| Active and Collaborative Learning
|
Students learn more when they are
intensely involved in their education and asked to think about what they are
learning in different settings. Collaborating with others in solving problems or mastering difficult
material prepares students for the messy, unscripted problems they encounter
daily during and after college.
|
| Student-Faculty Interaction
|
Students learn firsthand how experts
think about and solve practical problems by interacting with faculty members
inside and outside the classroom. As a
result, their teachers become role models, mentors, and guides for
continuous, life-long learning.
|
| Enriching Educational Experiences
|
Complementary learning opportunities
enhance academic programs. Diversity
experiences teach students valuable things about themselves and others. Technology facilitates collaboration between
peers and instructors. Internships,
community service, and senior capstone courses provide opportunities to
integrate and apply knowledge.
|
| Supportive Campus Environment
|
Students perform better and are more
satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success and cultivate
positive working and social relations among different groups on campus.
|
Fort Hays State University has participated in NSSE annually
since 2002 and has used the information as a means of informing curriculum
change and institutional strategy. FHSU
is a noted “innovator/rebel” due, in large part, to the number of distance
learners that we educate.
2007-2010 CLA Historic Analysis