Last modified: Thursday, January 29, 2009
NSSE student survey results show IU East receives high marks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2009
RICHMOND, Ind. -- Indiana University East has improved in several areas based on the input of 223 randomly selected first-year and senior students who completed the National Survey of Student Engagement and Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) conducted in spring 2008. Results were recently released to IU East.
NSSE created the survey to focus student engagement and to help guide institutional development based on five benchmarks including Level of Academic Challenge, Active and Collaborative Learning, Student-Faculty Interaction, Enriching Educational Experiences and Supportive Campus Environment. The results are compared in a number of ways, including to institutions in the same Carnegie class and to the collective group of colleges and universities that administered the NSSE.
In 2008, IU East seniors gave the institution very high marks in the category Supportive Campus Environment. Statistically, IU East is within the top 10 percent of all NSSE schools for this benchmark. This is the second time since 2007 that IU East received a benchmark score that places it within the top 10 percent of institutions surveyed.
Senior students also ranked IU East significantly above its peer institutions on two benchmarks—Level of Academic Challenge and Active and Collaborative Learning. These benchmarks evaluate the various aspects of the engagement of students as they pursue intellectual and creative work. For both benchmarks, IU East seniors rated the institution about the average Carnegie class and about the survey pool as a whole. IU East freshman students ranked the university evenly with other NSSE institutions.
Student-Faculty Interaction received marks above the Carnegie class and NSSE group. The benchmark measures students interaction with the faculty based on teachers acting as role models, mentors and guides for continuous, life-long learning. IU East freshman students ranked the university on par with other NSSE institutions.
IU East has identified the Enriching Education Experiences benchmark as a priority for continued improvement. The category surveys diversity experiences, internships, community service and senior capstone courses. IU East is committed to broadening student experiences both within and outside of the classroom, said Mary Blakefield, associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.
"Our scores for this benchmark have been increasing through the years, our students are telling us that we need to continue to expand the prevalence of these opportunities," Blakefield said. "I am confident that we will see a significant improvement in this benchmark in the next few years."
