NSSE Analysis 2005
Executive Summary for the Provost Council
ASC Sample Characteristics
The 2005 ASC results are based on a response rate of 43%, which exceeds the overall response rate (37%) for all 2005 NSSE institutions. Thirty five percent of the ASC freshman sample and 51% of the ASC senior sample completed NSSE. Hispanic students are underrepresented in both the freshman (Hispanic survey respondents = 20% of all survey respondents, percentage of entire freshman class who are Hispanic = 29%) and senior (Hispanic survey respondents = 15% of all survey respondents, percentage of entire senior class who are Hispanic = 23%) samples, otherwise sample and class gender profiles are about equal.
Results:
This summary will report comparisons with the Selected Peers only. Generally, the results from the 2005 NSSE indicate that ASC freshmen and seniors report experiences comparable with that reported by the Selected Peers. For example, ASC freshmen and seniors reported no differences from the Selected Peers in Mental Activities (memorizing, analyzing, synthesizing, making judgments and applying theories), in Enriching Educational Experiences (internships, community service, learning communities, research with faculty, foreign language work, study abroad, independent study and senior capstone experiences) and in Academic Advising.
The 2005 results show that ASC had 47 differences (out of 85 items) from the Selected Peers sample and only 12 of these differences are considered large and 18 of these differences are considered moderate.
ASC seniors (n=105) report large and medium differences from the Selected Peers in 7 areas:
1. Academic and Intellectual Experiences
- ASC seniors report preparing multiple (2 or more) drafts of assignments (2 or more) less than the Selected Peers. (large difference)
- ASC seniors report asking questions or contributing to class discussion more than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report making class presentations less than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report projects requiring the integration of ideas from various sources less than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report working outside of class with peers to complete a project less than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report working harder than they thought they could to meet standards less than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report having serious conversations with students from different religious beliefs, political opinions or personal values more than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
2. Reading and Writing
- ASC seniors report writing fewer papers of 20 pages or more than the Selected Peers. (large difference)
- ASC seniors report writing more papers of less than five pages than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
3. Problem Sets
- ASC seniors report writing fewer problem sets taking more than a hour to complete than the Selected Peers. (large difference)
4. Additional Collegiate Experiences
- ASC seniors report attending more arts related events than seniors from the Selected Peers, (large difference)
- ASC seniors report engaging in more physical fitness activities than seniors from the Selected Peers. (large difference
- ASC seniors report participating in activities enhancing spirituality more than the Selected Peers. (medium difference
5. Quality of Relationships
- ASC seniors rate relationships with administrative personnel as less friend than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
6. Time Usage
- ASC seniors report participating in more co-curricular activities than seniors from the Selected Peers, (large difference)
- ASC seniors report working for pay off campus less than seniors from the Selected Peers, (large difference)
- ASC seniors report caring for dependents in their homes less than seniors from the Selected Peers. (large difference)
- ASC seniors report working for pay on campus more than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report spending less time commuting to class than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
7. Educational and Personal Growth
- ASC seniors report campus experiences that contribute to voting in local, state or national elections less than the Selected Peers. (large difference)
- ASC seniors report experiences that contribute to understanding people from other racial and ethnic backgrounds less than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report experiences that contribute to developing a personal code of values or ethics less than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
- ASC seniors report experiences that contribute to the welfare of the community less than the Selected Peers. (medium difference)
Whom ASC is Compared To:
- - All institutions who administer the NSSE.
- - The master's comparison group is composed of institutions classified by the Carnegie Foundation as masters-level institutions I and II . Includes such schools as:
- * Boise State University
- * Chadron State College
- * Loyola University of New Orleans
- * University of Texas
- * University of Wisconsin system
- Obviously, many of these schools are significantly different from ASC in terms of size, resources, student characteristics, etc., but a comparison between ASC and this group throws a bright light upon ASC and shows how well (or not) it stacks up against a variety of institutions.
- - The selected peers comparison group is composed of eight institutions that administered NSSE during the spring of 2005.
- These institutions were selected based on of their approximate similarity to ASC in terms of demographics and respondent characteristics:
- Colorado State University - Pueblo
- Eastern New Mexico University
- Texas A&M International University
- University of Texas - Pan American,
- University of Texas at Brownsville
- University of Texas at El Paso
- University of Texas of the Permian Basin
- Western New Mexico University
- These institutions are Hispanic serving institutions within the Southwest and most are not located in large urban centers