Making Connections

Thursday, November 16, at 1 p.m., U.S. Eastern time

George D. Kuh is director of the National Survey of Student Engagement and a professor of higher education at Indiana University at Bloomington. The past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Mr. Kuh is one of the authors of the book Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter (Jossey-Bass, 2005).

A transcript of the chat follows.

Paula Wasley (Moderator):
    Hello and welcome to today's colloquy. I'd like to thank and welcome George D. Kuh, the director of the National Survey of Student Engagement, who is here to answer your questions about this year's survey.

Paula Wasley (Moderator):
    You can find a summary of the major findings from the 2006 NSSE survey in this week's Chronicle: http://chronicle.com/free/v53/i13/13a03901.htm Also take a look at how some colleges have put NSSE data to use: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i13/13a04001.htm Let's get started with those questions.

Question from Jennifer K. Ruark, The Chronicle:
    In your study distance learners reported interacting with faculty members about as much as campus-based students did. Did the study measure the quality of that interaction? Or in measuring engagement does it assume that online forums are as valuable as (or better than) face-to-face interaction?

George D. Kuh:
    We defined distance learners as students who took all their courses online. The estimate of quality of interaction with faculty can be estimated by comparing distance learners with campus-based learners on other questions such as self-reported gains, satisfaction with advising, and other engagement measures that faculty contact might influence such as being exposed to diverse perspectives in the classroom. Distance learners are comparable to campus-based learners on these measures. Keep in mind, that 70% of distance learners in NSSE 2006 are 25 years of age or older, which means they are likely to be more focused and have better developed time management skills than many younger students.

Question from On behalf of U. of Virginia:
    What are your plans for growing the survey to include more participants? Or are you satisfied with the current level of participation?

George D. Kuh:
    The number of schools participating in NSSE has increased every year from 276 to 560 in 2006 (we report data only from the schools where random sampling was used which was 521 in 2006). Close to 600 schools registered for 2007. We have encouraged institutions to do the web which makes it more economical to include larger numbers of students from participating schools.

Question from Evan Goldstein, The Chronicle:
    The latest NSSE arrived at the pretty common sense conclusion that students who are more "engaged" are more satisfied with their education and therefore more likely to remain in college. This seems logical. I think the more difficult challenge is developing effective strategies for getting students more engaged. Do you have any suggestions?

George D. Kuh:
    An emerging body of research is pointing to the value of more consistently using demonstrably effective educational practices such as the 7 principles of good practice in undergraduate education popularized by Chickering and Gamson almost two decades ago and recently affirmed in the 2005 synthesis by Pascarella and Terenzini. AAC&U in its Liberal Education and Tommorrow's Promise initiative will feature and handful of intentional activities that build on these ideas and which when tailored for characteristics of different types of learners show great promise. They include learning communities, first-year seminars, senior capstone seminars or experiences, service learning, independent inquiry opportunities or student-faculty research, and so forth. They key is to scale up these kinds of activities so that they reach large numbers of students in meaningful ways.

Question from David O., Concordia University:
    Regarding adult learners, can you identify a set of best practices for engagement (inside/outside the classroom)? Particularly within the context of a College of Adult Education.

George D. Kuh:
    From what we can tell from our data -- based on 30,000 or so students over the age of 24 who answered NSSE 2006 -- the same practices that benefit traditional age students also benefit adult learners. But there are surely approachers to teaching and adult learning that would be more effective with adult learners, in order to capitalize on their prior learning and life experience. These would include the nature of assignments that draw of work and family experiences that would be more powerful prompts. One thing we discovered recently about adult learners not discussed in our 2006 report is that those who are "stretched" in terms of other commitments (family obligations, number of hours worked, commuting time (tend to be among the more engaged. Who are these students and how do they do it? Conversely who are the non-trivial numbers of adult learners who are under engaged and how do we identify and reach them with effective educational practices. NSSE and other data can be instructive in this regard.

Question from Dala Farouki, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Dubai, UAE:
    Hi, How does student involvement in secondary school affect their college involvement? For example, I have found in my experience (I worked at the American University here) that students who come from more diverse schools (ranging from Iran to India) do not have as many extracurricular activities and thus do not want any during college. Over here, this seems to be a common phenomenon. Is there any way of overcoming such apathy if its already settled in their life habits as not necessary? Thank you.

George D. Kuh:
    Yes, there is some indication that the habits formed in secondary school may well persist in postsecondary education. We have seen some of this by linking ACT and SAT score reports information with engagement in the first year of college. As Carol Twigg recently said, "first-year students don't do optional." In other words, if we believe in engaging in certain activities (e.g., learning communities, service learning or community service) is important AND we have evidence to demonstrate this, we need to consider how to weave such activities into a student's program of study or course assignments, such as making participaing in a campus performing arts event and tying it to a class assignment or project.

Question from Sara Lipka, Chronicle of Higher Education:
    How effective is the living/learning community model at increasing student engagement, and to what extent can colleges use it?

George D. Kuh:
    We don't have data per se about living-learning communities in the national study but we know that the generic form of learning communities (two or more linked courses) is very powerful in terms of engagement almost across the board. Students who have this experieiee are more likely to interact in substantive ways with faculty and peers, experience diversity more frequently, study more and so forth. I comment on this in my essay in this year's annual report released Monday. We hope to ask additional questions on NSSE 2007 about student experiences with different types of learning communities.

Question from David O., Concordia University:
    Does NSSE data find a pattern of student engagement for minority students? For example, do they tend to be involved with ethnic organizations first and then progress to "mainstream" student orgs?

George D. Kuh:
    We are not able to answer this question with the existing data. To do so would require we work with individual institutions to connect student-level data, such as whether they are involved in ethnic organizations, or ask additional experimental questions to this effect on the web version, or work with a group of schools that wished to form a consortium and ask questions that would provide insight into this issue.

Question from Paula Wasley:
    At the moment, NSSE data for individual colleges remain private unless the institution chooses to publish the information (or selected portions of the data). Can you explain for our readers the rationale behind this? And, in light of Secretary Spellings' call for greater accountability in higher education, is that policy likely to change?

George D. Kuh:
    NSSE's policy from outset was made plain. NSSE data belong to the institution and NSSE (for purposes of national benchmarking and research into effective educational practice). Schools can do whatever they wish with their own data. If NSSE publicly reported data institutions would not have participated, and thus they would not have realized how valuable the results are for institutional improvment. NSSE does not intend to change this policy but is very interested in helping schools become more transparent and determining how to best do this in ways that are responsible and responsive to the public interest. We talk a bit about this in the 2006 NSSE report.

Question from Pete Wachs, Appalachian State:
    Did your analysis include any controls for predisposition toward engagement? Does that have any bearing on your interpretation of the results?

George D. Kuh:
    Yes, we did include information about engagement in high school activities as well as ACT and SAT scores in our Connecting the Dots study. Here is the link: http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/Connecting_the_Dots_Report.pdf

Question from Jill Rasmussen, Utah State University, Brigham City:
    I work at a regional campus with mostly non-traditional students. I was impressed with the information that 63% of Adult learners were 1st generation. What more can you tell us about this and how it could be a boost for recruiting?

George D. Kuh:
    We are continuing to analyze the data from adult learners so I can't say too much more about this group at this point. Whether these generally promising findings can or should be used to recruit students depends on whether an individual institution uses effective educational practices with its adult learners. Some schools do better than others in this regard so it is incumbent on the institution to know whether its adult learners are engaged at acceptable levels before using the national data to make claims.

Question from Eric Hoover, Chronicle of Higher Education:
    George, can you share some thoughts on how a college might use NSSE data to improve its outreach to underrepresented students? Are there examples of institutions that are doing that well?

George D. Kuh:
    The NSSE 2006 report and previous reports include examples from what institutions are doing in variety of areas to increase student success through using effective educational practices. This year, for example, we featured some efforts at New Jersey City University and Florida A&M that are targeted at ethnic minorities. We expand on other initiatives in our Student Success in College book (2005).

Question from Bill Doemel, Wabash College:
    NSSE provides schools with information about student engagement, in your experience, in what ways have colleges most effectively responded to that information? Stated another way, have any institutions used the information to improve their practices, and in what way(s)?

George D. Kuh:
    As I just noted, we provide short examples of institutions that are using NSSE data to improve the student experience in our annual reports. This year about twice as many schools as previous years responded with examples of what they are doing in this regard, which suggests that they are digging in and seeing the value of student engagement. At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, for example, the student government stepped in with ideas for how to improve student advising and the follow-up data show their new efforts have increase student satisfaction with advising. There is much more to be said about this important question and we hope to be able to spend more time on compiling and sharing how schools have effectively used student engagement and related information to enhance the quality of the student experience.

Question from Elizabeth Farrell:
    If distance learners are, as the survey states, interacting with faculty members in online forums, is that considered interacting "outside of the classroom?" And do you think professors at institutions with more traditional-age students are doing enough to use technology like instant-messaging to interact with students outside of the classroom?

George D. Kuh:
    We added to the web survey a rephrased "contact-outside-the-classroom" question for distance learners. We asked: how often to you discuss ideas outside the classroom with a faculty member online or in person? Distance learners were more frequent contact with faculty when answering this question. Remember that distance learners are older which may account somewhat for there interest, comfort and willingness to engage their teachers in substantive matters.

Question from Kevin Fuerst, Cambridge College:
    Since student engagement seems to be integrally tied to strong student-faculty interaction, have you found any trends related to the increase in part-time faculty members across higher education?

George D. Kuh:
    Results from NSSE and FSSE that we reported in a Liberal Education article last year indicates that part-time faculty tend to less frequently use effective educational practices; they have, for example, less contact with students outside of class. This is in part an institutional structural matter -- many part-time instructors have no place to meet with students! Of course, they are also available to students only a limited time each week because of other obligations. We cannot speak to trends in this regard because FSSE is only in its 3rd year. Stay tuned!

Question from D. Zaiser, KSS Architects, Philadelphia:
    Have you found that the physical environment plays a role in student engagement?

George D. Kuh:
    We don't have direct evidence from NSSE but did report findings in a couple of books (Involving Colleges, 1991; Student Success in College, 2005) that the physical environment can, indeed, be arranged to promote or discourage engagement. For example, new buildings at Ursinus College, Wofford College and other schools have been designed so that faculty offices open out into large public spaces where student work tables or carrels are located, thus increasing the changes that both faculty and students will come into contact.

Question from Gary Lewicki, University of Connecticut:
    Hi George, Nearly every student that I teach in my Freshman Year Experience class was an athlete in high school. Now, they and miss the connectedness that they reap from this involvement when they are not "good enough" to make varsity teams in college. Limited financial resources on campus often limits their opportunity to participate in intramurals? Any creative ideas/examples that address meeting this demand?

George D. Kuh:
    This is a very difficult challenge and must have some effect on engaging male students whose identity is linked to their ability to perform on the playing fields and courts. This problem is especially acute at small colleges where a third or more of the incoming males each year try out for football. Of course, only a fraction get playing time and then have to find other outlets or, in too many instances, leave the institution We must find other ways to connect men and women to other activities that can become meaningful to them, perhaps through course-based collaborative learning activities. Certainly this topic requires some creative thinking. Perhaps others have good suggestions in this regard?

Question from Sara Lipka, Chronicle of Higher Education:
    Are affirmative-action restrictions keeping colleges from offering programs for minority students, like summer fellowships or research partnerships with faculty members?

George D. Kuh:
    Let's pass this good question on to Kay McClenney, the CCSSE director, who will do a Colloquy at the end of the month when the 2006 CCSSE report is released. Suffice it to say that on balance many more two-year college students come to college with more than a few risk factors in their background that make succeeding in college more difficult.

Question from Bill Faulkner, Pfeiffer University:
    In terms of co-curricular activities, does the NSSE data reveal that certain involvment contexts were more impactful than others(i.e. student organization involvement vs attending campus events)?

George D. Kuh:
    This is a great question and one that we have not analyzed thoroughly. We'll put it in our "to do" hopper and hope to find the resources (time, money) to conduct such a study.

Question from Ishmael, Research university:
    Many higher ed. stakeholders, both inside and outside the academy, agree that measures such as the NSSE are critical elements in evolving national assessment and accountability initiatives. That said, what are your thoughts on the proposed "unit record" concept to track student degree progress? Could a multi-dimensional data model be constructed that would account for degree progress as well as differences in individual institutions' profiles and missions?

George D. Kuh:
    If there are (only) two sides to this issue, I can sympathize with each. For purposes of research, we don't need a "national" unit record system because we can do controlled studies using random samples of student from samples of institutions to determine the effects of college, different teaching approaches and so forth. But if the demands for accountability escalte so that funding is linked to evidence, it is difficult to do so without tracking individual students, especially inasmuch as about three fifths of students attend two or more institutions on the way to the baccaluareate. This fact places a major challenge to assessment and accountability: how do such efforts fairly account for and distribute responsibility to the various institutions students have attended, as well as to the students themselves? Any effort to create multidimensional models will produce very complicated displays which will then likely be simplified for consumers, which will then mask the complexity and layers of differences in institutional mission and cultures that we are hoping to learn more about.

Question from Prof. Arturo Vazquez Jr. Counseling and Career Center of Elgin Community College:
    Dr. Do you have any particular examples for Latina/o students especially the group that is part of the English Language Learners? and/or is the survey representative of this group?

George D. Kuh:
    Unfortunately, we do not ask a question that would identify Latino students who are English Language Learners. If some schools have such students and wish to learn more about their college experiences they could form a consortium when doing NSSE which would allow them to ask specific questions along this line.

Question from Pedro Luna & Christopher Weiss, Syracuse University:
    How can we motivate the "unmotivated" and engage the "disengaged"?

George D. Kuh:
    If i had the sure-fire solution to this one, I could have bottled it and retired long ago! Seriously, the first step is identifying these students early enough so that we can reach them with engaging teaching and some high impact practices such as learning communities and other approaches that we know -- when done well -- tend to work such as supplemental instruction, intrusive advising, early warning systems and safety nets. Every student can succeed -- if they want to -- and we can do more to find ways to reach them. Not every approach will work with every student, so we have to be willing to experiment, meet they were they are, and provide academic and social support when they need it, not when it is convenient for us. Most of all, we need ot use effective teaching and learning practices more of the time, inside and outside the classroom.

Paula Wasley (Moderator):
    That's about all we have time for today. Thanks again to Mr. Kuh for joining us. And thank you to all who sent in questions.

Question from Tim Moore, Southern Methodist University:
    What do the NSSE results suggest that four year insitutitons need to do to attract more men to campus, as we continue to see increasing percentage of women coming to campus?

George D. Kuh:
    I'm afraid this is a question that NSSE data cannot answer. The issue is perplexing and is related to a host of social and cultural factors that are beyond my expertise to address.

Question from Jennifer K. Ruark, The Chronicle:
    Why do you think your comparative study found the odds of returning for a second year better for "engaged" African-American students than for engaged white students? What's happening there?

George D. Kuh:
    That engagement increases the odds that African American students will return to the same institution for a second year is a provocative finding to be sure. Why this is so is not altogether clear and we would need to look more closely at other information to try to explain it.

Question from Esau Tovar, Santa Monica College:
    Dr. Kuh, I am intrigued by your findings "that those who are 'stretched' in terms of other commitments" are more engaged. I wonder if this holds true for community college students. My research (though on amuch smaller scale indicates they experience significantly higher levels of academic difficulties, particularly those commuting via public transportation. At my college, these students account for some 40% of academic probation cases. Of course, I believe there are other issues at stake. Any thoughts? Thanks.

George D. Kuh:
    The relationship between being stretched and more engaged is not causal in the sense that in order to be more engaged one must have many other competing demands on their time. We happened to notice that a non-trivial number of adult learners shared this pattern. I suspect you would find students at two-year colleges who "beat the odds" so to speak and are able to successfully manage multiple commitments as well as engage at high levels in effective educational practices.

Question from Alexis Shuler, Univ. of Akron:
    Did any of the research indicate how to demonstrate to students the benefits of involvement?

George D. Kuh:
    We have not done research on this but have developed advising templates that schools can use to demonstrate to students how their patterns of engagement match up with those who succeed academically and socially at their institution. In this way an advisor can use the information with students to encourage students to reflect on how they spend their time and whether changes in behavior would be desirable.

Question from Tricia Bertram Gallant, University of California, San Diego:
    George - we met at the AERA Div J-Fireside Chat in San Francisco earlier this year. You may remember that my research is on student academic conduct. I am writing about the issue from a student and learning perspective, rather than a discipline and development perspective. Thus, I am interested in the connections between your work and mine. In particular, from The Chronicle article dated November 17th, it seems your work implies that "students who participate in collaborative learning and educational activities outside the classroom...get better grades, are more satisfied with their education, and are more likely to remain in college." While I agree with that statement, I also know that such collaboration can come at a price for the student if the faculty member has not authorized it. In these cases, the issue becomes not about learning but about evaluation, and unauthorized collaboration can be defined as academic misconduct (because it resulted in work that was not independent). So my question -- do you see a tension between what might be best for learning and what is most efficient for evaluating independent effort and ability? And if so, how do we reconcile that tension so that students can be empowered learners?

George D. Kuh:
    The questions that NSSE asks about collaboration on class assignments in class and outside of class are intended to be instructor-mediated or regulated activities. Of course, they may not be perceived by students to infer this. We ask these questions because the working conditions that students will face in the post-college environment require they know how to work effectively with people from different backgrounds. This is not a skill that can be acquired in the abstract; it required experience. And the NSSE data are clear that those students who do more of these things report gaining more during college in working with people from different backgrounds. The issue you are raising is how to fairly assign grades to students for their contributions. There are ways to do this, such as asking students to evaluate the quality of their peers' contributions to the activity. Another dimension inferred in your question is whether students are cheating -- borrowing someone else's work and turning it in as their own. Here again faculty can use various methods to identify and deal with such circumstances.

Question from Cherry Danielson, Fordham University:
    Are there some particular things that institutions should pay attention to from the NSSE data and perhaps the DEEP findings, that might help campuses create the best experience for minority students?

George D. Kuh:
    We address this to a limited extent in the Student Success in College book. Some of the best examples come from UTEP, Cal State Monterey Bay and Alverno, though there are many others.

Question from Prof. Arturo, Elgin Community College:
    In your report you used an example of effectiveness with African- Amerincan students. Do you have any data that reflects the same kind of effectivenes of engagedment with Latino/a students in colleges?

George D. Kuh:
    Yes, in The Connecting Dots report (http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/Connecting_the_Dots_Report.pdf) cited on p. 24 in the NSSE 2006 report we discuss a similar compensatory effect of engagement on grades for Latino students.

Question from Sara Lipka, Chronicle of Higher Education:
    Do students still respond to fliers posted around campus, or do they have to be prompted to attend events or participate in activities in new ways, like by text message or on Facebook?

George D. Kuh:
    We cannot answer this with NSSE data, at least not from the questions we ask on the core survey. Additional experimental questions might be designed to provide some insight into these issues.

Question from Alexis Shuler, Medium public institution:
    Has the information gained pointed in any way to how we can get more students involved?

George D. Kuh:
    NSSE data point to the extent to which institutions are using effective educational practices (giving feedback, setting high expectations, student contact with faculty and so forth). The gateway to engagement is using these practices more consistently throughout the institution in ways that address the distinctive needs of different types of students.