The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement

(FSSE)

Updated August, 2007

The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement was administered during the second semester of the 2006-2007 academic year to Houghton College faculty (N = 69).

FSSE measures faculty members' expectations of student engagement in educational practices that are empirically linked with high levels of learning and development.  The survey also collects information about the kinds of learning experiences Houghton College emphasizes.



In the tables below, the order of the items in usually determined by the upper division percentages.
The items in the mental activities table are ordered by level of higher-level thinking.

1. How important is it to you that undergraduates at your institution do the following?

2. To what extent does Houghton College emphasize each of the following?

3. In your selected course-selection, how much emphasis do you place on engaging students in each

of these mental activities?

4. Approximately what Percentage of students in your selected course section do the following?

5. How often do students in your selected course section engage in the following?

6. In your selected course section, how important to you is it that your students do the following?

7. To what extent to you structure your selected course section so that students learn and develop

in the following areas?

________________________________________________________________________________________  

How important is it to you that undergraduates at your institution do the following?

Variable	Level	Important or Very Important
Independent study or self-designated major	Lower Division Upper Division	28% 17%
Participation in a learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together	Lower Division Upper Division	48% 45%
Foreign language coursework	Lower Division Upper Division	66% 47%
Work on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requrements	Lower Division Upper Division	44% 50%
Study abroad	Lower Division Upper Division	56% 60%
Community service or volunteer work	Lower Division Upper Division	69% 80%
Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment	Lower Division Upper Division	83% 80%
Culminating senior experience (capstone course, senior project or thesis, comprehensive exam, etc.)	Lower Division Upper Division	86% 94%

Back to Top

To what extent does Houghton College emphasize each of the following?

Variable	Level	Quite a Bit or Very Much
Helping students cope with their non-academic responsibilities (work, family, etc.)	Lower Division Upper Division	22% 37%
Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds	Lower Division Upper Division	26% 47%
Providing students the support they need to thrive socially	Lower Division Upper Division	43% 48%
Encouraging students to participate in co-curricular activities (organizations, campus publications, student government, fraternity or sorority, intercollegiate or intramural sports, etc.)	Lower Division Upper Division	73% 70%
Encouraging students to attend campus events and activities (special speakers, cultural performances, athletic events, etc.)	Lower Division Upper Division	69% 74%
Providing students the support they need to help them succeed academically	Lower Division Upper Division	83% 80%
Encouraging students to use computers in their academic work	Lower Division Upper Division	91% 90%
Requiring students to spend significant amounts of time studying and on academic work	Lower Division Upper Division	74% 100%

Back to Top

In your selected course-selection, how much emphasis do you place on engaging students in each

of these mental activities?

Variable	Level	Quite a Bit or Very Much
Memorizing facts ideas, or methods from your course and readings so students can repeat them pretty much in the same form	Lower Division Upper Division	44% 07%
Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations	Lower Division Upper Division	73% 83%
Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience or theory, such as examining a particular case or situation in depth, and considering its components	Lower Division Upper Division	82% 93%
Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships	Lower Division Upper Division	70% 87%
Making judgments about the value of information, arguments or methods such as examining how others gathered and interpreted data and assessing the soundness of their conclusions	Lower Division Upper Division	60% 67%

Back to Top

Approximately what percentage of students in your selected course section do the following?

Variable	Level	50% or higher
Frequently come to class without completing readings or assignments	Lower Division Upper Division	09% 10%
At least once, talk about career plans with you	Lower Division Upper Division	04% 23%
Occasionally discuss grades or assignments with you	Lower Division Upper Division	09% 27%
At least once, discuss ideas from readings or classes with you outside of class	Lower Division Upper Division	09% 27%
Frequently work harder than they usually do to meet your standards	Lower Division Upper Division	17% 32%
Frequently ask questions in class or contribute to class discussions	Lower Division Upper Division	35% 36%
Occasionally use e-mail to communicate with you	Lower Division Upper Division	30% 50%

Back to Top

How often do students in your elected course section engage in the following?

Variable	Level	Often or Very often
Have serious conversations in your course with students of a different race or ethnicity than their own	Lower Division Upper Division	00% 03%
Participate in a community-based project (e.g., service learning) as part of your course	Lower Division Upper Division	13% 13%
Have serious conversations in your course with students who are very different from them in terms of their religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values	Lower Division Upper Division	13% 14%
Use an electronic medium (listserv, chat group, Internet, instant messaging, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment	Lower Division Upper Division	17% 34%
Have class discussions or writing assignments that include diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc.)	Lower Division Upper Division	52% 50%
Work with other students on projects during class	Lower Division Upper Division	48% 53%
Receive prompt written or oral feedback from you on their academic performance	Lower Division Upper Division	74% 70%

Back to Top

In your selected course section, how important to you is it that your students do the following?

Variable	Level	Important or Very Important
Tutor or teach other students (paid or voluntary)	Lower Division Upper Division	22% 10%
Prepare two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in	Lower Division Upper Division	39% 30%
Discuss ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (other students, family members, co-workers, etc.)	Lower Division Upper Division	56% 53%
Work with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments	Lower Division Upper Division	35% 54%
Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions	Lower Division Upper Division	56% 63%
Examine the strengths and weaknesses of their views on a topic or issue	Lower Division Upper Division	65% 75%
Work on a paper or project that requires integrating ideas or information from various sources	Lower Division Upper Division	73% 84%
Try to better understand someone elseÕs views by imagining how an issue looks from that personÕs perspective	Lower Division Upper Division	65% 86%
Learn something that changes the way they understand an issue or concept	Lower Division Upper Division	87% 90%

Back to Top

To what extent to you structure your selected course section so that students learn and develop

in the following areas?

Variable	Level	Quite a Bit or Very Much
Using computing and information technology	Lower Division Upper Division	09% 21%
Analyzing quantitative problems	Lower Division Upper Division	22% 27%
Working effectively with others	Lower Division Upper Division	39% 32%
Speaking clearly and effectively	Lower Division Upper Division	26% 38%
Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds	Lower Division Upper Division	43% 43%
Solving complex real-world problems	Lower Division Upper Division	30% 54%
Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills	Lower Division Upper Division	39% 54%
Acquiring a broad general education	Lower Division Upper Division	74% 60%
Understanding themselves	Lower Division Upper Division	48% 63%
Developing a deepened sense of spirituality	Lower Division Upper Division	65% 63%
Writing clearly and effectively	Lower Division Upper Division	65% 69%
Developing a personal code of values and ethics	Lower Division Upper Division	52% 73%
Learning effectively on their own	Lower Division Upper Division	82% 83%
Thinking critically and analytically	Lower Division Upper Division	87% 100%

Back to Top