5 questions for ... Kathy Doherty

Photo by Kanji Takeno

Satisfaction with TU on the rise among students, says National Survey of Student Engagement

by Stuart Zang

First-year students and seniors have expressed increasing levels of satisfaction with their TU experience. Kathy Doherty, assistant vice president for Assessment and Institutional Research, credits increases to TU’s ability to ask and address the difficult questions through the National Survey for Student Engagement.

What is the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)?

It is a national survey designed by and administered through the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research that asks undergraduate students to self-report on their participation on a variety of issues at their educational institution.

We’ve participated four times—first in 2002, then in 2004 and 2005, at which point we decided to conduct the survey every two years. We administered the 2007 survey in spring 2007, received the data last fall and have spent the past few months analyzing the information.

Who takes the survey?

First-year students and seniors comprise our sample set. For the latest survey, we had a sample size of about 4,484 students, with a response rate of about 26 percent—a bit fewer than 1,200 students. That rate is consistent with our peer institutions, but nevertheless we have to frame the results within that context.

What trends are worth noting from the 2007 survey?

There are many, but one that stands out regards student perception of the quality of academic advising. In 2005, 52 percent of the students rated academic advising as either "good" or "excellent." We really wanted to get student satisfaction levels up, so over the past few years Academic Affairs and Student Affairs have made concerted efforts to initiate and improve academic advising programs. In 2007, 66 percent of students rated academic advising as either “good” or “excellent,” a very large and statistically significant increase.

On the question, “What is your overall evaluation of your student experience at TU,” more than 86 percent of first-year students and more than 76 percent of seniors say their experience is “good” or “excellent.” These percentages have increased since we first surveyed students in 2002.

How has TU applied NSSE data to improve student satisfaction rates?

To cite one of my earlier answers, TU was very public across the campus community when it learned that satisfaction with academic advising was hovering around 52 percent. We acknowledged the situation and responded by growing and reinventing advising programs, whose success can be measured in part by increased student satisfaction.

The nice thing about TU—and I say this as someone who has been at a number of institutions where it is not always true—is that we’re not afraid to ask the difficult questions and address the issues.

Where can faculty and staff learn more about TU’s NSSE results?

You can find our 2005 presentation and documents at our Web site. The 2007 report is being finalized right now and will be posted later this term.

[back to main article index]