			2001 NSSE SURVEY
			UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
			UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) assesses the extent to which undergraduate students engage in educational practices that research studies show
are positively related to high levels of learning and personal development. The survey instrument was designed to provide information on how students spend their
time, what they feel they have gained from their classes, and on their assessment of the quality of their interactions with faculty and friends.

The information that follows is a comparison of USU student responses with those from 73 Doctoral Research-Extensive universities who participated in the 2001 NSSE
survey. An "*" in the last column indicates that the difference between the USU mean and the mean for the comparison group is statistically significant.

			Utah State University	73 Doctoral--Research Extensive Universities
		Class	Mean	Mean	Signif. Diff.
Academic, Intellectual, and Social Experiences			1=never, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=very often
	Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions	1st Yr.	2.43	2.63	*
		Senior	2.81	2.87
	Made a class presentation	1st Yr.	1.84	2.02	*
	Made a class presentation	Senior	2.44	2.57
	Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in	1st Yr.	2.55	2.64
		Senior	2.61	2.39	*
	Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources	1st Yr.	2.81	2.93
		Senior	3.17	3.22
	Came to class without completing readings or assignments	1st Yr.	2.18	2.20
	Came to class without completing readings or assignments	Senior	2.30	2.29
	Worked with other students on projects during class	1st Yr.	2.35	2.39
	Worked with other students on projects during class	Senior	2.58	2.41
	Worked with other students on projects outside of class to prepare class assignments	1st Yr.	2.27	2.31
		Senior	2.77	2.73
	Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)	1st Yr.	1.53	1.64
	Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)	Senior	1.93	1.76
	Participated in a community-based project as a part of a regular course	1st Yr.	1.37	1.29
		Senior	1.56	1.46
	Used an electronic medium (list-serv, chat group, Internet, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment	1st Yr.	2.57	2.65
		Senior	2.67	2.75
	Used email to communicate with an instructor	1st Yr.	2.66	2.95	*
	Used email to communicate with an instructor	Senior	2.95	3.14	*
	Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor	1st Yr.	2.31	2.51	*
	Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor	Senior	2.67	2.71
	Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor	1st Yr.	1.96	2.02
	Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor	Senior	2.24	2.24
	Discussed ideas from your reading or classes with faculty members outside of class	1st Yr.	1.47	1.65	*
		Senior	1.87	1.89
	Received prompt feedback from faculty on your academic performance (written or oral)	1st Yr.	2.41	2.55
		Senior	2.57	2.67
	Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations.	1st Yr.	2.38	2.54
		Senior	2.57	2.57
	Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (committees, orientation, student life activities, etc.)	1st Yr.	1.26	1.38
		Senior	1.63	1.63
	Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, coworkers, etc.)	1st Yr.	2.77	2.68
		Senior	2.89	2.81
	Had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than your own	1st Yr.	2.32	2.74	*
		Senior	2.28	2.74	*
	Had serious conversations with students who differ from you in terms of their religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values	1st Yr.	2.71	2.95	*
		Senior	2.67	2.88	*

Mental Activities			1=very little, 2=some, 3=quite a bit, 4=very much
	Memorizing facts, ideas, or methods from your courses and readings so you can repeat them in pretty much the same form	1st Yr.	3.00	3.02
		Senior	2.97	2.84
	Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or theory such as examining a particular case or situation in depth and considering its components	1st Yr.	2.90	3.13	*
		Senior	3.24	3.25
	Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships	1st Yr.	2.56	2.82	*
		Senior	2.84	2.98
	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	1st Yr.	2.59	2.71
		Senior	2.81	2.84
	Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations	1st Yr.	2.76	2.99	*
		Senior	3.18	3.12

Reading and Writing			1=none, 2= fewer than 5, 3=5 to 10, 4=11 to 20, 5=more than 20
	Number of assigned textbooks, books, or book-length packs of course readings	1st Yr.	3.02	3.44	*
		Senior	3.15	3.28
	Number of books read on your own (not assigned) for personal enjoyment or academic enrichment	1st Yr.	2.31	1.95	*
		Senior	2.30	2.20
	Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages or more	1st Yr.	1.26	1.18
	Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages or more	Senior	1.54	1.58
	Number of written papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages	1st Yr.	1.99	2.38	*
	Number of written papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages	Senior	2.43	2.58
	Number of written papers or reports of fewer than 5 pages	1st Yr.	3.31	3.13
	Number of written papers or reports of fewer than 5 pages	Senior	3.38	3.02	*

Challenge of Examinations			1=mostly multiple choice or short answer to
			7 = mostly essay or open-ended problems
	Mark the box that best represents the extent to which your examinations during the current school year have challenged you to do your best work	1st Yr.	5.54	5.64
		Senior	5.54	5.42

Quality of Advising
	Overall how would you evaluate the quality of academic advising you have received at your institution?	1st Yr.	2.82	2.78
		Senior	2.67	2.60

Time Usage			1=0 hrs/wk, 2= 5 or fewer hrs/wk, 3= 6-10 hrs/wk, 4=11-15 hrs/wk, 5= 16-20 hrs/wk, 6=21-25 hrs/wk, 7=26-30 hrs/wk, 8= more than 30 hrs/wk
	Preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, rehearsing, and other activities related to your academic program)	1st Yr.	3.79	4.19
		Senior	4.32	4.09
	Working for pay on campus	1st Yr.	1.37	1.54
	Working for pay on campus	Senior	1.88	1.95
	Working for pay off campus	1st Yr.	3.65	2.01	*
	Working for pay off campus	Senior	4.06	3.40	*
	Participating in co-curricular activities (organizations, campus publications, student government, social fraternity or sorority, intercollegiate or intramural sports, etc.)	1st Yr.	1.95	2.23
		Senior	1.87	2.10	*
	Relaxing and socializing (watching TV, partying, exercising, playing computer and other games, etc.)	1st Yr.	4.14	4.30
		Senior	3.56	3.95	*
	Providing care for dependents living with you (parents, children, spouse, etc.)	1st Yr.	2.04	1.38	*
		Senior	2.90	1.93	*

Educational and Personal Growth			1=very little, 2=some, 3=quite a bit, 4=very much
	Acquiring a broad general education	1st Yr.	3.05	3.03
	Acquiring a broad general education	Senior	2.92	3.15	*
	Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills	1st Yr.	2.44	2.45
	Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills	Senior	3.10	2.92	*
	Writing clearly and effectively	1st Yr.	2.62	2.74
	Writing clearly and effectively	Senior	2.89	2.90
	Speaking clearly and effectively	1st Yr.	2.33	2.43
	Speaking clearly and effectively	Senior	2.68	2.79
	Thinking critically and analytically	1st Yr.	2.85	3.06	*
	Thinking critically and analytically	Senior	3.19	3.25
	Analyzing quantitative problems	1st Yr.	2.46	2.67	*
	Analyzing quantitative problems	Senior	2.92	2.88
	Using computing and information technology	1st Yr.	2.71	2.76
	Using computing and information technology	Senior	3.17	3.03
	Working effectively with others	1st Yr.	2.69	2.71
	Working effectively with others	Senior	3.02	3.03
	Voting in local, state, or national elections	1st Yr.	2.07	1.87
	Voting in local, state, or national elections	Senior	1.77	1.82
	Learning effectively on your own	1st Yr.	2.90	2.98
	Learning effectively on your own	Senior	2.99	3.07
	Understanding yourself	1st Yr.	2.91	2.85
	Understanding yourself	Senior	2.75	2.95
	Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds	1st Yr.	2.60	2.60
	Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds	Senior	2.36	2.66	*
	Developing a personal code of values and ethics	1st Yr.	2.48	2.60
	Developing a personal code of values and ethics	Senior	2.23	2.64	*
	Contributing to the welfare of your community	1st Yr.	2.06	2.07
	Contributing to the welfare of your community	Senior	2.08	2.21

OPINIONS ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL

Institutional Emphases			1=very little, 2=some, 3=quite a bit, 4=very much
	Spending significant amounts of time studying and on academic work	1st Yr.	2.92	3.12	*
		Senior	3.09	3.07
	Providing the support you need to help you succeed academically	1st Yr.	2.73	2.88
		Senior	2.68	2.63
	Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds	1st Yr.	2.38	2.51
		Senior	2.08	2.26
	Helping you cope with your non-academic responsibilities (work, family, etc.)	1st Yr.	1.89	1.94
		Senior	1.63	1.73
	Providing the support you need to thrive socially	1st Yr.	2.27	2.27
	Providing the support you need to thrive socially	Senior	1.98	1.99

Quality of Relationships			1=unfriendly, unsupportive, sense of alienation to 7=friendly, supportive, sense of belonging
	Relationships with other students	1st Yr.	5.76	5.67
	Relationships with other students	Senior	5.76	5.64
			1=unavailable, unhelpful, unsympathetic to 7=available, helpful, sympathetic
	Relationships with faculty members	1st Yr.	5.10	5.13
	Relationships with faculty members	Senior	5.16	5.18
			1=unhelpful, inconsiderate, rigid to 7=helpful, considerate, flexible
	Relationships with administrative personnel and offices	1st Yr.	4.84	4.64
	Relationships with administrative personnel and offices	Senior	4.33	4.27

Satisfaction			1=poor, 2=fair, 3=good, 4=excellent
	How would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this institution?	1st Yr.	3.19	3.16
		Senior	3.20	3.14
			1=definitely no, 2=probably no, 3=probably yes, 4=definitely yes
	If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending?	1st Yr.	3.27	3.23
		Senior	3.21	3.11