NSSE national survey of student engagement 2011 Mount Royal Benchmark Comparisons This Top Line Report compares the performance of Mount Royal with participating Canadian institutions, Canadian participants attending selected institutions with high student satisfaction and low research intensity, and all 2011 NSSE participants through NSSE’s five Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice. The Benchmark comparisons illustrate how student engagement at Mount Royal differs from comparable NSSE student participants. Office of Institutional Analysis & Planning Mount Royal University, September 2011 2011 COMPARISON GROUP DETAILS The peer groups that were selected for comparison with Mount Royal in 2011 were: • Canada participants (n=67) (see Table A); 1 • Canada (CA) High Satisfaction (n=11) participants ; and 2 • All NSSE 2011 participants (n=740) . TABLE A: Canada Participants a Institution Name b City Province Alberta College of Art & Design Calgary AB Algoma University Sault Ste. Marie ON Ambrose University College Calgary AB Bishop's University Sherbrooke QC Brandon University Brandon MB Brescia University College London ON Brock University St. Catharines ON Cape Breton University Sydney NS Carleton University Ottawa ON Concordia University Montreal QC Dalhousie University Halifax NS École de technologie supérieure Montréal QC Huron University College London ON King's University College at the University of Western Ontario London ON King's University College, The Edmonton AB Lakehead University Thunder Bay ON Laurentian University/Université Laurentienne Sudbury ON McGill University Montreal QC McMaster University Hamilton ON Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's Campus St. John's NL Mount Allison University Sackville NB Mount St. Vincent University Halifax NS Nipissing University North Bay ON Nova Scotia Agricultural College Truro NS OCAD University Toronto ON Queen's University Kingston ON Quest University Canada Squamish BC Royal Roads University Victoria BC Ryerson University Toronto ON Cont’d… 1 Canadian Institutions having high NSSE Satisfaction ratings (i.e., EXCELLENT only) in 2009 and low research intensity as reported in Maclean’s November 2010. These are considered 'aspirational' institutions for the purpose of comparison with MRU. 2 For all NSSE 2011 participating institutions, please visit: http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/2011_comparison_group3.pdf. 2 2011 Institution Name City Province Saint Mary's University Halifax NS Simon Fraser University Burnaby BC St. Francis Xavier University Antigonish NS St. Thomas University Fredericton NB Thompson Rivers University Kamloops BC Trent University Peterborough ON Trinity Western University Langley BC Tyndale University College and Seminary Toronto ON Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Université de Montréal Montréal QC Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke QC Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Chicoutimi QC Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal QC Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières QC Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue Rouyn-Noranda QC Université du Québec en Outaouais Gatineau QC Université Laval Quebec city QC University of Alberta Edmonton AB University of British Columbia Vancouver BC University of British Columbia Okanagan Kelowna BC University of Calgary Calgary AB University of Guelph Guelph ON University of Lethbridge Lethbridge AB University of Manitoba, The Winnipeg MB University of New Brunswick - Fredericton Fredericton NB University of New Brunswick - Saint John Campus Saint John NB University of Ontario Institute of Technology Oshawa ON University of Prince Edward Island Charlottetown PE University of Regina Regina SK University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK University of Toronto Toronto ON University of Waterloo Waterloo ON University of Western Ontario London ON University of Windsor Windsor ON University of Winnipeg, The Winnipeg MB Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo ON York University Toronto ON a Mount Royal University is not represented in this group for the comparative analyses. b In 2010 there were 22 participating Canadian institutions compared to 2011 where 67 Canadian institutions took part. By agreement with the provincial ministry and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, Ontario institutions participate in NSSE on a rotational schedule for inclusion of results in their Multi-year Accountability Reports. 2011 was a reporting year accounting for the higher NSSE participation rate in Canada. 3 2011 RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS MRU’s sample included applied, transfer, and degree seeking first-year (FY) and senior-year (SR) students. The sample size for SR students is small compared to FY due to small senior cohorts in new degree programs. MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction FY SR FY SR FY SR FY SR Response Rate Overall 41% 32% 38% 28% By class 40% 44% 31% 33% 36% 40% 26% 29% Sample size 1,919 715 190,067 157,808 23,193 14,579 980,113 1,001,791 Enrollment Status Full-time 96% 94% 94% 83% 94% 87% 94% 84% Part-time 4% 6% 6% 17% 6% 13% 6% 16% Gender Female 70% 67% 64% 63% 64% 65% 64% 63% Male 30% 33% 36% 37% 36% 35% 36% 37% Place of Residence On-campus 12% 2% 35% 5% 54% 5% 59% 14% Age 24 or older 9% 45% 9% 28% 6% 20% 8% 34% Less than 24 91% 55% 91% 72% 94% 80% 92% 66% 4 2011 HOW DOES MRU COMPARE ON FIRST-YEAR BENCHMARK SCORES*? MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction Level of Academic 53.8 51.1 51.6 53.2 Challenge Active and 45.4 36.2 36.8 41.8 Collaborative Learning Student-Faculty 29.8 22.8 24.9 32.1 Interaction Enriching Educational 25.2 24.1 24.5 27.0 Experiences Supportive Campus 60.4 56.9 60.6 61.6 Environment *Note: the more stars, the higher the mean score on NSSE Benchmarks. HOW DOES MRU COMPARE ON SENIOR BENCHMARK SCORES*? MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction Level of Academic 55.8 55.5 57.7 57.1 Challenge Active and 54.2 45.3 48.6 50.3 Collaborative Learning Student-Faculty 39.3 32.2 36.5 40.4 Interaction Enriching Educational 37.4 34.3 35.1 39.5 Experiences Supportive Campus 59.7 52.9 57.8 58.1 Environment *Note: the more stars the higher the mean score on NSSE Benchmarks. 5 2011 HOW DOES MRU COMPARE ON FIRST-YEAR SATISFACTION? How would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this institution? 100% 92% 86% 86% 82% 80% 60% Negative 40% Positive 20% 0% MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending? 100% 91% 86% 85% 85% 80% 60% No 40% Yes 20% 0% MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction 6 2011 HOW DOES MRU COMPARE ON SENIOR SATISFACTION? How would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this institution? 100% 94% 86% 85% 79% 80% 60% Negative 40% Positive 20% 0% MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending? 100% 93% 81% 82% 78% 80% 60% No 40% Yes 20% 0% MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction 7 2011 LEVEL OF ACADEMIC CHALLENGE (LAC) “Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and collegiate quality. Colleges and universities promote high levels of student achievement by emphasizing the importance of academic effort and setting high expectations for student performance” (NSSE 2011). Mean Comparisons Mount Royal University compared with: MRU Canada CA High Satisfaction NSSE 2011 Effect Effect Effect Class Mean a Mean a Sig b Size c Mean a Sig b Size c Mean a Sig b Size c First-Year 53.8 51.1 *** .21 51.6 *** .17 53.2 .05 Senior 55.8 55.5 .03 57.7 ** -.14 57.1 -.09 a Weighted by gender and enrollment status (and by institution size for comparison groups). b * p<.05 ** p<.01 ***p<.001 (2-tailed). c Mean difference divided by the pooled standard deviation. Distributions of Student Benchmark Scores First-Year Senior 100 100 75 75 50 50 25 25 0 0 MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 MRU Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction Satisfaction Note: Each box and whiskers chart plots the 5th (bottom of lower bar), 25th (bottom of box), 50th (middle line), 75th (top of box), and 95th (top of upper bar) percentile scores. The dot shows the benchmark mean. 8 2011 Mean Comparisons on LAC Benchmark Items Level of Academic Challenge Items Mount Royal Compared with… Canada CA High NSSE 2011 Satisfaction Coursework emphasizes: Analysis of the basic elements FY of an idea, experience or theory. SR Coursework emphasizes: Making judgments about the FY value of information, arguments, or methods. SR Coursework emphasizes: Applying theories or concepts FY to practical problems or in new situations. SR Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages or FY more. SR Number of written papers or reports between 5 and 19 FY pages. SR Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an FY instructor’s standards or expectations. SR Coursework emphasizes: Synthesis and organization of FY ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex, interpretations and relationships. SR Number of written papers or reports of fewer than 5 FY pages. SR Spent significant amounts of time studying and on FY academic work. SR Number of assigned textbooks, books, or book-length FY packs of course readings. SR Hours spent preparing for class (studying, etc.). FY SR 9 2011 ACTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING (ACL) “Students learn more when they are intensely involved in their education and are asked to think about and apply what they are learning in different settings. Collaborating with others in solving problems or mastering difficult material prepares students to deal with the messy, unscripted problems they will encounter daily during and after college” (NSSE 2011). Mean Comparisons Mount Royal University compared with: MRU Canada CA High Satisfaction NSSE 2011 Effect Effect Effect Class Mean a Mean a Sig b Size c Mean a Sig b Size c Mean a Sig b Size c First-Year 45.4 36.2 *** .58 36.8 *** .57 41.8 *** .22 Senior 54.2 45.3 *** .52 48.6 *** .33 50.3 *** .22 a Weighted by gender and enrollment status (and by institution size for comparison groups).