George Kuh, director of the National Survey of Student Engagement, said universities should make the most of their resources and concentrate on the things they do well to provide the best learning environment for their students. Kuh's remarks came during a plenary address to open the Associated New American Colleges' summer institute Wednesday, June 13. Details...
Kuh serves
as the Chancellor’s Professor of Higher Education, and leads the Center
for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University. The National Survey
of Student Engagement is the
most comprehensive assessment of effective practices in higher
education, and in 2006 included data from 260,000 students at 523 four-year
colleges and universities.
Kuh’s presentation was titled “What Matters to Student Success? Lessons
for ANAC Institutions.” He said potential employers are looking for
college graduates who have intellectual and practical skills, as well
as teamwork and critical thinking skills, so colleges and universities
must analyze what they are doing in the classroom. “Is this where we’re
spending our time?” Kuh asked.
Kuh said student engagement in their studies depends on both the student and the university. He says schools must take steps to identify students who are not engaged in their studies.
(Click here to listen to a portion of Kuh’s presentation…)
“Student engagement is not something made up 8 years ago. It’s not who
students are…it’s what students do with the resources we have arrayed
for them.”
Examining what students do with the resources provided by their schools
is one aim of NSSE. Getting colleges to look at traditional measures of
academic effectiveness differently is another. Kuh said he and others who created
NSSE asked “could we move the focus away from the number books in the
library, to how many library books do students need?”
All students benefit from an engaged style of learning, but NSSE has
shown that “those students who need the biggest boost to bring them up
to standard performance benefit most from these practices,” Kuh said.
Providing opportunities for students to do substantive research
projects and to discuss similar experiences, such as a common reading,
also fosters a culture of engaged learning.
Kuh said almost all colleges and universities can take steps to enhance the level of student engagement on campus.
“Different schools take different routes to becoming an engaging
institution,” Kuh said. “Schools should find out what they do well.
Money matters, but what really matters is how you spend it.”
Linda McMillan, provost and dean of the faculty at Susquehanna
University, said NSSE spurred the Pennsylvania school to examine its
academic culture and level of student engagement. As a result,
Susquehanna implemented capstone projects for all courses to provide a
consistent experience for students. She said NSSE “is a rich tool to
use and there are a lot of good conversations to be had” as a result.