Elon University students study abroad in much greater number than their counterparts at other colleges, and when it comes to activities outside the classroom, the percentage of students here who take part in co-curricular programs – like student government or club sports – is twice that of the national average. That information and more is contained in the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement, which showed that students at Elon greatly value their experiences here.
* Level of academic challenge
* Active and collaborative learning
* Student-faculty interaction
* Enriching educational experiences
* Supportive campus environment
A total of 991 Elon freshmen and seniors participated in the NSSE survey, now in its eighth year. Based on survey results of freshmen, Elon had its highest scores in the following categories:
* Wrote more than 10 papers or reports of fewer than 5 pages
* Made a class presentation
* Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments
* Completed foreign language coursework
* Spent more than five hours/week participating in co-curricular activities
Based on survey results of seniors, compared with other institutions, Elon had its highest scores in these categories:
* Wrote more than 4 papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages
* Made a class presentation
* Studied abroad
* Completed a capstone senior experience
* Spent more than five hours/week participating in co-curricular activities
Elon was featured in a package of stories in the Nov. 5 edition of USAToday that discusses the NSSE. Communications professor Janna Anderson talked with the paper about the amount of writing she assigns – and how most students come to her later appreciative of the high standards she sets for them.
“Sometimes we have tears in the classroom, but usually in the classevaluations, everybody appreciates the honesty,” Anderson tells USAToday. “Icelebrate mistakes. … I say, ‘This mistake will make you a betterperson if you take it and do something with it and don’t just ignoreit.'”
The 2007 NSSE report, which is sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, was released Nov. 5. The study provides information to students and parents in the college search process and gives campuses insight into effective teaching and student learning. Full details of the report can be found on the NSSE Web site at: http://nsse.iub.edu.
The NSSE survey asked randomly selected freshmen and seniors key questions about their educational experiences. Use the links to the left to view Elon student responses to selected 2006 survey questions, compared with the figures from other schools in the survey.