Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

Data Snapshot Volume Two August 2012

Download Data Snapshot Volume II (PDF)

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) produces “Data Snapshots” to provide the Purdue University Calumet community with a brief report on a variety of topics. For additional data resources, please explore other sections of our Web site.

What Purdue University Calumet Students Say

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects information annually from samples of first-year and senior student about the nature and quality of their undergraduate experience. Purdue University Calumet participated most recently in 2007 and 2010 by mailing paper forms to a randomly-selected sample of our freshmen and seniors. The instructions delivered with the survey forms provided students the option of submitting their survey responses on the NSSE web site instead of returning the paper form.

Results from NSSE can provide prospective student with insights into how they might learn and develop at a given college; and can be used by the institution to determine student satisfaction with programs and services, make improvements to the curriculum, and understand students’ perception of the value of their college experience.

Are We Improving? THE “BIG 5″ CATEGORIES

How challenging is your institution’s intellectual and creative work?

Level of Academic Challenge

Year in School	2007	2010	Status
First-Year	51%	52%
Senior	55%	54%

Are your students actively involved in their learning, individually and working with others?

Active and Collaborative Learning

Year in School	2007	2010	Status
First-Year	41%	45%
Senior	50%	49%

Do your students work with faculty members inside and outside the classroom?

Student-Faculty Interaction

Year in School	2007	2010	Status
First-Year	31%	32%
Senior	35%	37%

Do your students take advantage of complementary learning opportunities?

Enriching Educational Experiences

Year in School	2007	2010	Status
First-Year	24%	24%
Senior	32%	33%

Do your students feel the institution is committed to their success?

Supportive Campus Environment

Year in School	2007	2010	Status
First-Year	54%	61%
Senior	57%	58%

Peer Institutions:

• Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville (SIUE)
• University of Southern Indiana (USI)
• William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ)
• University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW)
• University of Central Oklahoma (UCO)
• University of Wisconsin – Platteville (UWP)
• The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC)
• Kean University*
• Kennesaw State University (KSU)
• University of Michigan Dearborn*

*Data unavailable

How Does Purdue University Calumet Compare?

• Group Learning Experiences
• Active Learning Experiences
• Institutional Commitment To Student Learning And Success
• Student Interaction With Campus Faculty And Staff
• Experiences With Diverse Groups Of People And Ideas
• Student Satisfaction

Key Area Improvements between 2007 and 2012*

• 1b: Increase from 55% to 59%
• 2d: Increase from 35% to 44%
• 3b: Increase from 54% to 58%
• 4a: Increase from 58% to 63%;
• 4b: Increase from 79% to 84%
• 4d: Increase from 65% to 70%
• 5a: Increase from 54% to 62%;
• 5c: Increase from 51% to 61%

*Based on responses provided by Purdue Calumet seniors

Peer Comparison: Selected Results

1. Group Learning Experiences

Survey Statement	PUC	SIUE	USI	WPUNJ	UNCW	UCO	UWP	UTC	KSU
a. seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.	95%	95%	87%	89%	95%	93%	98%	91%	94%
b. seniors tutored or taught other students	59%	55%	52%	49%	59%	46%	64%	54%	56%
c. seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports	9%	19%	19%	17%	35%	15%	34%	21%	15%

2. Active Learning Experiences

Survey Statement	PUC	SIUE	USI	WPUNJ	UNCW	UCO	UWP	UTC	KSU
a. seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class	77%	79%	82%	78%	85%	81%	84%	82%	83%
b. seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member	16%	19%	18%	16%	27%	12%	17%	16%	13%
c. seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience	42%	48%	52%	41%	63%	45%	67%	45%	45%
d. seniors participated in community service or volunteer work	44%	56%	60%	41%	69%	46%	68%	53%	56%
e. seniors participated in study abroad	6%	6%	5%	6%	22%	7%	10%	9%	13%
f. seniors made at least one class presentation last year	94%	97%	91%	97%	97%	93%	97%	93%	95%

3. Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success

Survey Statement	PUC	SIUE	USI	WPUNJ	UNCW	UCO	UWP	UTC	KSU
a. seniors believe this institution provides support for student success	92%	95%	95%	94%	98%	98%	97%	92%	95%
b. seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent	62%	57%	75%	61%	75%	72%	78%	64%	66%
c. seniors reported that this institutione provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities	58%	56%	63%	58%	72%	70%	63%	56%	58%
d. seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor’s standards or expectations	92%	94%	94%	97%	94%	96%	93%	92%	94%

4 Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff

Survey Statement	PUC	SIUE	USI	WPUNJ	UNCW	UCO	UWP	UTC	KSU
a. seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible	63%	49%	62%	45%	59%	58%	57%	44%	54%
b. seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic	84%	77%	86%	74%	87%	75%	82%	77%	79%
c. seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance	95%	95%	95%	95%	97%	96%	96%	94%	95%
d. seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class	70%	69%	70%	70%	76%	70%	75%	73%	69%

5 Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas

Survey Statement	PUC	SIUE	USI	WPUNJ	UNCW	UCO	UWP	UTC	KSU
a. seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else’s point of view	62%	60%	65%	64%	71%	68%	53%	70%	69%
b. seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds	83%	83%	87%	91%	81%	90%	85%	80%	85%
c. seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity	61%	50%	40%	62%	52%	57%	25%	56%	62%

6 Student Satisfaction

Survey Statement	PUC	SIUE	USI	WPUNJ	UNCW	UCO	UWP	UTC	KSU
a. seniors would attend this institution if they started over again	82%	77%	83%	72%	86%	89%	86%	76%	84%
b. seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent	88%	81%	87%	74%	89%	91%	90%	79%	87%
c. seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive	78%	84%	80%	79%	86%	82%	87%	78%	91%

The Importance of Experiential Learning

In April 2007, the Faculty Senate created a new graduation requirement integrating experiential learning courses a part of the curriculum. Three years after this graduation requirement (NSSE 20120), Purdue Calumet freshmen still report limited opportunities in this area, but Purdue Calumet seniors have made progress.

Purdue Calumet seniors are on par with seniors from other urban universities who report experiential learning internships, etc., and only slightly behind seniors reporting these experiences from all 595 universities participating in NSSE. (Forty-two percent of Purdue Calumet seniors have had an experiential learning experience compared to 50% of seniors at all NSSE institutions).

Undergraduate research has also shown improvement with 16% of Purdue Calumet seniors reporting research engagement with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements compared to 17% at urban institutions and 19% at all NSSE institutions.

In 2011 – 2012, 2,109 Purdue Calumet students were engaged in some type of experiential learning. During that same year, 271 sections of experiential learning were offered reflecting 38 different subject areas.

Structured interviews with Purdue Calumet faculty revealed multiple examples of how students engage with faculty and the community in applying classroom theory to real-world problems.

Here are some examples:

• Senior nursing students work in teams to research a problem in the health care industry and implement solutions;
• Junior and senior civil engineering students provide design and consulting help to local municipalities on flood abatement;
• Public relations majors conduct communications audits for local companies;
• Mechatronics majors prepare for senior-level internships by spending one semester tackling industry projects under the guidance of a faculty member;
• Management majors study leadership in action by working in tandem with directors of non-profit organizations to tackle community-based problems;
• Freshmen in basic English composition courses develop community-based writing projects including Webzines, podcast script writing, children book creation, and promotional press releases;
• Entrepreneurship students in a small business consulting class support clients through development of business and marketing plans.

Contributor: Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Quality Programs.