by Leviathan Davis
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) will be appearing in the emails of first-year and senior students Mar. 9. The survey is issued every two years and influences institutional changes surrounding Evergreen’s resource allocation. In addition, the survey informs how Evergreen organizes its curriculum in an effort to promote student engagement in activities shown to increase student learning. The NSSE is one way you will be able to share your voice and experiences to make institutional change while the ears of the institution currently remain keenly open to ideas due to low enrollment and subsequent budget cuts.
The last two surveys were distributed in 2016 and 2018. Some of the most striking results from the NSSE 2016 showed that first-year engagement decreased substantially in “Quantitative Reasoning (down 16.5 percent)” and “Supportive Environment (down 12.8 percent).” It stated that the “ … largest drops [in Supportive Environment] were in Evergreen’s emphasis on providing opportunities to be involved socially, encouraging contact among students from different backgrounds, and support for students’ overall well‐being.” It also stated that “Evergreen’s Engagement Score is now lower than all peer groups.”
The results of the survey prompted Director of New Student Programs, Jaden Berry, and Curriculum Dean, Trevor Speller, to develop and implement programs such as Greener Foundations. Greener Foundations is a two credit course for first time first-year students that is built into the curriculum of full-time programs. It teaches them about community resources, study skills, and academic planning in hopes to address the severe drop in first-year student engagement revealed in the 2016 NSSE. It was launched as a pilot in select programs this year but will be in full swing starting fall 2020. Speller stated that Greener Foundations is “ … a project to improve first year [student] experiences largely informed by the NSSE and all other surveys.” His colleague Berry stated that “ … first time first-year students [in] every full-time program with freshmen seats will be taking two credits in Greener Foundations,” come its full debut.
Vice President of Student Affairs, Wendy Endress, verified that other initiatives that were created in response to the 2016 NSSE reports consisted of “ … integrating career and academic advising, enhancing some common spaces and increased staffing levels in Residential & Dining Services’ housing, dropping advising in RAD Prime Time due to low use, and launching regular email communication to students to highlight opportunities and resources.”
This demonstrates how large the impact of the survey can be, but also the time frame in which it operates. Speller commented on the time it takes to implement institutional change in this way, stating that “ … it’s a big institution and so turning it is like turning a big boat.” To that tune, the NSSE serves as a steering guide for the institution, in which it assesses where it’s currently heading, how well it’s getting there, and what the next turn needs to be.
Currently, the 2018 NSSE indicated that the ship is on a slight upward swing in regard to student engagement—in most areas. It reported that for first-year engagement “Student Faculty Interactions increased (up 25 percent).” Despite the incline, the report also states “ … most of these Engagement Indicators still lag behind their original 2014 levels.” Administration now waits with bated breath for the results of the upcoming 2020 survey to know if these practices, such as the Greener Foundations pilot, will hold fast to this upward trend of student engagement, or if efforts have fallen by the wayside, leading them to take more drastic measures.
