Recently reported results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) indicate that EKU seniors surpass the state average among public universities in all five benchmark categories related to learning and personal development.

The Survey polled seniors and first-year students to measure the level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student interactions with faculty members, enriching academic experiences and supportive campus environment.

In the NSSE's random survey of seniors, Eastern also eclipsed the national average in two of the five benchmarks: student interactions with faculty members and supportive campus environment. The gain was the greatest in the faculty interaction category, where EKU recorded a benchmark score of 46.4, easily surpassing the 40.6 for Kentucky universities and 42.9 nationally.

"Clearly," said Dr. Karen Carey, EKU director of institutional research, "the NSSE data reflect EKU's long-standing tradition of faculty taking a strong interest in students and working closely with them. Our students perceive a strong, accessible and helpful faculty." The survey showed in four of the five benchmarks a dramatic increase in EKU students' involvement in the life of the University from their freshman year to their senior year. In four of five benchmark categories, that increase is greater than the state and national averages. The national averages are compiled from participating public and private institutions. Comparisons between EKU and other master's degree-granting institutions nationwide show similar patterns.

"The NSSE shows us, in yet another way, that something important happens as students study and work at EKU," Carey said. "Our students are becoming more involved in the life of the University as they proceed in their education."

The results from the most recent survey show improvement for both freshmen and seniors since the previous NSSE survey at Eastern, according to Carey. She expects that trend to continue, thanks to the implementation of learning communities, living-learning centers in residence halls, the new Teaching and Learning Center's workshops on collaboration and other classroom strategies, expanded international study opportunities, various new speaker series and several initiatives designed to enhance the campus culture, such as First Weekend and New Student Days for freshmen.

"Our emphasis on the first-year experience is starting to pay off," she said. The improvement notwithstanding, Carey cited two factors that might contribute to first-year students' relative lack of involvement in campus organizations and activities.

"EKU has a slightly higher percentage of first-generation college students than most colleges, which may indicate that they arrive with a less developed idea of the benefits of participating in college life than some," Carey said. "Also, EKU freshmen spend a higher than average amount of time taking care of dependents (child, spouse, parent). Students who have family responsibilities are likely to have less time for campus involvement in anything they perceive as extra."

The NSSE project is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts and co-sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and The Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning. By focusing on the level of involvement undergraduates have in their collegiate experience, the study provides new information to students and parents in the college search process and gives campuses additional insight into effective teaching and student learning.

"A school's academic reputation as judged by others says very little about the extent that active learning, student-faculty interaction and a supportive environment characterize a campus," said George Kuh, director of the NSSE project.