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Southern Virginia University Shines in National Survey of Student Engagement



Recent results from the highly regarded National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) illustrate Southern Virginia University’s success in providing unparalleled opportunities for learning, participation and personal growth. Southern Virginia outperforms competitor schools in every major category assessed by the survey.

The NSSE is given annually to first-year and senior college students throughout the U.S. and Canada. In spring 2008, 774 colleges and universities participated. Through the survey, students tell how fully they engage in educational practices that foster excellent student learning and growth. Based on student responses, the NSSE provides five benchmark scores for areas critical to learning and compares them with results from other institutions.

Peer Institution Comparisons


The NSSE allows each participating school to customize groups of peer institutions for comparisons.
Because Southern Virginia’s mission is to serve faithful Latter-day Saints, we compare our results with participating schools that have a high population of students who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These schools, termed “LDS hubs” for this comparison, are Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, Dixie State College, Idaho State University, Utah State University, Utah Valley University and Weber State University.

Compared to the LDS hubs peer group, Southern Virginia students rate Southern Virginia University significantly better in all five of the survey's benchmark areas.

The NSSE also compares Southern Virginia with all 714 participating U.S. institutions. Seniors at Southern Virginia University show significantly greater engagement across all five benchmarks than the mean for this group. First-year students rank Southern Virginia higher in four of the five benchmark areas.

Student Engagement at Southern Virginia


To get a well-rounded picture, the NSSE asks a variety of questions about students’ experiences in each of the benchmark areas. The responses to these questions can help potential students envision their development process at Southern Virginia. A closer look at the survey results tells us what Southern Virginia and other universities do to engage students and increase the quality of their learning experience. Below are some examples illustrating the characteristics of a Southern Virginia education.

Level of Academic Challenge
Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and collegiate quality, so the NSSE assesses how much study time students spend outside of class, how many papers they write and how many books they read. The survey also addresses types of learning—synthesis, analysis, memorization, creative thinking, etc.

Q: Does the faculty hold students to high standards?
A: The majority (54%) of first-year students at Southern Virginia frequently work harder than they thought they could to meet faculty expectations.

Q: How much in-depth writing do students do?
A: Seven-in-ten Southern Virginia seniors (71%) have written one or more papers of at least twenty pages, while only about half the students at the LDS hubs (46%) and all NSSE schools (50%) have done so.

Q: To what degree is studying and spending time on academic work emphasized?
A: Seven-in-eight (87%) first-year students feel that Southern Virginia places substantial emphasis on academics.

Active and Collaborative Learning
Students learn more when they are intensely involved in their education and when they apply what they learn to different settings. Collaborating with others prepares students to deal with the messy, unscripted problems of the real world. The NSSE therefore measures how often students contribute to class discussions, make class presentations and discuss readings with others outside of class.

Q: How often do students ask questions in class or contribute to class discussions?
A: Seven-in-ten (70%) Southern Virginia seniors say they ask questions and contribute to the discussion “very often,” about twice the rate (36%) reported by students at the LDS hubs.

Q: How often are topics from class discussed outside of the classroom?
A: Seven-in-ten (68%) first-year students at Southern Virginia “often” or “very often” discuss readings or ideas from coursework outside of class.

Student-Faculty Interaction
Because quality interaction with expert faculty is key to nuanced learning, the NSSE explores the extent to which students engage with faculty members in talking about career plans, discussing ideas from readings, conducting non-course research or working on nonacademic activities.

Q: How often do students talk with advisors or faculty members?
A: Nearly all (94%) Southern Virginia seniors discuss career plans with faculty; one-quarter (25%) of them do so “very often.” Four-in-five (82%) seniors in the LDS hubs discuss career plans with faculty, with only 15% consulting them “very often.”

A: Nine-in-ten (94%) of Southern Virginia seniors and eight-in-ten (80%) of the first year students discuss ideas from course material with their professors outside of class, while nearly one-third (32%) of the LDS hub seniors and nearly half (48%) of the LDS hub first-year students reported never doing so.

Q: Do students and faculty members work together on committees and projects outside of course work?
A: Nearly three-quarters (74%) of first year students at Southern Virginia at least occasionally spend time with faculty members on activities other than coursework.

Enriching Educational Experience
Complementary learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom augment the academic program. The NSSE asks students how often they talk with students from different backgrounds or if they participate in experiences like community service, study abroad or co-curricular activities.

Q: How involved are students outside of class?
A: Four-in-five Southern Virginia students—first year students (82%) and seniors (78%)—participate in co-curricular activities, while the majority of LDS hub students (53%) report no involvement.

Q: Do students participate in activities that enhance their spirituality?
A: Nearly all (95%) Southern Virginia students frequently engage in spiritually enhancing activities such as worship, meditation or prayer. Three-quarters (75%) of students at LDS hubs and only a third (32%) at all NSSE schools frequently engage in similar activities.

Q: What percentage of students participates in community service?
A: By the time they are seniors, nine-in-ten (89%) of Southern Virginia students have participated in community service or volunteer work. The percentages of seniors at LDS hubs, liberal arts schools and at all NSSE schools who have served in the community are 68%, 69%, and 60%, respectively.

Supportive Campus Environment
Since students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success, the NSSE asks students to assess the quality of their relationships with faculty, staff and other students and caliber of campus support of their academic, work, social and spiritual needs.

Q: To what extent does the school help students deal with their academic and social needs?
A: Nine-in-ten (89%) of first year students feel that Southern Virginia University has a substantial commitment to their academic success.

A: Nearly seven-in-ten (65%) first-year students at Southern Virginia feel well-supported by the institution regarding their social needs, compared to less than half (47%) of first year students among the LDS hub peers and about half (49%) among all NSSE schools.

Q: How do students feel about their relationships with other students?
A: Over three-quarters (77%) of Southern Virginia first-year students say their fellow students are quite supportive and friendly and engender a sense of belonging, compared to just over half at the LDS hubs (54%) and all NSSE schools (57%).

Summary


The NSSE asks two specific questions directed at overall satisfaction:
  • How would you evaluate your entire educational experience at this institution?
  • If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending?
Nearly all (96%) Southern Virginia seniors rated the overall educational experience “good” or “excellent.” A similar proportion (95%) also said, yes, they would pick Southern Virginia again. This is a significantly higher rating for both these questions than that given in either the LDS hubs or all NSSE schools. In addition, these favorable ratings at Southern Virginia have increased since 2006, showing continuing improvement in engaging its students in the learning process.

For Latter-day Saint students seeking a college that engages them in a world of learning and that supports their efforts to develop academically, socially, spiritually and professionally, the NSSE points to excellent educational experiences at Southern Virginia University.

Download the 2008 results here.(pdf)