FSSE 2004

Faculty Survey of Student Engagemen

The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) is designed to measure faculty expectations of student engagement in educational practices that are empirically linked with high levels of learning and development. The survey also collects information about how faculty members spend their time related to professional activities and the kinds of learning experiences their institution emphasizes. The FSSE 2004 survey was completed by more than 20,000 faculty members at 132 four-year colleges and universities. Here at Earlham College, we had 50 faculty members respond out of a possible 91, giving us a 55% response rate. Faculty were asked to respond to the questions based on one particular course they were teaching or had taught during the current academic year. Responses were then categorized as lower division courses (those taken predominately by first or second year students) and upper division courses (those taken predominately by third or fourth year students).

 

Click on one of the following to be linked to the table.

Background Information
General Institutional Information
Information Pertaining to a Particular Undergraduate Course Section
Age Importance of activities for undergraduate students How many students are enrolled?
Gender Quality of student relationships with others How many times have you taught this course before?
Citizenship status How much does Earlham emphasize the following? What is the general area of this course?
Racial or ethnic identification How many hours per week do you spend doing the following? What % of students do the following?
Part-time or full-time   How often do students in the course engage in the following?
How many courses taught this academic year?   How much reading and writing?
Academic rank   How much time do homework assignments in a typical week take?
General academic discipline   Time students spend preparing for class
Current tenure status   How important is it to you that students do the following?
Number of years teaching   What % of class time is spent on the following?
Highest degree earned   How much emphasis is placed on the following cognitive activities?
    To what extent is the course structured so that students learn and develop in the following areas?

 

Age

Age
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
34 or younger
14
19
16
35-44
32
33
33
45-54
23
19
21
Over 54
32
29
30

 

Gender

Sex
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Male
64
65
64
Female
36
35
36

 

What is your citizenship status?

Status
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
U.S. Citizen, native
77
91
84
U.S. Citizen, naturalized
9
4
7
Permanent U.S. resident (immigrant visa)
5
4
4
Temporary U.S. resident (non-immigrant visa)
9
0
4

 

What is your racial or ethnic identification?

Identity
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Black or African American
5
5
5
American Indian/Native American
0
0
0
Asian American/Pacific Islander
14
0
7
Caucasian/White
76
91
84
Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish
0
5
2
Other
5
0
2
Multi-racial/ethnic
0
0
0

 

During this term, does your institution consider you to be employed part-time or full-time?
 
Percentage (%)
 
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Part-time
18
5
11
Full-time
82
95
89

 

Total number of courses you have taught or are scheduled to teach during the current academic year.
Number of Courses
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
None
0
0
0
One
5
0
2
Two
5
5
5
Three
9
9
9
Four
9
5
7
Five
14
36
25
Six
45
27
36
Seven
5
18
11
Eight
9
0
5
Nine or more
0
0
0

 

Which of the following best describes your academic rank, title or current position?
Position
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Instructor
9
0
4
Assistant Professor
32
39
36
Associate Professor
9
26
18
Professor
50
35
42

 

What is the general discipline of your academic appointment?

Discipline
Percentage (%)
 
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Arts and Humanities
55
43
49
Biological Science
10
17
14
Business
0
4
2
Physical Science
25
0
12
Social Science
10
30
21
Other
0
4
2

 

What is your current tenure status?

Status
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Not on tenure track, institution has tenure
9
4
7
Tenure track/not tenured
32
35
33
Tenured
59
61
60

 

Number of years teaching at any college/university.

Number of Years
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Four years or less
19
17
18
Five to nine years
14
13
14
Ten to fourteen years
10
22
16
Fifteen years or more
57
48
52

 

What is the highest degree you have earned?

Degree
Percentage (%)
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Other
5
0
2
Bachelor's Degree
0
4
2
Master's Degree
23
4
13
Doctoral Degree
73
91
82

 

How important is it to you that undergraduates at your institution do the following?
Activity
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
Not important
Somewhat important
Important
Very important
Lower Division
Upper Division
Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience
4
18
29
49
3.32
3.13
Community service or volunteer work
4
27
42
27
2.91
2.91
Participation in a learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together
18
34
23
25
2.73
2.36
Work on a research project with you outside of course program requirements
7
27
40
27
2.73
3.00
Study a foreign language
2
2
18
78
3.77
3.65
Study abroad
2
4
20
73
3.55
3.74
Independent study
7
31
38
24
2.91
2.70
Self-designed major
44
42
11
2
1.86
1.57
Culminating senior experience
0
7
25
68
3.59
3.64

* 1=Not important to 4=Very important.

 

What is the quality of student relationships with. . . ?

Group
Mean Scores*
 
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Other students
6.36
6.39
6.32
Faculty members
6.36
6.43
6.36
Administrative personnel
5.45
5.22
5.27

* 1=Unfriendly, unsupportive, unhelpful to 7=friendly, supportive, available, considerate.

 

To what extent does your institution emphasize each of the following?

Item
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
Very little
Some
Quite a bit
Very much
Lower Division
Upper Division
Requiring student to spend significant amounts of time studying and on academic work
0
2
31
67
3.36
3.91
Providing students support they need to help them succeed academically
0
11
29
60
3.32
3.65
Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds
0
11
22
67
3.32
3.78
Helping students cope with their non-academic responsibilities (work, family, etc.)
4
27
47
22
2.86
2.87
Providing students the support they need to thrive socially
0
24
64
11
2.95
2.78
Encouraging students to participate in co-curricular activities (organizations, campus publications, student government, intercollegiate or intramural sports, etc.)
0
13
27
60
3.41
3.52
Encouraging students to attend campus events and activities (special speakers, cultural events, symposia, etc.)
0
20
40
40
3.18
3.22
Encouraging students to use computers in their academic work
0
9
32
59
3.38
3.61

* 1=Very little to 4=Very much.

 

About how many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week doing each of the following?
Activity
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
None
1-4 hrs
5-8 hrs

9-12 hrs
13-16 hrs
17-20 hrs
21-30 hrs
>30 hrs
Lower Division
Upper Division
Teaching undergraduate students in class
0
0
20
53
20
7
0
0
4.14
4.13
Grading papers and exams
0
20
51
18
7
4
0
0
3.18
3.30
Giving other forms of written or oral feedback to students
0
60
31
4
4
0
0
0
2.41
2.65
Preparing for class
0
4
27
42
9
11
4
2
4.05

4.30
Reflecting on ways to improve my teaching
4
71
20
4
0
0
0
0
2.27
2.22

Research and scholarly activities
5
61
27
2
5
0
0
0
2.57
2.26
Working with undergraduates on research
20
64
14
2
0
0
0
0
1.90
2.04
Advising undergraduate students
2
48
39
7
5
0
0
0
2.38
2.87
Supervising internships or other field experiences
60
30
9
0
0
0
0
0
1.52
1.45
Working with students on activities other than course work (committees, organizations, student life activities, orientation, intramurals, etc.)
14
68
14
2
2
0
0
0
2.00
2.22
Other interactions with students outside of the classroom
7
71
16
4
2
0
0
0
2.14
2.35
Conducting service activities
55
36
7
2
0
0
0
0
1.45
1.68

* 1=None to 8=More than 30 hours.

 

How many students are enrolled in your selected course section?

Number of Students
Percentage (%)
 
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Fewer than 10
5
4
4
10-19
41
48
44
20-29
32
35
33
30-49
18
13
16
50-74
5
0
2

 

Prior to this semester, how many times have you taught your selected course?

Number of Times
Percentage (%)
 
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
None
32
14
23
1-3
23
45
34
4-6
14
27
20
7-9
9
5
7
10-15
14
9
11
More than 20
9
0
5

 

What is the general area of your selected course?

Area
Percentage (%)
 
Lower Division
Upper Division
Total
Arts and Humanities
55
39
47
Biological Science
9
17
13
Business
0
4
2
Physical Science
23
0
11
Social Science
9
26
18
Other
5
13
9

 

Approximately what percent of students in your selected course do the following?
Item
All Teaching Faculty(%)
Mean Scores*
 
None
1-24%
25-49%
50-74%
75% or higher
Lower Division
Upper Division
Frequently ask questions in class or contribute to class discussions
0
9
27
36
29
3.64
4.04
Frequently come to class without completing readings or assignments
7
80
11
0
2
2.27
1.96
Frequently work harder than they usually do to meet your standards
2
44
31
16
7
2.45
3.13
Occasionally use e-mail to communicate with you
2
24
38
11
24
3.27
3.35
Occasionally discuss grades or assignments with you
2
45
25
23
5
2.76
2.87
At least once, talk about career plans with you
4
53
27
7
9
2.55
2.70
At least once, discuss ideas from readings or classes with you outside of class
2
40
31
18
9
2.91
2.91

* 1=None to 5=75% of students or higher in the class.

 

How often do students in your selected course section engage in the following?

Activity
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Lower Division
Upper Division
Have class discussions or writing assignments that include diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc.)
11
24
29
36
2.68
3.09
Work with other students on projects during class
9
20
36
36
2.91
3.04
Participate in a community-based project as part of your course
66
30
5
0
1.38
1.39
Use an electronic medium (listserv, chat group, Internet, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment
30
34
25
11
2.14
2.22

Receive prompt feedback (written or oral) from you on their academic performance
2
18
31
49
3.36
3.17
Have serious conversations in your course with students of a different race or ethnicity than their own
11
42
33
13
2.36
2.61
Have serious conversations in your course with students who are very different from them in terms of their religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values
9
41
30
20
2.41
2.82

* 1=Never to 4=Very often.

 

In your selected course section, about how much reading and writing do your students do?
Type of Reading or Writing
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
None
1
2-3
4-6
>6
Lower Division
Upper Division
Number of assigned textbooks, books, and/or book length packs of course readings
2
31
24
27
16
3.05
3.39
Number of written papers or reports of more than 10 pages
65
26
7
2
0
1.29
1.64
Number of written papers or reports between 5 and 10 pages
34
25
20
18
2
1.77
2.82
Number of written papers or reports of fewer than 5 pages
14
23
21
35
7
3.27
2.67

* 1=None to 5=More than 6.

 

In a typical week, how many homework problem sets do you require students in your selected course section to complete?
Type of Problem Set
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
None
1-2
3-4
5-6
> 6
Lower Division
Upper Division
Number of problem sets that take more than one hour to complete
49
41
2
5
2
1.76
1.65
Number of problem sets that take less than one hour to complete
60
35
5
0
0
1.50
1.40

* 1=None to 5=More than 6.

 

In a typical week, about how many hours do students spend preparing for your selected course section?
Type of Preparation
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
None
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9-10
11-12
> 12
Lower Division
Upper Division
Hours students are expected to spend preparing for your class
0
4
9
27
33
16
7
4
4.64
5.04
Actual hours you think students actually spend preparing for your class
2
13
29
36
16
4
0
0
3.36
3.87

* 1=None; 2=1-2; 3=3-4; 4=5-6; 5=7-8; 6=9-10; 7=11-12; 8=more than 12.

 

In your selected course section, how important to you is it that your students do the following?
Activity
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
Not important
Somewhat important
Important
Very important
Lower Division
Upper Division
Prepare two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in
16
20
36
29
2.73
2.83
Work on a paper or project that requires integrating ideas or information from various sources
7
13
24
56
3.05
3.52
Work with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments
2
36
36
25
2.77
2.91
Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions
7
38
29
27
2.50
3.00
Discuss ideas or readings from class with others outside of class
5
39
36
20
2.32
3.14
Tutor or teach other students (paid or voluntary)
38
29
27
7
1.77
2.26

* 1=Not important to 4=Very important.

In your selected course, on average, what percent of class time is spent on the following?
Activity
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
None
1-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-74
75 or more
Lower Division
Upper Division
Lecture
2
39
20
11
2
7
16
2
3.45
3.91
Teacher-led discussion
2
22
20
17
10
20
10
0
3.76
4.40
Teacher-student shared responsibility (seminar, discussion, etc.)
19
14
21
19
9
14
2
2
3.09
3.90
Student computer use
63
23
13
3
0
0
0
0
1.71
1.37
Small group activities
15
24
20
24
5
7
2
2
3.76
2.70
Student presentations
16
49
18
7
4
2
0
4
2.32
2.96
In-class writing
55
30
11
5
0
0
0
0
1.82
1.50
Testing and evaluation
33
42
18
7
0
0
0
0
1.91
2.04
Performances in applied and fine arts (e.g. dance, drama, music)
84
11
2
0
0
0
0
2
1.50
1.13
Experiential (labs, field work, art exhibits, etc.)
52
23
11
7
7
0
0
0
1.91
1.95

* 1=None to 8=75% or more.

 

In your selected course section, how much emphasis do you place on engaging students in each of these cognitive activities?
Activity
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
Very little
Some
Quite a bit
Very much
Lower Division
Upper Division
Memorizing facts, ideas, or methods from your course and readings so students can repeat them pretty much in the same form
41
39
18
2
1.95
1.68
Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience or theory, such as examining a particular case or situation in depth, and considering its components
0
7
33
60
3.32
3.74
Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships
0
9
27
64
3.27
3.83
Making judgments about the value of information, arguments or methods such as examining how others gathered and interpreted data and assessing the soundness of their conclusions
7
24
36
33
2.68
3.22
Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations
4
20
31
44
3.05
3.26

* 1=Very little to 4=Very much.

 

To what extent do you structure your selected course section so that students learn and develop in the following areas?
Area
All Teaching Faculty (%)
Mean Scores*
 
Very little
Some
Quite a bit
Very much
Lower Division
Upper Division
Writing clearly and effectively
4
13
40
42
2.95
3.43
Speaking clearly and effectively
14
30
30
27
2.68
2.73
Thinking critically and analytically
2
4
20
73
3.45
3.83
Analyzing quantitative problems
52
9
14
25
2.00
2.23
Using computing and information technology
40
38
11
11
1.95
1.91
Working effectively with others
7
18
34
41
3.00
3.18
Learning effectively on their own
0
5
43
52
3.41
3.55
Understanding themselves
16
23
41
20
2.45
2.86
Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
27
20
27
25
2.41
2.59
Solving complex real-world problems
16
30
36
18
2.64
2.50
Developing a personal code of values and ethics
14
32
32
23
2.59
2.68
Developing a deepened sense of spirituality
47
38
9
7
1.86
1.65
Acquiring a broad general education
0
18
44
38
3.18
3.22
Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills
24
38
24
13
2.36
2.17

* 1=Very little to 4=Very much.

Created by Nichole Dudley and Mary Ann Weaver
weavema@earlham.edu
December , 2004