Who are our students, and what are they thinking?

Teaching and Learning Forum PresentationOctober 5, 2009

Jan Winniford, Ph.D. & Jessica Hickmott, M.A.

Presentation Overview

Assessment Approach

Characteristics of Today’s College Students

Demographics of WSU Students

Survey Results

Discussion/Implications of Data.

WSU Assessment Approach

Institutional ResearchUSHE and national data sets, National Survey of Student Engagement, Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory, Collegiate Learning Assessment

Student Affairs Assessment & ResearchStudentVoice8 national benchmarking surveys; over 50

departmental level surveys.

Attributes of Millennials

Special/ Sheltered

Confident

Team oriented

Conventional

Pressured

Achieving

Hard-wired/Technologically sophisticated.

Beloit College’s Mindset ListClass of 2013

Student entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1991

They have never used a card catalog to find a book.

American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.

Women have always outnumbered men in college.

There has always been a Cartoon Network.

There have always been flat screen televisions.

Weber State University Profile of Today's College Student

Asian/ Pacific Islander 2% Asian/ Pacific Islander 4%

African American 1% African American 2%Caucasian 59% Caucasian 82%Hispanic 4% Hispanic 5%

Native American 1% Native American 1%

Non-U.S. Citizen 3% Middle Eastern Less than 1%Other & Unknown 31% Multiracial 3%

Did not respond 4%

Demographic Information

Demographic Information

93% of students are Utah residents (35% from Weber County and 35% from Davis County)

College with the largest number of declared majors: Health Professions

Average number credits per term: 11 (undergrads).

Demographic Information The average age of students at WSU is 26

56% of students are nontraditional students (25 or older and/or have children and/or are married)

37% of students have children. This compares to 7% nationally.

84% of students work for pay; 18% of students work more than one job.

Work on-campus Work off-campus Work on- and off-campus0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

9%

85%

6%

Hours Worked Per Week

Of those students working 41+ hours per week, 22% are working more than one job. The remaining 78% are working one job.

1-10 Hours 11-15 Hours 16-20 Hours 21-40 Hours Over 40 Hours

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

6% 8%

19%

52%

14%

Other Facts About Our Students

19% of students speak two languages fluently. This compares to 15% nationally.

64% of students applied to only WSU. This compares to 28% of students applying to only one institution nationally

58% of students identify as LDS; 9% as Catholic

44% of students communicate with their parents daily. 31% of students communicate with their parents a few times a week.

19% of students intend to go to graduate/ professional school.

Potential Graduate Students

Freshman 17.46% (11 students) Sophomore 22.22% (14 students) Junior 28.57% (18 students) Senior 28.57% (18 students) Other 3.17% (2 students)

Business 20% (5 students) Computer Science 4% (1 student) Education 4% (1 student) Engineering 4% (1 student) Health Sciences 16% (4 students) Arts/Humanities 8% (2 students) Physical Sciences 16% (4 students) Social Sciences 16% (4 students) Technical Sciences 4% (1 student) Visual & Perf. Arts 4% (1 student) Other 4% (1 student)

Of the 19% of students planning to attend Graduate school (64 students selected this option), class standing and majors are as follows:

First-Generation Students

13% of students self-identify as first-generation at WSU

22% of students report being the first in their family to attend college

48% of students say that neither parent graduated with a 4-year degree (the federal definition of first-generation student).

Where Students Live

48% of students live off campus with their spouse/partner/ children. This compares to 10% nationally

31% of students live with their parents. This compares with 9% nationally

14% of students live alone or with friends. This compares to 32% nationally

3% of students live on-campus. This compares to 44% nationally.

Students and Safety

96% of students feel safe on campus

15% of students have possessed or know someone who has possessed a gun on campus

77% of students believe that their safety and security is up to them.

Retention 32% of students did not feel prepared to meet academic

demands during their first year. This compares to 25% nationally.

34% of students did not believe they had the study skills to be successful during their first year. This compares to 32% nationally.

If they could start over, 82% of students would choose to attend WSU.

WSU 1st to 2nd year persistence rate is 70% (1st time, full-time, frosh, fall to fall).

Graduation

 4-Year Graduation Rates

6-Year Graduation Rates

Nationally, 4-year programs 37% 57%

Utah, 4-year programs 17% 46%

WSU, 4-year programs 13% 45%

Students’ Health

94% of students described their health as good, very good, or excellent.

86% of students felt overwhelmed by all they had to do within the past 12 months

45% of students felt very lonely within the past 12 months.

40% of students report that their academics have been traumatic or very difficult to handle within the past 12 months; 45% report that their finances have been traumatic or very difficult to handle

Students’ Health

74% of students have been stressed within the past 12 months

31% of students felt so depressed that it was difficult to function within the past 12 months

8% of students have seriously considered suicide within the past 12 months; 1.7% have attempted suicide

80% of students believe that the typical student has consumed alcohol within the past 30 days. 23% of students actually have.

65% of students believe that the typical student on campus has smoked cigarettes within the past 30 days. 5% of students actually have smoked cigarettes within the past 30 days.

Students and Technology

79% of students own an iPod/MP3 player

92% of students own a cell phone

92% of students own a computer (60% desktop; 70% laptop)

11% of students use campus computers to access the Internet most often. This compares to 7% nationally.

Online Social Networking

69% of students have an online social networking profile

63% of students feel safe utilizing online communities

74% of students do not believe administrators look at their online profile.

Students in the Classroom

89% of students report that they enjoy learning for the sake of learning

38% of students report never missing class

78% of students prefer to study alone

3% of students believe that the curriculum and course offerings at WSU reflect the lives, perceptions, and contributions of people from diverse backgrounds

85% of students have never cheated on a paper, exam, or assignment.

Student Learning Styles

42% of students feel they learn more via class discussion; 25% learn more through lectures

73% say that lectures are the most common approach used in their classes; 21% say class discussions are the most common

75% of students communicate with faculty outside of class

57% prefer to do so via email

Students in remedial courses who participate in tutoring have higher pass rates.

ENGL 955 Pass Rates

0%

30%

60%

90%73%

86% 91% 92% 97%

Pass Rate Comparison for ENGL 955

Senior Student View

42% of seniors worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework (e.g., committees, student life activities). This compares to 52% nationally.

42% of seniors say they completed a culminating senior experience. This compares to 33% nationally.

48% of seniors say they often worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments. This compares to 59% nationally.

CLA Data – 2007-08

Freshmen: Based on the average SAT score 983 of the 89 freshmen sampled, their expected average CLA score was 1018

Our freshmen scored 1004, which is at the 39th percentile, toward the lower end of “At Expected”

Seniors: Based on the average SAT score 1084 of the 49 seniors sampled, their expected average CLA score was 1174

Our seniors scored 1175, which is at the 53rd percentile, nearly at the midpoint of “At Expected”

Our students’ performance moves from the lower range of “At Expected” to just above the midpoint, so our value added is at the 67th percentile, at the upper end of “At Expected.”

Technology in the Classroom

54% of students have used a website to rate a professor. This compares to 45% nationally

89% of students have used a course management system

28% of students blog. This compares to 22% nationally

50% of students instant message. This compares to 66% nationally

14% of students access the Internet during class for non-course-related reasons. 54% of students text message during class

(And, 54% of faculty have text messaged during this presentation.)

Discussion

What does all this mean for us as faculty members?

For survey information at anytime, visit: http://www.weber.edu/SAAssessment/surveys.html