TAMIU Students Give University High Marks on NSSE Student Survey
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students say the University scores high marks for them regarding collaborative learning, student-faculty interactions, and service-learning. And 88% of First Year and Senior students say they would “definitely” or “probably” attend TAMIU again.
Some student rankings placed TAMIU higher than peer institutions and national average responses on the 2016 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
TAMIU’s Dr. Karyn Miller, associate vice president for Institutional Effectiveness, said the NSSE Survey provides valuable insight.
“The NSSE Survey collects information about student engagement and high impact practices from First Year and Senior students, comparing them to other Carnegie Class universities like TAMIU and a national comparison group. TAMIU has participated in these surveys since 2003, and they provide important insight into our students’ perceptions and experiences at TAMIU.”
Miller said that student responses highlight the University’s efforts to implement high impact practices on campus. “For example, 78% of seniors surveyed report participating in Service-Learning, an experience that allows students to apply what they learn in the classroom to community-based projects. When we look at the Southwest Public comparison group, that percentage is much lower at 57%. Results are similar for First Year students,” she noted.
Another important engagement indicator looks at student engagement with faculty. Nearly half of the first year students surveyed at TAMIU report individually engaging with faculty about academic performance, coursework, and/or career plans. Responses on these indicators at TAMIU ranged from 16 to 19 percentage points above the regional comparison group.
Miller said this attests to faculty interest and involvement with students, and also links to the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which focuses on faculty-student undergraduate research collaborations.
“Our QEP is ACT on IDEAs, Applied Critical Thinking as Expressed through Undergraduate Research. First year students’ existing sense that faculty are accessible and invested in them provides an excellent foundation for developing strong faculty-student research collaborations in the future,” she explained.
One additional engagement indicator focuses on collaborative learning, including opportunities for students to work with other students on course projects or assignments.
“Approximately 70% of First Year and Senior students report collaborating with peers on coursework. The ability to work in teams is a strong engagement indicator and a skill that is highly sought after by employers,” Miller noted.
She said the NSSE Survey is a critical part of the University’s ongoing quality improvement program.
“As part of our institutional commitment to quality improvement, it is important to capture students’ perceptions and voices. The NSSE is an invaluable measure of student engagement and just one of our ongoing assessment measures here at the University,” she concluded.
For more about the NSSE Survey, visit http://nsse.indiana.edu/html/annual_results.cfm
For more information, contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268 or click on tamiu.edu
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