Surveying the Freshman Class

Eva FernándezCenter for Teaching & Learning

September 16, 2011

Freshman Year InitiativeNew model, fall 2010 :• Two classes: English 110 (College Writing) linked to a

general education Perspectives course• Learning communities sometimes also involved a

thematic links: e.g., Environment• English 110 courses standardized with carefully

selected readings and sets of assignments (assessment currently underway)

• Technology infused curriculum: blogs, netbooks, video assignments, etc.

Fall 2011: almost all freshmen in FYI

Freshman Survey• 11 questions on demographics• 75 questions, 7 different question types, on:

active/collaborative learning, general education, home life and values, quantitative reasoning, student-faculty contact, study skills, supportive and diverse campus community, use of technology, writing

• 2 questions on long-term plans for degree

• September: 46 sections, 766 respondents• December: 42 sections, 556 respondents• 365 respondents completed survey twice (311 FYI, 54 non-FYI)– Demographics very similar to QC population at large

and to larger samples

For 75 scalar-response questions, mean difference between answers in September and December

Negative change Positive change

How important to you is…? Learning process,contact with others, specific skills, etc. (20 questions)

Developing strong critical thinking and analytic skillsMaking a life-long commitment to learningDeveloping time management and organizational skillsAttending campus events and activities…

Having contact with people from different backgroundsBecoming a community leader

HS-college comparison: in high school/during the current semester, how often did you…?

Making a class presentationComing to class having read assignmentsWorking with others on projects in / out of classDiscussing assignments with facultyTalking about career plansParticipating in co-curricular activities…

Writing long papers or reportsUsing e-medium for an assignment

Including diverse perspectivesDiscussing ideas outside of class

…

Evidence of impact?

Questions about writing (N=6)

Questions about technology (N=4)

Next moves…

• ePortfolios to address the negatives:– Second semester seminars: general

education courses, where gen ed ePortfolios are introduced– Support group beyond class:

student ePortfolio showcases– Linkage to majors that use ePortfolios

Limitations

• Not enough non-FYI respondents (54 out of 365)• No identifying information collected, so not

possible to correlate responses to survey with indicators of academic achievement (past and future grades, e.g.)

• Design including eclectic question types; scales too narrow to elicit fine-grained judgments

• Procedure to administer very labor-intensive

Recommendations

• Use data like this, and other data we routinely collect (NSSE, alum surveys, evaluations, etc.) to learn more about our students

• Continue to build well-supported and coherent institutional programming

• Foster engagement in our future freshmen by continuing to pay attention to their diversity and through the development of programs with experiential education components