The Community College Survey of Student Engagement was conducted for the second time at
    Delgado in the spring of 2005.
     
    What is
    The Community College Student Report?
      
    Research shows that the more actively engaged students are — with college faculty and staff,
    with other students, with the subject matter — the more likely they are to learn and to achieve
    their academic goals.
    The Community College Student Report
    is a survey instrument that focuses
    on student engagement — institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated
    with student learning and persistence. It is a tool that helps institutions assess quality in
    community college education, focus on good educational practice, and identify areas in which
    they can improve programs and services for students. The survey is administered by
     
    the
    Community College Survey of Student Engagement (
    CCSSE
    ), headquartered at the Community
    College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin.
     
    Who took the survey in Spring 2005?
    The
    CCSSE
    survey is administered to randomly selected classes at
    CCSSE
    member colleges.
    More than 133,000 students at 257 colleges in 38 states participated in the 2005 survey,
    administered between mid­March and early May. These colleges represent about 21% of the
    approximate 6 million credit students in American public community colleges. At Delgado
    Community College 1139 students took the survey.
     
     
    Of the participating colleges, 150 are classified as small (fewer than 4,500 students), 61 as
    medium (4,500–7,999 students), 28 as large (8,000–14,999 students), and 18 as extra­large
    (15,000 or more students). Seventy­two of the 2005 member colleges are located in urban areas,
    59 in suburban areas, and 126 in rural areas. Students who responded to the survey generally
    reflect the underlying student population of the participating colleges in terms of gender, race,
    and ethnicity.
     
    In 2003,
    CCSSE
    introduced five national benchmarks of effective educational practice in
    community and technical colleges. The benchmarks address these areas:
     
    1)
     
    Active and Collaborative Learning,
    2)
     
    Student Effort,
    3)
     
    Academic Challenge,
    4)
     
    Student/Faculty Interaction, and
    5)
     
    Support for Learners.
     
    A Benchmark Report is a key component of each member college’s Institutional Report. This
    report compares a member college’s survey results on the five benchmarks with aggregate results
    from institutions comparable in size and from all participating institutions.
     
    The Community College Student Report
    is a tool for assessment, improvement, and
    accountability. It helps colleges identify areas in which they can improve programs and services
    for students and respond to rising expectations for public accountability. Many colleges are using
    the survey results as one way of meeting criteria for institutional accreditation.
     
     
     
    Highlights of the 2005 CCSSE Survey
     
    •
     
    22% of Delgado students reported being married; 39% reported having children
    living with them.
    •
     
    9% reported that English was not their native language.
    •
     
    49% reported that their mothers had never attended college.
    •
     
    53% reported that their fathers had never attended college.
    •
     
    Part­time students were less likely to use computers in their academic work.
    •
     
    Full­time Delgado students were much more likely than the full­time students of
    other Ex­large colleges to be providing care for dependents.
    •
     
    Items on which Delgado ranked significantly below other Ex­large colleges:
     
    ­ Delgado students were less likely to have worked on a paper or project that
    required integrating ideas or information from various sources.
    ­ Student relationship with administrative personnel and offices.
    ­ Student used email to communicate with an instructor.
    ­ Student satisfaction of Transfer credit assistance.
    ­ Student came to class without completing readings or assignments.
    (a good thing)
     
    •
     
    Delgado ranked significantly higher than other Ex­large colleges on the
    following:
     
    ­
     
    College emphasis on providing the financial support you need to afford your
    education
     
    Some areas of significant differences between the Spring 2003 and Spring 2005 surveys:
     
    •
     
    Students are less likely to withdraw to transfer to a 4­year college.
    •
     
    Satisfaction decreased with Child care.
    •
     
    Fewer students had serious conversations with students who differed from them.
    •
     
    Relationship with instructors decreased.
    •
     
    Fewer students discussed ideas from readings or classes with others.
    •
     
    Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds decreased.
    •
     
    Fewer students reported learning effectively on their own.
     
    •
     
    Students read more books on their own.
    •
     
    More students made a class presentation
    •
     
    More students used email to communicate with an instructor
    •
     
    More students used the internet to work on an assignment.
     
     
     
     
    Highlights of the CCSSE Faculty Survey
     
    •
     
    78% of faculty reported incorporating the use of computer labs in their classes at
    least some of the time.
    •
     
    35% of faculty spend 9 or more hours preparing for class each week.
    •
     
    28% of Delgado faculty do not interact with students outside of class.
    •
     
    53% of Delgado faculty mentor other faculty.
     

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