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National Survey of Student Engagement: CU-Boulder 2000

Opportunities for CU-Boulder to Shine

Study Abroad. A significant number of UCB freshmen indicate an interest in studying abroad during their college years. However, seniors' responses show that many do not fulfill this goal. Additionally, on the 1998 UCB senior survey, when asked what they would do differently if they could start over at UCB, many seniors said they would go on study abroad.

Students who participate in study abroad programs reap considerable benefit, and the college years offer the best opportunity for students to pursue study in another country. Traditionally, UCB students have evidenced a great interest in studying or working abroad. UCB ranks second in the nation in the number of graduates entering the Peace Corps. Increased efforts to identify and remove barriers to study abroad could yield considerable benefits for UCB students and the university alike.

Faculty Engagement. All institutions score relatively low on most of the items assessing faculty engagement. Within UCB, results vary somewhat by college and/or discipline, with business reporting the lowest contact on average. However, contact is low across all schools and majors. NSSE staff were disappointed that scores on the their faculty engagement benchmark were relatively low across doctorate-granting universities administering the NSSE in spring 2000, and called the overall level of student-faculty interaction across all spring 2000 NSSE institutions "worrisome."

As mentioned previously, when asked what they would do differently if given a chance to attend UCB again, UCB seniors most often say "interact more with faculty." Students are telling us that they value their interactions with faculty and they want more.

Student support. For the most part, AAU institutions score low on three student support items: the extent to which students have to "run around" to get information and/or approvals, the extent to which the university emphasizes helping students cope with non-academic responsibilities, and the extent to which the university provides support for academic and personal success. Among seniors, UCB scored at, or nearly at, the bottom among all institutions.

NSSE 2000 Table of Contents

Last revision 04/26/02

cb - l:\ir\survey\nsse\00\report\AAU_summary text2.doc, last updated 5/08/01