StudentEngagement andLiberal Arts atTruman StateUniversity
Analyzing Faculty/StudentPerceptions
Spring 2006 Assessment Internship
Chris Roberts and Rebecca Maddox
Internship Advisor: David Gillette
Assessment at Truman
The Interview Project
2003-2004 Project
Our Project: Overview
Looking beyond studentperceptions
Comparing faculty and studentideas of student engagement andliberal arts
Our Project: Method
Faculty interviews
Compared with 2003-2004 studentinterviews
Campus-wide survey
Student Engagement andLiberal Arts Survey
Students and faculty were asked toevaluate a number of characteristicswithin 10 questions
Response Range:
Not at all important, of minor importance,somewhat important, important, veryimportant, and extremely important
In addition, participants were asked torespond to 2 open-ended questions
Significant Differences
Likert-scale range converted to a scale of 1 to 6, with 6being “extremely important”
Group means were analyzed with a t-test
Equivalent means were rejected with p-values lessthan .05
61 of 137 questions had statistically significantdifferences between faculty and students
Importance of Class Experiencesin Contributing to a Good LiberalArts Education
Faculty more value:
Group Projects
Independent thinking
Speeches and presentations
Writing papers (.966 greater than students)
Discussions
Hands-on labs
Interdisciplinary connections
Research
Importance of Class Experiencesin Contributing to a Good LiberalArts Education
Students more value:
Wide range of classes
Interesting subject matter
A good professor
Differences in ResponsesRegarding Options to StrengthenStudent’s Liberal Arts Education
Students believe there should be:
More choices (.977 mean difference)
Greater consistency and higherstandards across professors (.549)
More interdisciplinary courses (.634)
More connections from LSP courses tomajor courses
Faculty were generally indifferent to mentioned options
Faculty Indifference Towards Options toStrengthen Liberal Arts Program
Faculty Values Research
As an in-class experience that contributes to agood liberal arts education
As an out-of-class experience that contributesto a good liberal arts education
As an out-of-class experience that enhancescollege experience and individual growth
As a student/faculty interaction that contributesto a liberal arts education
Students Value PositiveFaculty Characteristics
In describing a successful educator and distinguishinggood educational experiences, students value:
A higher level of comfort and friendship
Sociable and friendly faculty
Professor enthusiasm
Outgoing attitude
Availability outside of class
Willingness to hear students’ opinions
Varied teaching abilities
Graphical Trends
Of the 10 major subjects, each one had highestvalued and lowest valued questions.
These highs and lows were similar amongststudents and faculty
Describing a Liberally Educated Person
Ability to communicate andinteract well with others
Ability to think and reason well
General academic knowledge,little expertise
Highly Valued Out-of-Class Experiences
Contributing to a liberal arts education
Cultural events
Study abroad
Enhancing college experience and growth as individuals
Meeting new people
Living away from home
Study abroad
Least Valued Out-of-Class Experience
Greek Life
Options to Strengthen Students’ LiberalArts Education
Additional requirements
Encourage faculty/studentinteraction
Eliminate foreign languagerequirements
Real-life application
Distinguishing a Successful Student
Takes responsibility for ownwork
Good Grades
Gender Differences
Student females more value
Religious organizations
Residential life
Student employment
Volunteer and service
Study abroad
Faculty had 11 of 137 statistically significant meandifferences, compared to 79 between students and 70between faculty and students.
Open-Ended Question:Student/FacultyInteractions
Where do most valued interactionstake place?
In the classroom and in professors’offices
Labs, before and after class,research
Small numbers vs. discussion
Students placed high importanceon faculty members knowing theirnames
Faculty ValuedInteractions
Student ValuedInteractions
Student Engagement andLiberal Arts at TrumanState University
Chris Roberts and Rebecca Maddox
Internship advisor: David Gillette
Thank you for attending!
for further information, please contact:
Chris Roberts at cgr131@truman.edu,
Rebecca Maddox at rkm634@truman.edu, or
David Gillette at gillette@truman.edu