Measuring student engagement: findings from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE)
Surveys for Enhancement Conference
National College for School Leadership, Nottingham
19 May 2011
Ali RadloffAustralian Council for Educational Research (ACER)[email protected]
Elite
MassUniversal
Little data available on university students
Focus on satisfaction & retention data
Focus on effectiveness data
Why measure student engagement?
And what is student engagement?
A student-centred perspective that reflects the wide range of academic and non-academic interactions that students have with their institution
Individuals learn and develop through behavioural,cognitive and affective involvement with key educational practices
People learn and develop when staff and institutions provide support likely to encourage involvement
Student effort + institution and teacher support = desirable outcomes
Established; relatively easy to assess; direct connections to improvement; built on research foundations; looks at change between years
A compelling idea
Link between students’ engagement and retention, completion and success as graduates
A key assumption is that learning is influenced by how an individual participates in educationally purposeful activities.
Students are seen as responsible in their learning, but institutions and staff also need to generate conditions that stimulate student involvement.
Developed over a decade, Australasia now has a source of quality-assured data on current students that is comparable across institutions
Production of contextually nuanced reports, research briefings and enhancement guides
Actionable institution reports for tracking and improvement
More robust cross-institutional research techniques
Commitment to measuring what counts for high-quality education
• Engagement scales
Engagement scales
- Academic Challenge- Active Learning- Student and Staff Interactions- Enriching Educational Experiences- Supportive Learning Environment- Work Integrated Learning
Outcome measures
- Higher Order Thinking- General Learning Outcomes- General Development Outcomes- Career Readiness- Average Overall Grade- Departure Intentions- Overall Satisfaction
Run with 55
universities and
other institutions
in 2010
Undergraduate,
coursework postgrad
and academic staff
Over 120,000 student
responses
Benchmarks with
other institutions
in Australasia and
internationally
Data on what
students are
doing
Used for continuous
improvement
International benchmarks - engagement scales first year students
Engagement & outcomes – international & domestic students
Engagement & outcomes – external & on-campus students
Hours spent on various activities during typical seven-day week
Hours spent on various activities during typical seven-day week - by time spent in paid work off campus
Involvement in active forms of learning
‘Never’ given presentation in class or online – by broad field of education
Involvement in active forms of learning – by mode of study
Student and staff interactions
Later year students’ involvement in enriching educational experiences
Later year students – contribution of university experience to development of work-related knowledge and skills
Student departure intentions
All students International students
External students
Working students
Considered or plan to leave before completing
29.6% 27.2% 33.9% 31.5%
BoredomPersonal reasonsStudy-life balanceHealth or stress
Difficulty with workload
Personal reasonsAcademic exchange
Quality concernsBoredom
Financial difficulties
Study-life balanceDifficulty with
workloadHealth or stress
Needing paid workFamily
responsibilities
Boredom Study-life balanceNeeding paid workPersonal reasonsHealth or stress
Student departure intentions – link with institution support
Student departure intentions – link with institution support
Change through reporting
Do more for
learning
Change through data collection
Change through research
Measuring student engagement: findings from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE)
Surveys for Enhancement Conference
National College for School Leadership, Nottingham
19 May 2011
Ali RadloffAustralian Council for Educational Research (ACER)[email protected]