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2012 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Quest ranks #1 across Canada for the third year! Click here for Macleans OnCampus' article with the 2012 results. The National Survey of Student Engagement was developed by the Center for Postsecondary Research at the Indiana University School of Education, and was first administered in 2000. What is student engagement? According to NSSE, student engagement represents two critical features of collegiate quality. The first is the amount of time and effort students put into their studies and other educationally purposeful activities. The second is how the institution deploys its resources and organizes the curriculum to promote engaging and effective learning. Students at participating institutions complete an online survey administered by the Indiana Center for Post-Secondary Research and consisting of a variety of questions that speak to 5 benchmark categories. Instead of asking for student opinions, these survey questions focus on what the students actually do both in and outside of class and within the university community. The results of the 2012 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) demonstrate that Quest University Canada is first in Canada in undergraduate educational engagement. Maclean's Magazine has published the full ranking for 2012. For both first-year and senior students, Quest is first in all five of the survey's benchmark categories: 1. Level of Academic Challenge 1. Level of Academic Challenge To foster the development of undergraduate students, universities must promote an intellectually stimulating and creative environment. This category examines how academically challenging the university's curriculum is and the level of academic effort students put forth toward their education. To gauge the Level of Academic Challenge, students are asked question about how many books they have read for each class, how much time they spend preparing for class, and the number of written assignments each course requires. One of these questions: "How often have you worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations?" Quest's curriculum is rigorous and intensive preparing students for the challenges for the 21st century. Students immerse themselves in a topic by taking only one course at a time for three and a half weeks, a system called the Block Plan. 
Click here for Macleans OnCampus' article with the 2012 results. Some Quest results: 58% of Quest seniors report their education "very much" equipped them to "solve complex, real-world problems" versus 21% of other Canadian seniors. 51% of Quest seniors also expected to use their education to "contribute to the welfare of their community" "very much" versus 13% for other Canadian seniors. 2. Inclusion of Enriching Educational Experiences To obtain a Quest degree, it is compulsory to take between one to four Experiential Learning blocks. These blocks are designed to meet each student's academic and career interests and can include varied experiences - volunteering with an international NGO, interning with a governmental organization, working for a business, assisting with a community group project, doing research with a faculty member or at a national laboratory, and so on. In addition, many blocks at Quest require work outside of the classroom in real world situations, locally and globally. The NSSE asked students to what degree their education exposed them to different ethnicities, religions, socio-economic status, political views, and values. Also considered in the questions addressing Enriching Educational Experiences were the number of opportunities available to students to participate in off-campus learning. 
Click here for Macleans OnCampus' article with the 2012 results. Some Quest results: 53% of Quest seniors had already studied abroad, whereas only 11% of seniors at other Canadian universities reported having done so. Quest focuses on creating a diverse campus that celebrates the globalized world of the twenty-first century. These efforts were reflected in the response to the question asking how often students "had a serious conversation with students of different race or ethnicity than your own". 52% of first-years at Quest had such conversations "very often" versus 26% at other Canadian universities. Only 6% of Quest seniors said they had either never, or only "sometimes" had such conversations, compared with 43% of students at other Canadian campuses. 3. Intensity of Student-Faculty Interaction Not only are the Quest faculty experts in their field, they are also innovative educators, willing mentors, and life-long learners. On the Block Plan, Quest faculty teach only one class of no more than twenty students. This allows meaningful academic relationships to develop between students and faculty. In addition, all students at Quest have a faculty advisor whom they meet with regularly to discuss their academic progress and career aspirations throughout their four years. In the NSSE survey, students were asked how often they discussed assignments with an instructor, talked about career plans with a faculty member, and worked with an instructor on a research project. 
Click here for Macleans OnCampus' article with the 2012 results. Some Quest results: 62% of Quest seniors reported receiving "prompt written or oral feedback from faculty on assignments" versus only 11% at other Canadian universities. 41% of Quest seniors "discussed ideas from their readings and classes with faculty members outside of class" compared with just 6% who did so at other Canadian universities. 4. Use of Active and Collaborative Learning With an average class size of 15, peer discussion and debate are the norm. Students from around the globe learn how to solve problems, work on group presentations, and communicate their experiences with their peers. Some of the questions in the NSSE survey addressing the Use of Active and Collaborative Learning asked how often students asked questions in class, contributed to class discussions, made a class presentation, worked with other students on projects, and participated in community based projects as a part of the course. Another question asked how often students discussed ideas from their readings outside of the classroom. Since all students live on campus at Quest, the academic community is constantly abuzz with ideas and discussions that have carried over from the classrooms to the residences. 
Click here for Macleans OnCampus' article with the 2012 results. Some Quest results: 84% of Quest seniors report they "very often" ask a question in class or contribute to class discussion versus an average of 26% of seniors at other Canadian universities. 91% of Quest first-year students gave in-class presentations "often" and "very often", versus 17% at other Canadian universities. For seniors, the fraction for other Canadian universities was just under half, whereas 100% of Quest seniors reported such participation "often" or "very often". 5. Existence of a Supportive Campus Environment To best support the student's academic pursuits, much attention has been placed on creating a supportive and positive campus environment at Quest. The Learning Commons is a place where all students are able to receive assistance for their academic needs and the Student Services Team works with students to offer workshops on a variety of topics. With fewer than 450 staff, faculty and students, the Quest community is tight-knit and all members are valued, appreciated, and respected. NSSE questions used to determine the Existence of a Supportive Campus Environment asked "Does the campus environment provide the support you need to help you succeed academically?" and "Does the campus environment help you cope with your non-academic responsibilities?" Also examined are the quality of the various relationships with faculty, staff, and other students. 
Click here for Macleans OnCampus' article with the 2012 results. Some Quest results: 70% of Quest first-year students report the university provides the support they need to succeed academically "very much" with 97% reporting "quite a bit" or "very much", whereas only 24% of first-years and 17% of seniors report "very much" support at other Canadian universities. |
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