Appendix Three:

NSSE 2000 vs. 2003 Mean Comparisons

(Sample Size: FR 2000 = 192, SR 2000 = 255; FR 2003 = 198, SR 2003 = 257)

Item #	Item Description	Mean 2003-FY[1]	Mean 2000-FY	Sig.[2]	Mean 2003-SR	Mean 2000-SR	Sig.
Academic and Intellectual Experiences 1=never; 2=sometimes; 3=often; 4=very often
1a	Ask questions in class or contribute to class discussions	2.72	2.79		2.96	2.96
1b	Made a class presentation	2.25	2.30		2.79	2.83
1c	Prepared two or more drafts of an assignment before turning it in	2.62	2.47		2.74	2.23	***
1d	Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources	3.07	NA		3.39	NA
1e	Included diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc.) in class discussions or writing assignments	2.79	NA		2.84	NA
1f	Come to class without completing readings or assignments	2.06	1.81	**	2.00	1.85	*
1g	Worked with other students on projects during class	2.34	2.47		2.39	2.52
1h	Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments	2.14	2.33	*	2.62	2.69
1i	Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions	2.39	NA		2.80	NA
1j	Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)	1.54	1.62		1.62	1.80	*
1k	Participated in a community-based project as part of a regular course	1.43	1.38		1.50	1.53
1l	Used an electronic medium to discuss or complete an assignment	2.71	2.51		3.00	2.67	***
1m	Used email to communicate with an instructor	3.27	3.04	**	3.40	3.26	*
1n	Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor	2.54	2.56		2.74	2.57	*
1o	Talked about career plans with a faculty member or advisor	1.80	1.91		2.06	2.09
1p	Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with faculty outside class	1.65	1.67		1.85	1.84
1q	Received prompt feedback from faculty on your academic performance	2.52	2.43		2.68	2.51	*
1r	Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor’s standards or expectations	2.46	2.57		2.68	2.66
1s	Worked with faculty members on activities other than coursework	1.38	1.29		1.45	1.46
Item #	Item Description	Mean 2003-FY	Mean 2000-FY	Sig.	Mean 2003-SR	Mean 2000-SR	Sig.
1t	Discussed ideas from your reading or classes with others outside of class	2.52	2.57		2.80	2.72
1u	Had serious conversations with students of a different race	2.90	2.80		2.78	2.53	**
1v	Had serious conversations with student with different religious beliefs, political opinions or personal values	2.90	NA		2.64	NA
Types of Knowledge Covered by your Coursework 1=very little; 2=some; 3=quite a bit; 4=very much
2a	Memorizing facts, ideas, or methods	3.07	2.78	**	2.75	2.67
2b	Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience or theory	3.14	2.95	*	3.36	3.15	**
2c	Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information or experiences	2.98	2.65	***	3.08	2.75	***
2d	Making judgments about the value of information, arguments or methods	2.94	2.58	***	2.87	2.63	**
2e	Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations	3.05	2.74	**	3.06	2.93
Challenge of the Exams (1-7 scale)
3	To what extent your examinations have challenged you to do your best	5.32	NA		5.55	NA
Reading and Writing (during the current school year) 1=None; 2= between 1-4; 3=between 5-10; 4=between 11-20; 5=more than 20
4a	Number of assigned textbooks, books, or book-length packs of course readings	3.43	3.47		3.46	3.47
4b	Number of books read on your own	1.98	2.03		2.33	2.23
4c	Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages or more	1.25	1.34		1.64	1.70
4d	Number of written papers or reports between 5-19 pages	2.35	NA		2.68	NA
4e	Number of written papers or reports fewer than 5 pages	3.17	NA		3.04	NA
Problem Sets Completed in a Week 1=none; 2=between 1-2; 3=between 3-4; 4=between 5-6; 5=more than 6