Release date: Dec. 10, 2004

Oxford College Gets High Marks in Student Engagement Survey

In a national survey of college freshman and seniors that evaluated their educational experiences, Oxford College of Emory University students reported high levels of engagement in their education, ranking the school in the top 10 percent for every field measured.

The five key areas of educational performance measured include: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment. In the area of enriching educational experiences, which includes co-curricular activities such as service-learning, Oxford ranked in the top five percent.

Oxford students also reported nearly twice as much community service involvement than the national average, with 67 percent participating in a community service project, compared to 38 percent nationally.

The 2004 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is based on information from 163,000 first-year and senior students at 472 different four-year colleges and universities. The NSSE study, titled "Student Engagement: Pathways to Collegiate Success," gives schools an idea of how students are learning and what they put into and get out of their undergraduate experience.

The NSSE survey also found that Oxford students spent more time with faculty outside of class discussing ideas or working on projects compared to their national peers. Thirty-nine percent of the Oxford students reported discussing "often" or "very often" ideas with faculty outside the class. Only 19 percent of the Oxford respondents (compared to 40 percent nationally) reported they've never discussed anything outside of class with faculty. Oxford students also had more interaction with students of a different race, religion or background than the national average.

The NSSE survey also found that overall, students surveyed spend only about half as much time preparing for class as faculty expect, and college students who are more engaged in civic activities gain more during college in terms of ethical development and contribution to the welfare of their community.

More information about the report and NSSE can be found at www.iub.edu/~nsse.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For nearly two decades Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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