CIRP/CSS VS. NSSE
The University of New Hampshire's Choice to Use the College Student Survey
Introduction
Since 1966, the University of New Hampshire has been gathering data on its incoming students using the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's (CIRP) freshman survey -- the Student Information Form (SIF). UNH was one of the original institutions that participated in the pilot of this instrument. CIRP is housed in the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California Los Angeles. (http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html). UNH has participated in the CIRP Freshman Survey during the following years:
1966
1967
1968
1969
1974
1975
1977
1984
1987
1992
1996
1998
1999
2001
Data for years 1967-1992 is available from HERI for $75 plus $.010 for each student record
University administrators decided to gather data from graduating seniors about their perceptions of their college experience in order to learn how they had changed and what they had gained as members of this educational community. In the fall of 2001, there were two popular instruments used to assess learning outcomes for out-going students: The College Student Survey (CSS), which was designed as a senior follow-up survey to the CIRP's SIF, and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The NSSE instrument was only a couple of years old at that time, but it was promoted as the quintessential instrument for measuring learning outcomes in college. After careful consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of each survey and the unique needs of the institution, the decision was made to employ the CSS. (See samples of the CIRP and CSS surveys)
Why the College Student Survey?
One reason for the decision to use the CSS over the NSSE involves the ability to make direct comparisons between freshmen and seniors. The NSSE is administered at the end of the freshman year and at the end of the senior year to a sample from each cohort. Comparisons are therefore made from samples. Both instruments collect social security numbers, so that comparisons between freshman and senior year responses can be made for actual individuals, in aggregated form. The CSS is administered to the entire population of seniors and is coupled with the CIRP SIF (taken before first year classes have begun. The NSSE, on the other had, is administered concurrently to a sample of students at the end of their freshman year and a sample of students at the end of the senior year. Thus, comparisons are limited to those that can be made from sample to sample. There is no way to control for within group variations.
A second reason for choosing the CSS is response rate. The NSSE is sent to students via email or postal mail by NSSE surveyors. This would not work well at UNH, where only half the students live on campus, few students use their campus mailbox once they move off campus, and they are not required to update their mail information. As many students come to UNH with an email account with a commercial company, they rarely access the information sent to their campus email account even though they are given explicit instructions on how to forward messages from the campus account to their commercial account. UNH has a method of obtaining a very high response rate for the CIRP -- 66%-95% -- for the entire population, not just a sample of first year students. CSS response rates have been a bigger challenge. There is not a single event (other than commencement) where all graduating seniors are together. The current method being developed calls for administration to take place in individual academic units. It is likely easier for programs or departments to create situations where all graduating seniors can come together (if such an opportunity does not already exist). While only three departments participated in the spring of 2002, we hope to increase the numbers in the future. In exchange for providing an opportunity to administer the survey, individual departments can add up to 20 of their own questions specific to their needs and interests. Well written, program specific questions could yield information that is extremely valuable for the program review and accreditation processes. (See the CIRP and CSS schedule) The College Student Survey was also chosen because of question/topic overlap. Although the CIRP and CSS are not identical surveys (like NSSE), they are designed to be used in tandem and include many overlapping items. (See the CIRP and CSS Comparison) Further, the large majority of questions/topics that are covered on the NSSE are also covered on the CIRP SIF and CSS.
A fourth reason for using the CSS is the availability of past data collected from UNH students. Since UNH has been collecting data from their incoming students, albeit not in a consistent fashion until recently, this nevertheless makes it possible to identify trends and make one-on-one comparisons between past and current data. Using the follow-up to the CIRP SIF would allow this to happen.
A fifth reason the CSS was chosen is due to its ability to control for pre-college factors. NSSE's focus is outcomes and is designed to be administered at the end of the first year. Thus it does not control for pre-college factors. Because the CIRP SIF is administered prior to students prior to their first college class, it provides a controlled measure of student responses prior to the influences of the college experience.
A sixth reason the CSS was chosen was that the inclusion of social security numbers allows data from the CIRP and the CSS to be linked not only with each other, but with other survey data collected by the university, as well.
The seventh reason for choosing the College Student Survey is that of cost. Since UNH was a member of the pilot study it is not charged for the surveys or scanning of the CIRP SIF. It only is charged for the data file. Thus, the cost of administering both the CIRP SIF and CSS to the entire population of first year students and seniors is approximately the same as having NSSE survey a sample of first year students and seniors.
Finally, the CIRP SIF and CSS allow for extra questions to be added. These questions can even be specific to individual academic units as these instruments allow for creating break-out groups of students. NSSE does not allow for these options.
While there are some drawbacks to administering the CIRP SIF and CSS at the University of New Hampshire, we believe that given our current needs and particular circumstances, it is the better option.
For further information, contact Gavin Henning at: 862-3611 or gavin.henning@unh.edu
