Abstract:
Freshmen (n = 205) and seniors (n = 194) in a College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (CAFLS) were compared to each other and to freshmen (n = 1749) and seniors (n = 1341) universitywide on measures of academic engagement and satisfaction. The academic engagement variables were: (i) level of academic challenge, (ii) active and collaborative learning, (iii) student-faculty interaction, (iv) enriching educational experiences, and (v) supportive campus environment. Both freshmen and senior CAFLS students reported a significantly (P < .05) higher level of student-faculty interaction than did freshmen and senior students university-wide. CAFLS seniors perceived the campus environment to be significantly (P < .05) more supportive than did seniors university-wide. CAFLS seniors rated active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, and enriching educational experiences significantly (P<.05) higher than CAFLS freshmen. These findings are important given the empirical evidence linking increased student engagement to increased academic achievement and student retention. CAFLS administrators and faculty should evaluate the freshmen year experiences of CAFLS students to determine if changes are needed to enhance student academic engagement. CAFLS faculty and administrators should highlight these findings when recruiting prospective students, especially those concerned about attending a "large" university.
Keywords:
academic engagement, student satisfaction
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