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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology stands out among its national and
Indiana peers when it comes to making students perform teamwork tasks and
practical experiences, giving students technical skills to be successful in
their careers and providing support to students, according to the 2009
National Survey of Student Engagement.
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Rubbing Elbows With
President: Rose-Hulman
Institute of
Technology President
Matt Branam
celebrates with a
team of first-year
electrical and
computer engineering
students after
scoring a goal in
the fall quarter
robotics design
challenge. Branam
served as a guest
judge for the
competition.
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Fifty-one percent of Rose-Hulman freshman and seniors participated in the
NSSE survey last spring, through the Office of Institutional Research,
Assessment and Planning (IRPA).
Rose-Hulman’s NSSE results were then compared with three peer institutional
groups: Students at other Indiana schools, students at schools in the
Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU) and students
nationally.
Highlights from this year’s results feature:
- Rose-Hulman students perform teamwork tasks more frequently than students
in comparison groups. Rose-Hulman emphasizes teamwork tasks significantly
more than other institutions in comparison groups.
- As an institution, Rose-Hulman continues to contribute to student learning
of technical knowledge items more than other institutions in the AITU
consortium.
- In terms of educational experience, more Rose-Hulman students participate
in practicum experiences than students in comparison groups.
- In terms of educational environment, Rose-Hulman provides more support to
students than other institutions in comparison groups.
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Student-Faculty Interaction: Mechanical Engineering Professor Patsy Brackin
passes along helpful advice to a team of freshman students during a
first-year design experience last spring.
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Rose-Hulman scored higher nationally, among Indiana institutions and AITU
peers in five indicators of effective education practice designated by NSSE:
Level of academic challenges (how challenging is the institution’s
intellectual and creative work); active and collaborative learning
(considering how active students are in their learning, individually and
working with others); student-faculty interaction (working with faculty
members inside and outside the classroom); enriching educational experiences
(students taking advantage of complementary learning opportunities); and
supportive campus environment (students feeling the institution is committed
to their success).
"Faculty and staff strive to educate our students in both the academic and
co-curricular dimensions,” stated Julia Williams, professor of English and
executive director of IRPA. “Results from the NSSE help us benchmark our
efforts with our colleagues, both in Indiana and across the nation.
Students, parents, alumni, employers, and other constituents can be assured
that at Rose-Hulman we continue to offer the highest quality education in
engineering, mathematics, and science in an environment of individual
attention and support.”
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Learning Out Of The Classroom: Mechanical Engineering Professor Allen White
(top) serves as mentor for Rose-Hulman's Efficient Vehicle team that's part
of the institute's advanced transportation initiative program.
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Ninety-four percent of 2008-09 freshman students who participated in the
survey reported Rose-Hulman provides substantial support for academic
success, when compared to 80 percent among Indiana peers and 77 percent
nationally.
Meanwhile, 90 percent reported spending more than 10 hours per
week preparing for class, which compared to 69 percent among AITU
institutions and 60 percent nationally.
Among 2008-09 seniors who participated in the survey, 96 percent rated
positively their relationships with faculty members, compared to 78 percent
nationally; 96 percent reported Rose-Hulman provided substantial support for
their academic success, compared to 74 percent among Indiana students; and
83 percent rated positively their relationships with administrative
personnel and offices, compared to 53 percent among AITU institutions.
AITU is a group of independent American engineering colleges which includes
Rose-Hulman along with California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon
University, Case Western Reserve University, Clarkson University, Cooper
Union, Drexel University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Olin College
of Engineering, Harvey Mudd College, Illinois Institute of Technology,
Kettering University, Lawrence Technological University, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Stevens Institute
of Technology, Webb Institute and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
This was the fourth year that Rose-Hulman had participated in NSSE, which
was used in a report, Assessment for Improvement: Tracking Student
Engagement Over Time. The 2009 national survey received feedback from
360,000 students at 617 U.S. colleges and universities.
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