What are CEQ, SETU and AUSSE, and why are they important?

The Australasian Survey of Student Engagement

In events somewhat analogous to the development of the CEQ, research in US higher education established a link between 'student engagement' and deeper student learning - where student engagement is defined as, "... quality of effort and involvement in productive learning activities." (Kuh, 2009) Based in part on the College Student Experiences Questionnaire, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is now used in a large number of American institutions (772 in 2008) (Kuh, 2009). Subsequent work by Coates and others, leveraging strongly off the NSSE led to the development of the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) (Coates, 2010). The complete AUSSE actually consists of three separate questionnaires - i) the Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ); ii) the Postgraduate Student Engagement Questionnaire (PSEQ); and iii) the Staff Student Engagement Questionnaire (SSEQ). References to 'AUSSE data' are generally referring to the SEQ questionnaire. The AUSSE is controlled by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), and is being used by a growing number of Australian Universities (35 in 2009) (Coates, 2010), including Deakin. Deakin participated in the AUSSE in 2009 and 2010.

An overview of the SEQ can be found at: http://ausse.acer.edu.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28:what-is-the-student-engagement-questionnaire-seq&catid=6:overview-of-the-ausse&Itemid=7

This is reproduced here:

The Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ) is a survey designed to be administered to first- and third-year undergraduate students who are studying onshore and who have not participated in higher education previously. The survey is administered both in an online and paper format and it takes students approximately 15 minutes to complete the 41 questions on the SEQ.

The SEQ measures six different aspects of student engagement:

• Academic Challenge - the extent to which expectations and assessments challenge students to learn
• Active Learning - students' efforts to actively construct their knowledge
• Student and Staff Interactions - the level and nature of students' contact with teaching staff
• Enriching Educational Experiences - participation in broadening educational activities
• Supportive Learning Environment - feelings of legitimation within the university community
• Work Integrated Learning - integration of employment-focused work experiences into study

The SEQ also collects information that form seven student outcomes scales:

• Higher Order Thinking - students' participation in higher-order forms of thinking
• General Learning Outcomes - development of general competencies
• General Development Outcomes - development of general forms of individual and social development
• Average Overall Grade - average overall grade so far in course
• Departure Intention - non-graduating students' intentions on not returning to study in the following year
• Overall Satisfaction - students' overall satisfaction with their educational experience
• Career Readiness - preparation for participation in the professional workforce

The SEQ also collects a range of information on individual demographics and educational contexts from students.

Compared to the CEQ, the AUSSE is still relatively new, and does not yet have the same body of research and time-series of data behind it that the CEQ does. Like the CEQ, the usefulness of the AUSSE data depends centrally on the student response rate and the representativeness of the student sample thus obtained. Additionally, as with the CEQ, many aspects of the AUSSE are premised on classroom-based teaching and learning, and the data obtained needs to be considered/interpreted carefully for learning contexts that are based on flexible modes of delivery. To provide more information about the AUSSE and the ways in which the data derived from it can be used for improving teaching and learning, Deakin has developed a 'student engagement' web site: http://www.deakin.edu.au/herg/student-engagement/index.php

Forward to: The CEQ and Deakin