This is one of two parts of the National Survey of First-Year Practices. A random sample of colleges and universities was selected for this national research effort as part of a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts. This Webpage closely resembles the actual survey form used. Only data from invited institutions will be used in the national study.
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5. At your institution, do all first-year students take any required course(s) in common? |
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Don't know/not applicable |
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No |
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Yes, please provide title(s).
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6. Does your institution offer courses that are categorized as remedial/developmental? |
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Yes |
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No |
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Don't know/not applicable |
7. Approximately what percentage of your first-year students is currently enrolled in at least one developmental/remedial course? |
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0% (none) |
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1% - 10% |
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11% - 25% |
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26% - 50% |
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more than 50% |
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Don't know/not applicable |
8. Has your institution evaluated success rates in regular introductory discipline courses for students who were required to complete a prerequisite developmental course in the same discipline? |
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Yes |
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No |
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Don't know/not applicable |
B. Course Policies and Structure |
| 9. At your institution, is there an institution-wide undergraduate class attendance policy? |
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Yes |
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No |
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No answer/don't know |
10. At your institution, is there a class attendance policy for first-year students that differs in any way from the institution-wide policy? |
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Don't know/not applicable |
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No |
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Yes (Please describe the difference.)
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11. Does your institution mandate the collection and reporting of first-year mid-term grades to any of the following individuals? (Please check all that apply.) |
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Students |
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Academic advisors |
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Coaches/athletic advisors |
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Parents |
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Others |
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No mid-term grades collected or reported |
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Don't know/not applicable |
12. Does your institution or any academic department therein offer any of the following? (Please check all that apply.) |
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Special first-year seminar(s) or extended orientation class(es) |
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First-year course(s) in residence halls |
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First-year course(s) taught on-line |
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First-year course(s) using other forms of distance education |
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First-year learning communities (linking of two or more courses across the curriculum so that a single student cohort is enrolled in all courses). |
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Service learning (inclusion of volunteer service in credit-bearing first-year courses) |
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Supplemental Instruction in first-year courses (supplemental classes linked to high-risk courses and facilitated by an upper-level student) |
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“Early-alert system” (system by which first-year students in academic difficulty are identified by faculty and referred for additional assistance) |
C. Academic Computing |
| 13. Are all first-year students required to have (lease or purchase) a computer of their own? |
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Don't know |
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No |
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Yes |
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If yes, must the computer be a laptop?
Yes No Don't know |
14. Which statement best describes your institution's method of introducing new students to campus computing? |
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Introduction that is required of all students |
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Introduction that is required of some students |
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Optional introduction |
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No introduction |
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Don’t know/not applicable |
15. If your campus provides an introduction to computing, in what setting is this instruction provided (e.g., through library orientation, computer class, first-year seminar, non-credit workshops, etc.)?
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D. Major Selection and Academic Advising |
| 16. Check the statement that most closely corresponds with the requirements for entering first-year students at your institution: |
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They are not permitted to select an official major. |
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Some choose a major, but they are neither required nor strongly encouraged to do so. |
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They are strongly encouraged to select a major. |
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They are required to select a major. |
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Other (Please explain.)
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17. Which best describes your advising for first-year students? |
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All first-year students are advised in a centralized advising unit/center. |
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Most first-year students are advised in a centralized advising unit/center. |
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Some first-year students are advised in a centralized advising unit/center. |
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There is no centralized advising unit/center. |
18. At your institution, are first-year student academic advisors most likely to be: (Select one.) |
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Faculty? |
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"Professional" academic advisors (exclusive of graduate students)? |
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Graduate students? |
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Undergraduate "peer advisors"? |
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Other? (Please describe.)
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19. What proportion of first-year students at your institution is required to have face-to-face contact with an academic advisor? |
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All |
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More than half |
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Less than half |
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None |
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Don't know/not applicable |
20. Is your system of first-year academic advising regularly evaluated (as either a stand-alone activity or as part of your more comprehensive advising program)? |
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Don't know/not applicable |
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No |
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Yes (Please check all that apply.) |
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by students
by advisors
by administrators
by external evaluator(s)
other (please describe)
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21. What is the level of first-year student satisfaction with academic advising on your campus? |
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Students are generally pleased with academic advising. |
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Students have mixed reactions to academic advising. |
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Students are highly displeased with academic advising. |
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Don’t know/not applicable |
E. Faculty Issues |
| 22. On your campus, has there been within the past five years any faculty development initiative focused on teaching first-year students? |
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Yes |
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No |
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Don't know/not applicable |
23. Within the past five years, have there been concerted efforts on your campus to increase the level of out-of-class interaction between faculty and first-year students? |
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Don't know/not applicable |
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No |
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Yes (Please describe.)
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24. Are incentives (e.g., extra pay, awards, workload adjustment, travel, etc.) provided to faculty for teaching any first-year class? |
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Yes |
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No |
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Don't know/not applicable |
25. In general, at your institution, to what extent does teaching/advising first-year students affect the likelihood of tenure and/or promotion? |
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Negative effect |
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No effect |
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Positive effect |
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Varied effect by department |
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Don’t know/not applicable |
F. Comprehensive Questions |
