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Findings
Second National Survey of First-Year Academic Practices
2002 Administered by the Policy Center on the First Year of College
funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and The Pew Charitable Trusts Instructions for the Viewer: Select a question and click on Findings to view the results.
Q1 Admission standards (requisite SAT/ACT, high school grades/class rank). Complete the following statement for your institution.
Overall, during the past five years, admissions standards have . . .
- Been raised
- Been lowered
- Remained the same
- Not applicable
- Don't know
Findings for Q1
Q2 Admission by exception (i.e., provisional, conditional admits). Complete the following statement for your institution.
During the past five years, the percentage of students admitted by exception has . . .
- Increased
- Decreased
- Remained the same
- Not applicable
- Don't know
Findings for Q2
Q3 Required first-year courses. Check the statement that best describes your institution.
- There is no required course that all first-year students must take.
- There is one required course that all first-year students must take.
- There is more than one required course that all first-year students must take, but not all first-year courses are required.
- The entire first-year curriculum is comprised of a set of required courses that all students must take.
- Don't know
Findings for Q3
Q4 Preparatory or developmental courses. Indicate whether your institution offers any of the following preparatory or developmental courses
- Developmental math
- Developmental English/writing
- Developmental reading
- Basic study skills classes
- English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
Findings for Q4
Q5 Students taking developmental courses. Complete the following statement for your institution.
Over the past five years, the percentage of first-year students taking developmental courses has...
- Increased
- Decreased
- Remained the same
- Not applicable
- Don't know
Findings for Q5
Q6 Evaluation of developmental education. Does your institution evaluate the impact of developmental education on any of the following outcomes?
- Students' performance in regular discipline courses
- Student retention rates
- Student graduation rates
Findings for Q6
Q7 Impact of first-year-student class attendance. Indicate whether, within the past five years, your institution has studied the relationship of student class attendance to any of the following aspects of first-year student behavior.
- Retention
- Academic performance
- Other (if yes, please describe below)
Findings for Q7
Q8 Mid-term grades for first-year students. Check the appropriate response for each item as it describes standard practice at your institution.
- First-year mid-term grades are reported to all or most students.
- First-year mid-term grades are reported to academic advisors or counselors.
- First-year mid-term grades are reported to coaches/athletic advisors.
- First-year mid-term grades are reported to parents.
- First-year mid-term grades are reported to a central office on your campus (e.g., registrar, early warning office, etc.).
Findings for Q8
Q9 Early alert system. Check the statement that best describes your institution.
- This institution has a campuswide system to identify and offer assistance to any first-year student in academic difficulty early in the first term.
- This campus has a system to identify and offer assistance to certain populations of first-year students (athletes, developmental students, students in some majors, etc.) in academic difficulty early in the first term.
- This campus does not have a system to identify or offer assistance to students in academic difficulty early in the first term.
- Don't know
Findings for Q9
Q10 First-year programs/initiatives. Please indicate your best estimate of the percentage of first-year students (headcount) that participates in any of the following programs/initiatives at your institution.
- First-year seminars (i.e., academic seminars, extended orientation seminars, student success courses, etc.)
- Learning communities (linking of two or more courses across the curriculum in which a single cohort of first-year students is enrolled)
- Service learning (inclusion of a non-remunerative service component in credit-bearing first-year courses)
- Undergraduate research (direct involvement of first-year students in faculty research as co-researchers - not as research subjects or "gophers")
- On-line (virtual) first-year courses offered by your institution
- First-year course(s) taught in residence halls
Findings for Q10
Q11 Introduction to the institution's library. Complete the following statement for your institution.
Introduction to the library is . . .
- A required program/activity for all first-year students.
- A required program/activity for some first-year students.
- An optional program/activity for all first-year students.
- Not offered for first-year students.
- Don't know
Findings for Q11
Q12 Method of introducing first-year students to the library. Complete the following statement for your institution.
Library introduction/orientation is . . .
- Included as part of pre-term first-year orientation.
- Provided during the first term through non-credit workshops, tutorials, on-line methods.
- Conducted in a special credit-bearing first-year "library course."
- Included in other credit-bearing first-year courses (e.g., first-year seminar, English composition, etc.).
Findings for Q12
Q13 Major selection. Check the statement that best describes the major selection process for most first-year students when they enter your institution:
- First-year students are not permitted to select an official major.
- Some first-year students choose a major, but they are neither required nor strongly encouraged to do so.
- First-year students are strongly encouraged to select a major.
- First-year students are required to select a major.
- Other
- Don't know
Findings for Q13
Q14 First-year undeclared students. Complete the following statement for your institution.
First-year students who have not declared a major are most likely to be assigned to . . .
- Any faculty advisor.
- Faculty advisors specially selected to advise undeclared students.
- Professional advisors in a centralized location.
- Professional advisors in a college or department.
- Other
- Not applicable to this institution
- Don't know
Findings for Q14
Q15 Evaluation of first-year advising. Are advisors of first-year students evaluated by any of the following?
- By first-year students
- By other advisors
- By administrators
- By other
Findings for Q15
Q16 Preparation of first-year advisors. Does your institution offer a structured program to prepare advisors of first-year students?
Findings for Q16
Q17 Incentives/rewards for first-year advising. Does your institution offer incentives/ rewards that recognize outstanding advising of first-year students?
Findings for Q17
Q18 Faculty involvement in campus life. What is your best estimate of the overall level of faculty involvement in the following out-of-class aspects of campus life involving first-year students?
Level of faculty involvement in:
- Student recruitment and campus visits by prospective students
- Campus pre-term orientation
- Residence life
- Formal mentoring program
- Volunteerism/civic engagement
- Co-curricular organizations/campus activities
- Greek life
Findings for Q18
Q19 Change in level of faculty/student interaction. Complete the following statement for your institution.
During the past five years, the overall level of out-of-class interaction between faculty and first-year students has . ..
- Increased
- Decreased
- Remained the same
- Not applicable
- Don't know
Findings for Q19
Q20 Upperclass (2nd, 3rd, or 4th year) undergraduates' involvement with first-year students.
What is your best estimate of the overall level of upperclass (2nd, 3rd, or 4th year) undergraduate student involvement in intentional interactions with first-year students in the following settings?
Level of upperclass student involvement in:
- First-year seminars (as co-teachers, course assistants, or mentors)
- Other first-year courses in the academic disciplines (as co-teachers, course assistants, or mentors)
- Mentoring first-year students for academic success
- Tutoring first-year students one-to-one or in small groups
- Academic advising of first-year students
- Technology assistance for first-year students
Findings for Q20
Q21 External funding of first-year initiatives. Within the past five years, has your campus obtained external funding to support first-year initiatives from any of the following sources?
- Federal grants (e.g., NSF, NEH, Title III, FIPSE, TRIO, etc.)
- State grants
- Private foundation grants
- Gifts (alumni, corporate, private)
Findings for Q21
Q22 First-year curriculum review or revision. During the past five years, has your institution engaged in a comprehensive review or revision of the overall curriculum taken by first-year students, and, if so, which office or entity has been most responsible for initiating that process?
- No. No comprehensive first-year curriculum review or revision
- Yes. Initiated by the chief executive officer
- Yes. Initiated by the chief academic officer
- Yes. Initiated by an academic college/department/program (including division of general education)
- Yes. Initiated by faculty (committee or individuals)
- Yes. Other
- Don't know
Findings for Q22
Q23 Assessment using national/regional instruments. Over the past five years, has your institution participated in assessment of first-year students or programs that provides comparative data, whether national or regional, from multiple institutions (e.g., National Survey of Student Engagement, Annual Freshman Survey (CIRP), etc.)?\
- No
- Yes, but the findings were not shared with the campus community.
- Yes, and the findings were shared with the campus community but had little or no influence on policy or practice in the first college year.
- Yes, and findings were shared with the campus community and have influenced policy or practice in the first college year.
- Don't know
Findings for Q23
Q24 External influences on the first year. Over the past five years, to what degree have any of the following external entities influenced change in first-year academic policies, programs, and/or curricula at your institution?
- Regional accrediting association
- National media (e.g., US News & World Report, Money Magazine)
- Regional/local media
- Parents
- State higher ed. coordinating/governing body
- Legislature
- Donors
- Alumni
- Community-based organizations
Findings for Q24
Q25 In your opinion, what is the level of impact of the following issues on the academic performance of first-year students on your campus? First-Year Issues
- Student immaturity/lack of motivation
- Inadequate level of academic preparation
- Student alcohol use/abuse
- Student use of illegal drugs
- Negative family influence
- Excessive amount of student work off campus
- Students' lack of focus/clarity about academic/career purpose
- Gap between student expectations and college experiences
- Excessive academic competition with other students
- Excessive student stress/emotional difficulties
- Student lack of engagement in the "life of the mind"
- Poor quality of teaching in first-year courses
- Poor quality of academic advising for first-year students
- Large size of some first-year classes
- Insufficient number of first-year class sections
- Absenteeism in first-year classes
- High cost of college
- Academic dishonesty
Findings for Q25
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