Assessing Conditions to Enhance Educational Effectiveness

George D. Kuh is Chancellor's Professor of Higher Education and director of the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Bloomington, home to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practice, and the College Student Experiences Questionnaire Research Program.Jillian Kinzie is associate director of the NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practice and project manager of the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) initiative.John H. Schuh is distinguished professor of educational leadership at Iowa State University.Elizabeth J. Whitt is professor in the College of Education and coordinator of Graduate Programs in Student Affairs Administration at the University of Iowa.

• PREFACE. ABOUT THE AUTHORS.PART ONE: Student Success in College: Why It Matters and What Institutions Can Do About It.CHAPTER 1: Why Focus on Student Success?Student Engagement: A Key to Student Success.Project DEEP: A Window into Effective Educational Practice.Putting DEEP to Work.Are You Ready for ISES?CHAPTER 2: Guiding Principles for Using the Inventory for Student Engagement and Success.Context Is Everything.The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of the Parts.Evidence Is Essential: The More, the Better.Test Prevailing Assumptions.Cast a Wide Net.Use Outsiders to Ask Hard Questions.Focus on What Matters to Student Success.Stay the Course.PART TWO: Inventory for Student Engagement and Success.CHAPTER 3: Using ISES to Assess the Properties and Conditions Common to Educationally Effective Colleges.A “Living” Mission and “Lived” Educational Philosophy.Unshakeable Focus on Student Learning.Environments Adapted for Educational Enrichment.Clear Pathways to Student Success.Improvement-Oriented Ethos.Shared Responsibility for Educational Quality and Student Success.“Ultimately, It’s About the Culture”.CHAPTER 4: Using ISES to Assess Effective Educational Practices.Academic Challenge.Active and Collaborative Learning.Student-Faculty Interaction.Enriching Educational Experiences.Supportive Campus Environment.CHAPTER 5: Using ISES for Institutional Improvement.Logistical Issues.Applications of ISES.A Last Word.REFERENCES.APPENDIX A: ISES: Suggested Interview Protocols.APPENDIX B: DEEP Site Visit Report Timeline.INDEX.