Making SENSE of the Entering Student Experience

The Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE), an initiative of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, helps colleges discover why some entering students persist and succeed and others do not.

Administered during the 4th and 5th weeks of the fall academic term, SENSE allows colleges to learn what is working—and what needs improvement—in their intake processes and students’ earliest classroom experiences with the goal of improving entering student retention and outcomes.
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Entering Students Report on Their Experiences During the First Three Weeks of College:

37.3% report their main reason for not completing the FAFSA was OTHER (making it the most common answer choice).

Source: Results from the SENSE 2008 Field Test and Special-Focus Modules.

To view a different SENSE finding, refresh the page.

Findings from the SENSE 2009 administration are set to be released in a national report March 29, 2010.

2009 SENSE Cohort Data Released
2009 SENSE Cohort data from the first national administration are now available to the public online. Member colleges can view their institutional results through the enhanced SENSE reporting website, which not only features popular standard reports, but also includes the capability to perform customized searches and to save searches.

Register for SENSE 2010
Registration for the fall 2010 administration of the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) is now open.  The deadline to register for SENSE 2010 is April 3.  Register today!

More Data, Great Savings!
Commit to participate in both SENSE and
CCSSE in the same academic year or in the
same calendar year and receive a 20% discount
on both survey administrations.

This offer is designed to help colleges to plan and
budget effectively across years, so prepayment is
not required. Member colleges will be billed for each
survey administration during each survey’s normal
billing cycle allowing payments to be spread across
fiscal years while still earning a substantial discount.

A complete list of membership options, pricing, and
terms & conditions are available at: www.ccsse.org/
sense/join.

Have questions or concerns? Contact
CCCSE College Relations Coordinator Karla Fisher
at fisher@ccsse.org or 512-232-8247.

Talking SENSE: Resolutions for Engagement
The Center for Community College Student Engagement is pleased to provide you with the latest issue of Talking SENSE:

• CCCSE’s New Year’s Resolutions for Engagement “10 for 2010”
• Save the Date! The Annual CCCSE Workshop will be held June 1, 2010, in Austin, TX
• SENSE member Chipola College’s recommendations for improving the “front door” experience for entering students
• Inspired after attending the Entering Student Success Institute (ESSI), Century College President Larry Litecky helps organize a Minnesota statewide workshop modeled after ESSI.
• ESSI 2011 registration opens February 1, 2010
• Upcoming events and more!

Register for the 2011 Entering Student Success Institute

SENSE colleges have the special opportunity to send teams (composed of three to five individuals) to the fourth Entering Student Success Institute (ESSI). During the two and a half days, each college team will work with data, learn about strategies that can help improve the entering student experience, and formulate an action plan for initiating appropriate strategies. Register and pay early to save $500 on the team price! more

Hear from college presidents about ESSI:

More video is available at the Center's YouTube channel.

2010 CCCSE Workshop

The annual CCCSE Workshop will be held June 1, 2010 at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin. This year, CCCSE is pleased to welcome Dr. Elizabeth F. Barkeley, author of Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty (Jossey-Bass, 2010), for a special luncheon & extended plenary session “Terms of Engagement: Understanding and Promoting Student Engagement in Today’s College Classroom." Learn more about workshop sessions and speakers.

Held concurrently with the annual NISOD Conference, the CCCSE Workshop is free for CCSSE and SENSE member college personnel ($50 for non-members). Pre-registration required.

Let SENSE Help with Accreditation

Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) results can be used in all components of the institutional accreditation process. These include but are not limited to: (a) the self-study that responds to evaluation criteria established by the accrediting body, (b) the visit by the team of peer evaluators who gather additional evidence, and (c) the response to a decision by an accrediting body requesting an improvement plan or additional evidence of student learning and related areas.

The Center for Community College Student Engagement is pleased to introduce the SENSE Accreditation Toolkits, which are individually tailored for each of the six higher education accrediting bodies. Each toolkit includes tips for implementing SENSE data into accreditation processes; a model regional accreditation timeline and advice about including SENSE administrations in that timeline; as well as a section that aligns the SENSE items to your accrediting body's standards and criteria.
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Listen to Student Voices

Watch and listen to "Student Voices" from focus groups with entering students across the country. To learn more about the Starting Right Initiative on Student Success, click on Starting Right. more