SENSE Frequently Asked Questions
General SENSE FAQs
SENSE Membership FAQs
SENSE Administration FAQs
SENSE Reporting FAQs
General SENSE FAQs
The Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) is an assessment tool that focuses on institutional practices and student behaviors in the earliest weeks of college. SENSE data are collected, analyzed, and reported back to participating colleges to assist in their efforts to better understand the critical early student experience and to improve practices in ways that will increase student success in the first college year. Specifically, these data are useful in improving course completion rates and rates of student persistence beyond the first term of enrollment.
Why focus on the entering student experience?
Emerging evidence suggests that if colleges can help their students succeed through the equivalent of the first semester (12-15 credit hours), the chances that those students will attain further milestones, including certificates and degrees, are greatly enhanced. By focusing energy and resources on “the front door” of the college experience, SENSE data will assist institutions in producing more successful outcomes for larger numbers of students.
What are the benefits and services available for SENSE colleges?
The SENSE membership fee includes:
- Survey administration procedure guides, sample selection, and survey materials.
- Real-time assistance for campus survey administrators—online or by telephone.
- Survey response scoring, data analysis, an electronic data file, and a standard report for each SENSE member college.
- Member-only access to SENSE resources online, including custom reporting on survey results and other special tools.
- National SENSE report, presenting key findings as well as pertinent trends and issues affecting entering students at community and technical colleges.
- Free subscription to Talking SENSE, a periodic newsletter featuring member college profiles, research findings, and ideas for improving entering students’ experiences and outcomes.
- Opportunities to participate in Entering Student Success Institutes
and other learning events.
What items are included on the SENSE instrument?
The SENSE instrument asks students about their experiences during the earliest weeks of college—their first impressions of the college; intake processes such as admissions, registration, assessment, placement, orientation, and financial aid; how they spend their time as they begin college; how they assess their earliest relationships and interactions with instructors, advisors, and other students; what kinds of work they are challenged to do; how the college supports their learning in the first few weeks; and so on.
Is it possible to administer SENSE online?
No. Although the Center for Community College Student Engagement is very interested in online administration of SENSE, pilot testing of an online option resulted in extremely low response rates and, thus, a data set not representative of colleges’ student populations. Response rates with in-class survey administration have proven to be MUCH higher.
SENSE Membership FAQs
How much does SENSE cost?
The Center bases its SENSE membership fees on enrollment data reported through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). A base fee chart is available for review.
May a college add additional items to the survey?
Yes. For an additional fee, a participating SENSE college may add up to two Special-Focus Modules of up to 12 items each. However, many colleges have found that asking 5-10 well-written and appropriate questions will meet their needs while limiting the extension of survey administration time.
Modules may be chosen from the Center’s collection of standard Special-Focus Modules. Alternatively, a college or consortium may opt to create custom Special-Focus Modules by selecting items from the Additional Items Catalog, developing new items, or submitting a combination of both.
Note: Colleges participating in a SENSE consortium may add a maximum of two Special-Focus Modules including the consortium’s module (if applicable). Please contact the Center for further information at info@cccse.org or at 512-471-6807.
What is a consortium?
A consortium is a group of colleges in a district, system, state, or other group with common interests or challenges. Participation in a SENSE consortium is free. All SENSE member colleges that participate as part of a consortium benefit from the following:
- a discount on the base fee for participating in SENSE;
- the opportunity to administer Special-Focus Modules in addition to the core survey at all colleges in the consortium (fees apply); and
- consortium comparison reports.
SENSE Administration FAQs
When is SENSE administered?
SENSE is administered at community and technical colleges during the fourth and fifth weeks of the fall academic term.
How is SENSE administered?
SENSE is administered as a pencil-and-paper survey to students in randomly selected courses in which first-time students typically are enrolled. The random sample is drawn from
- all developmental reading, writing, and math courses at all levels (excluding ESL);
- first college-level English course(s); and
- first college-level math course(s).
How long does it take to complete the survey?
The survey is designed to be completed in one 50-minute class period. Historically, the survey has taken students up to 45 minutes to complete; however, it is possible that the survey may take an entire class period.
SENSE Reporting FAQs
Are SENSE data publicly reported?
Yes. Those data—including benchmarks, means, and frequencies—are available in the College Profiles section of the SENSE website. Because these data are public, the Center asks that the information be used responsibly. A policy statement on responsible uses of Center survey data is available online for review.
How are SENSE results provided to member colleges?
Survey results are provided to member colleges through Institutional Reports and the Key Findings booklet. Institutional Reports are provided electronically via the SENSE online reporting system by March 1 following the survey administration. Colleges access the online reporting system via the Members Only section of the SENSE website.Through the online reporting system, colleges also can access an electronic copy of the Key Findings booklet—an individually tailored executive summary. Additionally, college presidents receive multiple print copies of the Key Findings booklet.
What data are included in the SENSE Institutional Reports?
The SENSE Institutional Reports, accessible online, include several standard reports: means and frequencies for all entering students in the current SENSE Cohort*, means and frequencies for the college’s entering vs. returning students, and benchmarks, means, and frequencies for the college’s entering students. College-specific reports include comparisons between the college, liked-sized colleges, and the SENSE Cohort and are provided for all entering students and by enrollment status. (Colleges that participate in a consortium also receive a consortium report in which the consortium replaces the like-sized colleges comparison group.)
In addition, breakout reports—benchmarks, means, and frequencies—for developmental and not developmental; traditional-age and nontraditional-age; first-generation and not first-generation students; race/ethnicity; and gender are provided. Colleges also receive access to a downloadable raw data file, a codebook for use in working with the data file, and the downloadable version of the college’s SENSE Key Findings booklet.
In addition to the standard reports, colleges can generate custom reports online, enabling comparisons with groups of colleges of their choosing. Custom comparison groups can be selected based on state, accrediting region, consortium, size, or urbanicity—or simply can be created by selecting any three or more colleges. After a comparison group is selected, two levels of breakout variables allow for detailed subgroup analyses.
*SENSE will utilize a three-year cohort (current year of administration plus the previous two years) of participating colleges in all of its data analyses, including the computation of benchmark scores. This cohort is referred to as the SENSE Cohort. The 2010 SENSE Cohort includes 2009 and 2010 respondent data only.
Who can access colleges’ SENSE Institutional Reports?
Accessing a college’s SENSE Institutional Reports requires a username and password. The Center only shares institutional usernames and passwords with the respective college president and a person at the college designated as the SENSE Institutional Contact. One of these individuals should be contacted for information about accessing the college’s data.
Will results of SENSE’s Special-Focus Modules be included in the SENSE Institutional Reports?
Yes. Institutions that added Special-Focus Modules to the survey instrument can run custom analyses of those items on the Custom Reports page of the online reporting system.
Will oversample results be included in the SENSE Institutional Reports?
Yes. Oversample data are included in the college’s data file, which is provided with the college’s Institutional Reports. Special data analyses and reporting for oversample data is available from the Center for an additional fee.
Are students’ social security numbers or other identifiers included in SENSE Institutional Reports?
No. The Center is serious about protecting student privacy; therefore, student identifiers are not included in Institutional Reports, nor are they stored on any web-connected server. However, SENSE Institutional Contacts may submit a request for encrypted data files including student-level identifiers to info@cccse.org.
What is the SENSE Key Findings booklet?
Developed in response to member college feedback, the SENSE Key Findings booklet is an executive summary individually tailored to each participating SENSE member college that provides college-specific data in an easy-to-read and easy-to-share format. Included in the Key Findings booklet are benchmark comparisons between the college, colleges of similar size, and the SENSE cohort; highlights of the areas of highest and lowest student engagement at the college; results from SENSE Special-Focus Modules; and additional analyses.
Can colleges view the Key Findings booklet online?
Yes. Member colleges can download the Key Findings booklet without charge from the SENSE online reporting system. A college username and password is required to access the online reporting system.
Can colleges order additional print copies of the Key Findings booklet?
Yes. Additional Key Findings booklets are sold in packages of 25 for $100. To purchase additional Key Findings booklets, a request must be submitted to info@cccse.org.
Can colleges conduct trend analyses of survey data (examining changes in results over two or more survey administrations) on the SENSE online reporting system?
No, this option is not currently available. However, the Center is in the process of creating advanced data analysis functionality within the SENSE online reporting system. Announcements will be sent to member colleges as new functionality becomes available.
How can colleges provide feedback regarding the content and format of the SENSE online reporting system and the customized Key Findings booklet?
Users may provide comments and suggestions by clicking on the Feedback tab of the SENSE online reporting system and completing the web form. Additionally, after each survey administration and data release, the Center sends a feedback survey to presidents and institutional contacts. Improvement through Feedback, a response to the most often-cited issues, is then sent to all college presidents and institutional contacts.
How can I view nationalSENSE data?
National key findings for the current year are available on the SENSE website, as are national college characteristics and national student characteristics for SENSE member colleges.
How long will colleges have access to their data on the SENSE online reporting system?
Colleges have access to the SENSE online reporting system as long as they remain active members in the rolling three-year cohort; therefore, colleges that participate at least once every three years will have continuous access. Colleges that participate in administrations outside of the three-year cohort will have access to archived institutional data files. Member colleges should contact the Center at info@cccse.org for information on obtaining archived institutional data files.
Proceeds may be used in general support of the Community College Leadership Program
and the College of Education.