"CESSIE"
(CCSSE-Community College Survey of Student Engagement)
Preliminary Summary of Major Measures, Spring 2005

Active and Collaborative Learning
Student Effort
Academic Challenege
Student-Faculty Interaction
Support for Learners

Academic Challenege
Active and Collaborative Learning
Student Effort
Support for Learners
Student-Faculty Interaction

Cessie is a principal foundation in the CSCC Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), through which CSCC will document changes in student learning through increased student engagement. Cessie is also an important assessment applied to the 2005-10 Strategic Plan and has further impact on college funding through the 2005-10 Performance Funding cycle.
CSCC first administered Cessie in Spring 2005, and it will become an annual event, involving approximately 600 students. The vendor assumes all analysis, providing CSCC with a report of institutional scores and comparisons with colleges of similar type and with all participating institutions. In 2005, 257 institutions used Cessie, of which 150 were in CSCC's comparison group. In the 38 participating states, a total of 133,281 students completed the assessment exercise.

Complete campus data from the 2005 Cessie assessment are extensive. Cessie is structured into f ve major sections, with a number of individual survey items identified within each section. For convenience, one-page summaries of results for each section are attached. Summaries are presented through item analyses, aggregating scores from related items within each section. The sections are:

Active and Collaborative Learning                     Student-Faculty Interaction
Student Effort                                                     Support for Learners. Academic Challenges

The overall impression gathered from CSCC's initial participation in Cessie is positive. There is clear indication that CSCC is functioning at a level very similar to other institutions of type across the country. However, subtle distinctions can also be seen in that CSCC's scores are slightly below external comparison levels. These small differences may also be interpreted as good news for they substantiate the College's research and conclusions prior to QEP topic selection. CSCC had accurately predicted that student engagement and student learning-as measured by the widely accepted learning indicator (Cessie)-would need improvement and would therefore challenge the campus in real and meaningful ways toward helping students succeed.

The complete Cessie data report is available on CD-ROM from the CSCC Library Reserve, or from Ann Cunningham, CSCC QEP Coordinator, Extension 326, acunningham@clevelandstatecc.edu.
Acknowledgement and appreciation are extended to the Faculty, Student Support Services personnel, and other institutional staff involved in assessment of learning outcomes and institutional improvement.