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Level of Academic Challenge

LevelAcad

To what degree is studying and spending time on academic work emphasized?

83% of FY students feel that this institution places substantial emphasis on academics.1 (Nationally: 82%)

Do faculty hold students to high standards?

62% of FY students frequently work harder than they thought they could to meet faculty expectations.2 (Nationally: 63%)

How much time do students spend on homework each week?

42% of FY students spend more than 15 hours per week preparing for class (Nationally: 38%). 19% spend 5 hours or less (Nationally: 15%).

What types of thinking do assignments require?

First-year students report substantial emphasis on the following activities:

  • Memorizing facts, ideas, or methods: 76% (Nationally: 72%)
  • Analyzing basic elements of an idea or theory: 82% (Nationally: 81%)
  • Synthesizing and organizing ideas: 74% (Nationally: 70%)
  • Making judgments about value of information: 71% (Nationally: 71%)
  • Applying theories or concepts: 73% (Nationally: 75%)

 

How much writing is expected?

16% of FY students write more than 10 papers between 5 and 19 pages (Nationally: 6%) and 9% have written a paper more than 20 pages in length (Nationally: 19%).

How much reading is expected during the school year?

49% of FY students read more than 10 assigned books (Nationally: 32%) and packs of course readings. 17% read fewer than 5 (Nationally: 26%).

Do exams require students to do their best work?

49% of FY students report that their exams strongly challenge them to do their best work.3 (Nationally: 52%).


Notes

FY = First-Year Student

SR = Senior Student

1. “Substantial” emphasis is defined by combining the responses to values of “Very much” and “Quite a bit.”

2. “Frequently” is defined by combining the responses to values of “Very often” and “Often.”

3. “Strongly challenge” is defined by combining response values of “6” and “7” on a one-to-seven point scale where 1 is “Very little” and 7 is “Very much.”

4. “Occasionally” is defined by combining the responses to values of “Very often,” “Often,” and “Sometimes.”

The responses above were provided by 447 randomly selected Monmouth students on the 2012 NSSE survey.

Results for all students who responded to the 2012 NSSE respondents are presented in parentheses for comparison purposes.

Data source: National Survey of Student Engagement 2012