Index of University Press Releases

Sept. 13, 2006

DWU students rate service learning opportunities

MITCHELL – Seniors at Dakota Wesleyan University reported that almost 80 percent of them had participated in a service-learning project as part of their college experience. Only slightly more than half of college seniors across the country who participated in the survey were able to say the same thing.

DWU students participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a survey developed at Indiana University at Bloomington. Since 1999, students nationwide have been participating in the NSSE as institutions attempt to measure how engaged students are in their educational experiences in terms of everything from writing papers and studying, to extra-curricular activities, to interactions with faculty and other students, to working and spending time with family. One goal of the NSSE is to determine how challenging and valuable students perceive their educational experiences to be.

Students’ scores are compiled by institution, and institutions can compare their scores to those from other regional or national groups of schools.

DWU seniors ranked higher than their peers in many service-learning categories – having taught or tutored other students, having participated in a community-based project as part of a class, and having done community service or volunteered outside of a class.

“Dakota Wesleyan University has strong programs in service-oriented areas, including psychology, education, nursing, criminal justice, human services and athletic training,” says Mike Catalano, math professor and organizer of DWU’s NSSE participation. “These programs are intentional in promoting service learning.”

“To me, these scores are telling us that we’ve been successful in fostering a disposition towards service in our students,” says Catalano.

When asked if their education contributed to the development of a code of personal values and ethics, DWU seniors scored significantly higher than those at all other schools.

Catalano noted that on both national and regional comparisons, DWU’s students are competitive. “Ranking higher in faith-based and service-based questions indicates that we are achieving our objective of ‘fostering dialogue between mind and soul’.”

For more information on service-learning at DWU or the NSSE results, contact Mike Catalano at 995-2669 or micatala@dwu.edu.