Academic Challenge
Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and collegiate quality. Ten survey items address the nature and amount of assigned academic work, the complexity of cognitive tasks presented to students, and the standards faculty members use to evaluate student performance.
Benchmark Scores
Benchmark Scores |
|||||||||
| PVCC | Large Colleges | CCSSE Cohort | |||||||
| 2005 | 2007 | 2011 | 2005 | 2007 | 2011 | 2005 | 2007 | 2011 | |
| All Students | 46.0 | 44.4 | 47.4 | 50.3 | 49.8 | 49.7 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| 2005 | 2007 | 2011 | |
| Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations | |||
| Never | 12.8% (115) | 10.0% (50) | 12.7% (102) |
| Sometimes | 44.8% (403) | 38.8% (193) | 35.1% (281) |
| Often | 31.0% (279) | 35.9% (179) | 33.1% (264) |
| Very Often | 11.4% (102) | 15.3% (76) | 19.0% (152) |
| Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or theory | |||
| Very Little | 5.1% (46) | 4.2% (21) | 4.4% (36) |
| Some | 32.6% (294) | 24.0% (120) | 25.8% (208) |
| Quite A Bit | 41.4% (373) | 43.7% (219) | 42.2% (339) |
| Very Much | 20.9% (189) | 28.1% (141) | 27.6% (222) |
| Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences in new ways | |||
| Very Little | 8.9% (80) | 6.2% (31) | 8.8% (70) |
| Some | 36.5% (327) | 32.9% (165) | 31.6% (252) |
| Quite A Bit | 37.4% (335) | 37.8% (190) | 34.6% (277) |
| Very Much | 17.1% (153) | 23.1% (116) | 25.1% (200) |
| Making judgments about the value or soundness of information, arguments, or methods | |||
| Very Little | 15.5% (139) | 7.6% (38) | 15.3% (122) |
| Some | 38.0% (340) | 32.4% (162) | 31.8% (254) |
| Quite A Bit | 32.2% (288) | 37.2% (186) | 32.5% (259) |
| Very Much | 14.3% (128) | 22.8% (114) | 20.4% (163) |
| Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations | |||
| Very Little | 11.6% (105) | 6.6% (33) | 10.5% (84) |
| Some | 37.2% (336) | 30.5% (152) | 34.0% (272) |
| Quite A Bit | 35.3% (318) | 38.7% (193) | 33.8% (270) |
| Very Much | 15.9% (144) | 24.2% (121) | 21.7% (173) |
| Using information you have read or heard to perform a new skill | |||
| Very Little | 10.6% (96) | 7.0% (35) | 10.2% (82) |
| Some | 35.0% (316) | 30.4% (153) | 28.5% (228) |
| Quite A Bit | 36.8% (333) | 34.6% (174) | 33.8% (271) |
| Very Much | 17.6% (159) | 28.0% (141) | 27.4% (219) |
| Number of assigned textbooks, manuals, books, or book-length packs of course readings | |||
| None | 4.1% (37) | 1.8% (9) | 3.4% (27) |
| Between 1 and 4 | 54.1% (485) | 33.3% (165) | 51.3% (407) |
| Between 5 and 10 | 26.9% (241) | 38.8% (192) | 26.1% (207) |
| Between 11 and 20 | 8.3% (74) | 16.2% (80) | 10.8% (86) |
| More than 20 | 6.6% (59) | 9.9% (49) | 8.3% (66) |
| Number of written papers or reports of any length | |||
| None | 13.2% (117) | 5.4% (27) | 12.5% (99) |
| Between 1 and 4 | 34.5% (306) | 26.0% (129) | 35.8% (283) |
| Between 5 and 10 | 32.2% (286) | 38.3% (190) | 28.5% (226) |
| Between 11 and 20 | 13.5% (120) | 20.2% (100) | 16.4% (129) |
| More than 20 | 6.5% (58) | 10.1% (50) | 6.8% (54) |
| Mark the box that best represents the extent to which your examinations during the current school year have challenged you to do your best work at this college | |||
| Extremely Easy | 1.1% (10) | 0.4% (2) | 2.9% (22) |
| 2 | 2.8% (23) | 2.5% (12) | 2.5% (18) |
| 3 | 7.1% (59) | 6.3% (30) | 7.7% (57) |
| 4 | 26.3% (219) | 28.0% (134) | 25.4% (189) |
| 5 | 32.7% (272) | 34.3% (164) | 31.9% (237) |
| 6 | 21.9% (183) | 21.8% (104) | 21.7% (161) |
| Extremely Challenging | 8.0% (67) | 6.7% (32) | 7.9% (58) |
| Encouraging you to spend significant amounts of time studying | |||
| Very Little | 6.3% (56) | 4.2% (21) | 5.8% (46) |
| Some | 31.7% (284) | 23.6% (117) | 25.8% (204) |
| Quite A Bit | 40.6% (363) | 45.5% (225) | 37.6% (297) |
| Very Much | 21.4% (191) | 26.7% (132) | 30.8% (244) |
