Table 5: Freshman "Time Usage"—preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab work, analyzing data, rehearsing, and other activities related to your academic program. (KSU Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness: National Survey of Student Engagement, 2003, pp. 5-6; 2004, p. 5; 2007, p. 6) [Link to Kentucky State NSSE Means and Frequency Reports_2004-07.pdf]
About how many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week doing the following? 1 = 0 hrs/wk, 2 = 1-5 hrs/wk, 3 = 6-10 hrs/wk, 4 = 11-15 hrs/wk, 5 = 16-20 hrs/wk, 6 = 21-25 hrs/wk, 7 = 26-30 hrs/wk, 8 = more than 30 hrs/wk
| YEAR | KSU | NATIONAL |
|---|
| 2007 | 3.62 | 4.01 |
| 2004 | 3.18 | 4.00 |
| 2003 | 3.44 | 4.11 |
The results from the 2007 survey show that on average KSU students spent less than 11-15 hours per week studying. In 2003 and 2004, they devoted even less time. It has been a long accepted rule of thumb among faculty that a student should spend 2-3 hours preparing for class for each credit hour. A student carrying 15 hours should be spending at least 30 hours per week preparing for class. Our students, who are academically weaker than the national average, are spending only-half to one-third as much time as they need in order to improve academically.
Another indicator of insufficient student engagement with campus academic life is excessive absenteeism. Faculty report that it is the single greatest factor which contributes to poor academic performance. A random survey of attendance in developmental and gateway mathematics classes, for example, reveals that students who receive a grade below “C” usually have unexcused absences three to four times that set by University policy and published in the KSU Catalogue. [Link to Catalogue_2007-2008_p47.pdf] [Link to Attendance_MAT095-115.pdf]
Why students do not spend more time studying or have excessive absences has a complex answer. Not all of the reasons for students spending insufficient time on or in classes can necessarily be attributed to aversion to studying. The NSSE results reveal that KSU students, freshman and seniors, spend considerably more time than the average NSSE student in providing care for dependents who live with them (whether children, parents, an injured or sick spouse), in commuting to class, and working. Table 6 shows those results.
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