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University of Wyoming

Interpreting the NSSE at University of Wyoming

 

Size

In many ways, our NSSE benchmarks show that the University of Wyoming is similar to other like research institutions. For example, our benchmark scores for Level of Academic Challenge, Active and Collaborate Learning, and Supportive Campus Environment are similar to the averages for both freshmen and seniors. UW's unique character can be found within the other two benchmarks, Student Faculty Interaction and Enriching Educational Experiences. Relatively speaking, UW is one of the smaller research institutions with a total student body of just over 13,000 (nearly 10,000 attend UW on the Laramie campus and the rest are in distance education programs in Wyoming and beyond). While there are some large classes, most classes are small in size. In fact, only 4% of classes offered last year had enrollments of 100 or more students while 72% had 30 or fewer students. Small class sizes help increase Student Faculty Interaction. Simply put, it is more difficult to get lost in the crowd at UW.


Enriching Educational Experiences

While our size certainly has its advantages, it also presents challenges. UW would like to see an increase in its benchmark scores for Enriching Educational Experiences. We are working to increase our diversity, globalization, and internationalization efforts. In addition to Multicultural Affairs, Days of Dialogue events, the President’s Advisory Council on Minorities' and Women’s Affairs (PACMWA), the University recently established a new Center for Social Justice Research. We also have an active Office of International Programs and a Summer Session program that promotes various field courses and study abroad programming. Recently UW received a $1 million endowment from Dick and Lynne Cheney to establish new study abroad scholarships for students. Of course this is not a complete list of UW's efforts to improve in these areas, but just a few examples to illustrate our commitment to Enriching Educational Experiences.


Student Support Services

Finally, UW is dedicated to helping new students adjust to college life. Our Hesburgh Award winning Synergy program and Freshman Interest Groups offer a variety of learning communities for students. These communities allow small groups of students to take classes, study, and live together during their first year. Students enrolled in learning communities at UW have higher GPAs compared to other first-year students and fewer tend to be placed on academic probation. There are also plenty of other services to assist students including the Writing Center, Oral Communication Center, and Math Lab. In addition, our LeaRN office is dedicated to addressing first-year issues from both student and faculty perspectives.

This page is just an introduction to certain aspects of UW related to its NSSE benchmarks. It is certainly not exhaustive in terms of providing helpful information for parents and students to make the right decision about college. As such, we encourage further research and have listed some helpful links below.


  • For more information concerning UW statistics on enrollment, degrees awarded, retention, faculty, etc., go the Office of Institutional Analysis Web page.
  • For more information about how to apply, admissions requirements, or financial aid and scholarships, please go to the Office of Admissions Web page.
  • For more information about UW's assessment of student learning efforts, please go to the Assessment of Student Learning Web page.
  • For other information about UW, please search our main Website.
  • Comments related to content on this page should be directed to Erika Prager, University Assessment Specialist.