News
The director of the ENCE Project, Gonzalo Zapata, pointed out that changes in the use of time are observed between the pre-pandemic period, the pandemic and the return to in-person learning, in activities such as studying, commuting, sports, social activities, among others.
The 2022 survey included 17 CRUCH universities, which were joined by three new institutions during 2023.
This morning the main results of the 2022 National Student Engagement Survey (ENCE) were released, in which more than 8,000 first and fourth year undergraduate students participated, belonging to the 2022 and 2019 admissions of 17 institutions of the Council of Rectors and Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH).
The report was presented within the framework of the ENCE 2023 Seminar “Challenges for the management and quality of higher education: What can we learn from the student experience?”, which took place at the Santiago campus of the University of Los Lagos this Friday, November 10.
Representing the rector of ULagos, the director of the campus, Ricardo Vega, gave the welcoming address; and on behalf of CRUCH, its general secretary, Angélica Bosch, also delivered the address. Subsequently, the director of the ENCE Project, Gonzalo Zapata, gave a presentation outlining the main findings from the application of the instrument.
Angélica Bosch emphasized that ENCE is a crucial tool in the educational debate, offering a comprehensive view of university students' lives. “It's not just data; it's a powerful tool to support our institutions in improving the educational experience. It allows for the accumulation of evidence on effective educational practices and fosters inter-institutional collaboration, sharing information and best practices to enrich the student experience,” she stated.
For his part, Gonzalo Zapata maintained that the survey is highly relevant for the institutions. “Since 2017, the way students have experienced their lives in our higher education institutions has changed, with the social crisis, the pandemic, and now the return to in-person learning. (…) Therefore, this topic is crucial; it is relevant for all our institutions to continue better understanding what student life is like and how they experience it,” he stated.
The seminar program also included a presentation by Andrés Bernasconi, president of the National Accreditation Commission, entitled “Student Experience and Quality Assurance,” which highlighted the student experience within the new accreditation criteria. In addition, two panel discussions were held: “Student Experience and Challenges for Universities in Supporting Students Upon Returning to In-Person Learning” and “Student Experience and Internal Quality Management.”.
Main results
ENCE was applied during the second semester of 2022, with the participation of 8,251 first-year (Admission 2022) and fourth-year (Admission 2019) students from undergraduate programs of CRUCH universities.
The instrument includes seven dimensions of the experience reported by students: higher-order learning; student-teacher interaction; effective teaching practices; learning strategies; quality of interactions; interactions within a diverse context; and institutional support. It also gathered perceptions about time use, expectations, and achievements experienced during the learning process.
Compared to the previous survey, the 2022 results show an increase in the indicators across most dimensions, except for higher-order learning and effective teaching practices. According to Zapata, this is related to the fact that students “report spending less time than in previous years attending classes and other direct teaching activities, or studying independently or with peer groups.”.
When asked how many hours a week they dedicate to the following subjects or activities, first-year and fourth-year students show differences, with the latter dedicating more time to studies, while the first-year students dedicate more time to friends.
Students “report changes in their time-use patterns in very relevant areas of university life (spending time with friends, playing sports, commuting, attending social and cultural activities, etc.). However, their perceptions of their student experience as stressful, burdensome, and difficult remain very similar to previous years. We believe this is happening now for different reasons, where time management and agency are key factors in coping with academic demands and other student responsibilities,” Zapata commented.
The director of the ENCE project also noted an increase in the frequency of interactions with other members of the university community, due to the return to in-person learning, which is also considered to be of high quality. In the case of the student-faculty relationship, there is a high level of appreciation for the quality of these interactions, which tends to remain stable and even improve in some cases.
“During the pandemic, there was a reported decrease in the frequency of student support being offered and used by students, and last year students' perceptions of this certainly improved. First-year students' assessments are better than those of upper-level students, which perhaps suggests the need to pay more attention to all students, understanding the diverse needs they have throughout their education,” Zapata added.
Conversation panels
The first panel addressed the student experience and the challenges universities face in supporting students upon their return to in-person learning. It included Carolina Méndez, Director of Student Affairs at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Pamela Díaz Romero, Director of Student Welfare and Development at the University of Chile; and Rosa María Olave, one of the presidents of the CRUCH's Commission on University Coexistence and Mental Health and an academic at Alberto Hurtado University. The discussion was moderated by Fernando Lemarie, an academic at the University of Los Lagos.
Meanwhile, the second panel focused on student experience and internal quality management, and included the participation of Felisa Solar, Vice-Rector of Quality and Strategic Management at the Catholic University of Temuco; Paula Manríquez, Vice-Rector of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Talca; and Fuad Hatibovic Díaz, Director of Institutional Analysis at the University of Valparaíso. The panel was moderated by Carla Forster, a professor at the University of Talca.
Main challenges
Based on the survey results, the ENCE project director stated that there are multiple challenges, especially those related to learning opportunities, and to the experience inside and outside the classroom.
“Empirical evidence suggests that the more students participate in training programs, organizations, or other opportunities offered by our universities (academic and non-academic), the more engaged they are with their education and the more satisfied they report being with their university experience. The key is to offer diverse opportunities that cover the variety of students' interests, enriching their education,” Zapata said.
Regarding the dimensions of student engagement considered in the survey, Rosa María Olave, from the CRUCH's Commission on Coexistence and Mental Health, pointed out that “we can make progress in developing care within universities. In that sense, the relationship between professors and students has improved,” and added that it is necessary to continue advancing “within the framework of an ethics of care, because we also need that as a society, as a country.”.
For more details on the ENCE 2022 results, you can review the following link and the comparative presentation with previous years HERE.
CRUCH Institutions
In ENCE 2023, 20 institutions belonging to CRUCH participate: the universities P. Católica de Chile, Alberto Hurtado, Arturo Prat, Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Católica de Temuco, Católica del Maule, de Atacama, de Aysén, de Chile, de la Frontera, de la Serena, de los Andes, de Los Lagos, de Magallanes, de Playa Ancha, de Santiago de Chile, de Talca, de Valparaíso, Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación and Tecnológica Metropolitana.
It is worth noting that the National Survey of Student Engagement Evaluation (ENCE) is an instrument that seeks to evaluate and improve the engagement of students from universities belonging to CRUCH.
The survey, which originated from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), was translated and used by the University of Valparaíso in 2015. Subsequently, in 2017, that institution, along with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the University of Chile, conducted a pilot project of the ENCE survey to adequately capture the characteristics of the undergraduate student experience in our local context. Since 2018, other universities belonging to the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) have joined the initiative.
Text and photos: CRUCH Communications.
Spanish 
English