Assessing Service-Learning at Northern Michigan University

Northern Michigan University (NMU) is a public university with 9,400 undergraduate and graduate students. Northern, located in the Upper Peninsula, is also one of three universities in the state of Michigan to serve a community college role for its region. NMU is noted for its focus on using technology in higher education and is one of the largest notebook computer campuses in the US. Full-time students receive either a ThinkPad or iBook as part of tuition. The Associate Vice President of Institutional Research at NMU, Paul Duby, chose to participate in NSSE because he felt it is a survey instrument that measures holistic and affective learning processes. NMU places great emphasis on encouraging students to get involved in service-learning. The Superior Edge program, which currently has over 1,500 students enrolled, combines community engagement, diversity awareness, leadership development, and real-world experience. Duby considers NSSE the best instrument to assess the impact of service-learning through more meaningful constructs of processes and outcomes.