the purpose of receiving tenure and promotion (Germain & Scandura, 2005).

Furthermore, student engagement is highly correlated with grade point average and other

measures of academic achievement (Kuh, 2001). Given the previous discussion, the

researcher found student engagement a more objective and accurate measure of learning

and interaction between the student and faculty member.

 A remarkable increase in the study of student engagement in the undergraduate

classroom came after the release of Involvement in Learning (Study Group on the

Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education, 1984), which called for the use

of teaching strategies that increase student learning in higher education. Since then,

researchers have sought to identify empirically based practices that impact learning and

develop effective measures to determine students' level of engagement. The National

Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) was designed to assess student engagement

among colleges across the nation. Scales of the NSSE form "benchmarks" in order that

colleges can compare the teaching practices of their faculty members to the teaching

practices of other faculty members across the nation (Kuh, Hayek, Carini, Ouimet,

Gonyea & Kennedy, 2001). The instrument was found to be stable and psychometrically

solid with evidence of validity and reliability (Kuh, 2001). Additionally, the NSSE has

been positively correlated with undergraduate student grade point average, critical

thinking, quality of learning and GRE scores (Kuh).

 The NSSE was developed through an extensive literature review of classroom

activities and teaching practices that lead to valuable student outcomes (Kuh, Hayek,

Carini, Ouimet, Gonyea & Kennedy, 2001). Three of the five benchmarks measured by

the NSSE were specific to learning and engagement in a classroom. They include