Findings released by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) show that full-time college students, on average, spend 15 hours a week on their studies. However, study time differed by academic majors, for example, seniors in engineering averaged about 19 hours per week, while their peers in the social sciences and business averaged five fewer hours. The findings were from a 2011 survey of 416,000 first-year students and seniors attending 673 U.S. colleges and universities.
The findings raise questions about whether there is a mismatch between the work asked of students and what students believe necessary to succeed, and whether Faculty expectations for study time may need to be adjusted.
Alexander C. McCormick, NSSE director and associate professor of education at Indiana University, suggests that Faculties and academic leaders may need to reflect on their expectations for academic work by discipline. It would also be useful to explicitly teach study skills and strategies so that students can become effective learners.
