Overview of the CSI and Definitions of Measures
The Noel-Levitz Retention Management System is an early-intervention, early-alert system based on students’ self-reported information gathered through the College Student Inventory (CSI). The CSI is designed to allow institutions to:
- Assess students’ individual academic and personal needs
- Recognize students’ specific strengths, as well as coping mechanisms
- Identify students who are at risk for academic and/or personal difficulties and who may even drop out
- Recognize students’ attitudes and motivational patterns, so that intervention is more successful
- Enable advisors to participate in effective and rewarding contact with students early in the first term
The CSI is designed especially for incoming first-year students. The inventory helps to identify students’ needs, strengths, attitudes, motivational patterns, resources, coping mechanisms, and receptivity to intervention.
The CSI is comprised of 100 questions contained in 17 different scales which are reported in two ways: as a percentile rank and as a bar graph. The questions are organized under three main categories:
- Academic Motivation
- General Coping Skills
- Receptivity to Support Services
The CSI also contains a number of single items reporting such background characteristics as planned work hours, high school grades and family background. These characteristics can help an advisor begin a fruitful conversation with a student.
Student responses to items in the inventory are analyzed and complied into two interpretive reports, one for the advisor and one for the student.
The Advisor Report has a Summary of Academic Motivation, which includes:
- Overall Risk Index
- Predicted Academic Difficulty
- Educational Stress
- Receptivity to Institutional Help
A student with high scores in these areas is the student whom a counselor or advisor should make special efforts to contact. A high score indicates that the student has great needs and/or is highly receptive to assistance.
The Student Report contains the same information as the advisor report, with the exception of the Summary Observations. The Student Report contains narrative interpretations which explain a student’s score on each scale. The interpretations are written in very clear, non-technical language and are designed to give students encouragement and guidance.
All CSI Reports should be maintained as confidential in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
College Student Inventory (CSI) Definitions of Measures
Summary Observations - this information is not shown on the student's copy. Keep the summary confidential.
Overall Risk Index measures student’s overall inclination to drop out of college before finishing a degree.
Predicted Academic Difficulty predicts who is most likely to have low grades in college.
Educational Stress shows student’s general feelings of distress in the context of college.
Receptivity to Institutional Help indicates how responsive a student is likely to be to intervention.
Academic Motivation
Study Habits measure the amount of time and effort students put into their studies.
Intellectual Interest measures the degree to which student’s enjoy reading and discussing serious ideas.
Verbal Confidence measures the degree to which student’s feel capable of doing well in courses that heavily emphasize reading, writing, and public speaking.
Math and Science Confidence measures the degree to which student’s feel capable of doing well in math and science courses.
Desire to Finish College measures the strength of student’s commitment to completing a degree.
Attitude Toward Educators measures the degree to which student see teachers and administrators as competent, reasonable, and caring
General Coping
Sociability measures student’s desire for companionship and social entertainment.
Family Emotional Support measures the satisfaction student’s feel with the communication that occurs in their family.
Opinion Tolerance measures the degree to which student’s feel they can accept people whose political and social opinions differ sharply from their own.
Career Closure measures the degree to which student’s have thought carefully about their career options and have made a firm decision to pursue a specific career.
Sense of Financial Security measures student’s satisfaction with the amount of money available to them while at college.
Receptivity to Support Services
Academic Assistance measures student’s interest in receiving help with academic skills.
Personal Counseling measures student’s interest in receiving counseling for personal matters.
Social Enhancement measure the degree to which student would like some help getting involved in social activities on campus.
Career Counseling measures student’s interest in receiving counseling for career/vocational matters.
Financial Guidance measures student’s desire to discuss ways of increasing financial resources for college.