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Frequently
Asked Questions
About the CSFI Online
What is the College Success Factors Index
Online?
Previously available only in paper form, the
College Success Factors Index is now accessible to students
and instructors on the Internet, through an exclusive
arrangement with Wadsworth Publishing. The CSFI
Online makes it easy for students to take the survey and
for schools to track the results.
The College Success Factors Index (CSFI) is a survey that a
student takes to assess their patterns of behavior and
attitudes in areas that have been proven by research to effect
student outcomes for success in higher education. For
descriptions of the eight areas or factors it assesses, click
here.
The test uses 80 self-scoring statements for students to rate
from "I strongly agree" to "I strongly
disagree". The score of the test is determined by how the
student's responses are compared with an extensive norm group
of 10,000 students from all other the country.
What is the advantage of using the CSFI Online versus the paper version of the CSFI
?
The website version and the paper version are identical in the
questions and in how the student is scored. However, there are
three main differences: (1) The website is ultimately cheaper
for the school to use because the school won't have to
purchase a license for the software. (2) The website version
is easier to administer because the students can take it at
home or in a lab and don't have to take it during class time.
(3) The website version provides immediate feedback for both
the student and school.
Where can I learn more about the CSFI
Online?
The full survey, the description of the eight factors that the
survey is based on, the background of how the survey was
constructed, bio of the authors, the schools currently using
the survey, and the schools in the norm group are all in the
Learn About section of the CSFI Online website.
How can I see a demo of the CSFI
Online?
Click on the section Product Tour of the
CSFI Online website for a complete demonstration
of the assessment tool and website.
If you would like to take the survey, a free
password is available for first-time users. If you would like
one, please call (toll-free) 800-400-7609 or email Ilana Sims
at ilana.sims@wadsworth.com.
How long has the test been around?
The test was created 12 years ago by Ed Hallberg, Kaylene
Hallberg, and Loren Sauer and has been used by hundreds of
schools around the country in various departments such as
Counseling Services, Career Services, and College Success
programs.
How will the CSFI Online help both higher
education institutions and their students?
There are two ways that the CSFI can help schools and
students: (1) Professors and schools are always asking for
statistics that prove that the college success course is
making a difference. When the school has the students take the
assessment twice in a year, they can build those statistics at
their own school. (2) Students want to know what they need to
do to succeed in college. If students can take a
scientifically, validated assessment that shows them exactly
what areas they need to work on to succeed as compared with
other students, they are more than likely to take the correct
steps to succeed.
How can a school or student receive a password for
the test?
Students can purchase a password with any new Wadsworth
textbook to gain access to the CSFI test. Instructors can
receive their school's password through their local Wadsworth
representative.
How much does the CSFI test cost?
The CSFI costs $2.50 per password. A student will be able to
take the test as many times as they like for no additional
charge. Each time they take the test, their score will be
saved for future reference. Thus, if the student takes the
test twice, as we suggest (once before a College Success class
and another time a year later), then the student will have
been paying $1.25 per test.
Where do students take the assessment?
The students go on our website to take the test, receive their
score, and see how their responses compare to others in the
country.
How do students get their results?
Students get their results on the web immediately after taking
the assessment. The results are the comparison with the norm
group.
How do instructors and schools get a student's
results?
Schools or instructors who order the test will register on our
website and set-up their own access password so that they can
run reports that show an individual student's score, a
course's score, or the score for the entire school.
Is the assessment correlated with
Wadsworth books?
Yes, the eight factors are correlated to Wadsworth's major
College Success books: Gardner/Jewler: Your College
Experience, Fourth Edition, Santrock/Halonen: Your Guide to
College Success, and Wahlstrom/Williams: Learning
Success,
Second Edition.
Can a school get this assessment from other book
publishers?
A school cannot bundle this assessment in any form paper or
electronic with any other publisher. Wadsworth has the
exclusive rights.
How does this assessment differ from the
assessments on Wadsworth's College Success CD-ROMs?
The CSFI differs from the assessments on the CD-ROM in three
ways: (1) The self-assessments on the CD-ROM were written to
correspond to each of the book's chapters and not according to
the major factors that predict success even though some
chapters overlap with the factors used in the test. (2) The
self-assessments on the CD-ROM are not scored in order to
enable a student to see themselves as compared to other
students. They only see which exercises in the book would be
helpful for them to do. (3) The self-assessments on the CD-ROM
do not show schools and instructors the aggregate score for a
class or for the entire school. Thus, the self-assessments on
the CD-ROM cannot be used to show improvement in the student
or retention trends.
What is the difference between the CSFI and a
Learning Styles Inventory?
The CSFI is not a Learning Styles Inventory. It does not test
on how a student learns, whether they are visual, auditory,
kinesthetic, etc. The CSFI looks at the student
characteristics that have been proven to correlate with
college success. Ideally, a college success student takes both
the CSFI and a Learning Styles Inventory. Another way of
looking at the CSFI is that the characteristics being tested
are areas that students can improve. A Learning Styles
Inventory indicates the natural tendency of a student that
will not likely change. For instance, if a student is a visual
learner they will not change and become an auditory learner.
In contrast, if a student has a problem with being precise
with tasks or having internal locus of control, they can learn
ways of overcoming these habits and do better in college.
If you have further questions related to the CSFI
Online, please call (toll-free) 800-400-7609 or email Ilana
Sims at ilana.sims@wadsworth.com.
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