NSSE Invitation to Participate

Transcription

1 NSSE National Survey of Student Engagement 2010 Invitation to Participate NSSE helps us understand some of the most crucial aspects in learning the nature of student engagement and the prevalence of effective educational practices. Stanley O. Ikenberry, Professor and Former President, University of Illinois Register by September 17, 2009 at Sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

2 What Is NSSE? More than 1,300 baccalaureate-granting colleges and universities in the United States and Canada have used the National Survey of Student Engagement to document the extent to which students, faculty, and institutions engage in empirically proven educational activities and to inform programs and practices that foster student engagement. The NSSE instrument is short, reliable, and easy for students to complete. It asks undergraduates about their in- and out-of-class activities, the quality of their relations with faculty and students, how they spend their time, how they feel the institution has contributed to their development, and other educationally meaningful activities and perceptions. The results are organized into five benchmarks of effective educational practice: Level of Academic Challenge Active and Collaborative Learning Student-Faculty Interaction Enriching Educational Experiences Supportive Campus Environment What Are the Benefits of Participating? Institutions can use NSSE data to measure aspects of the undergraduate experience inside and outside the classroom that are consistent with good practice in undergraduate education. Assessing student engagement is a central component of evaluating overall educational effectiveness. Participating institutions use their NSSE results in many ways, including: Accountability Accreditation self-studies Alumni outreach Assessment and improvement Assessment of student satisfaction Benchmarking Curricular reform Faculty and staff development Grant writing Institutional research Performance indicators Recruitment Retention State system comparisons 2 McGill University NSSE not only provides participating institutions a valid and reliable sense of how their students are learning through engagement with the institution, but also how this compares to other institutions. That s powerful information for a student-centered institution. David A. Longanecker, President, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

3 What Does a Participating Institution Receive? Institutions receive detailed analyses and information tools, including: Customized Institutional Report Presents your students responses by class year and provides statistical comparisons with three customized comparison groups. Benchmark Reports Compare your students scores on the five NSSE benchmarks of effective educational practice with those of students at comparison institutions. For repeat participants, compare your benchmark results over time. Institutional Data File Includes raw student responses to all survey items, including student identifiers for additional in-depth analyses. Annual Results Discusses data trends, NSSE initiatives, and the landscape of undergraduate assessment. Accreditation Toolkits Highlight ways and additional to incorporate NSSE data into regional information, visit: and specialized accreditation efforts. Additional User Tools Resources to support using your NSSE results in the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), sharing results with internal and external audiences via a facilitation guide, PowerPoint template, Multi-Year Data Analysis Guide, and more. How Does NSSE Help Institutions Understand and Use Their Results? The NSSE and its Institute for Effective Educational Practice assist colleges and universities in using student engagement data to support institutional improvement and accountability efforts. Services include: Specialized reports Facilitating regional and campus workshops and Webinars to stimulate discussion about ways to use NSSE data Consultations and retreats Research to better understand student success and educational effectiveness For examples of these materials 3

4 The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and its companion survey of faculty, FSSE, have given institutional leaders and practitioners a means of charting their progress in helping students engage in their learning and provided a way to identify areas in need of improvement. Radford University Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, Vice President, Office of Education and Institutional Renewal, Association of American Colleges and Universities How Is NSSE Administered? The survey is administered each spring term (February through May) to random samples of first-year students and seniors at baccalaureate-granting colleges and universities. Two-year colleges may use the Community College Survey of Student Engagement ( Participating Institutions: Provide a student population data file containing contact information for all first-year and senior students; Work with NSSE to customize invitation materials; Partner with NSSE to ensure compliance with federal guidelines pertaining to research with human subjects during the survey administration process. The NSSE survey is approved annually by the Institutional Review Board at Indiana University Bloomington. Participants should coordinate with their own institutional review boards to ensure adherence to regulations regarding the protection of human subjects. NSSE: Assigns a client service team to assist survey administration; Selects random samples from student population files; Distributes survey invitations to all sampled students; Follows up with non-respondents; Oversees data collection and provides technical support; Provides a password-protected, Web-based interface for monitoring progress and downloading reports; Prepares institution-specific reports of results. 4

5 Modes of Administration Both Web-based and paper survey administration modes are available. We generally recommend Web-based administration, as it provides larger sample sizes, leading to more accurate population estimates, for the same cost. See our Web site ( for more tips on choosing the best survey administration mode for your institution, or call our office to speak with a Project Associate. Web-only. Students receive all correspondence by and complete the Web version of the survey. This mode requires an accurate list of student addresses. Note: Web-only administrations are now offered as a census of all first-year and senior students. Web+. Students receive their first three survey recruiting messages by . For the fourth contact, a sample of non-respondents may receive a postal mailing (depending upon preliminary response rates), while the remaining non-respondents receive another . This mode requires an accurate list of both student addresses and postal mailing addresses. Paper. Students receive a paper survey instrument in two postal mailings, with the option to complete the Web version. If addresses are available, students also receive three reminders via . Students at institutions without sufficient addresses receive one reminder postcard. This mode requires an accurate list of student postal mailing addresses. How Do I Register for NSSE 2010? To register for NSSE 2010, go to For additional information, visit our Web site or call toll free. The deadline to register is Thursday, September 17, At a time when US standards for higher education are being evaluated in a competitive global context, NSSE data provide real insights into the qualities of the campus learning environment. California State University, Fresno Molly Corbett Broad, President, American Council on Education 5

6 What Does It Cost to Participate in NSSE? Required Fees Institutional participation fee Sampling fee $300 (nonrefundable; waived for 2009 BCSSE participants) NSSE Standard Sample Size Undergraduate Enrollment Paper Web+ Web-only* Fee Fewer than 4, ,800 All FY & SR $3,375 4,000 to 7, ,400 All FY & SR $4,500 8,000 to 12, ,200 All FY & SR $6,000 More than 12,000 1,000 4,000 All FY & SR $7,500 The sample sizes above apply only to first-year students and seniors who meet NSSE population file specifications. Final sample sizes may be smaller due to changes in student enrollment after samples are drawn. Institutions with 400 or fewer students in their combined first-year and senior classes should check our Web site ( for fees. * NEW! All Web-only administrations are now offered as a census of all first-year and senior students. Institutions that do not want a census based on other assessment needs may request a smaller sample size. Optional Fees Oversampling Institutions using paper and Web+ modes may want to increase sample sizes for various reasons, such as collecting sufficient data to analyze at the school, department, or other subgroup level. Oversample Mode Fees (per student) Web (NSSE administers) $1.50 Paper (NSSE administers) $7.50 Paper (Institution administers) $2.00 Consortia and Multicampus Systems A NSSE consortium is a group of six or more institutions that add up to 20 questions at the end of the NSSE core survey. Consortia may form around a common topical interest, a similar institutional mission, or the needs of state or university systems. Institutions receive consortium aggregate means and frequencies as one of the three comparison groups in their Institutional Report. Consortium fees range from $200 to $500 per institution based on the same undergraduate enrollment tiers that determine sampling fees. 6

7 There is no consortium fee for multi-campus systems that do not ask additional questions. Multi-campus state and university systems receive a report that compares the aggregate responses for their member institutions, as well as a unit record data file for the system. More information is available at our Web site ( consortia.cfm), or you can contact the NSSE Consortium Manager at consorti@indiana.edu. Companion Surveys The Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) The Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) is designed to be paired with your NSSE administration to provide an in-depth understanding of first-year students high school academic and cocurricular experiences, as well as their expectations for participating in educationally purposeful activities during the first college year. Used in combination with NSSE or FSSE results, BCSSE results can help institutions assess the impact of initiatives in recruitment, curricular reform, academic advising, first-year program evaluation, retention, faculty and staff development, and accreditation. BCSSE administration can take place as part of new student orientation programs before the fall term or during the first two weeks of the fall term. The survey is administered locally in both paper and Web-based formats. For institutions conducting a paired BCSSE-NSSE administration (e.g., BCSSE 2009 and NSSE 2010), the NSSE institutional participation fee will be waived (sampling fees still apply). More information about BCSSE can be found at: The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) is designed to complement NSSE by providing information about faculty perceptions of student engagement and actions faculty take to shape student engagement. Together, results from FSSE and NSSE can serve as a catalyst for productive discussions related to teaching, learning, and the quality of students educational experiences. FSSE administration can take place concurrently with an institution s NSSE administration or during the following spring (e.g., NSSE 2010 institutions can participate in 2010 or 2011). Faculty members are contacted via and respond online. More information about FSSE can be found at: 7

8 How Do I Register for NSSE 2010? To register for NSSE 2010, go to For additional information about NSSE, call toll free. Important Dates to Remember for NSSE 2010 The deadline to register is Thursday, September 17, May September 2009 Registration for NSSE 2010 on going (Deadline September 17, 2009) August 2009 Registration confirmation begins Consortium enrollment begins (Deadline November 3, 2009) September 2009 Institutions submit customized survey invitations October 2009 NSSE and institutions finalize consortium questions (Deadline October 1, 2009) Institutions submit student population files (Deadline October 29, 2009) Institutions finalize customized survey invitations (Deadline October 29, 2009) Cover photos: (L) Robert Morris University (R) Northwestern College November 2009 NSSE sampling begins January March 2010 NSSE survey administrations begin (vary by school calendar) June 1, 2010 NSSE online survey closes August 2010 Institutional Reports sent to participating institutions Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research 1900 East Tenth Street, Suite 419 Bloomington, IN Phone: Toll Free: Fax: nsse@indiana.edu Web: