College-wide assessment by source of evidence
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
Overview
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) elicits information from thousands of spring-semester first-years and seniors around the country about how they spend their time in college, the nature and scope of the work they do, and how they perceive their institution’s contribution to their learning and personal development.
National NSSE instrument
NSSE has been administered at St. Olaf every two or three years since Spring 2001, most often in online form. Response rates have generally been quite high, ranging from approximately 50-75%.National NSSE website
NSSE is a project of the Center for Postsecondary Research in the Indiana University School of Education. Since it was first launched in 2000, nearly 1500 colleges and universities have administered the instrument, and more than two million students have completed it.St. Olaf NSSE results and reports
Participating institutions receive a variety of reports that compare their students’ responses with those of students at self-selected groups of comparison institutions. Comparisons are available for each item on the questionnaire and for the five NSSE Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice, which are composite indicators of the extent to which an institution provides a high level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, positive student-faculty interactions, enriching educational experiences, and a supportive campus environment.St. Olaf uses of NSSE results
NSSE results have been used at St. Olaf to inform faculty development programs, support strategic planning, evaluate grant-funded programs, assist in curriculum review, and support the development of new programs.
