National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
NSSE obtains information from hundreds of four-year colleges and universities nationwide about student engagement in curricular and co-curricular experiences that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college. Survey items on the NSSE represent empirically confirmed "good practices" in undergraduate education. That is, they reflect behaviors by students and institutions that are associated with desired outcomes of college.
Institutions use their data to identify aspects of the undergraduate experience inside and outside the classroom that can be improved through changes in policies and practices more consistent with good practices in undergraduate education. This information can also be used by prospective college students, their parents, college counselors, academic advisers, institutional research officers, and researchers in learning more about how students spend their time at different colleges and universities and what they gain from their experiences.
St. Olaf College has participated in NSSE four times since 2001. For the most recent results from the spring 2008 administration, please use the following links:
General Information - demographics of respondents, response rates
Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practices - St. Olaf's five NSSE benchmark scores, in comparison to 143 Baccaluareate-Arts & Sciences institutions.
About NSSE - A link to the NSSE website at Indiana University, with complete information about the content of the instrument, its development, its theoretical framework, and the ways in which institutions have used its results for institutional improvement.
