How to Use Student Survey Data
(NSSE) to Improve Your Teaching
ANDREA BROWN
DIRECTOR, PROGRAM ASSESSMENT AND
INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH
What is NSSE?
 National Survey of Student Engagement
 What is student Engagement?
 The amount of time and effort students put into their studies
and other educationally purposeful activities.
 How the institution deploys its resources and organizes the
curriculum and other learning opportunities to get students to
participate in activities that decades of research studies show
are linked to student learning.
How is NSSE Administered?
 NSSE is an online survey administered in the Spring
semester, with invitations going out via email.
 First-year students –attended both fall and spring
semester who were first-year students (freshman <
30 credits) in the fall.
 Senior students – attended both fall and spring
semester who are likely to graduate in the Spring (90
credits or more in fall who had not applied for fall
graduation).
What Can NSSE Tell Me?
 NSSE doesn’t assess student learning directly, but
survey results point to areas where Dixie is
preforming well and also notes aspects of the
undergraduate experience could be improved.
 NSSE data helps Dixie 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.
Where is the NSSE Data?
 On the Institutional Research Website:
http://www.dixie.edu/ir/nsse_reports.php
 Institutional Research (IR)

Dixie Facts

NSSE Reports
 The NSSE was conducted at Dixie in 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2013. NSSE is now going to a 3 year
cycle, conducted again in 2016.
NSSE’s Updated Instrument
 In 2013, the NSSE updated their survey:
 Questions
22% No change
 23% New questions
 27% Rewritten (major)
 28% Modified (minor)


Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice (5) to
Engagement Indicators and High Impact Practices (10)
NSSE Engagement Indicators – Academic Challenge
 Academic Challenge
 Higher-Order Learning
 Reflective & Integrative Learning
 Learning Strategies
 Quantitative Reasoning
 Previous Benchmark: Level of Academic Challenge
NSSE Engagement Indicators – Learning with Peers
 Learning with Peers
 Collaborative Learning
 Discussions with Diverse Others
 Previous Benchmark: Active and Collaborative
Learning
NSSE Engagement Indicators – Experiences with
Faculty
 Experiences with Faculty
 Student-Faculty Interaction
 Effective Teaching Practices
 Previous Benchmark: Student-Faculty Interaction
NSSE Engagement Indicators – Campus
Environment
 Campus Environment
 Quality of Interactions
 Supportive Environment
 Previous Benchmark: Supportive Campus
Environment
NSSE Engagement Indicators – High-Impact
Practices
 High-Impact Practices
 Learning Community
 Service-Learning
 Research with a Faculty Member
 Internship or Field Experience
 Study Abroad
 Culminating Senior Experience
 Previous Benchmark: Enriching Educational
Experiences
How is NSSE Data Presented?
 It compares Dixie’s students (both first-year and
senior) to:



Rocky Mt. Public – Public institutions in the Rocky Mountain
Region
Carnegie Class – Institutions in our same Carnegie
Classification (Baccalaureate/Associate’s Colleges)
NSSE 2013 – All institutions that took the NSSE in 2013
Where to Start, Option 1
 Review the Engagement Indicators report to see how
Dixie is performing against the comparison group;
find area’s that need improvement (use the Overview
tab/sheet)

For example: Experiences with Faculty (Theme), Student
Faculty Interaction (Engagement Indicator) for FY is
significantly lower than Carnegie Class and NSSE 2013
Option 1 Report View
Where to Start, Option 2
 Review the Major Field Report Within-Institution to
see how you compare to other majors; find areas that
need improvement (use the EI FY, EI SR and HIP
tabs/sheets)

For example: Arts & Humanities has the lowest mean score for
FY in Academic Challenge (Theme) Learning Strategies
(Engagement Indicator)
Option 2 Report View
Where to Start, Option 3
 Review the Major Field Report by major area (e.g.
Business) to look for significance; find areas that
need improvement (use the EI FY, EI SR, HIP
tabs/sheets)

For example: Business, Learning with Peers (Theme)
Collaborative Learning (Engagement Indicator) for FY is
significantly lower compared to Rocky Mt Public, Carnegie
Classification, and NSSE 2013
Option 3 Report View
Where Can I Access NSSE Questions by Theme?
 The Engagement Indicators report (the tabs/sheets
are coded by Theme and Population, e.g. AC_FY is
Academic Challenge First-Year)
 Under each Theme, the Engagement Indicator is
listed followed by the NSSE question
View NSSE Questions by Theme
NSSE Questions Alternatives
 NSSE questions by major compared to the other
majors across the institution

Major Field Report Within-Institution (use the FREQ SR,
FREQ FY, STATS FY, STATS SR, RP FY, and RP SR
tabs/sheets)
 NSSE questions by major compared to Other
Institutions (in the same major)

Major Field Report by major area (e.g. Business) (use the FSC
FY, FSC SR tabs/sheets)
NSSE Survey
 The NSSE Instrument can be accessed here:
 http://nsse.iub.edu/html/survey_instruments.cfm
 Past years instruments are located on the right of the screen.
Uses for NSSE Data?
 In what ways can you see using NSSE data, now that
you know more about NSSE?
Questions
 Questions for me?
 Please let me know if you would like me to come and
present NSSE data.