National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is a nationally used student survey that is part of Gallaudet’s efforts to assess and strengthen our institutional effectiveness. Other institutional student surveys include the Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), the HEDS Teaching Quality Survey, and the Alumni Survey. GU participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2017.

Currently, GU administers NSSE tri-annually, alternating with other surveys. The next administration will be in 2020. The NSSE collects information from first-year and senior students at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities worldwide. Since 1999, more than 1,500 undergraduate degree-granting colleges and universities have used the NSSE to collect information about student participation in educational programs and campus activities. NSSE is a research-based psychometrically sound tool used by institutions to:

• Participate in a national effort to improve undergraduate quality
• Compare institutional performance against peer institutions
• Examine patterns of strengths and weaknesses within Gallaudet, across time, and across different student groups
• Guide and monitor institutional improvement
• Incorporate student engagement results in self-studies, accreditation, and accountability

Research shows that higher student engagement in educationally purposeful activities leads to greater student achievement, persistence, and graduation.
The NSSE survey focuses on four themes and ten engagement indicators, as shown below:

Academic Challenge

• Higher Order Learning
• Reflective and Integrative Learning
• Learning Strategies
• Quantitative Reasoning

Learning with Peers

• Collaborative Learning
• Discussions with Diverse Others

Experiences with Faculty

• Student-Faculty Interaction
• Effective Teaching Practices

Campus Environment

• Quality of Interactions
• Supportive Environment

In addition to the Themes and Engagement Indicators, NSSE also focuses on six High Impact Practices:

High Impact Practices

• Learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together
• Courses that included a community-based project (service-learning)
• Work with a faculty member on a research project
• Internship, co-op, field experience, student teaching, or clinical placement
• Study abroad
• Culminating senior experience (capstone course, senior project or thesis, comprehensive exam, portfolio, etc.)

For more information on NSSE, visit the NSSE homepage.

Reports and Presentations

2017

• NSSE Snapshot (2017)
• NSSE Engagement Indicator (2017)
• NSSE High-Impact Practices (2017)
• NSSE Item Comparisons (2017)
• NSSE Multi-Year Report (2014, 2017)
• 2017 PowerPoint Presentation for Fall 2018 Professional Development
  • NSSE 2017 Introduction
  • NSSE 2017 Results & Strategies for Learning Strategies
  • NSSE 2017 Results & Strategies for Discussions with Diverse Others
  • NSSE 2017 Results & Strategies for Quality of Interactions & Supportive Environment

2014

• NSSE GU Highlights and Selected Results (2014)
• NSSE GU Executive Shapshot (2014)
• NSSE GU Engagement Indicators (2014)

2012

• NSSE GU Executive Snapshot (2012)
• NSSE The GU Student Experience in Brief (2012)
• NSSE Multi-Year Benchmark Report Charts (2012)
• NSSE Peer Comparison of Color (2012)

2010

• NSSE Presentation to GU Faculty Senate (Feb. 2011)
• NSSE GU Executive Snapshot (2010)
• NSSE The GU Student Experience in Brief (2010)

2008

• What Students Are Saying About Their Gallaudet University Experience (NSSE)
• November 2008 – NSSE Presentation to Faculty Senate (presented by Dr. Patricia Hulsebosch, Executive Director, Office of Academic Quality)
• August 2008 – Pathways to Student Success: Enriching Student Learning and Engagement at Gallaudet University (presented by Dr. Jillian Kinzie, NSSE Institute, IU Center for Post Secondary Research)

2006

• August 2007 – Gallaudet Results on National Survey of Student Engagement (Presented by Dr. Thomas Kluwin, Director of Institutional Research)