NSSE: National Survey of Student Engagement

Frequently Asked Questions: Parents

How can I get information about schools that I or my child is interested in attending?

How can prospective college students and their parents use the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in the college search process?

What's different about NSSE versus other traditional resource or reputation rankings?

What types of questions about the undergraduate experience should we be asking admissions personnel and other representatives from the colleges and universities we're considering?

How can I get information about schools that I or my child is interested in attending?

Individual schools may provide their NSSE results if asked. In fact, many institutions have posted key findings from their students' responses to the survey on their institutional Web sites. To learn more about a specific institution's NSSE results, we encourage you to visit their Web site or to contact the admissions office of the school directly.

Please note that our agreements with schools that participate in NSSE prevent us from reporting the results for individual colleges and universities, but we hope that broader NSSE findings can help you consider what research shows about the characteristics of a quality undergraduate education, so that you can approach schools of interest with questions that will better prepare students and parents to make a decision.

How can prospective college students and their parents use the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in the college search process?

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) can be helpful in several ways. For example, in the fall of each year NSSE prepares a National Report. This document summarizes the major findings from student surveys about their experiences and the factors that are important to high levels of engagement, which is a good predictor of learning. Reviewing the National Reports can give one a better understanding of the activities that should be a part of the undergraduate experience.

You can interpret the results of the survey as standards for comparing how effectively colleges are contributing to learning. Five benchmarks are measured: 1) level of academic challenge; 2) active and collaborative learning; 3) student-faculty interaction; 4) enriching educational experiences; and 5) supportive campus environment.

What's different about NSSE versus other traditional resource or reputation rankings?

"BestCollege" rankings are typically based almost exclusively on an institution's resources and reputation. Unfortunately, the rankings say little about the student experience. NSSE data focus on what is far more important to student learning - how students actually use institutional resources for learning and how they feel about the quality of their educational experience. This is a much different and more accurate way to think about what to expect from a college than what rankings represent. In fact, the NSSE project has determined that a school's academic reputation, as judged by others, says very little about the extent that active learning, student-faculty interaction, and a supportive environment characterize a campus.

What types of questions about the undergraduate experience should we be asking admissions personnel and other representatives from the colleges and universities we're considering?

According to Russ Edgerton, a national leader in education and the director of the Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning, "Students and parents should be asking colleges the kinds of questions NSSE asks. How much do students study and how rigorous are their assignments? How much writing is expected? How often do students interact with their teachers in meaningful ways?"

Following Edgerton's recommendation, you would do well to ask questions about the extent to which students typically engage in the educational practices reflected by the five NSSE benchmarks. We've listed a few questions below as illustrations.

1. Level of academic challenge

Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and collegiate quality. Components of academic challenge include the nature and amount of assigned academic work, complexity of cognitive tasks presented to students, and standards faculty members use to evaluate student performance.

Sample Questions:

Students learn more when they are intensely involved in their education and have opportunities to think about and apply what they are learning in different settings. And, when students collaborate with others in solving problems or mastering difficult material they acquire valuable skills that prepare them to deal with the messy, unscripted problems they will encounter daily during and after college.

In general, the more contact students have with their teachers the better. Working with a professor on a research project or serving with faculty members on a college committee or community organization lets students see first-hand how experts identify and solve practical problems. Through such interactions teachers become role models, mentors, and guides for continuous, life-long learning.

Educationally effective colleges and universities offer a variety of learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom that compliment the goals of the academic program. One of the most important is exposure to diversity, from which students learn valuable things about themselves and gain an appreciation for other cultures. Technology is increasingly being used to facilitate the learning process and -- when done appropriately -- can increase collaboration between peers and instructors, which actively engages students in their learning. Other valuable educational experiences include internships, community service, and senior capstone courses that provide students with opportunities to synthesize, integrate, and apply their knowledge. As a result, learning is deeper, more meaningful, and ultimately more useful because what students know becomes a part of who they are.

Students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relations among different groups on campus.

Student engagement is an understandable, meaningful way of thinking and talking about collegiate quality. We hope that this information about NSSE is helpful to you in your college search process.