National Study
of Student Engagement (NSSE)
The National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE) is offered to WSU freshmen and seniors every other year (odd years). The goal of administering the NSSE is for campus leaders to better understand the amount of time and efforts students invest in their studies and other co- activities AND how WSU leaders use resources and organize the curriculum and other learning opportunities to get students to participate in activities that decades of research studies show are linked to student learning. The survey is administered to both first year and senior students, gathers information about student personal development and campus engagement. The assessment looks at ten engagement indicators and six high-impact practices.
The background of NSSE
Since its inception in 2000, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE; pronounced "nessie") has been used by four-year colleges and universities around the nation to measure the extent to which students engage in effective educational practices that are empirically linked with learning, personal development, and other desired outcomes such as student satisfaction, persistence and graduation. The NSSE was developed under the premise that the frequency in which students engage in effective behaviors is an indicator of good educational quality. The College Student Report captures first-year and senior student behaviors to determine an institution's level of engagement. For more information about the NSSE, see the NSSE Home Page.
Use of the NSSE Data
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 is also used by prospective college students, their parents, college counselors, academic advisors, institutional research officers, and researchers to learn more about how students spend their time at different colleges and universities and what they gain from their experiences.
The annual report is shared with the following groups:
- University Assessment Committee
- Council Of Deans
- Faculty Senate – Academic Affairs Committee
- Student Affairs Management Team
Click here to review WSU's external report and assessment that include NSSE Engagement Indicators and High-Impact Practices reports from 2021 and the previous years, 2019, 2017, 2015 and 2013.
Student Incentive
Students who complete the assessment are entered into a drawing for either a $25 QuickTrip/Shocker Dollars gift card.