To respond to the national pressure for accountability we include NSSE data along with other information on a public "Drake Student Outcomes" web page.
Rachel Dykstra Boon, Associate Director of Institutional Research - Drake University
NSSE and USA TODAY: Frequently Asked Questions
Institutions that participated in NSSE at least once in the past three years are invited to authorize NSSE to provide their most recent NSSE benchmark scores for posting on a USA TODAY college education Web site. The five NSSE benchmarks of effective educational practice are:
- Level of academic challenge
- Active and collaborative learning
- Student-faculty interaction
- Enriching educational experiences
- Supportive campus environment
One goal of this initiative is to provide prospective students, parents, counselors, and others with information about aspects of collegiate quality not available through most accessible venues. For example, college rankings are based primarily on measures of resources and reputation that research studies indicate are not related to desired student learning and personal development outcomes. Another goal of this initiative is to feature different types of colleges and universities that involve students at high levels in effective educational practices; many such institutions provide unusually rich learning opportunities for their students, but may not be widely known for their strong performance
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which institutions are included?
2. Will institutions be ranked?
3. Will institutions be compared? Will peer comparison group institutions be revealed?
4. What are the benchmark scores for each Carnegie Classification?
5. What other kinds of information are included?
6. What content should institutions publish on their Web site to provide additional information about NSSE scores?
7. We would like to create a Web page that discusses our NSSE results in greater detail, but it is not ready now. Can it be added later?
8. What year was used for each institution’s benchmark scores? Can institutions select the year they want to use?
9. Why would an institution want to participate if they did not score well on the benchmarks?
10. If an institution did not authorize its benchmark scores for this project, does this mean the school did not score well?
11. Can an institution authorize its data to be published on the USA TODAY Web site after the Nov. 10 release?
12. How does this initiative support responsible public reporting of results?
13. Will this initiative continue in future years?
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which institutions are included?
More than 300 colleges and universities released their benchmark scores when the USA TODAY Web site opened in late 2007, and that has grown to about 450 institutions in 2009. All baccalaureate-granting colleges and universities in the US that administered NSSE in 2007, 2008, and 2009 were eligible for the November 9, 2009 release.
2. Will institutions be ranked?
No. The project is intended to respond to calls for greater institutional transparency and to underscore the idea that educational quality is more complex than typically reported elsewhere, such as in rankings. The focus will be on informing people with an interest in collegiate quality about the indicators of educational effectiveness represented by NSSE benchmarks and survey items, as well as distinctive patterns of engaging educational activities offered by different types of institutions around the country.
3. Will institutions be compared? Will peer comparison group institutions be revealed?
NSSE scores for individual institutions are displayed alongside national averages for their institutional type represented by Carnegie Classification because USA TODAY believes it is important to provide its readers with a frame of reference to interpret the NSSE benchmark scores. There are no side-by-side comparisons of individual schools or summary tables listing multiple institution scores or comparisons to peer groups selected by the institution.
NSSE and USA TODAY recognize that institutional benchmark scores do not reflect everything there is to know about the depth, breadth, and nuances of student engagement at any college or university. For this reason, institutions were invited to provide a link from the USA TODAY Web site to a page on the institution’s Web site that contextualizes their NSSE scores or describes its distinctive programs and practices.
Of course, people who visit the USA TODAY Web site will be able to compare individual institutions. This is one of the purposes of the growing movement toward institutional transparency endorsed by groups such as APLU, AASCU, AAU, and NAICU. NSSE is committed to educating the public about the appropriate and inappropriate uses of NSSE and other data as described in our position on the public reporting of student engagement results.
4. What are the benchmark scores for each Carnegie Classification?
When the USA TODAY Web site is updated November 9, 2009, averages for each Carnegie Classification will be based on the NSSE 2009 cohort, regardless of whether a school’s scores are from 2007, 2008, or 2009. This provides the most consistent point of comparison for readers. Average Carnegie Classification scores across administration years are stable enough over time for the comparisons to be valid. NSSE 2009 benchmark scores for each institutional type can be seen at www.nsse.iub.edu/html/USAT_faq_what_are_benchmark_scores_table.cfm.
5. What other kinds of information are included?
In addition to posting NSSE benchmark scores on the USA TODAY Web site, USA TODAY print and Web articles may feature schools whose NSSE results indicate strong performance or achievement in an area of journalistic interest. Examples might include the share of students who participate in “high impact” activities, demonstrated capacity to engage students in “deep learning” activities, serving large numbers of underprepared students, etc.
6. What content should institutions publish on their Web site to provide additional information about NSSE scores?
Each institution is in the best position to determine what is most important for prospective students and others to know. Some institutions may choose to point to more specific NSSE results, such as student responses to individual survey items that reflect the institutional mission and educational priorities. Other institutions may focus more on programmatic efforts that illustrate student engagement opportunities on their campus. We hope by developing this information each institution will learn more about the results and how they can best be communicated to interested parties, on and off the campus.
7. We would like to create a Web page that discusses our NSSE results in greater detail, but it is not ready now. Can it be added later?
Yes. Creating a link from the USA TODAY Web site to more information on your own Web site is optional, and the content does not need to be ready now. If you grant permission to release your benchmark scores now, you can provide us with this optional URL up until October 22 and still have it included for the November 9 release. If you have a URL now, but the content is not complete, you can provide us with the URL now and then make sure the content is updated before November 9.
8. What year is used for each institution’s benchmark scores? Could institutions select the year they want to use?
The most recent year of NSSE data for each institution is used. This ensures that all participating institutions are on a level playing field, a cornerstone principle of NSSE since its inception. Benchmark scores were created consistently in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and institution scores tend to be stable over time.
9. Why would an institution want to participate if they did not score well on the benchmarks?
This initiative is fundamentally about familiarizing the public with what matters to educational quality and encouraging prospective students, parents, policy makers, institutional leaders, and others to focus more on these issues. Institutions vary widely in their educational programs; some score high in certain areas and low in others. Very, very few institutions score high on all NSSE indicators. Colleges and universities participating in this initiative are able to declare and demonstrate their commitment to improving and being accountable for undergraduate education. Also, the USA TODAY Web site includes a link to the institution’s Web site; this allows an institution to place its scores in context and call attention to strong performing programs and other distinctive aspects of its learning environment and students’ educational experiences.
10. If an institution did not authorize its benchmark scores for this project, does this mean the school did not score well?
Of course not. Institutions with both higher and lower scores choose not to participate for varied reasons. Some only have one year of data, which they have not had time to contextualize with other sources of information, while others are waiting to reassess student engagement after implementing new educational programs.
11. Can an institution authorize its data to be published on the USA TODAY Web site after the November 9 release?
NSSE and USA TODAY will evaluate the response to this initiative after November 9 and determine options for posting additional institutions’ data. The October 6 deadline for authorizing benchmark scores is necessary to allow time for USA TODAY to follow up with some institutions to produce feature stories for the November publication. It is also likely that the greatest media attention will occur upon the November 9 release date. Please contact Todd Chamberlain at toachamb@indiana.edu for more information.
12. How does this initiative support responsible public reporting of results?
In 2008, nearly 400 institutions agreed to share their benchmarks results on the USA TODAY Web site. This effort resulted in a model of appropriate and responsible use of student engagement results by a national news organization. It focused the quality discussion on the right things, recognizing multiple dimensions of quality, respecting institutional diversity, and rejecting reductionist rankings. It also provided an opportunity for participating institutions to demonstrate a commitment to transparency with respect to undergraduate teaching and learning.
NSSE is committed to educating the public about the appropriate and inappropriate uses of NSSE and other data as described in our position on the public reporting of student engagement results.
13. Will this initiative continue in future years?
NSSE and USA TODAY will continue to assess the effectiveness of this initiative each year. If it is extended, new institutions will be allowed to participate, and current participating institutions can decide if they want to continue.