Evidence-Based Improvement
in Higher Education

Happy 20th, NSSE! Entering NSSE’s Third Decade: Retrospective and Prospective

NSSE is pleased to release the fifth data-informed story in Engagement Insights—Survey Findings on the Quality of Undergraduate Education, an annual series detailing important and timely NSSE findings. We review what NSSE has accomplished and learned over two decades, including the project’s success as a diagnostic tool for actionable results and evidence of improvement. We also identify several future directions, keeping in mind higher education trends and what will be important to assessment and improvement in undergraduate education over the coming years. 

Read more about NSSE’s future and please join us for a webinar on April 14, at 2 PM Eastern to discuss NSSE’s growing agenda!

Previous installments feature results about high-impact practices and from the Academic Advising Topical Module that bear on the interpersonal dimension of advising, and on students’ sense of belonging, drawing on three items added to the core NSSE survey in 2020. The fourth story The Trust Gap Among College Students examined a special data collection on notions of trust.

Announcing New Topical Modules; Changes to NSSE & FSSE for a year unlike any other

NSSE annually offers the option of Topical Modules—short question sets, appended to the core survey, on focused areas such as academic advising, first-year experiences and senior transitions, and diversity and inclusion. Given the changing higher education landscape, NSSE is offering three new modules for the 2021 administration:

• Career & Workforce Preparation
• Coping with COVID
• Experiences with Online Learning

The blog,"So Many NSSE Topical Modules...Making Your Decision for NSSE 2021" suggests how to choose a module from the many good options. 

NSSE and FSSE 2021 offerings changed in response to current circumstances, including new NSSE Modules, free portal/LMS recruitment, a $400 credit, and new FSSE content (more details available here).