NSSENSSENSSE
At the end of the survey, students are invited to express their opinions about their college learning experience in a space for up to 5,000 characters.
Institutions may choose one of four open-ended prompts. The default is chosen for institutions that did not select a prompt.
Students’ confidential, candid reflections on their own college experience can be an asset in survey research and assessment. Taking the time to review student comments gives voice and agency to students at the institution and recognizes the time and energy put into providing a thoughtful response. Student comments also complement quantitative results and expand assessment to include what students view as important in their own lives.
Depending on the reason for choosing an open-ended option, the information gathered can be analyzed and used in a variety of ways, for example:
NSSE provides a Student Comments report (MS Excel) and a separate data file (SPSS) of all responses exactly as the students entered them (which may not be suitable for distribution without prior review). Responses are provided for up to three open-ended questions. Two such questions appear in Topical Modules (such as Civic Engagement; First-Year Experiences and Senior Transitions) and the third appears at the end of the survey after any module or consortium questions.
The report contains separate tabs for each source, as appropriate. Each tab contains the wording of the corresponding question. End-of-survey comments are provided in separate tabs for first-year and senior students. Module comments are sorted by class, enrollment status, and sex; End-of-survey comments are split by class and sorted by overall satisfaction, enrollment status, and sex. The report also charts the overall satisfaction of your students, comparing those who left a comment with those who left no comment (Figure 1).
The data file includes the same information plus the student survey identifiers. For this reason, we urge discretion when using, storing, and disseminating the
report and data file.
San Francisco State University (SFSU) analyzed responses to the prompt “What one change would most improve the educational experience at this institution, and what one thing should not be changed?” Comments revealed three salient themes: class availability, graduation, and diversity. SFSU is using specific results to support positive aspects and minimize negative issues found in comments associated with these themes to help increase student engagement. SFSU’s student comments are displayed in attractive, colorful infographics available at the Institutional Research website.
The Beloit College Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning (IRAP) reviews their NSSE Student Comments data for specific mentions of offices, services, and people. Compliments about the quality of services, the helpfulness of staff, or the encouragement of faculty are passed along to appropriate individuals. By sharing positive and sometimes constructive feedback from the Student Comments report, IRAP generates goodwill about NSSE and Beloit’s participation while also promoting the value of student voices in assessment.
At Southern New Hampshire University's (SNHU) University College campus, NSSE results and questions that arise from them serve as the content of a one-credit School of Education course, “Inquiry Scholars.” Each semester, students enrolled in this course are asked to take up an authentic problem related to improving student learning that can be illuminated with their campus data. After SNHU’s administration of NSSE 2017, eight Inquiry Scholars classmates completed an analysis of the open-ended NSSE item, “What one change would you most like to see implemented that would improve the educational experience at this institution, and what one thing should not be changed?” The Inquiry Scholars put each comment from the 270 respondents who answered this question on a strip of paper and sorted these into thematic affinity groups. After analyzing the results by gender and year, they shared their findings with more than 150 faculty and staff members. Faculty, in turn, were asked to answer the same prompt during this event, and the Inquiry Scholars analyzed those results as well.