Below is information about NSSE Shorts dashboard and administration procedures.
Administration Instructions
The NSSE Shorts Dashboard
After your registration approval, you will get an email to activate your NSSE Shorts Dashboard. It is critical that you activate this account to be able to administer the NSSE Shorts to your students. When you login to your account, you will see a “Registration and Administration” dashboard page. This page contains your survey URL, IRB information, and email templates.
You can also view the demonstration dashboard using the same link above. Enter "nsseshortsdemo" as the username and "password1" when prompted.
Procedures
NSSE Shorts is locally administered. Each campus is responsible for administering the survey to their undergraduate students. A campus can choose to survey groups of students (e.g., first-year and sophomore students) or all of their undergraduate students.
The survey opens March 1, 2025 and closes April 30, 2025. You can administer the survey at any time during this period.
Schools can administer the survey to students using email (see email templates in “Registration and Administration” dashboard page) or LMS. See Using Student Portals & Learning Management Systems for more details about uploading student-specific links to LMS. See the IRB-approved promotional text if you choose to use promotional materials.
Three Options for Administration
1. Using the institution-only specific survey URL with no personally identifiable student information
Data and results using this survey URL will provides the institution with summary results and data downloadable in real time. The institution will also be able to filter results by student responses and "grouping variables" (if applicable). Student responses using the institution-only specific links will be anonymous.
2. Student-specific links will provide data through the NSSE Shorts dashboard.
Student-specific links will contain a student identifier. This identifier is created by the institution and cannot be the real student identification used by the institution. It must be a fake student identifier that corresponds to the real student identification that is maintained in a crosswalk file by the institution. These student URL’s can be created by NSSE Shorts staff or by the institution. See the instructions in “Registration and Administration” dashboard page for more details about creating these links. The institution also has the option to include up to 3 grouping variables. Common data included in these variables, but not limited to, student major, advisor name, and honors college. These custom fields should be maintained in the same crosswalk file with the fake/real student identification. NSSE Shorts will treat all data as containing no student personally identifiable information (PII).
With student specific links, the institution will be able to monitor survey completions and follow up with only those who have not yet responded. The data also provides the institution the opportunity to reach out to students in a timely manner. For example, the campus can reach out to those students who are not sure they will return the next fall or are experiencing academic difficulties.
Data and results will provide the institution with summary results and data that is downloadable in real time. The institution will also be able to filter results by student responses and "grouping variables" (if applicable). Student-level responses will not be provided but will be included in the data download file.
3. A combination of the two options above.
A campus can also use both URL formats. For example, an institution may use student-specific links for its first-year students and institution-only specific links for all other students.
Email Invitation Message Templates
The email invitation templates are located in the NSSE Shorts dashboard. You can customize the invitations. For instance, is using option 2 above, you may merge in the student name rather than use the default, “Dear <institution name> student:”. You may also change who the email is sent from or the subject line. Any modifications to the message content may not convey a message that the survey is required or mandatory, or in any way implicitly or explicitly contradict the informed consent statement that is located on the first screen of the survey. The NSSE Shorts contact information must remain intact and unaltered.
Informed Consent
The informed consent is the first screen the student will see when they click on the survey URL. A copy of the informed consent can be downloaded from the NSSE Shorts dashboard and from the IRB and Data Security page.
Duplicate Submissions
Using the student-specific links will also reduce the chance of duplicate submissions. However, there may be a chance that a student can submit the survey twice. When that happens the assigned student ID will show up twice in the data file. NSSE Shorts can easily delete the duplicate if the institution chooses.
NSSE Shorts survey also utilizes "cookies" to reduce duplicate submissions from a student using the same device. This cookie will allow the student to return to the survey using the same device within one week and complete the survey from where they left off if. The students will see a message that they already completed the survey if they try to return after completing.