Add a "Group" Variable to the Report Builder
To increase the utility of the Report Builder, institutions can incorporate their own student groups or categories using the “Group1” field in the population file. For example, an institution can submit identifiers for a special academic support program, residence hall, or branch campus.
Institutions can include up to five Group variables in the population file, but only “Group1” will be integrated into the Report Builder, assuming the field has been formatted appropriately (see specifications below). Every appropriately formatted "Group1" will be automatically included in the Report Builder, so contact NSSE Project Services if you do not want it to be made available.
Specifications
To take advantage of this feature, review the following specifications:
- Column label—Include all relevant data under the “Group1” field (do not edit the column label). This will help ensure a successful population file upload as well as provide the needed information for the Report Builder.
- Category limit—No more than 10 categories can be included within the Group1 field.
- Category labels—Include at least 2 and up to 10 categories within the "Group1" field. Category labels must not exceed 10 alphanumeric characters and should be clearly identifiable by the institution. Keep a record. NSSE will not collect additional information to assist with interpreting results.
- No missing data—We recommend that all students in your population file be assigned to a specific category.
Examples of categories frequently used by institutions in past NSSE administrations:
*Major or disciplinary area
*Online or in-person student
*In-state or out-of-state student
