NSSENSSENSSE
Q: What is the purpose of the Report Form?
Q: Are institutions required to complete the form?
Q: What are the default comparison groups?
Q: Can we change our selections?
Q: Which institutions should we select for our comparison groups?
Q: Can we select institutions that participated last year as well as this year?
Q: The form does not allow some users to select a default group. Why is that?
Q: Which version of the Carnegie Classification is used in this year’s form?
Q: How can I be sure our comparison groups were entered correctly?
Q: Why does NSSE send the Annual Results publication to our executive officer?
A: The Report Form collects information used to generate your Institutional Report package. Four items require your attention: (a) customize your comparison groups, (b) identify the comparison group to be the basis for your Snapshot report, (c) verify your institution’s formal and short names used in report titles and headings, and (d) confirm executive contact information used to send NSSE's Annual Results publication.
A: No, but we highly recommend you take the opportunity to customize so that your reports are aligned with your assessment needs. If you don’t customize a given comparison group you will receive a default set of institutions based on your institution’s characteristics.
A: The default comparison groups are: Group 1—All other prior- and current-year institutions in your geographic region and sector (private/public), Group 2—All other prior- and current-year institutions with the same Basic Carnegie classification, and Group 3—All other prior- and current-year U.S. institutions (Canadian institutions get all prior- and current-year U.S. and all other prior- and current-year Canadian institutions). If you participated in a consortium or Topical Module, your default comparison group for that report consists of all other prior- and current-year institutions that administered the consortium or module questions.
A: You may return to the form and edit information as often as you like until the form closes.
A: Institutions have different reasons for selecting comparison groups such as to match institutional characteristics (e.g., size, setting, or selectivity), special missions (e.g., land grant, religious, or technical), geographic region (e.g., Midwest), or locale (e.g., urban). You may also consider “institutional peers” (common peer comparison groups used by your institution) or “aspirational peers” (institutions considered high performers in some dimensions). When in doubt, the default comparison groups provide fairly distinct comparisons that are appropriate for most institutions.
You may also ask for assistance from your NSSE Project Services Team.
A: Yes. Comparison groups may include both current- and prior-year participants.
A: Institutions that do not have certain default criteria must select a comparison group. For example, if your institution does not have a Carnegie Classification or if a group has fewer than five NSSE-participating institutions a default group is not available.
A: The 2021 Carnegie Basic Classification is used in this year’s form.
A: The form will display your currently selected comparison institutions. There is also an option to generate an email that lists your selections. Finally, you will receive a confirmation email of your selections after the Report Form closes. If this information is incorrect, please contact your NSSE Project Services Team.
A: While the NSSE Institutional Report is sent directly to each Campus Project Manager, NSSE’s National Advisory Board recommends that we also send NSSE's Annual Results publication—Engagment Insights: Survey Findings on the Quality of Undergraduate Education—directly to the chief executive at each institution. The purpose is to increase the visibility of engagement results at the executive level. NSSE Campus Project Managers will be notified by email when the publication is sent.