Delivering on the Promise of High-Impact Practices: Research and Models for Achieving Equity, Fidelity, Impact, and Scale
Zilvinskis, J., Kinzie, J., Daday, J., Oâ??Donnell, K & Vande Zande C.
Research shows that enriching learning experiences such as learning communities, service-learning, undergraduate research, internships, and senior culminating experiences â?? collectively known as High-Impact Practices (HIPs) â?? are positively associated with student engagement; deep, and integrated learning; and personal and educational gains for all students â?? particularly for historically underserved students, including first-generation students and racially minoritized populations. Delivering on the Promise of High-Impact Practices is to provide examples from around the country of the ways educators are advancing equity, promoting fidelity, achieving scale, and strengthening assessment of their own local high-impact practices. Its chapters bring together the best current scholarship, methodologies, and evidence-based practices within the HIPs field, illustrating new approaches to faculty professional development, culture and coalition building, research and assessment, and continuous improvement that help institutions understand and extend practices with a demonstrated high impact.
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Centering Black women faculty: Magnifying powerful voices
Priddie, C., Palmer, D., Silberstein, S., & BrckaLorenz, A.
While much of the quantitative research on Black women faculty has taken a comparative approach to understanding their experiences, this study provides a counternarrative, centering their experiences as faculty. This large-scale, multi-institution glance at Black women faculty helps to give us an overview of these women across the country, looking at who they are, where they are, how they spend their time, and what they value in undergraduate education. This study allows us to strengthen various arguments made in qualitative studies of Black women faculty and amplify their perspectives and experiences. Furthermore, it reaffirms and reinvigorates the need for educational developers to practice intentional assessment of Black women facultyâ??s teaching, support the current teaching efforts of Black women faculty on their campus, and advocate for policy change centering the work of Black women faculty.
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How to reorient assessment and accreditation in the time of COVID-19 disruption
Kinzie, J.
Among the many issues facing higher education during COVID-19 is uncertainty about the status of student learning outcomes assessment and accreditation. Will necessary shifts in course assignments and assessments affect completion, particularly for those scheduled to graduate this year? Will a suspension (or slowdown) of program-level assessment put the institution out of compliance with state regulations or accreditation requirements? If accreditation visits are postponed, will the institution find its federal funding in jeopardy? All of these concerns are understandable, and it is good to have them aired and discussed. However, the disruptions caused by COVID-19 may also provide an occasion for some useful rethinking of assessment. What those disruptions underscore is that decisions about assessment and accreditation must, above all, be sensitive to current realities and do what is best for students and faculty. Rather than aiming for compliance, or sticking with the plan to “just give students the exam and asterisk the results,” now is the time to prioritize what people need and embrace compassion-driven assessment, and reassess the fundamental goals of assessment. To help think about the issues at hand, I offer some practical suggestions for course- and program-level assessment and accreditation demands. Then I suggest we take advantage of this moment to make some meaningful improvements to assessment and accreditation.
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NSSE's Quest for Quality: Seven Lessons in Designing a Better Survey
Gonyea, Robert M. and Sarraf, Shimon
In 20 years NSSE has learned much about how to manage a successful survey administration, and how to continuously improve the questionnaire, data collection tools, and reporting. This article includes seven lessons that may help assessment professionals improve their own surveys.
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Information Literacy's Influence on Undergraduates' Learning and Development: Results from a Large Multi-institutional Study
Fosnacht, Kevin
This paper investigated the reliability and validity of the National Survey of Student Engagement's Experiences with Information Literacy module, an assessment instrument developed in collaboration with a group of instructional librarians. After identifying three information literacy–related factors in the module, it assessed the relationship between the factors and students' engagement in Higher-Order Learning and Reflective and Integrative Learning activities and students' perceived gains. The results from these analyses indicated that information literacy activities were positively and significantly correlated with student engagement and students' perceived gains.
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Examining the Meaning of Vague Quantifiers in Higher Education: How Often is "Often"?
Rocconi, L.M., Dumford, A.D., & Butler, B.
Researchers, assessment professionals, and faculty in higher education increasingly depend on survey data from students to make pivotal curricular and programmatic decisions. The surveys collecting these data often require students to judge frequency (e.g., how often), quantity (e.g., how much), or intensity (e.g., how strongly). The response options given for these questions are usually vague and include responses such as "never," "sometimes," and "often." However, the meaning that respondents give to these vague responses may vary. This study aims to determine the efficacy of using vague quantifiers in survey research. More specifically, the purpose of this study is to explore the meaning that respondents ascribe to vague response options and whether or not those meanings vary by student characteristics. Results from this study indicate a high degree of correspondence between vague and numeric response and suggest that students seem to adapt the meaning of "sometimes," "often," and "very often" based on the appropriate reference for the question. Overall, findings provide evidence of the utility and appropriateness of using vague response options. Some differences by student characteristics and the implications of these differences are discussed.
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Behavior-based student typology: A view from student transition from high school to college
Mu, L., & Cole, J.
Several recent studies have successfully identified college student typologies based on individuals‘ behaviors. One limitation of past studies has been their reliance on one-time cross-sectional assessments. As a result, we are left to ponder the stability of students‘ behavioral types as their academic years move forward. This study used longitudinal student data from high school to college, to investigate the stability of a behavior-based student typology. Guided by findings in behavioral consistency from personality psychology, this study explored the associations of higher education institution‘s structure, and supportive elements of the environment and the transition of students‘ behavior-based types. The results showed that, in high school and higher education settings, students‘ behaviors in a variety of activities classified students into four types. In the higher education setting, about half of the students were of the same behavioral type while the remaining students engaged in changes as compared with their behavior-based types in high school. Students‘ background characteristics and institutional environment demonstrated an association related to these shifts.
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The dependability of the updated NSSE: A generalizability study
Fosnacht, K., & Gonyea, R. M.
This study utilized generalizability theory to assess the context where the National Survey of Student Engagement‘s (NSSE) summary measures, the Engagement Indicators, produce dependable group-level means. The dependability of NSSE group means is an important topic for the higher education assessment community given its wide utilization and usage in institutional assessment and accreditation. We found that the Engagement Indicators produced dependable group means for an institution derived from samples as small as 25 to 50 students. Furthermore, we discuss how the assessment community should use NSSE data.
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Contextualizing effect sizes in the National Survey of Student Engagement: An empirical analysis
Rocconi, L. M., & Gonyea, R. M.
The concept of effect size plays a crucial role in assessment, institutional research, and scholarly inquiry, where it is common with large sample sizes to find small relationships that are statistically significant. This study examines the distribution of effect sizes from institutions that participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and empirically derives recommendations for their interpretation. The aim is to provide guidelines for researchers, policymakers, and assessment professionals to judge the importance of an effect from student engagement results. The authors argue for the adoption of the recommendations for interpreting effect sizes from statistical comparisons of NSSE data.
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Information literacy's influence on undergraduates' learning and development: Results from a large multi-institutional study
Fosnacht, K.
This paper investigated the reliability and validity of the National Survey of Student Engagement‘s Experiences with Information Literacy Topical Module, an assessment instrument developed in collaboration with a group of instructional librarians. After identifying three information literacy related constructs in the module, it assessed the relationship between the constructs and students‘ engagement in Higher-Order Learning and Reflective and Integrative Learning activities and students' perceived gains. The results from these analyses indicated that information literacy activities are positively and significantly correlated with student engagement and students‘ perceived gains.
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How important are high response rates for college surveys?
Fosnacht, K., Sarraf, S., Howe, E., & Peck, L. K.
Surveys play an important role in understanding the higher education landscape. However, declining survey participation rates threaten this source of vital information and its perceived utility. Although survey researchers have long assumed that the best way to obtain unbiased estimates is to achieve a high response rate, many survey researchers have begun to question the widely held assumption that low response rates provide biased results. Due to the prevalence of survey data in higher education research and assessment efforts, it is imperative to better understand the relationship between response rates and data quality. This study investigates this assumption with college student assessment data. It utilizes data from hundreds of samples of first-year and senior students with relatively high response rates using a common assessment instrument with a standardized administration protocol. It investigates how population estimates would have changed if researchers put forth less effort when collecting data and achieved lower response rates and respondent counts.
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Indirect assessments in higher education
Nelson Laird, T. F. & BrckaLorenz, A.
Assessment and accountability are now inescapable features of the landscape of higher education, and ensuring that these assessments are psychometrically sound has become a high priority for accrediting agencies and therefore also for higher education institutions. Bringing together the higher education assessment literature with the psychometric literature, this book focuses on how to practice sound assessment. This volume provides comprehensive and detailed descriptions of tools for and approaches to assessing student learning outcomes in higher education. The book is guided by the core purpose of assessment, which is to enable faculty, administrators, and student affairs professionals with the information they need to increase student learning by making changes in policies, curricula, and other programs. The book is divided into three sections: overview, assessment in higher education, and case studies. The central section looks at direct and indirect measures of student learning, and how to assure the validity, reliability, and fairness of both types. The first six chapters (the first two sections) alternate chapters written by experts in assessment in higher education and experts in psychometrics. The remaining three chapters are applications of assessment practices in three higher education institutions. Finally, the book includes a glossary of key terms in the field.
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The use of student engagement findings as a case of evidence-based practice
Kinzie, J.
The chapter considers student engagement to discuss the use of assessment evidence to advance evidence-based practice and to illustrate a scholarship of practice.
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Assessment in student affairs (2nd ed.)
Schuh, J. H., Biddix, P., Dean, L. A., & Kinzie, J.

Lessons from the field—Volume 3: Using data to catalyze change on campus
National Survey of Student Engagement
Volume 3 of Lessons from the Field builds on insights from the earlier volumes illustrating the benefits of using NSSE results. Specifically, the highlighted institutional examples predominately feature the use of NSSE‘s updated measures and redesigned reports introduced with the survey‘s 14th administration in 2013. After more than three years of collaborative analysis, evidence-based item refinement, pilot testing, and student interviews, NSSE was revised to incorporate content enhancements and customization options that sustain the survey‘s relevance and value to participating institutions. The 25 institutional accounts featured in this volume illustrate how institutions are using results from the updated NSSE in assessment and improvement activities and in a variety of efforts to address important campus needs and priorities. Indeed, enlisting campus constituencies in the use of assessment results is essential during a time of heightened demands for accountability and pressures to increase student persistence and completion, support diversity, and ensure high-quality learning for all students. Even more, improvement efforts at colleges and universities are more likely to succeed when they emerge from a shared understanding of the evidence and of the priorities for action.
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Refocusing the quality discourse: The United States National Survey of Student Engagement
McCormick, A. C., & Kinzie, J.

One size does not fit all: Traditional and innovative models of student affairs practice
Manning, K. M., Kinzie, J., & Schuh, J. H.

Do good assessment practices measure up to the principles of assessment?
Kinzie, J., Jankowski, N., & Provezis, S.

Assessing learning spaces: Purpose, possibilities, approaches
Kinzie, J.

NSSE benchmarks and institutional outcomes: A note on the importance of considering the intended uses of a measure in validity studies
Pike, G.

The Degree Qualifications Profile: What it is and why we need it now
Jankowski, N., Hutchings, P., Ewell, P. T., Kinzie, J., & Kuh, G. D.

Refreshing engagement: NSSE at 13
McCormick, A. C., Gonyea, R. M., & Kinzie, J.
Thirteen years ago, 276 bachelor's-granting colleges and universities inaugurated a new approach to assessing college quality by participating in the first national administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The timing was right. Policymakers were growing increasingly impatient with an ongoing yet unsustainable pattern of cost escalation, skepticism was building about how much students were learning in college, and regional accreditors were ratcheting up their demands on colleges and universities to adopt assessment for purposes of improvement. Meanwhile, higher education's leaders were frustrated by the crude metrics dominating the discourse about college quality. It's been said that a dean at one of those early-adopting institutions enthusiastically proclaimed: “Finally, a test I actually want to teach to!”NSSE introduced a simple yet effective reframing of the quality question: ask undergraduates about their educationally purposeful experiences. It incorporated several important design principles: emphasize behaviors that prior research found to be positively related to desired learning outcomes; emphasize actionable information—behaviors and experiences that institutions can influence; standardize survey sampling and administration to ensure comparability between institutions; provide participating institutions with comprehensive reports detailing their own students' responses relative to those at comparison institutions, plus an identified student data file to permit further analysis by the institution. NSSE was administered to first-year students and seniors, opening a window on quality at these “bookends” of the undergraduate experience. In addition to reporting item-by-item results, the project created summary measures in the form of five “Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice” that focused attention on key dimensions of quality in undergraduate education: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus environment. The new survey caught on fast. Annual participation now numbers 600–700 institutions, for a cumulative total of more than 1,500 colleges and universities in the US and Canada. What started as a bold experiment in changing the discourse about quality and improvement in undergraduate education—and providing metrics to inform that discourse—is now a trusted fixture in higher education's assessment landscape. High rates of repeat participation offer compelling testimony of the project's value. Of the first group of 276, 93 percent administered the survey in NSSE's tenth year or later. The Web-based survey is now offered as a census of first-year students and seniors, permitting disaggregated analyses by academic unit or demographic subgroup. In 2013, some 1.6 million undergraduates were invited to complete the survey, providing both valuable information for more than 620 participating campuses and a comprehensive look at student engagement across a wide variety of institutions. The 2013 administration marks the first major update of the survey since its inception. In the following pages, we summarize what we've learned over NSSE's first 13 years, why we're updating the survey, and new insights and diagnostic possibilities represented by these changes. Although NSSE's companion surveys, the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) and the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE), are incorporating parallel changes, here we focus on the changes to NSSE.
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Linking the assessment of student engagement to student success
Gonyea, R. M., BrckaLorenz, A., & Ribera, T.

Investigating social desirability bias in student self-report surveys
Miller, A. L.

Lessons from the field—Volume 2: Moving from data to action
National Survey of Student Engagement
In this publication we highlight approaches different types of institutions have taken to improve the undergraduate experience. Because NSSE focuses on student behavior and effective educational practice, colleges and universities have found many productive ways to use survey results: accreditation self-studies, benchmarking, curricular reform, faculty and staff development, grant writing, institutional research, retention, and state system comparisons. The stories about data use illustrate various ways that assessment can be a worthwhile undertaking when meaningful data are generated and discussed with a wide campus audience, and results are used to inform efforts to improve educational effectiveness. Understanding how colleges and universities use results and achieve improvements in undergraduate education is important. to advancing systemic improvement in higher education. The examples in this volume provide ample inspiration for encouraging institutions to move from collecting data to taking action.
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An engagement-based student typology and its relationship to college outcomes
Hu, S., & McCormick, A. C.

Examining the relationship between student learning and persistence
Hu, S., McCormick, A. C., & Gonyea, R. M.

It’s about time: What to make of reported declines in how much college students study
McCormick, A. C.
A substantial body of research affirms the commonsense notion that involvement in academic work and quality of effort pay off: the more students engage in educationally purposeful activities, the more they learn. An important element is how much time students invest in studying. Yet while time is important, it is increasingly clear that how students spend their study time also matters. Spending many hours memorizing facts in order to perform well on an exam may earn a good grade, but it is not likely to result in long-term retention or the ability to apply what was learned in novel situations. A recent longitudinal analysis of student performance on the open-ended performance task of the Collegiate Learning Assessment, administered to the same students at the beginning of the first year and at the end of the sophomore year, found that hours spent studying alone corresponded to improved performance, but hours spent studying with peers did not. While we should not ignore the importance of how study time is used, this article focuses on the simple question of how much full-time college students study, whether study time has declined, and if so, what may account for the decline.
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Clearing the air about the use of self-reported gains in institutional research
Gonyea, R. M., & Miller, A.

Perspectives from campus leaders on the current state of student learning outcomes assessment.
Kinzie, J.

Student engagement and a culture of assessment
Kinzie, J.

Lessons from the field—Volume 1: Using NSSE to assess and improve undergraduate education
National Survey of Student Engagement
Assessment is a worthwhile undertaking when meaningful data are generated, evidence-based improvement initiatives are thoroughly considered and discussed, and results are ultimately used to improve educational effectiveness. NSSE results are oriented toward such practical use. Each year, more campuses use their NSSE results in innovative ways to improve the undergraduate experience. In this publication we highlight the approaches different types of institutions have taken to move from data to action.
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Using NSSE in institutional research
Gonyea, R. M., & Kuh, G. D. (Eds.)
This volume is about three contemporary trends in American higher education that affect the work of institutional researchers. The first is the unabated appetite for more evidence, accountability, and transparency of student and institutional performance. State and federal governments and other groups continue to demand that colleges and universities demonstrate that they are using their resources in an efficient and effective manner while delivering the best education possible at a reasonable cost (Commission on the Future of Higher Education, 2006). Colleges and universities are expected to assess and evaluate their curricula, programs, and services at all levels to maximize student learning and demonstrate faculty productivity and institutional quality. These circumstances have made additional demands on the time and expertise of institutional research professionals (Howard, 2001; Knight, 2003). This leads to the second trend: the increased visibility and importance of institutional research offices staffed by highly skilled and competent professionals who can provide campus leaders with objective, trustworthy data about student and institutional performance (Howard, 2001; Terenzini, 1993). Institutional researchers provide evidence for planning, policy formation, and decision making to help an institution more effectively allocate resources in line with its missions, goals, and objectives, thereby demonstrating that the college or university is worthy of the support of its various stakeholders (Saupe, 1981; Dressell, 1981). Toward this end, institutional researchers gather evidence to inform the approval of new academic programs, program reviews, and reports to external bodies such as accreditors. They conduct analyses of existing data that range from the simply descriptive to multivariate modeling to determine what various units are doing and how well. Recently, institutional researchers have become more involved in activities to assess institutional conditions that support teaching and student learning outcomes. The third trend is the ascendance of student engagement and other process indicators that serve as both proxy measures for institutional quality and actionable information to inform improvement efforts. The most widely used of these tools is the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). NSSE‘s popularity is a function of forces in the external environment that in retrospect all but guaranteed its success, although its developers could not know this at the outset. By the late 1990s, regional accreditors were requiring that all institutions provide evidence of the quality of the undergraduate experience and that institutions use the information they were gathering to strengthen their programs and practices. NSSE was almost a perfect tool in this regard, inasmuch as it was designed and its reports formatted so that a campus could benchmark its results against those of similar schools and use the data almost immediately to point to places where changes in policies and practices could enhance student engagement. The final report of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, commonly known as the Spellings Commission, A Test of Leadership (2006), recommended NSSE as one of the instruments institutions should use. Subsequently, the Voluntary System of Accountability, a joint effort of the National Association of Land Grant Colleges and Universities and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, designated NSSE as one of the preferred tools for reporting selected dimensions of the quality of the student experience. In addition, business leaders and policymakers called for colleges and universities to graduate more students, especially those from historically underserved populations, in order for the United States to remain economically competitive in a global marketplace. Some colleges and universities turned to NSSE because it provided data about activities and institutional actions that decades of research indicated were linked to student persistence and graduation. Another reason NSSE has been well received is that from the beginning, its staff were unequivocally committed to continuous improvement and working closely with their “customers”: institutional researchers and assessment personnel, academic administrators and student life programmers, and leaders of national associations with similar aims. Its National Advisory Board held NSSE staff to high performance expectations, one of which was to make the case to the media for why student engagement mattered to student learning in contrast to institutional resources and reputation, the two major planks on which popular college rankings rested. As a result, student engagement is now part of the higher education lexicon in North America. This New Directions for Institutional Research volume explains the value and relevance of the student engagement construct and how NSSE results have been used for various purposes. Taken together, the contributors to this volume make plain why and how student engagement is a concept and data source with which institutional researchers must become familiar and use to help colleges and universities deal productively with the challenges of assessment, improvement, accountability, and transparency.
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Promoting student success: Creating conditions so every student can learn
Chickering, A. W., & Kuh, G. D.
Accommodating diverse learning styles of students has long been espoused as a principle of good practice in undergraduate education. Much progress has been made during the past two decades in using active, collaborative, and problem-based learning, learning communities, student-faculty research, service learning, internships, and other pedagogical innovations to enrich student learning. Variable time blocks are more common--from three hours, to all day, to weekends, to six or eight weeks--to fit the desired outcomes, content, and processes. Peers tutor other students, deepening their own learning in the process. Increasingly sophisticated communication and information technologies provide students access to a broad range of print and visual resources and to an expanded range of human expertise. A wider range of assessment tools document what and how well students are learning. Despite all this activity, at too many schools these and other effective educational practices are underutilized. The suggestions offered here are drawn in large part from a study of 20 diverse four-year colleges and universities that have higher-than-predicted graduation rates and, through the National Survey of Student Engagement, demonstrated that they have effective practices for fostering success among students of differing abilities and aspirations. These institutions clearly communicate that they value high quality undergraduate teaching and learning. They have developed instructional approaches tailored to a wide range of student learning styles, ensuring that students engage with course content and interact in meaningful ways with faculty and peers, inside and outside the classroom.
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The use of student engagement findings as a case of evidence-based practice
Kinzie, J.
The chapter considers student engagement to discuss the use of assessment evidence to advance evidence-based practice and to illustrate a scholarship of practice.
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The use of student engagement findings as a case of evidence-based practice
Kinzie, J.
The chapter considers student engagement to discuss the use of assessment evidence to advance evidence-based practice and to illustrate a scholarship of practice.
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Bringing their perspective to campus: Students’ experiences with inclusive courses and diverse environments
Kinzie, J., & BrckaLorenz, A.
How much do students experience courses that emphasize sharing their own perspectives or respecting diverse ideas? This study uses data from a multi-institution survey to explore student experiences with inclusive courses and perceptions of institutional commitment to diversity and discuss a dozen campus responses to their institutional assessment results.

Typology of students: A view from student transition from high school to college
Mu, L., & Cole, J.
Several recent studies have successfully identified several college student types. One limitation of past studies has been their reliance on one-time cross sectional assessments. As a result, we are left to ponder the stability or consistency of student behaviors as the academic year progresses. This study uses longitudinal data of student engagement to investigate the stability of student engagement typology. Guided by behavioral consistency theory, this study explores the supportive elements of educational settings in order to find those under which students‘ behavior-based types are more likely to change. Results showed that there are generally four student types based on their engagement in a variety of activities. In higher education settings, most students stick to a pattern of behaviors while a small portion changed compared with their engagement types in high school. Students‘ background characteristics and institutional environment showed association with these shifts.

An alternative approach: Using survey panels to inform assessment
Sarraf, S., Fernandez, S., Houlemarde, M., & Wang, X.
As an experiment, eight mini-surveys based on selected items from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were administered to 500 college students over an eight-week period. NSSE staff recruited participants from five diverse colleges and universities in order to investigate this alternative survey panel approach to see what impact it would have on various data quality indicators. Results indicate a dramatic increase in student participation rates and less missing data from those who responded.

Contextualizing student engagement effect sizes: An empirical analysis
Rocconi, L., & Gonyea, R. M.
The concept of effect size—a measure of the strength of association between two variables—plays a crucial role in assessment, institutional research, and scholarly inquiry, where it is common with large sample sizes to find small or even trivial relationships or differences that are statistically significant. Using the distributions of effect sizes from the results of 984 institutions that participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in 2013 and 2014, the authors empirically derived new recommendations for the interpretation of effect sizes which were grounded within the context of the survey. We argue for the adoption of new values for interpreting small, medium, and large effect sizes from statistical comparisons of NSSE Engagement Indicators, High-Impact Practices, and student engagement data more generally.

Survey lottery incentives and institutional response rates: An exploratory analysis
Sarraf, S., & Cole, J.S.
Many institutional and educational researchers are well aware that response rates for assessment surveys have been declining over the past few decades (Dey, 1997; Laguilles, Williams, & Saunders, 2011). As a result, many researchers have noted that our ability to adequately assess student academic experiences, satisfaction, engagement, use of campus resources, and other important topics in higher education are at risk (Pike, 2008). Consequently, use of incentives are one tool that many institutional researchers have come to rely on to boost or hold steady their response rates for various campus student surveys. Though research regarding the efficacy of incentives to boost survey response rates in higher education is scant, the research that does exist suggests that incentives are an effective way to boost institutional response rates (Heerwegh, 2006; Laguilles, Williams, & Saunders, 2011). The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of lottery incentives (the mostfrequently used incentive approach) to boost responses rates for institutions using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

Taking surveys with smartphones: A look at usage among college students
Sarraf, S., Brooks, J., & Cole, J.
The widespread adoption of mobile technologies has dramatically impacted the landscape for survey researchers (Buskirk & Andrus, 2012), and those focusing on college student populations are no exception. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), one of the largest U.S. college survey assessment projects, annually surveys hundreds of thousands of undergraduate students at college and university campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Internal NSSE analyses show the number of smartphone respondents is increasing each year.1 This analysis showed that in 2011, only about 4% of NSSSE respondents used a smartphone, but by 2013 that figure had increased to 13%. Preliminary results from the 2014 administration suggest the percentage continues to increase, with roughly 18% of respondents using smartphones to complete the survey. Using 2013 NSSE data, the purpose of this study is to examine college student demographics and engagement results by smartphone respondent status. The results of this study will provide insights into the prevalence of college?aged survey respondents using smartphones, and the impact this technology has on survey responses.

Faculty emphasis on diversity conversations and conversations with diverse others
BrckaLorenz, A., Nelson Laird, T., & Shaw, M.
Using data from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), this study examines how often faculty structure class sessions around diverse topics and how often faculty report students having serious conversations with diverse others in their courses. Findings suggest that faculty most often structure course sessions around economic and social inequalities and report students having the most conversations with people of differing economic or social backgrounds. Faculty members‘ gender and race matter in predicting these measures of diversity in the classroom, but disciplinary area was the strongest predictor. Implications for assessment and institutional research are discussed.

Faculty emphasis on diversity topics and conversations with diverse others
Nelson Laird, T. F., Shaw, M. D., Cole, E. R., BrckaLorenz, A., & Cervera, Y.
Using data from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), this study examines how often faculty structure class sessions around diverse topics and how often faculty report students having serious conversations with diverse others in their courses. Findings suggest that faculty most often structure course sessions around economic and social inequalities and report students having the most conversations with people of differing economic or social backgrounds. Faculty members‘ gender and race matter in predicting these measures of diversity in the classroom, but disciplinary area was the strongest predictor. Implications for assessment and institutional research are discussed.

Equitable counts: Inclusive data analysis, data quality, and dissemination
BrckaLorenz, Allison
Institutional research and assessment that uses quantitative data faces many challenges in ensuring that data practices are equitable and inclusive. Critical approaches to quantitative data challenge traditional models, measures, and analytic processes often used in traditional quantitative research. Although a critical lens can allow us to better find areas of inequity, these approaches can be met with skepticism and misunderstandings. Participants in this session will learn about critical quantitative inquiry and how it can apply to four different areas of IR decision making: data collection, data analysis, assessing data quality, and dissemination of results. We will discuss critiques of traditional assumptions and uses of quantitative data, look at examples for how we can apply critical approaches to our work, and learn about challenges we should anticipate when using critical quantitative inquiry in IR decision making and in sharing critically derived results with others.

Assessing College Student Mental Health and Well-Being: Implications for Campus Support and Promising Practice
Kinzie, Jillian; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Chambers, Tony; Huber, Susan; Yuhas, Bridget
Concern about college studentsâ?? mental health and the need for institutions to provide more support are on the rise. This session will draw from three research projectsâ??Student Well-Being Institutional Support Survey (SWISS), National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Mental Health & Well-Being module, and the Center for Healthy Minds and Human Flourishing courseâ??to combine assessments and expand understanding of student mental health, perceptions of support, and effective interventions. We will highlight the most current and important findings about college student mental health and well-being, discuss implications for colleges and universities and considerations for equity, and exchange ideas about campus interventions that show the most promise.

A Quantitative Review of Faculty Practices and Perceptions of the Scholarship for Teaching and Learning
Braught, Emily; BrckaLorenz, Allison
How do faculty perceive and interact with scholarship for teaching and learning? This session will review findings from the 2022 and 2023 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), exploring the extent to which classroom- and institutional-level assessment efforts are used to make improvements and hone teaching practices, the extent to which faculty collaborate and build community with one another to share out teaching practices, and the extent to which external motivations influence faculty frequency of practices related to the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Beyond Demographics: Incorporating Equitable and Inclusive Language about Student Identities in Surveys
Miller, Angela; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Kilgo, Cindy Ann; Priddie, Christen; Wenger, Kevin; Zhu, Yihan
A new workgroup within the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) focuses on Equity in Survey Design, Administration, Analysis, and Reporting (ESDAR). The workgroup has made changes to survey items for the 2023 administration. These revisions were aimed at more inclusive and equitable language, particularly related to items asking about student identities such as gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, first-generation status, and Greek life participation. Attendees will learn about the rationale behind these revisions, and be asked to reflect on whether their own institutional assessments use equitable and inclusive language.

Faculty Members are Not the Problem: Improving Faculty Teaching Environments to Foster Teaching Excellence
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Nelson Laird, Tom
Given challenges with technology, the pressures of the academy, political meddling in higher education, inequitable conditions, and students whose needs are complex and changing rapidly, faculty members find themselves struggling with workload, their own health issues, competing priorities, and how to be effective teachers in a challenging time. Using data from two large-scale multi-institution assessment projects, we invite you to examine with us aspects of faculty teaching environments that contribute to faculty members' success as educators. By using measures of, for example, institutional policies and processes, access to instructional resources, and institutional climates for diversity, we will illustrate how a better understanding of the teaching environment can improve faculty development efforts. Join us for an exchange of ideas about ways to foster environments that motivate teaching excellence and support faculty in both their work and personal lives.

Building on Tradition: Approaches to More Inclusive Data Analysis
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Hu, Tien-Ling
Institutional research and assessment depends heavily on our ability to characterize the students we study into categories and on our inclination to generalize the results. Although this work is necessary for understanding student experiences, it does present challenges for critical and inclusive approaches to data analysis. In this session, we will discuss common issues and solutions associated with inclusive data analysis by investigating a series of data analysis examples that feature small sample sizes for marginalized students. We will discuss traditional variable-centered versus person-centered methodological approaches, strategies for creating groups to use in comparative analyses, challenges in quantitatively capturing aspects of identity, and tips for communicating the results, validity, and data quality of such analyses to broad audiences.

Gathering Evidence for an Assessment of Environments That Motivate Teaching Excellence
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Brandon, Josclynn; Hu, Tien-Ling; Priddie, Christen; Nelson-Laird, Thomas F.
Inequities and discrimination within the systems and structures of higher education prevent faculty from doing and receiving recognition for their best work as educators. The purpose of this study is to present the validation testing and overview of results from a new project designed to help institutions understand the teaching environments in their local context and for researchers to understand teaching environments in higher education. The assessment instrument examined here guides our understanding of faculty needs, motivations, and supports that are necessary for healthy teaching environments and the wellbeing of diverse faculty. Findings from this study add to our knowledge of faculty teaching cultures as well as provide an example of how to collect validity evidence for climate assessment instruments

Assessing Sense of Belonging for Student Success: New Findings from NSSE
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Lofton, Colleen; Kinzie, Jillian
Sense of belonging influences student persistence and success. NSSE 2020 findings from 521 bachelorâ??s granting colleges and universities show most first-year students feel comfortable being themselves and feel valued and a part of the community at their institution, yet notable differences were found for traditionally marginalized subpopulations. This session will provide an overview of findings through an interactive discussion and publicly available data visualization. Facilitators will provide examples of how institutions have used their data to assess and impact belongingness. Participants will identify actions their institution can take to influence the sense of belonging on their campus for marginalized student populations.

NSSE's 3rd Decade: Highlighting New Emphases in Assessment and Student Engagement
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Cole, Jim; Gonyea, Robert; Kinzie, Jillian; McCormick, Alex; Sarraf, Shimon
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is excited to enter our 3rd decade of assessment to improve educational quality and student outcomes. This session will highlight NSSE's suite of surveys – the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) and Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) and new emphases, including survey items on effective teaching and sense of belonging and data visualization tools. We'll also introduce enhancements including Topical Modules to assess inclusiveness and cultural diversity, advising, and quality in online education and HIPs

Assessing the Faculty Role in High-Impact Practices
Fassett, Kyle T.; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Nelson Laird, Thomas F.
High-impact practices are effective educational practices leveraged to improve student outcomes, and often faculty members are key to their facilitation. This session examines faculty roles in emphasizing students’ participation and engaging students in these practices. We will share characteristics of faculty who encourage and partake in these activities with an emphasis on assessment practices for gathering more information about faculty experiences with high-impact practices. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from one another through sharing their own challenges and successes in measuring faculty involvement in high-impact practices and how they cultivate a culture of high-impact experiences on campus.

Dealing with tough moments: Assessing faculty preparation for teaching challenges
Fassett, Kyle T.; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Hurtado, Sarah
Faculty are increasingly placed in situations where they have to navigate difficult teaching situations (student incivility, disclosure of sensitive information, controversial events, etc.) and challenging conversations with students (sexual assault, racism, mental health, etc.). As such, it is important to examine faculty preparation for managing such situations, what strategies they implement when they encounter these concerns, and what related training they wish they had received. Findings from a large-scale quantitative and qualitative study of teaching challenges will guide a discussion about assessing and supporting faculty efforts to navigate difficult teaching situations through professional development programming.

Equity and Inclusivity in the Assessment of High-Impact Practices
Heager, Heather; BrckaLorenz, Allison
As we seek to assess what works and what needs improvement in High-Impact Practices (HIPs), it is essential that we critically examine our assessment strategies and methodologies. Many assessment plans inadvertently overlook the experiences of diverse student populations and only focus on large, aggregate data that reflects the experiences of traditionally privileged, majority students. This session will focus on how to conduct more inclusive assessment, including specific strategies for: creating more inclusive survey questions, how to assess the experiences of small populations in order to improve the experiences of small populations, more equitable quantitative methods, and democratically engaged assessment strategies.

Survey Inclusivity: Centering Minoritized Groups in Survey Design
Priddie, Christen; BrckaLorenz, Allison
The emergence of critical quantitative methodologies emphasizes the importance of using race-conscious approaches to highlight the centrality of race in student experiences, as a neutral approach can support a deficit framing. This session explores why it is important to center racially minoritized groups in survey design in order to move toward more equitable assessments of their experiences. Discussion will focus on an example of intentionally centering Black college student experiences in a quantitative study of collaborative learning and perceptions of campus climate with tips and strategies for participants to center racially minoritized voices in their own assessments.

What's next for student engagement and institutional assessment
Kinzie, J.; BrckaLorenz, A.; Gonyea, R.; Kirnbauer, T.; Sarraf, S.
Over the past 20 years, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has helped institutional researchers gain insight into institutional quality. Further, a shifting higher education landscape requires institutional researchers to reconsider how assessment is conducted. NSSE continues to search for innovative ways to understand student engagement and serve as a valuable assessment tool for institutions. In this session, we will focus on three areas that impact institutional assessment: changing student demographics, developments in teaching and learning, and innovative approaches to assessment. The session will conclude with an active discussion with participants about the trends and possibilities at their institutions.

Student engagement and institutional assessment: Current trends and future possibilities
McCormick, A., Kinzie, J., BrckaLorenz, A., Gonyea, R., Sarraf, S.
With the National Survey of Student Engagement marking its 20th year, we invite participants to explore the trends and possibilities of engagement as a lens for examining institutional quality. This session, conducted as a research town hall, will focus on three broad areas: 1. Changing demographics—What are the emerging demographics on your campus? How will new kinds of students challenge and shape what we know about engagement? 2. Developments in teaching and learning—Do current measures of engagement adequately cover what is essential to the improvement of student learning? What new forms of engagement should we assess? 3. Approaches to assessment—What trends should a large-scale survey assessment project consider over the next decade to facilitate evidence-informed improvement? After briefly introducing each topic, the presenters will facilitate an active discussion with participants about the trends and possibilities at their institutions and in higher education overall.

Educational environments for faculty: Improving postsecondary teaching through assessment
Strickland, J., BrckaLorenz, A., Fassett, K., Nelson Laird, T.
This session focuses on understanding the relationship between faculty members' educational environments and their teaching practices. Results from a large-scale, multi-institutional study give insight into these environments by documenting faculty sense of departmental belonging, collegial commitment to quality teaching, and access to resources to meet high standards. Participants will engage in a conversation about how to best assess educational environments, differences across faculty characteristics, and how to create momentum for change.

20 years of student engagement: Insights about students, assessment, and college quality
Kinzie, J., Gonyea, R., & McCormick, A.
In 2020 the National Survey of Student Engagement enters its third decade assessing the quality of undergraduate learning and success. In 20 years, the student engagement movement has surely changed our notions of quality in higher education. Most institutions now value a culture of evidence, promoting deep approaches to learning, developing high-impact practices, and tracking engagement indicators. This session reviews the most important findings about student engagement in the past two decades, and asks participants to consider what engagement will look like in the next decade. What is next for assessing quality in undergraduate education and collecting evidence for improvement?

Assessing environmental factors that promote quality collegiate teaching
BrckaLorenz, A., Nelson Laird, T., Fassett, K., Hiller, S., & Strickland, J.
As the need to improve undergraduate education intensifies, assessment of student and faculty practices should be complemented by information about the environmental conditions that help faculty members do their best work. This session focuses on understanding the relationship between faculty educational environments and their teaching practices. Results from a large-scale, multi-institutional study give insight into these environments by documenting faculty sense of departmental belonging, collegial commitment to quality teaching, and access to resources to meet high standards. Session participants will engage in a conversation about how to best assess educational environments, and how to create momentum for change.

Assessing the quality of undergraduate living arrangements: Relationships with engagement and persistence
Fosnacht, K., Gonyea, R., Fassett, K., & Graham, P.
This presentation overviews research findings from the National Survey of Student Engagement's living arrangements study. It discusses student persistence, the sophomore experience, roommate matching policies, and living-learning communities.

Challenges and benefits of cross sectional assessment
Fassett, K. & BrckaLorenz, A.
Repeated assessments are intended to generate knowledge about changes occurring on campuses to make informed decisions; however, data often lay dormant, not reaching their full potential beyond a single use. This session clarifies the differences between the uses of longitudinal studies and cross�sectional examinations and discusses strategies for using cross�sectional data to discover trends in student outcomes. Examples include investigations of teaching practices and student engagement over time. Examples will be provided for using both multi�institutional and single institution data sets.

Getting beyond the label: What makes high-quality HIPs, how widespread are they, and who has access to them?
McCormick, A., Kinzie, J., Gonyea, R., Dugan, B., & Silberstein, S.
High-impact practices (HIPs) represent a core feature of a high-quality undergraduate education and are often hailed as life-changing events. The literature identifies a set of essential elements common across HIPs, yet to date most evidence about HIPs has been limited to student participation in designated HIPs, with scant empirical examination of their implementation. We report on a multi-institution study of studentsâ?? exposure to these elements of quality in six HIPs (learning communities, service-learning, research with faculty, study abroad, internships and field experiences, and culminating senior experiences) to deepen understanding of HIP quality and which students have access to high-quality HIPs.

Getting lost at the crossing? Tips for assessing intersectional experiences
BrckaLorenz, A., Fassett, K., Kirnbauer, T., & Washington, S.
Faculty and administrators are often tasked with educating the whole student upon arrival at college, so it is important to understand ways to assess the whole student. This session will discuss factors to consider when quantitatively examining intersecting aspects of studentsâ?? identities, student characteristics, and collegiate endeavors. Case studies will provide examples of challenges and strategies for better understanding ways to assess and better understand the experiences of students with intersecting identities. Attendees will discuss their own challenges and solutions for intersectional analyses and leave with tangible takeaways for their work.

The next decade of HIPs: Increasing access, quality, and equity
Kinzie, J.
Many colleges and universities promote the value of high-impact practices (HIPs)--such as service-learning, undergraduate research, internships, and study abroad--and evidence demonstrates that students benefit. Yet simply offering such activities does not guarantee high-quality learning or even participation. Over the past decade, weâ??ve learned the importance of intentionally designed HIPs that are delivered with fidelity, but shaped to the context, a defined purpose and inclusive pedagogy. This session briefly reviews the HIP landscape, introduces new findings about HIP quality and equity, and suggests practical approaches to scaling and ensuring the quality of HIPs.

Innovations in teaching: A flipped classroom narrative
Fassett, K., Strickland, J., & BrckaLorenz, A.
The session will offer insights from hundreds of faculty teaching at 18 four-year colleges and universities who have applied flipped classroom techniques in their selected courses. Using data collected by the 2018 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, presenters will share findings on the types of courses that faculty tend to flip as well as ways in which they structure the delivery of their course content. Session participants will also learn about the challenges and benefits faculty experienced in flipping a course and the reasons why they turned to this pedagogical approach. The general purpose of this session is to inspire thoughtful and strategic planning for faculty and offer an example of how assessment professionals may gauge institutional support for innovative teaching practices.

Celebrating NSSE's 20th: Making the most of student engagement data
Gonyea, R. M., & Kinzie, J.
In this session, Bob Gonyea and Jillian Kinzie share NSSE‘s achievements, highlight effective institutional reporting and data uses, and preview plans for assessment in the project‘s next several years.

Crises and considerations for assessment
Fassett, K., & BrckaLorenz, A.
Crises have been studied showing large-scale negative effects on aspects of higher education institutions. However, there has been limited discussion or research about how they appear to influence the operation of institutional research. Given the heightened climate on campuses over the last several years, it is important to consider how crises alter our work. This discussion group begins a conversation about how to prepare, endure, and reflect on ways to analyze data when there may be discontinuity in assessment practices due to crisis.

Entering students' experience: BCSSE for first-year and transfer students
Cole, J., & Kinzie, J.
Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) can now be used to survey your first-year, transfer, and older students. Since 2007, nearly 900,000 entering first-year students at more than 500 institutions have completed BCSSE. The updated web survey now includes questions specifically for incoming transfer and older students. This session will describe how data about entering first-year, transfer, and older students provides comprehensive information about your students‘ experiences. Institutions use BCSSE for academic advising, retention models, faculty and staff development, and other assessment needs. This session will present the new survey, revised reports, and details regarding fall and winter administrations.

Assessing faculty experiences teaching a flipped course
Ribera, A., BrckaLorenz, A., Fassett, K., & Strickland, J.
The session explores flipped classrooms as an innovative pedagogical practice. Facilitators in this session will offer insights from hundreds of faculty who have applied flipped classroom techniques in their courses. Presenters will share findings on the types of courses that faculty tend to flip as well as ways in which they structure the delivery of their course content. Session participants will also learn about the challenges and benefits faculty experienced in flipping a course and why they turned to this pedagogical approach. Discussion will focus on how assessment professionals may gauge institutional support for innovative teaching practices.

Assessing for diversity: Evidence from NSSE’s Inclusiveness and Engagement with Cultural Diversity and Global Learning modules
Kinzie, J., & McCormick, A. C.
The assessment of inclusivity and cultural responsiveness and of global learning are current imperatives for higher education. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) recently added two new Topical Modules asking students more about inclusive educational practices and perceptions of their global learning experiences. This session highlights findings from these question sets, examines common items for course-based learning and how results vary by institution and student characteristics, what results suggest about global learning practice and inclusivity, and includes a discussion about campuses' use of these findings to create environments that support all students and leverage the educational benefits of diversity and internationalization.

Support by any other name: Disaggregating supportive environments for faculty
Priddie, C., Silberstein, S., & BrckaLorenz, A.
This session aims to provide a deeper understanding of the importance of disaggregating data to improve campus environments for minoritized faculty members. Responses from faculty members at approximately 30 institutions who participated in the Inclusiveness and Engagement with Cultural Diversity topical module of the Faculty Survey for Student Engagement will be used to examine how identity and discipline influence differing perspectives of supportive environments. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about approaches to working with disaggregated data and discuss ways in which supportive environments can be improved for different faculty populations.

Using a typology of faculty to assess undergraduate education and plan for faculty development
BrckaLorenz, A., Fassett, K., & Nelson Laird, T.
In this session, participants will learn about the relationships between a typology of faculty members and measures of effective educational practice. The typology comes from faculty responses on the time they spend on teaching activities; research, creative, or scholarly activities; and service activities from over 24,000 faculty at 154 institutions that participated in the 2017 administration of the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE). After an interactive presentation of findings, participants will discuss the implications for assessing undergraduate education and planning for faculty development at their campuses.

Assessing inclusiveness and engagement in cultural diversity and global learning: Lessons from NSSE’s Topical Modules
Kinzie, J., Cavallo, J., & Kenesson, S.
The assessment of inclusivity and cultural responsiveness and global learning are current imperatives for higher education. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) added two new modules asking students more about inclusive educational practices and perceptions of their global learning experiences. Despite articulating goals to advance globalization and diversity, institutions have sometimes fallen short in the ways they have enacted these goals. Further, students‘ perceptions of institutional commitment to these goals vary and this in turn influences their experience. Therefore, it is important to understand the specific ways in which institutions enact their commitments and what influences students‘ perceptions of these commitments. This session highlights findings from these sets, examines how results vary by student characteristics, what results suggest about global learning practice and inclusivity. Discussion will then focus on campuses‘ use of these findings to create environments that support all students and to leverage the educational benefits of diversity and internationalization, including for example, to make the case for a more integrated campus diversity plan and a more comprehensive campus climate survey, and to spur further analyses of the impacts of students‘ perceptions of institution‘s emphasis on diversity and supportive environment on student success rates (e.g., academic standing, retention).

Assessing small populations: Recognizing everyone counts in your counts
BrckaLorenz, A., & Hurtado, S.
Quantitative and survey research depends heavily on large sample sizes, but a focus on the “average student” in quantitative analyses often hides diverse voices. Participants in this session will discuss common issues and solutions associated with giving voice to small populations of college students (e.g., gender variant, multiracial, LGBQ+). Participants will discuss administration issues related to small populations such as increasing response rates, identifying special subpopulations, and writing more inclusive survey questions. Tips for disaggregating, responsibly aggregating, and choosing inclusive comparative information will be provided. Additionally, participants will discuss strategies for analyzing and communicating about the results from small populations as well as approaches for communicating about the validity and data quality from small sample sizes.

Maximizing survey data for outreach, assessment, programming, and beyond
Miller, A. L., & Dumford, A. D.
This presentation provides a variety of real-life examples of how institutions have used survey data collected from students, faculty, and alumni within multiple contexts. Examples are drawn from institutions participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE), the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), and the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP). The types of data use cover numerous categories: sharing on campus; recruitment; academic and career advising; publicity, alumni relations, and donor outreach; planning, assessment, and accreditation; program and curricular change; and advocacy and public policy. Attendees will learn about ways that they can optimize the use of available survey data for many different audiences, allowing the institutional research office to serve as a bridge that connects other stakeholders with available data.

Maximizing survey data for outreach, assessment, programming, and beyond
Miller, A. L., & Dumford, A. D.
This presentation provides a variety of real-life examples of how institutions have used survey data collected from students, faculty, and alumni within multiple contexts. Examples are drawn from institutions participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE), the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), and the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP). The types of data use cover numerous categories: sharing on campus; recruitment; academic and career advising; publicity, alumni relations, and donor outreach; planning, assessment, and accreditation; program and curricular change; and advocacy and public policy. Attendees will learn about ways that they can optimize the use of available survey data for many different audiences, allowing the institutional research office to serve as a bridge that connects other stakeholders with available data.

Ticking away the moments: Assessing faculty roles with time on task
BrckaLorenz, A., Nelson Laird, T., Fassett, K., & Yuhas, B.
More frequent calls for accountability in higher education have led to increased scrutiny on what students are doing and learning while in college. Because faculty are important contributors to the student experience, the ability to realistically analyze how faculty spend their time engaging students in learning is a key component in being able to answer these calls for accountability. The purpose of this presentation will be to examine and discuss how faculty time on task can be used to enhance a wide variety of conversations about faculty roles, development, contributions, and productivity. A new method of analyzing faculty productivity will be presented, and participants will discuss how such an assessment of faculty time can be useful in discussions about institution mission and goals, faculty roles at the institution, faculty professional development, and faculty tenure and promotion.

Transparent quality: Framing and building a psychometric portfolio
Paulsen, J., & BrckaLorenz, A.
High quality data and assessment instruments have become essential for institutional researchers to take a data-driven approach to informing decision-making and strategic planning. Instruments and the resulting data they collect can be studied for different aspects of validity and reliability as well as the procedures and standards used to reduce error, bias, and increase the rigor of the data. This presentation will focus on a framework for operationalizing and organizing a wide variety of studies to investigate data quality. Participants in this session will see how a large-scale quantitative survey project designed and created a psychometric portfolio with studies designed to make survey instrument and data quality transparent so that higher education leaders, researchers, and professionals can trust the results. Challenges and potential solutions, including thinking about strategies for conducting studies of data quality with limited time and resources will be discussed.

Emerging research on queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students in higher education
Greathouse, M., BrckaLorenz, A., Hoban, M., Rankin, S., & Stolzenberg, E.
Queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students remain a significantly underserved population within higher education, despite the presence of significant disparities across measures of campus climate, academic engagement, and overall health. This paper explores the campus climate, overall health, and academic engagement of queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum undergraduate students attending four-year colleges and universities in the US through an analysis of seven national data sets, including the 2017 data sets of the National Survey of Student Engagement (Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University Bloomington), the 2016 Undergraduate Student Experience at the Research University Survey (SERU-AAU Consortium, Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California-Berkeley and University of Minnesota Twin Cities), the 2016 American College Health Association--National College Health Assessment, and the 2016 data sets of four surveys conducted by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, including The Freshman Survey (TFS), the Your First College Year Survey (YFCY), the Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE), and the College Senior Survey (CSS) (University of California-Los Angeles, Higher Education Research Institute).

Assessing diversity inclusivity in college courses: Updates and trends
Nelson Laird, T. F., Hurtado, S. S., & Yuhas, B. K.
Using results from multiple administrations of the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), participants in this session will examine how courses include diversity, what faculty and course characteristics predict that inclusion, and whether results have varied over time. The results come from survey items based on a comprehensive framework describing how nine course elements (e.g., purpose, content, assessment) vary in their inclusion of diversity. Session participants will learn about the framework and results and also will engage with the facilitators to discuss the implications of the results for those working to assess the inclusion of diversity across the curriculum.

Engagement insights: Applying NSSE to student affairs assessment
Kinzie, J., Ribera, A., & Hurtado, S.
Student affairs is under pressure to improve student success and demonstrate the effectiveness of programs and contributions to student outcomes. One practical approach to address this issue is for student affairs assessment professionals to take advantage of available data and assessment resources such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). In this session, participants will learn about recent findings about student engagement, persistence, and student learning relevant to student affairs; will practice applying existing student engagement data to inform strategic goals and initiatives related to the co-curriculum; and will exchange ideas about effective approaches to using NSSE data in student affairs.

Exploring disciplinary differences in global engagement and learning
Kinzie, J., McCormick, A. C., & Nelson Laird, T. F.
Session facilitators will describe disciplinary differences in global engagement and learning (GEL) by sharing results from NSSE‘s Global Learning Topical Module. Through active exchange—including anticipating results, engaging with presented results, and discussion with others in the session—participants will learn about 1) students‘ exposure to global and international topics; 2) students‘ engagement with global issues in and outside of the classroom; and 3) students‘ perceptions of how much their institution facilitated their development along several dimensions of global and intercultural competence. Participants will also discuss their reactions to the findings and share what they are doing on their campuses to assess GEL and how findings from their assessment efforts inform accreditation activities. Presenters will end the session by sharing information and resources NSSE staff have compiled to aid in the assessment of global engagement and intercultural competence.

What does an engaging campus look like? The role of surveys in the assessment of student engagement
Gonyea, R. M.
If you walked onto the most engaging campus, what would you see? The contribution of out-of-class experiences to student engagement cannot be overstated. Interest in creating the conditions that enhance student learning and success is at an all-time high. Today‘s student affairs professional knows how to use observable evidence to effectively plan, implement, assess, and improve outcomes. Student engagement surveys provide some of that evidence for institutions wishing to make student achievement, satisfaction, persistence, and learning a priority.

Applying NSSE findings to improve student persistence
Kinzie, J.
In 2016, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) released findings about engagement practices influencing retention and graduation as well as results about the importance of learning support to first-year retention. This session will focus on these recent NSSE findings in an interactive presentation that invites participants to consider results in relation to their persistence practices as well as apply NSSE institutional results. We will also exchange ideas about assessment approaches to dig deeper on critical issues for student success.

How residence life professionals can use engagement data
Hurtado, S. S., Graham, P. A., & Gonyea, R. M.
Student affairs professionals (including residence life) are often expected to incorporate assessment and evidence-based practices in their work. One approach is to take advantage of existing data and assessment resources such as from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). This session introduces NSSE's administration, data, and reports, and demonstrates how staff can use engagement data to promote improvements within residence life.

Paying attention to often ignored small subpopulations in assessment work
BrckaLorenz, A., & Nelson Laird, T. F.
A more diverse society has led to a more diverse college-going population and faculty body, but the need for restoring public trust in higher education is especially important for subpopulations that have traditionally been marginalized within the higher education system. Often these groups represent small proportions of an overall population, which can present a variety of challenges when trying to conduct assessments of their experiences. This session explores the challenges and possible solutions for those working toward improving the experiences of small subpopulations. The session will consist of highly interactive discussions focusing on the value of inclusivity in restoring public trust in higher education, reflections on assessing the experiences of small subpopulations, and creating plans for further understanding the experiences of small subpopulations for the purpose inclusive improvement.

Faculty use of rubrics: An examination across multiple institutions
Thomas F. Nelson Laird, John Zilvinskis, & Polly A. Graham
Assessment professionals identify rubrics as key tools in measuring student learning; however, the field of higher education lacks a clear picture of how much faculty use these tools as well as the ways rubrics are developed and used. For assessment professionals and faculty who work to improve undergraduate education, better understanding rubric development and use should enhance their ability to assist faculty members and ultimately improve teaching and learning on campuses. Relying on data from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), we will describe rubric implementation and development across over 20 institutions and discuss the implications of our findings.

Using NSSE results to inform campus plans to expand high-impact practices and assess impact
Kinzie, J., & Zilvinskis, J.
Many campuses are planning to increase students‘ participation in high-impact practices. This session will explore how National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) institutional reports and annual results can be used to inform institutional efforts to plan, design, and assess HIPs, and will include considerations regarding entering students‘ expectations for HIPs, differences in participation by student characteristics, and patterns of participation by major. Working through a case study, we will discuss how NSSE results can inform campus design and evaluation of HIPs.

Gender identity and sexual orientation: Survey challenges and lessons learned
BrckaLorenz, A., Clark, J., & Hurtado, S.
Research shows there are differences in the college experience for students from underrepresented backgrounds, including non-heterosexual and gender variant students. This is due in part to experiences of discrimination and negative campus climate for these students. Participants in this session will learn about and discuss the assessment of and conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation on other campuses, and the challenges and potential solutions for writing more inclusive survey questions about complex identities. Challenges and potential strategies for surveying, disseminating results, and talking about difficult or sensitive topics on college campuses will also be discussed. Finally, participants will learn about the engagement, perceptions of campus support, and satisfaction, of students with varying gender identities and sexual orientations from a longitudinal, large-scale, multi-institution survey of students at four-year colleges and universities.

Graduate student surveys: Assessment landscape, challenges, and solutions
BrckaLorenz, A., Yuhas, B., & Nelson Laird, T.
Most assessments of the graduate student experience are institution-based and largely focused on satisfaction exit surveys. Very few of these surveys touch on the experiences of graduate students as instructors or teaching assistants. Further lacking are trends from large-scale surveys or national data on the experiences of graduate students, which is especially concerning given the increasing number of graduate students entering the classroom to teach undergraduate students. Participants in this session will discuss how the assessment of graduate student experiences varies on different campuses, as well as examine the challenges and potential solutions associated with assessing these experiences. Finally, participants will learn about one large-scale survey of graduate student experiences, see a selection of results gathered from two years of administration of this survey, and hear about how institutions have used these results for graduate student professional development purposes.

Using NSSE as a catalyst for improvement: Lessons from the field
Kinzie, J., Owens, S., & Du, F.
One of the more challenging phases of assessment is taking action on results. This session will explore the latest field-tested lessons from nearly two dozen institutions that have successfully used the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to improve undergraduate education. Representatives from two institutions will discuss their use of data to improve the first-year experience, and to engage departments in enhancing student learning by creating dashboard displays, infographics, and customized reports. The session will provide an opportunity to learn about approaches employed by institutions that have made effective use of results, and to discuss proven strategies for taking action.

Enhancing the Quality of High-Impact Practices at Middle Georgia State University
In Engagement Insights: Survey Findings on the Quality of Undergraduate Education—Annual results 2018
Full version

Use of Rubrics Common Among Faculty
In Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education—Annual results 2016
Full version

BCSSE and FSSE
In Assessment for improvement: Tracking student engagement over time—Annual results 2009
Full version

Using NSSE Data in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Assessment Practices
Christen Priddie and Cindy Ann Kilgo
Recording

Your NSSE Institutional Report 2021: Step-by-Step
Bob Gonyea and Jillian Kinzie
Recording

Highlighting NSSE 2021: New Offerings in a Year Like No Other
Alexander C. McCormick, Jillian Kinzie and Jennifer Brooks
Recording

Learning & Assessment in Student Affairs: The NSSE Way
Dajanae Palmer, Project Associate & Samantha Silberstein, Project Associate
Recording

Using NSSE Data in Student Affairs
Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director of the Center of Postsecondary Research, and Sarah Hurtado, Project Associate NSSE Institute.
Recording

Using NSSE data in accreditation
Jillian Kinzie, NSSE Institute Associate Director
Recording

Using NSSE data in student affairs
Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director, NSSE Institute, and Tony Ribera, NSSE Institute Project Associate
Recording

Improving student response rates
Tony Ribera and Brian McGowan
Recording

Program and department level assessment
Jillian Kinzie
Recording

Ideas for encouraging student participation in NSSE
Tiffani Butler and Tony Ribera
Recording

Driving data down: Using NSSE results in department, school, and major-level assessment activities
Alex McCormick and Allison BrckaLorenz
Recording

Using high-impact activities to maximize student gains
Todd Chamberlain
Recording