Inside UNB
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
The National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE, evaluates the extent to which first-year and senior students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development. Or more simply, it an assessment tool for teaching and learning.
Student Engagement, as measured by NSSE, is "the time and energy students devote to educationally sound activities inside and outside the classroom, and the policies and practices that institutions use to induce students to take part in these activities." (George Kuh, Change, March/April 2003)
The NSSE survey instrument, either the paper or web version, is made up of just over 80 questions in 12 categories (pdf).
Foundation
The foundations of student engagement theory go back more than 70 years:
- Time on task (Tyler, 1930's)
- Quality of effort (Pace, 1960-70's)
- Student involvement (Astin, 1984)
- Social, academic integration (Tinto, 1987, 1993)
- Good practices in undergraduate education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987)
- Outcomes (Pascarella, 1985)
- Student engagement (Kuh, 1991, 2005)
Benchmarks
The five NSSE Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice (created from 41 of the survey questions) are:
- Level of Academic Challenge (LAC)
- Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL)
- Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI)
- Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE)
- Supportive Campus Environment (SCE)
Going Forward
UNB Fredericton participated in the 2010 NSSE survey, and all first-year and senior-year (4th or 5th year) UNBF students were invited by e-mail to participate in the survey in the spring of 2010. UNB will have survey results in September 2010
Contacts
For more information about NSSE @ UNB please email David Kilfoil. If you are interested in more general information about NSSE, check out the official website.
