National Survey of Student Engagement

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is a survey of freshmen and seniors. The Survey measures student engagement in many important activities that research studies show are positively related to learning and personal development, provides information on the types of teaching that takes place, and analyzes how postsecondary institutions are using their resources in engaging their students.

Kentucky’s eight public universities participate in the NSSE as part of a consortium organized by the Council on Postsecondary Education. The survey is conducted by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning.

NSSE survey results are available for the following years.

Selected Results from 2007 NSSE

as reported in National Survey of Student Engagement Annual Report 2007

Students starting college expected to spend 50% more time preparing for class (18 hours) than relaxing and socializing (12 hours).

The majority of students (75% of first-years, 67% of seniors) rated their academic advising as good or excellent.

Students who took part in one or  more "high-impact" practice such as a learning community, research with faculty, study abroad, and culminating senior experience reported greater levels of deep learning and greater gains in learning and personal development.

Students who worked with a faculty member on a research project benefited more in terms of desired learning outcomes when the faculty member clearly explained expectations and provided feedback during and after the project.

Almost two-thirds of seniors (63%) reported frequently trying to better understand someone else's views by imagining how an issue looks from another person's perspective.

More than half (52%) of all seniors did a practicum, field experience, or clinical assignment, and an additional 23% intended to do so before they graduate.

The number of hours full-time students spend studying per week has remained constant since 2001 at about 13-14 hours, only about half what many faculty say is necessary to do well in their classes.

First-generation and transfer students were much less likely than other students to participate in a high-impact activity such as a learning community, a research project with a faculty member, study abroad, or culminating senior experience.

Only 29% of seniors at public institutions did a culminating experience, compared with 42% of their counterparts at private colleges and universities.

About one in ten students never met with their advisor during the current academic year.

More than half (54%) of all seniors never participated in a community-based project as part of their regular coursework.

In their last year of college, half of all seniors did not write a paper of report longer than 20 pages; one in ten (9%) did not write a paper longer than 5 pages.