On March 1, freshmen and seniors received an email asking for their candid and confidential thoughts on their UW–Madison experiences by participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
NSSE is voluntary and confidential and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
This survey explores what students think of their undergraduate experience, the kinds of activities in which they engage and how they are benefiting from their studies.
Areas of student engagement measured by the survey include:
- Academic challenge
- Learning with peers
- Experience with faculty
- Campus environment
The information collected in the survey gives the university insight as to what it is doing well and where it needs to improve, so student participation in NSSE provides the university with invaluable data for planning efforts and resource allocations.
Previous surveys, for example, identified the need for more academic and career advising on campus and additional resources for first-year students. Campus responded by hiring additional advisors and creating the Center for the First-Year Experience. Data from prior NSSE surveys has been used for institutional accreditation, informing the redesign of the Wisconsin Experience, reviewing general education requirements, informing career services offices on experiences and preparation of students for the workforce, and provided information on the climate experiences of students at UW-Madison.
Results from the prior NSSE surveys are available here: https://apir.wisc.edu/students/nsse/
Students who share their perspective in this year’s NSSE will help shape UW–Madison and the services it provides to students in the future.
NSSE is conducted by Indiana University for hundreds of campuses across the country, and is coordinated on the UW–Madison Campus by the Office of Academic Planning and Institutional Research.
Freshmen and seniors have until May to complete the survey.
For more information on NSSE, please visit the NSSE website.