National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

     In the spring 2009 semester, USF participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Supported by the Pew Charitable Trust, the survey is designed to gather information directly from undergraduates about their educational experiences. It gives students an opportunity to voice their perceptions of the college experience at their university and is useful to institutions in improving undergraduate education. More information on the survey can be found at http://nsse.iub.edu/index.cfm.

     Students from universities across the nation participate in the survey. To ensure meaningful and credible results, random samples of students are drawn from each institution's pool of freshmen/first-year students and seniors. These students are contacted directly by the NSSE organization and given an opportunity to complete the survey. In general, the survey questions cover three broad areas of academic life, (a) the curriculum (b) how students spent their time in and out of the classroom and (c) perceptions of their experiences as a student.

     The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment has created an overview of the USF responses for the 2005, 07 and 09 NSSE surveys in relation to the chosen comparison groups.