National Survey of Student Engagement Coming to WIU Freshmen and Seniors

University News

National Survey of Student Engagement Coming to WIU Freshmen and Seniors

February 16, 2017

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MACOMB, IL - - Beginning today (Feb. 16), Western Illinois University freshmen and seniors should notice an email arriving from President Jack Thomas. The message will ask them to respond to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which measures how students are spending their time in college.

According to WIU Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) Director Angela Bonifas, more specifically, the survey measures undergraduates' academic challenges, their learning with peers and their experiences with faculty members and the campus environment.

"This survey identifies several high impact practices in higher education and assesses how well institutions are doing at providing students with the opportunity to engage in those activities while they are receiving their degrees," Bonifas explained.

During the next few weeks, Western students will be reminded to respond to the survey via signage around campus and with a digital campaign via social media. Students who participate are automatically entered into a random drawing for an iPad Mini 4.

"We are encouraging students to participate through as many communication channels as we can. Participation in NSSE helps Western compare the academic experiences of Western's undergraduate students with that of comparison peer groups," Bonifas said. "It helps us identify areas in our undergraduate experience—areas in which we are excelling and areas in which we can improve. The information we obtain from the NSSE will have a broad impact on the entire campus, including faculty, department chairs, deans, professional staff and administration. We want to be sure that all groups on campus can use the results of the survey to better the student experience at WIU."

For more information, contact IRP at (309) 298-1185.