Winthrop University is once again participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement during the month of March.
The NSSE “gauges the quality of students’ educational experience and the level of their engagement in campus life.”
The survey will be sent to freshmen and seniors at the beginning of March on their Winthrop emails. Completing the survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes and 100 students who take the confidential survey will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card.
According to Dr. Noreen Gaubatz, director of assessment and assistant professor of education, “The NSSE is a national survey that is administered to freshmen and seniors only. Data is collected as students enter college and as they leave college.”
The survey is online and will address areas such as academic challenge, active and collaborative learning experiences, student-faculty interactions, enriching educational experiences and the campus environment.
“The National Survey of Student Engagement is a great tool for getting feedback from students on how we’re doing at Winthrop in providing strong engagement opportunities,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Adrienne McCormick.
“NSSE was designed by survey experts in higher education to ask students key questions that give us insights on where we are doing well and where we can improve.
“NSSE explores areas such as active learning, experiential learning, application of core knowledge and skills, leadership opportunities, and opportunities to work with students from different backgrounds than your own. The answers we get from NSSE provide us with in ‘indirect measure’ of your student learning experience; it’s indirect because student answers are based on student perceptions of their learning experiences.
Direct measures of learning are found in the work you produce in your classes and
experiential learning opportunities, which demonstrate what you have learned in direct form. Both kinds of measures are needed for faculty, staff, and administrators to improve how we support students,” McCormick said.
For Winthrop freshmen and seniors, participating in the survey is well worth the effort because their responses will aid Winthrop in providing each student with a positive college experience.
“If students are debating whether it’s a good investment of their time, I can say emphatically that the responses you provide are important. Think of them as evidence we use to inform decisions. NSSE data points are used to indicate whether we are achieving the goals of our institutional strategic plan – the Winthrop Plan. So I will say thank you in advance to everyone who takes advantage of this opportunity to share your feedback with us! We want to hear from you,” McCormick said.
As a student, it is imperative that your university hears your voice and heads your input. Through the NSSE, Winthrop is lending an ear to freshmen who have high expectations for their undergraduate and possibly graduate experience as well as seniors who can comment on their experience as an undergraduate thus far.
Photo courtesy Winthrop University
