President Meehan soon will invite selected freshmen and seniors via JSU e-mail to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement 2010 (NSSE).
NSSE is a survey administered by the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University that collects information directly from students. It has the potential to actually make a difference in the quality of undergraduate education here and at 615 other colleges and universities in the US and Canada because it asks the kinds of questions that matter to student learning and institutional effectiveness, such as:
How much reading and writing is required?
How often do students interact with other students who are from different backgrounds and cultures?
How good is the academic advising?
How many students work with faculty members on research and other activities?
Jacksonville State University is interested in knowing the nature and quality of students’ interactions with faculty members and peers, and what they have gained from their classes and other aspects of their college experience. JSU uses the results to identify areas where JSU is doing well and areas that could be strengthened to improve teaching and learning and campus life.
As an example, new Study Abroad and Service Learning initiatives are in the works as a result of the 2006 and 2008 NSSE. The survey is like an anonymous suggestion box. JSU decision-makers need to hear from the broad cross-section of students who were randomly selected to participate. The on-line survey takes less than 15 minutes to complete.
The NSSE project is supported in part by a grant from Lumina Foundation for Education and the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College. At Jacksonville State University, NSSE is sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) and the Student Government Association (SGA).
Look for more information displayed around campus with colorful posters, table tents and hand-outs. And if you are among the freshmen or seniors chosen to participate, take 15 minutes out of your day and complete the survey. You’ll be automatically entered into a drawing for a $200 gift card to Best Buy, JSU book bag, or JSU jump drive. More than 200 students will win!!
