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KU A-Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Office of Institutional Research and Planning


Results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
University of Kansas, Lawrence Campus

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) measures the participation of undergraduate students in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. KU uses the results to enhance the educational achievement and experiences of its undergraduate students as NSSE survey questions measure practices by students and institutions that are associated with greater learning and development. In addition, KU was selected to participate in the Documenting Effective Educational Practice, or Project DEEP. The initiative examined the daily operations of educationally effective colleges and universities to learn what they do to promote student success.

Links to the KU DEEP report and reports analyzing the NSSE results can be found below.

Updated December 10, 2007


Background on NSSE Survey
NSSE is administered by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Education and since its inception in 2000, more than 1.4 million students at nearly 1,200 different 4-year colleges have participated.
KU Reports
Comparisons of KU Results by Year
KU administered NSSE during Spring 2001, 2004 and 2007 to a total of 2,950 freshmen and seniors. Results consistently show that KU students are well engaged as measured by the five benchmarks of effective educational practice: academic challenge, active/collaborative learning, enriching educational experiences, student-faculty interactions, and a supportive campus environment.
Comparison of KU Results to Other Universities
In both 2004 and 2007, KU's results were compared to those of other research universities within the AAU and within the same Carnegie classification. On the five benchmarks of effective educational practice, KU freshmen and seniors were very similar to their counterparts at other research universities. KU students reported slightly greater number of interactions with faculty in both 2004 and 2007.
DEEP Project
KU was selected to participate in the DEEP project (2002-2003) that assembled case studies of 20 colleges and universities that had both higher-than-predicted scores on five benchmarks of effective educational practice and higher-than-expected graduation rates. The results of the entire DEEP project are described in the book Student Success in College.