WSU first-year students and seniors can take the National Survey of Student Engagement until mid-May. 

The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research organizes the NSSE and collects survey data from over 1,600 colleges and universities, said Kimberly Green, director of the WSU Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness. 

The survey opened March 1. WSU started offering the survey in 2000 and participates in the survey every two years, she said. 

Universities with more than 12,000 undergraduate students pay an $8,000 survey enrollment fee to IU, said Zachary Rost, administrative assistant for the Office of Assessment.

WSU invests money into the survey to receive a comprehensive analysis of life as a college student. Green said the survey is high quality and helps the university understand student perspectives and if they are changing over time.

Information gathered from the survey is used to guide programs like undergraduate research, some first-year experience programs and WSU’s University Common Requirements, she said.  

The average national response rate for the NSSE is 28 percent, according to the IU Bloomington website.  

In 2019, the WSU response rate for seniors was 24 percent while the first-year student response rate was 26 percent, Rost said.  

Questions in the survey ask students about their experiences in and out of the classroom, experiences with cultural diversity and whether they have opportunities to learn specific skills in their major, Green said. 

The more students respond to the survey, the more confidence it gives to the university that the responses reflect most of the student experience, she said. 

Students who complete the survey by April 15 will be entered into a campus drawing for a $100 Visa gift card, Green said.