With about 15 minutes and a stable internet connection, students can reveal their academic needs to WSU administrators and influence the development of on-campus programs.

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has reached more than 1,500 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada since it was first administered in 2000. Hosted by Indiana University, the NSSE enables academic institutions to rethink how they deploy resources to students.

“It’s all about students driving change at the university,” said Beverly Makhani, the communication director for undergraduate education.

The NSSE works by evaluating students’ responses to questions about their learning habits, for example, how well they work with peers, or their command of quantitative reasoning.

In past years, this information helped administrators develop services like Freshman Focus classes, the Common Reading Program, and the Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). Each of these is an effort to generate involvement in academic affairs.

“It really helps in creating new programs and making changes to existing ones,” said Fran Hermanson, the interim director of WSU Institutional Research who coordinated the survey in past years.

Stephanie Kane, an Institutional Research administrative planning specialist, said it’s vital that a large number of students respond to the survey so that the collected information accurately represents WSU.

“The real power of the NSSE is that you can compare…your institution to a peer institution,” Kane said, explaining that the survey enables colleges and universities to assess their performance in relation to others across the country.

WSU participates in the survey every two years, and Kane coordinated the 2014 iteration, which includes two additional sections that assess students’ transferable skills and information literacy.

Hermanson said the NSSE has also benefited students in online programs as well as those at WSU Vancouver.

“In response to NSSE data, DDP (Distance Degree Program) courses have added virtual mentors to help build a sense of community in the classes,” she said. “WSU Vancouver increasingly emphasizes a convenient, ‘one-stop’ approach to student support services and is expanding research opportunities for students.”

The survey is open to all freshman and seniors, who have been invited to participate through a series of emails from the NSSE. Those who don’t respond will receive a total of five invitations, the last of which will be sent on April 8.

As of yesterday, the overall university response rate was 15.9 percent, including responses from online students and those from the four WSU campuses. The response rate for Pullman students was 14 percent.

Pullman students who participate in the survey will be entered in a drawing for one of 10 $100 Visa or Bookie gift cards.