NSSE

We want to hear from you!

NSSE - pronounced “Nessie” - is the National Survey of Student Engagement. 

NSSE gives you a chance to share what you like about your university experience and identify areas that can be improved. By participating in NSSE and sharing your voice, your valuable feedback and insight will help improve the learning experience for all Memorial students.  

So what is NSSE?

NSSE is an internationally-recognized survey that assesses students’ engagement in programs and activities that promote learning and personal development.

Administered by the University of Indiana to hundreds of institutions across Canada and the United States, Memorial participates in NSSE every three years and uses the survey data to improve services and programs and create a better overall student experience.

NSSE is designed to collect information about your undergraduate experience by asking for your thoughts about the quality of your education and how you spend your time inside and outside the classroom. 

The details

NSSE is available to all first-year and senior students (fourth-year and beyond) at Memorial. Senior students are those who have completed between 78-107 credit hours.

Eligible students will receive a survey invitation in their MUN email.  NSSE takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Want to see what NSSE looks like before you receive your invite? Take a peek at the sample survey to find out what you can expect.

Administered in the Winter 2023 semester, NSSE results will be available here. The data will then be analyzed and interpreted, and highlights will be shared with the Memorial community to inform decisions and actions we take to improve the student experience.

NSSE Resources

The following resources can help you complete NSSE.  The glossary includes definitions and Memorial examples for NSSE terminology you may not be familiar with, while the FAQs provide more information about the survey experience.

Students are classified by year of study according to the number of credit hours earned, as outlined in Memorial’s University Calendar:

First-year students are those who have earned fewer than 18 credit hours.

Senior-level students are those in their fourth year and beyond, having earned more than 78 credit hours.

Work-integrated learning and experiential learning opportunities. 

Memorial examples:

  • internship placements such as those in Education;
  • co-operative education work terms in Science, HSS, Business, or Engineering programs;
  • field school courses, e.g. those in Archaeology, Earth Sciences, or Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures;
  • field experiences such as Social Work practica; 
  • Nursing clinical placements.

Student leadership positions such as those elected to the Memorial Student Union (MUNSU), the Grenfell Campus Student Union (GCSU), or other leadership roles within any student groups, clubs, societies or residences. 

Learning communities focus on common topics or subjects that encourage the integration of learning across courses, where students take two or more classes together and collaborate closely with each other and instructors or facilitators.

Memorial example:

  • Living Learning Communities in Student Residences such as Engineering;
  • English 1000 Writing Workshops at Grenfell Campus.

Learning abroad programs and experiences that include one- to two-semester long exchanges to study or research at another university abroad, international internships or work-term placements, immersive language programs, or short-term international summer schools.

Experiential learning opportunities wherein students apply their knowledge and skills in the community as part of an academic credit course.

Memorial examples

  • Modern Language and Linguistics student participation in Conversation Circle with the Association for New Canadians
  • Curricular volunteer opportunities, such as the community service hours required in the Pharmacy 2010 Service Learning course

Activities that provide learning opportunities through involvement in the campus but that are not directly linked to academic courses, such as volunteer positions, on-campus employment (e.g. MUCEP and ISWEP positions), club and society activities, and student union or residence involvement.

First-year and fourth-year (having earned 78-108 credit hours) students will receive an email invitation to participate in NSSE, with the aim of comparing how students’ learning and engagement evolve from the first to the final year of their program.  

NSSE lets us hear from you about your undergraduate experience, the kinds of activities you engage in inside and outside the classroom, and how you benefit from your studies. Simply put, NSSE collects your thoughts and feedback to help identify areas that can and should be improved at Memorial.

NSSE consists of a series of questions that ask about your life as a Memorial student, including your study habits, classroom experiences, interactions with your peers, faculty and staff, and co-curricular activities.  The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Want a preview of the questions, so you know what to expect? View a sample NSSE survey

The NSSE survey results are confidential but not anonymous. Your survey responses will be aggregated with other Memorial students’ responses to be analyzed. All publicly shared data is aggregated, and no individual responses are identifiable.

A summary of institutional-level results will be shared with campus stakeholders and on the Memorial website. Results will be available later in the fall of 2023.

NSSE results offer valuable insight into the Memorial student experience. Survey responses are taken very seriously and used in many different ways to develop and enhance student success programming and initiatives.

NSSE data helps Memorial:

  • Make evidence-based decisions about services for students
  • Assess the quality and impact of our academic and co-curricular programs
  • Compares our students’ experiences with those of similar institutions to identify how well we are doing and where we can improve.

 

Your participation in NSSE is completely voluntary.  Sharing your input through survey participation makes a difference and helps improve the learning experience for all Memorial students.