Discovering the True Student Voice at Tennessee State University
By: Jayla Langford, NSSE Institute Graduate Assistant
That’s why, for Bonner, qualitative data will always matter. “It’s not just feedback,” she said. “It’s evidence of experience. It tells us not just what’s happening—but how students feel about it. And that? That’s the truth we need to listen to.” As higher education faces increased pressure to produce fast metrics, Bonner continues to push for more reflective, inclusive practices that put student voices at the center.
Tennessee State University (TSU) actively participates in NSSE and FSSE surveys to evaluate key elements of their student’s undergraduate experience, focusing on their involvement in educational practices that promote learning and student success. Kimi Bonner is the Director of Curriculum Alignment and Support of the Office of Academic Affairs at Tennessee State University. Bonner previously held the position of Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan at TSU. As a higher education leader, Bonner reiterates in her work that data isn’t just about numbers - it’s about the student voice. Over the years, she’s held a variety of roles within the university, from leading sophomore year programming to leading a United Negro College Fund (UNCF) grant to directing the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) titled CADENCE, which reimagined student advising by eliminating silos between support services. But one thing has remained constant: her belief in the transformative power of qualitative data.
“I like the data story because it’s the true story,” she said. “People can find the numbers to justify anything. But qualitative data tells you the why.”
Bonner’s belief was cemented during a pivotal moment: the CADENCE project, which sought to realign decentralized advising systems and promote unity between roles such as academic advisors, success coaches, and faculty mentors. At the heart of that project was a deep dive into NSSE qualitative data from students.
Bonner led TSU’s 2021-2026 Quality Enhancement Plan, titled CADENCE, that “seeks to promote student success through holistic, integrative advising, including improved utilization of academic and student support resources and the integration of educational and career planning” (Quality Enhancement Plan, 2024). Each vital step in a TSU student’s education journey is supported by effective academic advising.
TSU consistently participates in NSSE and FSSE administrations, and has appended a variety of NSSE Topical Modules, including Academic Advising, Writing Experiences, First-Year Experiences/Senior Transitions, and Career & Workforce Preparation.
During the analysis of the NSSE qualitative data, Bonner observed that students frequently characterized advising as “bad”; however, this appeared to be a generalized statement lacking specific context from the students. She then used thematic analysis to discover which specific advising position the students were referring to—first-year, faculty advisors, success coaches, senior advisors, etc.
That realization led to what she described as a “very manual” but revealing project. Pre-pandemic, her team gathered in a room filled with sticky notes. Each note contained a qualitative student comment. They sorted them into categories—housing, food, finances, teaching—and yes, advising. The outcome was eye-opening.
“Most of the freshman and sophomore issues were with our faculty teaching, the living situations, food and housing, and finances,” she recalled. Advising itself was not the primary issue; however, because the term was used loosely by the students and administration offices without a deeper examination of the nuance, there was a restructuring of an entire advising system based on a misinterpreted narrative.
The original intent for the CADENCE project was to reduce the friction between academic coaching and advising. By addressing this tension, the initiative aimed to highlight the shared overlap in objectives of both offices – supporting student success. The qualitative analysis of NSSE data emerges as an unexpected yet valuable outcome of this effort.
Bonner’s approach was built on her belief that qualitative data offers clarity when numbers obscure meaning. “People put quantitative data on a golden throne,” she said. “But discard qualitative.” Her inquisitive nature challenges educators and administrators to look beyond what numerical scores and recognize that qualitive feedback is the essential missing component.
In many of her roles, including within federally funded Title III programs, she found herself pushing back against the biased “check box” feature of surveys that don’t get to the heart of the matter of the student voice. “Someone would say, ‘Ninety percent of students were satisfied.’ I’d ask, ‘But what does that mean?’”
With a background in Psychology and years of direct and impactful student engagement, Bonner brings a selfless and clinical mindset to higher education and student affairs. “In practice, I would tell clients, ‘This next 50 minutes is about you.’ And qualitative data - It helps the unheard be seen.”
Her efforts involve more than sticky notes. In a separate initiative aimed at enhancing classroom engagement, she invited in a consultant to conduct a qualitative student survey. The insights revealed critical gaps in student experiences – blind spots that traditional quantitative metrics often overlook. Echoing the spirit of NSSE, which emphasizes meaningful student-faculty interaction and active learning, the results prompted faculty to reflect more deeply. “Some faculty said, ‘I didn’t know.’ That survey illuminated things that numbers could never touch.”
But not everyone shares her view. “I know most people don’t want to hear what I have to say,” she added with a laugh. “Because it challenges the norms that are easy for them.” Still, she continues to advocate for the “why” behind the data.
In her current role she reviews Course Program of Study (CPOS) data—used to determine students’ financial aid eligibility—and again, it’s the story behind the numbers that matter to her.
“Instead of just saying, ’200 out of 6,000 students had CPOS issues,’ I go in and write out why they had those issues,” she explained. “Did the student not have a concentration? Did they need to update their major?” That kind of deep dive helps her recommend and improve process changes to stop them from having those issues. While many institutions still default to the convenience of numbers, Bonner argues the richest data lives in the margins—in the handwritten notes, in the survey’s open-ended box, in the student who takes the time to write, ““If a student took the time to write something, it’s important and it should be heard.”
Bonner plans to return to earlier projects to trace how student concerns have evolved. Her future goal: to synthesize both qualitative and quantitative insights to provide a richer, more actionable picture of student experiences. “I hear what the students say and so what that qualitative data did was reinforce the stories that we’ve heard in these walls throughout time.”
References
Quality Enhancement Plan. (2024). Tennessee State University. Retrieved from https://www.tnstate.edu/qep/
