Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), a large public university in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, has participated in NSSE four times since NSSE’s launch in 2000. To make use of NSSE results, IUPUI has mapped NSSE data to campus-wide principles of undergraduate learning for curriculum and co-curricular development (service-learning, research with faculty, and study abroad) and uses the data as performance indicators in those critical areas. NSSE data are also mapped to performance indicators in strategic planning and institutional improvement, specifically for gains on diversity goals, in technology use and participation in service-learning; corroborating data from other in-house instruments (advising); and evaluating first-year programs. To inform staffing decisions, the Office of Information Management and Institutional Research at IUPUI has presented data from NSSE to the Board of Trustees and various units and departments highlighting the positive engagement/educational impact of on-campus employment for students, and has encouraged departments and units to hire more students to fill staff positions.
Several concrete changes at IUPUI have been motivated by NSSE data. Based on participation results related to service-learning in thematic learning communities, stronger linkages between service experiences and learning outcomes have been created and opportunities for participation in service-learning increased. A new program, RISE, or RISE to the Challenge, was implemented to ensure that all students take part in at least one of the following four high-impact experiences prior to graduation: undergraduate research, study abroad, service-learning, or internship experience.
IUPUI also participated in FSSE in 2006. Based on its results, IUPUI implemented curricular changes focused on diversity; specifically, faculty use of diverse perspectives in the classroom. IUPUI also explored other areas of disconnect between faculty and student responses.
