Effectively Communicating NSSE Results to Internal and External Stakeholders
One of Sister Georgia Christensen’s first goals after being named Viterbo University’s new Director of Institutional Research and Assessment (IRA) in 2000 was to attend workshops and presentations to learn how to use institutional data in assessment and to provide feedback to faculty members about their students. At that time, Viterbo participated in a number of national surveys but used its results mostly for marketing-related activities. As she became more informed, Christensen was convinced that NSSE would reveal more useful information for assessment than the current surveys in use. She presented her findings and suggestions to senior administrators who then decided to participate in the NSSE 2006 and 2007 administrations. Since Viterbo also wanted to gather data on the experiences and expectations of its first-year students, as well as data on how faculty perceived students, the institution administered the BCSSE pilot in 2005, and FSSE in 2007.
Sharing NSSE Results
Sr. Christensen attempts to be consistent in her use of NSSE, FSSE, and BCSSE data. She uses NSSE benchmark data for presentations and has shared results with the Board of Trustees, faculty at an in-service session, and with administrative and staff assemblies. The Board of Trustees places great importance on Viterbo’s performance compared with other institutions and has developed a list of peer schools that Christensen uses for benchmarking. Not all schools on the list participate in NSSE but she selects those that do as a “selected peers” column to compare with Viterbo’s scores and with the entire NSSE cohort. For faculty presentations, Christensen has focused on survey item results related to active learning. For administrators and staff, she has presented results on items related to an enriching educational environment and stressed their role in creating that environment. She notes, “It’s nice to stand in front of the campus community and say, ‘This is your effect on students.’”
In addition to the groups above, Christensen has worked on analyses of survey data with the vice president of Student Development, the Offices of Communications and Marketing, and Admissions and Enrollment Management. The president of Viterbo has been an active supporter of NSSE as a measure of educational quality as opposed to a ranking system. He published an article in the local paper to explain why rankings on test scores and other external factors are not useful for judging the academic quality of an institution. NSSE results are publicly posted by the IRA office on the Viterbo website, www.viterbo.edu/Assessment.aspx.
Demonstrating Effective Diversity Initiatives
Viterbo University, a private university located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is committed to Catholic Franciscan values and its mission to provide each student with a quality liberal arts education rooted in the values of human dignity and respect for the world. The institution participates in a NSSE consortium of Catholic schools. Christensen is interested in how being in a Catholic school affects students’ lives. Participating in a consortium helps Christensen understand what things are “special” about Viterbo—she feels religious affiliation creates special conditions.
Although grounded in a Franciscan tradition, Viterbo defines itself as an ecumenical university where diversity is an important core value. All undergraduates are required to take six hours of coursework chosen from the 81 courses in 19 departments that meet the diversity learning component. NSSE results have indicated that Viterbo students, in comparison to their selected peers, scored more highly on learning about diverse perspectives as a result of class discussions and written assignments that have intentionally incorporated different racial/ethnic, religious, gender-related, and political perspectives.
Intercultural study and exchange experiences enhance the Viterbo curriculum and foster diversity. With the assistance of a Title VI grant in 2006–2007, Viterbo University started a Latin American Studies Program. The Global Education office promotes study abroad programs to students and assists faculty in finding international opportunities for professional development.
NSSE Results Influence Pedagogy
As part of a Title III Program, Viterbo faculty members have increased the use of active learning strategies and technologies to create a learner-centered classroom. Faculty participated in intensive active learning workshops during university in-service and out-service weeks from 2004 to 2008. All had access to a Title III “Coach” who was trained in active learning teaching strategies and who reviewed faculty projects, observed their teaching, and finally evaluated the faculty member’s practice. Faculty submitted progress reports to the Title III Director and Coaches. NSSE results from both 2006 and 2007 reinforce the effectiveness of active learning strategies at Viterbo—students’ responses indicated they learn more when they are intensely involved in their education, asked to think about what they are learning in different settings, and collaborate with faculty and other students on projects.
Using NSSE in Higher Learning Commission-North Central Association Accreditation
Viterbo used survey data throughout its HLCNCA Comprehensive Self-Study. Two targeted areas where NSSE results established evidence to meet accreditation standards were diversity and active learning strategies (see above). Christensen also used NSSE Institutional Report data reports and supporting documents, raw data files, and NSSE’s HLC-NCA Accreditation Toolkit as additional resources to support the self-study. Her presentations at the HLC-NCA annual conference in April, 2007, and at the 2007 annual meeting of the Association for Institutional Research in the Upper Midwest (AIRUM) on “The Role of the Institutional Researcher in Accreditation,” focused on preparing NSSE data for multiple audiences and using institutional data in the accreditation process. For example, in one PowerPoint slide, Christensen included a chart she had created that displayed Viterbo’s NSSE results mapped to HLC-NCA accreditation standards.
