In-Class Promotion
Promotional DOs and DON’Ts
NSSE is overseen by the Indiana University Bloomington Institutional Review Board. Promotion of NSSE should be tailored to fit WSU, your program, and your students, but also must fall within IRB guidelines.
DOs
- DO focus on courses with high enrollments of SENIORS and FIRST-YEAR students
- Why: Other student populations are not eligible for NSSE
- DO communicate how responses help “pay it forward” and/or ways that NSSE data have helped your program
- For example: “Senior responses to NSSE helped us update our career resources to be more useful”
- DO describe NSSE results as “confidential”
- Why: Demographic data are collected for disaggregation purposes, but personally identifiable data are not disclosed with the results
DON’Ts
- DON’T offer extra credit for completing NSSE
- Why: NSSE has pre-approved WSU’s incentives — drawings on each campus for $100 Visa gift cards
- DON’T promote to individual students with “direct and individually targeted” messaging
- For example: No individual emails or one-on-one conversations
- DON’T make students feel coerced to take the survey
- For example: There must be no public shaming (even as a joke) or remarks like “Only real Cougs take NSSE”
- DON’T describe NSSE as “anonymous”
- Why: While personally identifiable data are not disclosed with the results, students must log in with WSU credentials to access the survey
Additional Information About NSSE 2023
NSSE opens on March 1st and remains open until May 15th; however, students must complete the survey by April 15th to be eligible for the drawings for the $100 Visa gift cards.
On March 1st, NSSE invitations will be distributed via email to eligible senior and first-year students on all WSU campuses, with a unique survey link for each student. Students also receive up to four reminder emails (on March 7, 20, 23, 28).
Students may also access the survey through a message in their Canvas inbox, a tile in myWSU, or by clicking through to myWSU from announcements or social media posts.
WSU partners with Indiana University for the administration of NSSE. Consequently, the NSSE survey is hosted on a website that is outside of the WSU web domain. NSSE invitation and reminder emails are sent by NSSE on behalf of WSU President Kirk Schulz, and include a unique link to take the survey at https://nssesurvey.org.
If a student has doubts about the legitimacy of their NSSE email, they can log in to myWSU and look for the NSSE tile on their homepage.
Each student who completes the survey by April 15th will be automatically entered into campus drawings for $100 Visa gift cards. Chances of winning depend on the number of students that complete the survey on each campus. Based on campus participation in 2021, odds of winning are approximately:
- Pullman, 10 winners (1 in 180)
- Vancouver, 2 winners (1 in 148)
- Tri-Cities, 1 winner (1 in 132)
- Global Campus, 2 winners (1 in 81)
- Spokane, 2 winners (1 in 44)
- Everett, 1 winner (1 in 37)
Note: NSSE will remain open until May 15th; however, students must complete the survey by April 15th to be eligible for the drawings for the $100 Visa gift cards.
If a student does not wish to participate in NSSE, they may click through to the survey and select “opt out.” They will no longer receive reminder emails from NSSE.
The estimated time to complete the survey is 15-20 minutes. If a student is unable to complete the survey in one session, NSSE will save their progress for later.
Eligible senior and first-year students on all WSU campuses will receive an email invitation on March 1st and can also access NSSE through a tile in myWSU. If students have questions about their eligibility, they can email Kimberly Green at kimberly_green@wsu.edu.
FIRST-YEAR Students Eligible to Take NSSE 2023:
- Students enrolled in the spring 2023 term who:
- were admitted to WSU as first-time, first-year students in 2022 in spring, summer, or fall (regardless of how many credit hours they brought in)
- transferred to WSU and had <30 total credits at the beginning of the fall 2022 term
- are former students returning to WSU and had <30 total credits at the beginning of the fall 2022 term
Students NOT Eligible for NSSE 2023:
- Students in their 2nd year at WSU who still have “first-year academic level standing” (<30 credits)
- Students enrolled at WSU through Running Start in the fall 2022 or spring 2023 terms
- Students admitted to WSU in the spring 2023 term
SENIORS Eligible to Take NSSE 2023:
- Students enrolled in the spring 2023 term who had “senior academic level standing” (a minimum of 90 cumulative credit hours) at the beginning of the fall 2022 term
Students NOT Eligible for NSSE 2023:
- Students who gained “senior academic level standing” at the end of fall 2022 term
- Students in their 4th year who did not have “senior academic level standing” at the beginning of the fall 2022 term
- Post-baccalaureate students
- Students admitted to WSU in the spring 2023 term
Students’ responses to NSSE are confidential. Demographic data are collected for disaggregation purposes, but personally identifiable data are not disclosed with the results.
NSSE collects data from eligible senior and first-year students on all WSU campuses about their student experience inside and outside of the classroom, including their engagement in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development. In 2023, the survey will include additional topical modules related to inclusiveness and engagement with cultural diversity, first-year experiences, and senior transitions.
NSSE provides data for WSU that can be analyzed for different campuses, colleges, schools, academic departments, and student affairs groups. Some NSSE data can be compared to peer institutions to provide insight into how WSU compares nationally.
Past NSSE results have helped WSU expand student services, build living-learning communities that bridge classes and residence halls, and broaden undergraduate research opportunities with mentoring faculty.
If you have any questions about the NSSE promotion guidelines, dates, or materials, please contact Kimberly Green at kimberly_green@wsu.edu.