National Survey on Student Engagement

In 2004, Western and several Canadian universities participated for the first time in the National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE). First piloted in the United States in 1999, NSSE is designed to obtain, on an annual basis, information about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development.

The survey results (download Western's 2004 results summary) provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from postsecondary education. Institutions use this data to identify aspects of the undergraduate experience inside and outside the classroom that can be improved through changes in policies and practices more consistent with good practices in undergraduate education.

Western has taken a leadership role in suggesting to Ontario’s universities and to the Provincial government that NSSE results be used as part of our future accountability framework. We believe NSSE results are most appropriately used as a diagnostic tool for institutional improvement and accountability; however, we do not believe they should be used for the purposes of ranking institutions - a position we share in common with NSSE administrators at the University of Indianna (download NSSE Position Statement).