Students Invited to Comment on Their Experiences

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 2, 2012) — Attention, all you freshmen and seniors who want to change the world — or at least the university — here’s your opportunity to leave your mark on the University of Kentucky.

About 9,900 UK freshmen and seniors recently received an emailed invitation from President Eli Capilouto to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The survey examines how UK freshmen and seniors:

·        interact with faculty outside of classes

·        spend time discussing ideas versus memorizing facts

·        feel that UK provides a supportive environment to help them succeed.

In the email, President Capilouto wrote to students, “It’s important to me that you get the most out of your college experience. Completing the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) will provide me and our committed faculty and staff with valuable first-hand information from our students, which can help us improve our curriculum and campus life.”

Students can complete the online survey in about 15 minutes. Those who complete the survey will have the opportunity to win one of 25 $50 gift cards to Amazon.com.

This year’s administration of NSSE marks the sixth time since 2001 that UK has participated in this important project. The nationwide survey is designed to obtain information “about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development,” according to the NSSE website.

NSSE developers say the results provide an estimate of how undergraduates at hundreds of colleges and universities spend their time and what they gain from attending college. A number of research projects have shown a link between student engagement and academic success, as measured by grades and retention.  College administrators can use the data to identify aspects of the undergraduate experience — both inside and outside the classroom — that can be improved through changes in policies and practices more consistent with good practices in undergraduate education.

According to the NSSE website, student engagement represents two critical features of collegiate quality. The first is the amount of time and effort students put into their studies and other educationally purposeful activities. The second is how the institution deploys its resources and organizes the curriculum and other learning opportunities to get students to participate in activities that decades of research studies show are linked to student learning.