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Daryl Stevenson

Faculty discussions spark some rigorous debates about the validity and reliability of the NSSE... But in the main, we value the information, attend to it, and move to create ways to shore up the soft areas exposed by the reports.

Daryl H. Stevenson, Dean of Academic Administration, Houghton College

NSSE 2008 Timeline

2007

Late May

  • Registration opens for NSSE and FSSE 2008

July - September

  • Registration remains open until 9/20 for both NSSE and FSSE
  • Institutions begin to submit and upload materials for NSSE and FSSE
    • For all NSSE institutions:  submit completed letter templates (available on the Interface)
  • For paper administration institutions:  Submit letterhead, electronic signature file, institution image

October

  • Institutions continue to submit and upload materials for NSSE and FSSE
  • Consortia membership must be confirmed by 10/4
  • Consortia questions must be finalized by 10/18
  • Student letters/e-mail messages must be completed by 11/1
  • Population file submission and oversample instruction deadline is 11/1

November - December

  • Annual reports sent to 2007 institutions (early-mid November)
  • Institutions finalize any changes needed for NSSE and FSSE materials
  • Populations sampled in mid-December

2008

January

  • First wave of NSSE surveys are sent out
  • NSSE contacts can view all sampled students and mailing schedules on the Interface

February - March

  • First wave of NSSE surveys continues
  • Special local administration surveys are sent by NSSE staff
  • 3/1 is the deadline for all schools to provide NSSE with a list of ineligible students in their population file
  •  NSSE contacts can view response rates on the Interface

March - April

  • Web administration of FSSE begins
  • NSSE/FSSE staff and institutions continue survey administrations:
    • NSSE/FSSE-administered follow-up messages
    • Institution efforts to raise awareness of the surveys using campus publicity
      • Posters, word of mouth, proper incentives to respond to the survey
      • Institutions should not send anything directly to students about the survey

May

  • NSSE/FSSE administrations continue as described above
  • NSSE & FSSE 2009 registration opens
  • FSSE web administration closes mid-May

June - July

  • NSSE web and paper administration closes 6/2
  • Analysis of NSSE & FSSE 2008 data
  • Preparation of NSSE & FSSE 2008 Institutional Reports

August

  • NSSE & FSSE 2008 Institutional Reports sent