One of the largest measures of the student experience in the US comes from The National Survey of Student Engagement or NSSE. Each year, NSSE collects information from first-year and senior students about the characteristics and quality of their undergraduate experience. Students’ sense of belonging is one of the many topics measured. In 2020, 270,000+ students from 521 colleges and universities took the survey and rated their sense of belonging to the institution. 80% of first-year students reported feeling like part of the community at their institution (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2020).
Results from the 2020 survey noted that students’ sense of belonging was positively correlated to student engagement and development. The Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University (2020) explains that this relationship is especially important in terms of institutional support. These student perceptions of gains in learning and development can be credited to their college experience.
If your institution is looking to survey students to see the impact of their institutional support on a sense of belonging, Impact can help. Impact Messages are versatile and offer the option of including links or surveys embedded directly in your message.
Students can complete a survey without ever having to leave their LMS!
In an effort to boost retention post-COVID, understanding your student community is more important than ever. Surveys designed to gauge climate, or any other measure, can provide your institution with valuable data.
Do you think an embedded survey could be useful at your institution? Talk to your Customer Success Manager if you would like to start collecting survey data today!
References
Hausmann, L. R. M., Schofield, J. W., & Woods, R. L. (2007). Sense of belonging as a predictor of intentions to persist among African American and white first-year college students. Research in Higher Education, 48(7), 803-839. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-007-9052-9
National Survey of Student Engagement. (2020). NSSE 2020 overview. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Post Secondary Research.
Strayhorn, T. L. (2019). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students (2nd edition). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
