About FSSE

The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement is an online survey that is administered in the spring to baccalaureate-degree granting colleges and universities. Registration to participate starts in late May and extends through September.

What is FSSE?
Why should institutions participate?
What does a participating institution receive?
How much does it cost to participate?

What is FSSE?

The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) was designed to complement the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which is administered to undergraduate students. The faculty version focuses on:

• Faculty perceptions of how often students engage in different activities.
• The importance faculty place on various areas of learning and development.
• The nature and frequency of faculty-student interactions.
• How faculty members organize their time, both in and out of the classroom.

The project is coordinated by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. FSSE is designed to measure faculty expectations for student engagement in educational practices that are empirically linked with high levels of learning and development. Since 2003, over 99,000 faculty members from more than 465 different colleges and universities have responded to the survey.

Administration Details

FSSE is a web-based survey. It is administered nationally to baccalaureate degree-granting colleges and universities that are concurrently administering NSSE or have participated in NSSE in the previous year.

Each institution selects its sample from faculty who teach at least one undergraduate course in the current academic year. Institutions provide the names and email address of faculty to be surveyed. All other aspects of the survey administration are handled by FSSE. Faculty responses to the survey remain anonymous to their institution.

Why should institutions participate?

The information from faculty members who teach undergraduates at your institution can be used to identify areas of strength, as well as aspects that your campus may decide warrant attention. The results are intended to be a catalyst for productive discussions related to teaching, learning and the quality of your undergraduates’ educational experience.

What does a participating institution receive?

FSSE schools receive detailed analyses, including:

• Customized reports of faculty responses
• An effective educational practices report drawing on faculty and student responses
• A data file of faculty responses
• A summary of national findings
• The NSSE Annual Report, which includes findings based on FSSE results

To view sample reports, please visit FSSE 2007 Reports.

How much does it cost to participate?

Institutions will be billed near the time that administration of the survey begins in the spring. Institutions that withdraw from participation between the close of registration and the beginning of survey administration will be assessed a $150 withdrawal fee.