University Surveys

Conducting surveys provides Western Illinois University an opportunity to obtain input on a variety of issues. This input is a valuable tool in providing information to facilitate decision making in conjunction with Western's commitment to continuous improvement. While most surveys are campus based and driven by local issues and interests, Western also participates in a number of national surveys that help Western assess itself in comparison with other universities nationwide. This website helps make the campus and external community aware of Western's survey efforts and provides easy access to survey results and trends.

National benchmarking survey efforts include:

Local survey efforts include:

 

National Benchmarking Surveys

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE, "Nessie")

The NSSE measures the actual experiences students report regarding their academic and personal development. With Western's commitment to the core values of Academic Excellence, Educational Opportunity, Personal Growth, and Social Responsibility, the NSSE provides an excellent benchmarking tool to measure progress in achieving our strategic planning goals. Western Illinois University first became involved with the NSSE in Spring 2005, piloting the effort with a sample of freshmen and senior students. Beginning in Spring 2006, Western has committed to annual NSSE participation and expanded its reach to include all freshmen and senior students.

Making Achievement Possible (MAP-Works)

MAP-Works is an assessment system that enhances a student’s ability to make a successful transition to college. MAP-Works enables student success by providing customized, relevant information to students and by alerting faculty/staff so that they can initiate proactive intervention to reduce a student’s risk of failure and to help students get the most out of their college experience. In Fall 2007, Western Illinois University was one of nine colleges to pilot the online version, MAP-Works. Fall 2008 saw MAP-Works advance to a full-scale national benchmarking instrument, with Western again participating.

Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE, "Fessie")

A companion to the NSSE, the FSSE measures how engaged faculty think their students are in their academic and personal development. A key factor is where there are "gaps" between what faculty perceive and what students report, providing an opportunity for improvement to narrow the gap. Western Illinois University first participated in Spring 2007, and has established an alternate-year participation schedule with Spring 2009 being the next administration period.

 

Local Surveys

Graduating Senior Surveys - updated with Spring, Summer, and Fall 2008 results

Each year students nearing graduation are asked to complete a survey about their satisfaction with various aspects of academic life and personal development. In Fall 2005, these surveys moved to an online format to facilitate collection of data and sharing of results to that issues could be addressed and improvements made. The traditional survey questions were refined beginning with Spring 2008 graduates in an effort to collect more meaningful information to help provide a culture of evidence for academic Colleges and Departments, as well as the University as a whole, to utilize in their assessment and improvement efforts.

Special Request Surveys

Online surveys help ascertain WIU community input on a variety of topics throughout the year. All surveys must meet Western's Institutional Review Board guidelines. Questions may be addressed to survey@wiu.edu for additional information regarding university online surveys.

Current & Upcoming Surveys

Local Survey Results - Academic Year 2008-2009

Archived Survey Results