NSSE was administered electronically in spring 2020 to first-year freshmen and seniors. Of 1,274 total respondents, 670 were first-year students and while 604 were seniors.
- In NSSE 2020, 88% of first-year students and 84% of seniors rated their entire educational experience at this institution as "excellent" or "good."
- Among first-year students, 69% frequently had discussions with people with different political views, 80% frequently had discussions with people from a different economic background, and 80% frequently had discussions with people from a different race or ethnicity.
- In 2020, 68% of first-year students and 61% of seniors gave the quality of their interactions with academic advisors a high rating.
- When asked about service learning, 53% of first-year students and 64% of seniors reported that at least some of their courses included a community-based service-learning project.
FSSE was administered in Spring 2009 as a complement to the administration of NSSE. Of the 662 faculty members invited to participate in the electronic survey, 58% responded. Of those responding, 95% were full-time faculty. The information provided through the examination of FSSE and NSSE results is intended to be a catalyst for productive discussions related to teaching, learning, and the quality of students’ educational experiences.
Source: Institutional Effectiveness Research and Analysis, April 2010
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Faculty Survey of Student Engagement
The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) is designed to complement NSSE by measuring faculty members’ expectations of student engagement in educational practices that are empirically linked with high levels of learning and development. In addition to measuring faculty members’ expectations of student engagement in educational practices complementary to information gathered by NSSE, FSSE also collects information about how faculty members spend their time on professorial activities, such as teaching and scholarship, and the kinds of learning experiences their institutions emphasize. UAB participates in FSSE concurrently with NSSE on a two-year cycle. More information about FSSE is available at fsse.iub.edu.
UAB Faculty consistently place great value on learning and high impact practices, especially internships and capstones. Service learning and research with faculty are also highly favored. Two areas where UAB faculty and student responses are in agreement are Higher-Order Learning and Additional Academic Challenge. There are some contrasts in NSSE and FSSE results. For example, students report a lower frequency in student‐faculty interactions than do faculty. The differences in the FSSE and NSSE results indicate that a large amount of high-quality interaction and learning occurs outside of the classroom.
At 44.6%, the 2020 FSSE response rate was the highest UAB has seen in recent years. The rate of response in 2016 was 40%, 24% in 2018, and 25% in 2022.
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First Destination Survey
The UAB First Destination Survey (FDS) is a very brief electronic survey administered each term to graduating students. The results tell us what UAB students are doing or what they plan to do when they graduate. The information collected relates to graduate school, career plans, salary and qualitative information pertaining to preparation for life after graduation.
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National Survey of Student Engagement
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects information from first-year and senior students about the nature and quality of their undergraduate experience. It measures the extent to which students engage in effective educational practices that are empirically linked with learning, personal development, and other desired outcomes such as student satisfaction, persistence, and graduation. UAB participates in NSSE every two years. More information about NSSE is available at nsse.iub.edu.
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Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory
The Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) provides information for use in improving student learning and life by identifying how satisfied students are as well as what issues are important to them. It covers a wide range of institutional activities and services, from academics to student services to extracurricular activities. The SSI will be administered on a three-year cycle. More information about SSI is available at ruffalonl.com.
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Student Learning Outcomes
UAB academic programs measure student learning through expected outcomes both inside and outside of the classroom throughout the academic program. These assessment practices help UAB to focus on the design and improvement of educational experiences to enhance student learning and support appropriate outcomes for each educational program.
- IDEA Course Evaluations
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UAB Center for Teaching and Learning
The UAB Center for Teaching and Learning offers a variety of events, workshops, teaching resources, and classroom technology information for faculty looking to better their teaching and assessment practices.
Throughout these resources, the American Association of Higher Education’s “Nine Principles of Good Practices for Assessing Student Learning” are integrated to create a broader understanding of the usefulness and importance of clearly established Program Goals, Student Learning Outcomes, and assessment effectiveness.
Principle 1: The assessment of student learning begins with educational values. Assessment is not an end in itself but a vehicle for educational improvement. Its effective practice, then, begins with and enacts a vision of the kinds of learning we most value for students and strive to help them achieve. Educational values should drive not only what we choose to assess but also how we do so. Where questions about educational mission and values are skipped over, assessment threatens to be an exercise in measuring what’s easy, rather than a process of improving what we really care about.
Assessment in academics is the process by which student learning is evaluated and the results are used to continuously monitor the quality of educational programs and signal any need for improvement. Assessment planning begins by clearly identifying learning outcomes for students. Student learning outcome (SLO) statements must also be measurable and target various skill levels within the cognitive domain. Planning then involves building programs and courses that provide students’ opportunities to achieve these learning outcomes.
Alignment and integration of learning outcomes are critical for successful assessment planning and the continuous improvement cycle. Learning outcomes identified at the institutional level must be integrated at the program and course levels. Conversely, course outcomes must align with program outcomes, which in turn must align with institutional outcomes.
Assessment Calendar
- April 1, 2024- Academic Annual Assessment Plan Revision Feedback will be sent out by the UAB Outcomes Team.
- October 15, 2024- Academic Annual Assessment Plan and Action Plans Due.
- Submissions should be revised based on the UAB Outcomes Team feedback, formatted in the UAB Outcomes Template, and sent to the
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- Submissions should be revised based on the UAB Outcomes Team feedback, formatted in the UAB Outcomes Template, and sent to the