The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning and the Indiana University Center for Survey Research developed The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to assess the extent to which students are engaged in programs and activities that are supported by the research on good practices and what they gain from their college experience.

On an annual basis, students attending colleges and universities that are participating in the NSSE are asked to respond to The College Student Report questionnaire. Through the instrument, students are surveyed regarding the frequency in which they engage in activities linked to good practices, how they spend their time, their participation intentions, their personal growth since starting college, and their perceptions of features of the college environment that are associated with achievement, satisfaction, and persistence. Students are also questioned on basic demographic items. Each year, the results from the NSSE project are used to produce a set of national benchmarks that can be used by individual colleges and universities to measure and monitor their educational practices and policies.

Morningside College participated in the NSSE for the first-time in 2003 and is scheduled to participate on a triennial cycle.  NSSE results will play a vital role in the College's assessment of student learning and institutional effectiveness.  Specific information on how NSSE results are used by Morningside College is available in the Morningside College Assessment Plan.