Students at the University of Arizona experience meaningful faculty connections, strong academic support and a campus that emphasizes success, as highlighted by a national survey.

The National Survey of Student Engagement – also known as the NSSE – is conducted by the Indiana University School of Education and gathers feedback from first-year students and seniors at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. U of A students – including those enrolled through Arizona Online – participate every three years, most recently in spring 2024. 

The survey evaluates how students engage in academic activities, perceive their coursework, interact with faculty and peers, and view the overall campus environment. 

First-year students rated the U of A the same or better than its peers on 80% of those indicators, while seniors did so on 90%. In addition to strong results in faculty mentorship and academic feedback, students also highly rated institutional support services like supplemental instruction and tutoring resources.

Notably, student scores for effective teaching practices – such as receiving timely and detailed feedback on assignments – reached their highest levels since 2015 for both first-year and senior students. 

Nina Bates, director of operations and strategic initiatives in the Office of the Provost, said the survey provides universities with a clearer picture of student learning experiences and provides an opportunity to improve institutional practices.

"We were excited to see that faculty engagement remains strong," said Bates, who coordinated the 2024 survey. "Students report being able to approach faculty not just for class-related matters, but for career guidance, internships and broader mentorship."

The U of A has used NSSE data to refine student success initiatives and improve campus resources, said Christine Salvesen, chief retention officer and associate vice provost for student success and retention innovation. This year’s findings, she added, will help shape future efforts to support students both inside and outside the classroom.

"There's a weight that comes with national benchmarking," Salvesen said. "When institutions like ours compare results, it helps us validate internal processes and make sure we move in the right direction."

The NSSE results also reflect the growing challenges students face outside the classroom. Many U of A students reported balancing work, caregiving responsibilities and financial stress – factors that can affect their ability to engage in academic and social experiences, said Kendra Thompson-Dyck, director of assessment and research for student success and retention innovation.

Recognizing these pressures, the U of A has expanded its focus on holistic support, offering services like the Thrive Center, THINK TANK, C.A.T.S. Academics, the Well-Being Collective, and Counseling and Psych Services, that address students' well-being along with their academic needs, and works with specific units to improve operations based on the NSSE data. 

"This is our first true post-pandemic NSSE survey, and many students were deeply impacted during their high school and early college years," Thompson-Dyck said. "It changed the way they interact with each other, and we need to rebuild that culture in order to help students feel comfortable tapping the person next to them in class, asking questions and working together."

Enhancing education

The U of A has a long-standing commitment to ensuring undergraduate students are active participants in research, scholarship and creative work, said Lisa Elfring, vice provost for assessment, teaching, and technology. 

From assisting in cutting-edge research to interpreting art at a museum, students engage in a range of activities that enhance their education.

"There is a lot of data showing that these kinds of high-impact practices significantly benefit students," Elfring said. "Those experiences help students decide if they are on the right path and allow them to explore other directions and receive mentorship."

For Elfring, faculty-student engagement is at the heart of meaningful learning. To strengthen those connections, the U of A has prioritized creating learning spaces that foster discussion and interaction not only between students, but between students and faculty. 

Over the past decade, the university has redesigned classrooms to encourage collaboration, shifting away from traditional lecture-style spaces to environments that promote active participation. Arizona Online courses are developed with the help of an instructional design team that assists faculty in implementing best practices emphasizing real-time feedback, video interactions and digital tools to create engaging learning experiences.

Beyond supporting infrastructure and instructional design changes, NSSE data provides an important validation of faculty efforts, Elfring said.

"At the institutional level, this data validates the hard work of our faculty," she said. "What they do is not just appreciated by administrators, but by the students themselves. This data shows that students recognize and value faculty efforts and demonstrates that best practices are being implemented consistently."