Institutional Assessment Reports

On this page you will find descriptions, reports and analysis for all major current university-wide assessments. If you have any questions about these instruments, or if you would like more information about ESU’s results, please contact the Office of Assessment and Accreditation.

General Education Assessment Report

National Survey of Student Engagement

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is an online survey administered to freshmen and seniors by Indiana University at Bloomington. It asks students questions related to five benchmarks of engagement: Academic Challenge, Learning with Peers, Experiences with Faculty, Campus Environment, and High-Impact Practices. Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education requires participation in NSSE every two years. Participating in the survey helps to shape important decisions relating to improving the student experience at ESU.

Graduating Senior Survey

The online Graduating Senior Survey is launched in the latter half of each fall and spring semester in conjunction with the university book store’s Grad Fest, where students pick up or order all graduation-related paraphernalia. Afterward, the Office of Assessment and Accreditation sends group emails to all seniors who applied to graduate.

ETS Proficiency Profile

The ETS Proficiency Profile is a standardized test composed of 36 multiple choice questions assessing students’ general education skills in reading, writing, critical thinking, and mathematics. Divided into three broad knowledge areas (humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences), ESU has been administering the abbreviated exam as a means to assess a portion of the institution’s General Education program since 2009. A requirement of the State System to determine part of the institution’s performance funding criteria, the assessment also provides comparative data between ESU and similar institutions. Through a Learning Gains Report, the exam also fulfills the state-mandated Voluntary System of Accountability requirement to measure general education outcomes (in critical thinking and writing) and to provide key accountability information to the public. Most importantly, it helps ESU improve student learning by providing faculty and the administration with information about freshmen and senior general education skills that can inform program and curricular modifications, learning design, and improvements to assessments.

Other University-Wide Assessments

These assessments are not conducted regularly by the Office of Assessment and Accreditation. For information or data on the last administration of any of the below exams or surveys, contact Christopher Domanski, Associate Provost, at cdomanski@esu.edu.

• Alumni Surveys
• Information Literacy Test
• Student Satisfaction Inventory