Frequently Asked Questions
General CCSSE FAQsCCSSE Membership FAQs
CCSSE Administration FAQs
CCSSE Reporting FAQs
General CCSSE FAQs
What is CCSSE?
The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) is an assessment tool that provides information on student engagement, a key indicator of learning and, therefore, of the quality of community colleges. The survey is comprised of items that assess institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated with student learning and student retention. It is a versatile, research-based tool appropriate for multiple uses. Identifying what students do in and out of the classroom, knowing students’ goals, and understanding external responsibilities can help the college create an environment that can enhance learning, development, and success.
What items are included on the CCSSE instrument?
The CCSSE instrument asks students about their college experiences—how they spend their time; what they feel they have gained from their classes; how they assess their relationships and interactions with faculty, counselors, and peers; what kinds of work they are challenged to do; how the college supports their learning; and so on.
Is it possible to administer CCSSE online?
No. Although the Center for Community College Student Engagement is very interested in online administration of CCSSE, pilot testing of this option resulted in extremely low response rates and, thus, a data set not representative of colleges’ student populations. Response rates with in-class survey administration have proven to be MUCH higher.
Is there a version of CCSSE for faculty?
Yes. The Center does offer a faculty survey option for colleges participating in the student survey. Offered as a companion to CCSSE, the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE) is an online survey that invites all faculty members teaching credit classes at participating colleges to contribute their perspectives on student engagement. CCFSSE is designed to elicit information from faculty about their perceptions regarding students' educational experiences, their teaching practices, and the ways they spend their professional time—both in and out of the classroom. With a flat-rate fee regardless of college size, CCFSSE is an affordable and effective way to invite faculty into a college-wide conversation about student engagement and success.
CCSSE Membership FAQs
How much does CCSSE cost?
The Centerbases its CCSSE membership fees on enrollment data reported through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). A base fee chart is available for review.
May a college add additional items to the survey?
Yes. For an additional fee, a participating CCSSE college may add a maximum of 15 Custom Survey Items. However, many colleges have found that asking 5-10 well-written and appropriate questions will meet their needs while limiting the extension of survey administration time.
Colleges electing to add Custom Survey Items to their administration may select items from the Additional Items Catalog, develop new items, or submit a combination of both.
Note: The option to add Custom Survey Items is available only to colleges not participating in a CCSSE consortium that will be administering additional items unless special arrangements are made. Please contact the Center for further information at info@cccse.org or at 512-471-6807.
What is a consortium?
A consortium is a group of colleges in a district, system, state, or other group with common interests or challenges. Participation in a CCSSE consortium is free. All CCSSE member colleges that participate as part of a consortium benefit from the following:
- a discount on the base fee for participating in CCSSE;
- the opportunity to administer Custom Survey Items in addition to the core survey at all colleges in the consortium (fees apply); and
- consortium comparison reports.
CCSSE Administration FAQs
When is CCSSE administered?
CCSSE is administered at community and technical colleges during the spring academic term (February through April).
How is CCSSE administered?
CCSSE is administered as a pencil-and-paper survey to students in randomly selected credit courses.
How long does it take to complete the survey?
The survey is designed to be completed in one 50-minute class period. Historically, the survey has taken students up to 45 minutes to complete; however, it is possible that the survey may take an entire class period.
CCSSE Reporting FAQs
Are CCSSE data publicly reported?
Yes. Those data—including benchmarks, means, and frequencies—are available in the College Profiles section of the CCSSE website. Because these data are public, the Center asks that the information be used responsibly. A policy statement on responsible uses of Center survey data is available online for review.
How are CCSSE results provided to member colleges?
Survey results are provided to member colleges through Institutional Reports and the Key Findings booklet. Institutional Reports are provided electronically via the CCSSE online reporting system by July 31 of the survey year. Colleges access the online reporting system via the Members Only section of the CCSSE website.Through the online reporting system, colleges also can access an electronic copy of the Key Findings booklet—an individually tailored executive summary. Additionally, college presidents receive multiple print copies of the Key Findings booklet.
What data are included in the CCSSE Institutional Reports?
The CCSSE Institutional Reports, accessible online, include several standard reports: means and frequencies for all students in the current CCSSE Cohort* and college-specific benchmarks, means, and frequencies. College-specific reports include comparisons between the college, liked-sized colleges, and the CCSSE Cohort and are provided for all students and by enrollment status. Colleges that participate in a consortium also receive a consortium report in which the consortium replaces the like-sized colleges comparison group.
In addition, breakout reports—benchmarks, means, and frequencies—for developmental and not developmental; traditional-age and nontraditional-age; first-generation and not first-generation students; race/ethnicity; and gender are provided. Colleges also receive access to a downloadable raw data file, a codebook for use in working with the data file, and the downloadable version of the college’s CCSSE Key Findings booklet.
In addition to the standard reports, colleges can generate custom reports online, enabling comparisons with groups of colleges of their choosing. Custom comparison groups can be selected based on state, accrediting region, consortium, size, or urbanicity—or simply can be created by selecting any three or more colleges. After a comparison group is selected, two levels of breakout variables allow for detailed subgroup analyses.
*CCSSE utilizes a 3-year cohort (current year of administration plus the previous two years) of participating colleges in all of its data analyses, including the computation of benchmark scores. This cohort is referred to as the CCSSE Cohort.
Who can access colleges’ CCSSE Institutional Reports?
Accessing a college’s CCSSE Institutional Reports requires a username and password. The Center only shares institutional usernames and passwords with the respective college president and a person at the college designated as the CCSSE Institutional Contact. One of these individuals should be contacted for information about accessing the college’s data.
Will results of CCSSE’s annual Special-Focus Items be included in the CCSSE Institutional Reports?
Yes. Results from CCSSE’s annual Special-Focus Items will be displayed in a frequency report.
Will the results of the college’s Custom Survey Items be included in the CCSSE Institutional Reports?
Yes. Results from Custom Survey Items, if applicable, will be displayed in a frequency report.
Will CCFSSE results be included in the Institutional Report?
Yes. Results from CCFSSE will be displayed in frequency reports. Colleges that did not participate in CCFSSE will receive example frequency reports, including the current cohort data and example college-specific data.
Will oversample results be included in the CCSSE Institutional Reports?
Yes. Oversample data are included in the college’s data file, which is provided with the college’s Institutional Reports. Special data analyses and reporting for oversample data is available from the Center for an additional fee.
Are students’ social security numbers or other identifiers included in CCSSE Institutional Reports?
No. The Center is serious about protecting student privacy; therefore, student identifiers are not included in Institutional Reports, nor are they stored on any web-connected server. However, CCSSE Institutional Contacts may submit a request for encrypted data files including student-level identifiers to info@cccse.org.
What is the CCSSE Key Findings booklet?
Developed in response to member college feedback, the CCSSE Key Findings booklet is an executive summary individually tailored to each participating CCSSE member college that provides college-specific data in an easy-to-read and easy-to-share format. Included in the Key Findings booklet are benchmark comparisons between the college, colleges of similar size, and the CCSSE cohort; highlights of the areas of highest and lowest student engagement at the college; results from the CCSSE Special-Focus Items; and CCFSSE results (example college results will be provided to colleges that did not administer CCFSSE).
Can colleges view the Key Findings booklet online?
Yes. Member colleges can download the Key Findings booklet without charge from the CCSSE online reporting system. A college username and password is required to access the online reporting system.
Can colleges order additional print copies of the Key Findings booklet?
Yes. Additional Key Findings booklets are sold in packages of 25 for $100. To purchase additional Key Findings booklets, a request must be submitted to info@cccse.org.
Can colleges conduct trend analyses of survey data (examining changes in results over two or more survey administrations) on the CCSSE online reporting system?
No, this option is not currently available. However, the Center is in the process of creating advanced data analysis functionality within the CCSSE online reporting system. Announcements will be sent to member colleges as new functionality becomes available.
How can colleges provide feedback regarding the content and format of the CCSSE online reporting system and the customized Key Findings booklet?
Users may provide comments and suggestions by clicking on the Feedback tab of the CCSSE online reporting system and completing the web form. Additionally, after each survey administration and data release, the Center sends a feedback survey to presidents and institutional contacts. Improvement through Feedback, a response to the most often-cited issues, is then sent to all college presidents and institutional contacts.
How can I view national CCSSE data?
National key findings for the current year are available on the CCSSE website, as are national college characteristics and national student characteristics for CCSSE member colleges.
How long will colleges have access to their data on the CCSSE online reporting system?
Colleges have access to the CCSSE online reporting system as long as they remain active members in the rolling three-year cohort. Colleges that participate at least once every three years will have continuous access; therefore, colleges that participate in administrations outside of the three-year cohort will have access to archived institutional data files. Member colleges should contact the Center at info@cccse.org for information on obtaining archived institutional data files.
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