ISEDJ

Abstract: Are IT students truly disengaged, or do our assessment tools fail to recognize their unique modes of engagement? This work examines how well the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) captures student engagement in Information Technology (IT) programs. The NSSE emphasizes group work, class discussions, and cross-disciplinary assignments, activities that diverge sharply from the common practices in IT, which often include solo work, lengthy periods of concentration, and complex system design. IT students also differ in how they interact with technology, engage with peer students, and learn, but NSSE does not account for these differences. As a result, NSSE data tends to underrepresent the real engagement of IT students. This misalignment underestimates the support and challenges IT students experience and motivates IT educators to change teaching practices to match the survey instead of the students. As a discipline, we need new measures that reflect how our students actually learn and work. Better tools will support improved teaching, more accurate engagement data, and higher rates of degree completion.

Download this article: ISEDJ - V24 N5 Page 14.pdf

Recommended Citation: Wolf, J.R., Mahatanankoon, P., (2026). Student Engagement in IT Programs: What NSSE Captures and What It Misses. Information Systems Education Journal 24(5) pp 14-28. https://doi.org/10.62273/JWOS5934