It's disappointing to hear that the students don't feel the surveys have relevance and don't see the changes based on their responses.
Is that because there aren't any changes or because the institution doesn't do a good job in communicating the changes? Either way it's a call to action. If the results aren't being used, why bother wasting everyone's time and resources?
Our school uses student surveys as well. I find that they feel that they have no relevence to them. When the student fills out the survey they do not see changes based on their responses, so why bother taking them. I find I spend far more time being a parent to students then helping them along their educational path to a successful career. I think some of these students have never had a parent and now can't cope with the day to day demands of school, work and family. I guess my question is when they start a program their all excited and ready for the challenge, somewhere along the way it becomes overwhelming and they can no longer cope. I try to explain to them that life is full of challenges and their always going to be there and show them there is light at the end of the tunnel and what the rewards are.
We have an initial orientation program to get the students acquainted with the campus and all of the departmental personnel at their disposal.
There is an outstanding student services department that helps students with everything from car pool connections and a food pantry to academic advice and social activities.
Virtually every department on campus is dedicated to consistently reinforcing and promoting the ideals and programs presented in orientation.
At the end of each course, students have a chance to voice their concerns and praise in a survey that rates the instructor, curriculum, facility and support staff. I have seen positive changes made based on those surveys.
Have you thought about doing your own survey early in the academic period to evaluate how you are connecting with your students?
This provides direct feedback to you and gives you a sense of the group early enough that you may be able to make some adjustments to better meet their needs.
Here we use Student Evaluations and Feedback Comments, The Education Manager Team will provide feedback to the instructor and follow up with the students that have identified themselves. As we know we do not take negative comments and Student Survey numbers very well. As professionals we need to take comments and numbers and use them to improve ourselves. I do have one problem with this type of evaluation and that is, if there is a problem that needs to be addressed or the students comment is taken out of context it should be relayed to the instructor so we know how we can suceed in the next class
Congratulations on a thorough and well integrated program, Sara!
What do you mean by "reaching for the stars" in Academics?
What have your surveys shown about expectations versus satisfaction?
James, what sort of changes have you made as a result of these surveys? Are they related to instructional techniques? Course content? Relationships with the students?
Tyra, do you have any idea how often referrals are made to the counseling service? I think many schools have an arrangement like this, but I don't think it is actually used very often.
Are the counselors willing to share "patient" information with staff or faculty at the school?
Our institution sees retention as a Campus wide effort. Admissions representatives have product knowledge sessions with program directors when they come into the job. They also prepare by asking current students what they like about the school so they can pass that information along to the new students. Our school has monthly staff meetings where admissions can also learn about the cool things that each program is doing. In Academics, we are also reaching for the stars. We give a new student survey to check expectations versus satisfaction. These results are shared with the team. We also evaluate and observe instructors quickly and provide action plans when necessary. Our open door policy allows students to come in our offices and feel comfortable sharing concerns. It seems like we do so much in regards to student satisfaction and making sure we are the best place to attend school. We also want to make sure we are turning out the best student for the community.
We have the students fill out a survey at the end of every class, it rates the curriculum, the instructor, the equipment, and the staff. We see the results with no names, so we can improve on our weak areas and see what does and doesn't work with our students. I can only make my self a better instructor if I know where my weak areas are.
Our school also surveys the students at the conclusion of each course. We also assign each student a mentor called a Student Service Coordinator and contract has a third party counseling service that faculty can refer students. Communication between all of these options can be a challenge..knowing which resource to use can also be a stumbling block for newly hired instructors.
How do you do that, Patricia? Observation, survey, etc? How reliable are the results?
Why is this important?
We assure that all staff and faculty are properly train and comply with all standars, regulations and curriculum contract.
Great advice, since we are a small campus I provide my students with personal touches such open door policy, make sure I know their names and what is going on with their enrollment, such as progress, and other requirements. Keeping them informed is of high importance to the students and myself. :)
At a small campus you probably don't need surveys to find out what's happening. If not done properly, surveys can, at best, be a waste of time and, at worst, actually do harm.
Since you have such a small population, are you able to make strong personal connections with your students? Have you made suggestions to the faculty about issues you have uncovered?
Is this the Noel-Levitz product?
I'm glad to hear that you are able to use the survey results in a positive way. What sort of changes have you made in your teaching methodology as a result of the survey?
Do department heads use the results of this survey to provide guidance to the faculty? Are results ever part of a performance review?
I think surveys are a great idea! Would like to see what I can do to implement this at our campus.
Carmen
My branch is small (128) students, I work in student services capacity, I make sure I stick around during beginning of class times, have an open door policy, I go in and have discussions, ask them not only about their progress, also about their everyday pressures with work and family life. I inspire them by keeping everything positive, I tell them think positive thoughts only flowing, leave out the negative thoughts, I also make it a win-win situation between faculty and students.
Carmen Bernard
Our school also uses the Student Satisfaction Survey at the end of each grading cycle. All students are encouraged to log into their portal and complete the survey. As an instructor, I review my own ratings and the comments made and, at times, have made adjustments in my methods to more effieciently and accurately meet student needs and expectations.
