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Student Experience Survey Report

Amanda Sherman
Post University
Student Experience Survey Report
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Student Experience Survey Report

Introduction
Every student has a unique college experience. As more students are returning to college later in

life, it is changing the landscape of todays college culture, making student backgrounds even

more diverse. With such diversity creates different student needs and requests from their

university. The purpose of this study is to collect reflections from graduate students about their

time as an undergraduate student. Assess what they perceive to have been useful and what could

have been improved upon.

Method

This study was conducted in Post Universitys Master of Education program, the population

consisted of Module 2 2016 students in EDU644 The New Post-Secondary Student. The sample

population consisted of 11 students, 10 of which participated by completing and returning the

survey. Due to convenience and time constrictions this was not a blind survey. Student email

services were used to send blank, and completed surveys. The survey consisted of five

demographic questions and ten open ended student experience based questions (Appendix 1).

The results were then assessed for patterns and themes.

Online vs Campus Student Involvement

The data revealed overwhelmingly that online students did not get involved in student activities,

nor did they get take advantage of student services to aid in their success at the same rate as on

campus students. Of the ten students surveyed only four of them accounted for becoming

involved in student activities such as student government, residence life, clubs and organizations.

Of that four, three of them were traditional campus students. Among the remaining six students

who cited they did not become involved with student activities two of which cited the reason for
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Student Experience Survey Report
their lack of involvement as being because I took classes online. Concerning utilization of

student services, seven of the ten students expressed that they wish they had taken advantage of

the student services the campus had to offer. This is a reflection of both traditional on campus

students and online students. Three of the seven students stated that they wished they had taken

advantage of the career services center. One can deduct that this is one of the more underutilized

services that may need to be presented to students with more urgency and importance.

There is clearly a disconnect with online students and campus activities. This lack of connection

with their campus can lead to a sense of isolation. One of the most consistent problems

associated with distance learning environments is a sense of isolation due to lack of interaction.

This sense of isolation is linked with attrition, instructional ineffectiveness, failing academic

achievement, and negative attitudes and overall dissatisfaction with the learning experience

(Ludwig-Hardman & Dunlap, 2003, p1). So making that connection with online students,

getting them involved and invested in the campus, can increase not only overall satisfaction with

the university, but grades, retention and overall learning experience.

Negative Opinions on Student Services

When asked directly about student service departments, the majority of students had negative

opinions. On question 3, concerning whether or not their new student orientation prepared them

for the college experience (appendix 1), five of the ten students said that the experience did not

properly prepare them. Two of the students gave positive reviews of their orientation, one gave a

mixed review, and two stated that they did not have an orientation at all. This clearly depicts that

70% of the students had a negative or no experience and only 20% reported having a positive

experience. When asked about their relationship with their academic advisor, seven of the ten

students conveyed they encountered negative experiences with that advisor. Two of the students
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Student Experience Survey Report
stated that they had a positive relationship with their advisor and one said they had no advisor at

all. The two most common complaints about the advising system is that there was a high

turnover and they were introduced to many different counselors through their time in

undergraduate school, and that the advisors caseloads were too high and they felt like a

number.

The students participating in this survey clearly see room for improvement in the areas of new

student orientation and academic advising. One way to strive for success in both areas was

suggested by the Virginia Community College System. Students actually meet with their

academic advisors during their new student orientation. The advisor explains why they were

selected for their first semester classes, review academic policies and address any concerns

(Hollins, 2009). This meeting sets the student up for success and gives them a point of contact

from their very first day at the university.

Non-Traditional Age Students: Lack of Involvement

In direct correlation with the theme of online students lacking involvement in campus activities,

it should also be noted that of the four non-traditional age students, none of them participated in

any activities in their undergraduate years. Three of these students stated that student activities

were not available for online students. Of these four, one stated that there were no student

services available at all, two stated only tutoring services were available, and one stated that

admissions was the most useful.

According to Kuh (2005) there are two key components that contribute to student success. The

first being the amount of time and effort students put into their studies and other activities that

lead to the experiences and outcomes that constitute student success. The second is the ways the
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Student Experience Survey Report
institution allocates resources and organizes learning opportunities and services to induce

students to participate in and benefit from such activities (p9). From the experiences recounted

from the survey participants, it is clear that they did not feel their university was allocating any

resources to aid their development or success. Student services cannot simply be something

available to only traditional-aged campus students.

Summary

The survey results display a clear divide. The answers of traditional-age college students were

full of experiences good or bad with their undergraduate student services. While the surveys

returned from the non-traditional age and online students had shorter answers and far fewer

experiences interacting with support staff. And overall there were many negative connotations

from all of the students about the student services provided to them. If this small sample is any

indication of a larger population, changes may be necessary. But for now there is a dangerous

mismatch between what todays student needs from higher education and what it is receiving

(Black, 2002, p.267).

Black, R. (2002). Buiding strategic technology alliances for teaching and learning.

International Journal of Value-Based Management, 15(3), 2002, p.265-285.

Hollins Jr, T. N. (2009). Examining the Impact of a Comprehensive Approach to Student

Orientation. Inquiry, 14(1), 15-27.

Kuh, G. D., & Documenting Effective Educational Practice, (.(Project). (2005). Student

Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ludwig-Hardman, S., & Dulap, J. C. (2003). Learner support services for online students:

Scaffolding for success. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed

Learning, 4(1).
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Student Experience Survey Report

Appendix 1
Survey
Student Satisfaction Survey
Reflect on your undergraduate experience and answer the following questions to the best of
your ability.
Highlight the appropriate response in a different color.
Age at time of attendance

18 28
28 38
38 48
48 and above
Gender

Female
Male
I choose not to identify
Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic
African American
White
Other (please specify)
I choose not to identify
Location of your school

East Coast
Central
West Coast
Size of institution

Small
Mid-Sized
Large

1. What was most important to you when choosing your institution and why?
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Student Experience Survey Report

2. Which student service do you feel was most valuable to you in your undergraduate
education and why?

3. Do you feel your student orientation served the purpose of preparing you for your
college experience? If yes please explain what was the most important topic discussed.
If no, what could have been covered that was not?

4. Please describe your living arrangement during your time as an undergraduate student.

5. Were you assigned an academic advisor in your undergraduate work? If so please

6. Were you involved in student activities during your undergraduate years (such as
student government, residence life, clubs, organizations)? If so do you believe it was
beneficial to your character development and how? If no please explain why not.

7. What is the most important lesson you take away from your college experience? What
did you learn that benefits you in your life today?

8. Did you take any time away from school during your undergraduate years? If so, why
did you choose to leave school? If not, what student service do you believe was most
impactful in assisting you to graduate?
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Student Experience Survey Report

9. Looking back at your undergraduate years, what is one student service you wish that
you had taken advantage of? What prevented you from using it at the time? And how
do you think your experience would have been different had you utilized this service?

10. What impact did your peers have on your student experience?

Your input it greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey, any
questions can be emailed to the administrator.
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Student Experience Survey Report

Appendix 2
Demographic Information
Age at time of attendance
18 28 28 38 38 48 48 and above
6 2 2
Gender
Female Male
9 1
Race Ethnicity
Hispanic African American White Other / NA
1 1 6 2
Location of School
East Coast Central West Coast
9 1
Size of Institution
Small Mid-Sized Large
6 3 1

Age

38 - 48
20%

28 - 38 18 - 28
20% 60%

18 - 28 28 - 38 38 - 48
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Student Experience Survey Report

Gender
Male
10%

Female
90%

Female Male

Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic
Other/Did Not 10%
Identify
20% African American
10%

White
60%

Hispanic African American White Other/Did Not Identify

Location of School
West Coast
Central
10% 0%

East Coast
90%

East Coast Central West Coast

Size of School
Large
10%

Mid-Sized
30%
Small
60%

Small Mid-Sized Large