INTRODUCTION
A total of 434 students participated in the Enrolled Student Survey for Fall 2001. A random selection of 32 classes provided this cross-section of the 1992 enrolled students. Labs were eliminated and classes with less than 5 students were eliminated prior to making the random selections. The random selection included classes (students) from all three schools and all departments. The graduates were somewhat under represented due to a miscommunication that lost some participant’s IDs in a large graduate class. We were unable to get responses back in time from the one web-based class selection.
The survey consisted of 88 multiple-choice questions ranging over the spectrum of facilities, functions and services provided by Sul Ross State University to its students. The questions were designed to provide a benchmark of information about the students, to watch for changes in trends, to help make predictions about future students, to collect effectiveness data, and to motivate and inspire students.
This student satisfaction survey should be perceived as a means toward improvement of the services that Sul Ross State University provides for its students. Its results find their primary meaning in relationship to intended student outcomes. Its questions may provide data for departments wishing to document effectiveness.
Participants were asked to provide their student ID so that demographic information could be added to the survey responses, without adding more questions. In one large graduate class instruction was not provided and several of the participants omitted their ID. In all classes a total of 40 students omitted their ID. Several incorrectly recorded their ID. Comparison of the incorrect ID to the IDs for students in the class enabled correction of some of these, but 21 could not be determined. This limited the usefulness of the survey somewhat. Nineteen participants took the survey twice, one took it three times, and one took it four times. Only one of the duplicated surveys was used for each participant.
Analysis of student responses listed in this report gives demographic relationships only for those students providing valid IDs. Where the analysis does not involve demographics, all participants’ responses are used.
The Fall 2001Enrolled Student Survey is a gold mine of information about student’s satisfaction with Sul Ross State University. It provides a snapshot of how they feel about a variety of topics. It gives us insight into the things we are doing well and the things that may need improvement. When combined with data from the Student Information System, we can look at cross-sections of sub-groups of students by demographics such as sex, ethnicity, age, major, classification, part/full time, new/continuing, etc.
An important additional use for this survey will be in its comparison with other surveys such as the Entering Student Survey, the Graduating Student Survey, and future Enrolled Student Surveys. These comparisons will give us insight into changes over time and may reveal ways to reinforce positive changes and to counteract negative changes.
OVERVIEW OF THE RESPONSES
At first glance, this interesting chart reminds me of some of the caves I
explored in my youth. We find ourselves viewing what looks like a
cross-section of a large cavern with stalagmites and stalactites here and
there. An interesting cave passage leads off to the right.
Upon closer inspection, we see that the horizontal axis is numbered from 1 to 88, corresponding to ques-tions 1 to 88 on the Enrolled Student Survey. The vertical axis is percent. The blue (lowest) area shows the percentage of "Strongly Disagree" responses. The purple area shows the "Disagree" responses. The large yellow area shows the "Agree" responses. The blue-green area shows the "Strongly Agree" re-sponses. Finally the dark purple area at the top shows the "Does Not Apply" responses.
Looking from an over-all perspective, two areas stand out.