Our school performs end of term student surveys to evaluate the satisfaction of the students. It does provide valuable insight to the trends within the school and students.
We currently use several different methods. We use surveys - both during the program and at the complettion of the program. In addiditon, I have found it very helpful to have candid conversations with our different classes to get their feedback directly from them in a manner that they feel they are being listened to and so that changes/improvements can be made right away. This has been most helpful because they are able to see that what they say matters and see that we are actively trying to make the program better for them.
Everything has changed in our "for profit company. Since the mandates for better retention from the government, all parts of our company have been busy exceeding the expectations. 2 majore competitors are on the edge of being liquidated because they did not comply. The enrolment reps, support facilities, extra curricular studies, content of corses, quality of instructors and student services have all changed to support being in the right place at the right time with the right people. I think that may be our new policy lol. It doesn't limit, it expects more. So, as an idividual, I look at my class everyday and see how I can make the program better, bring the traing aids into better condition, make the enviorment a better learning center, train myself to be better at these things, and keep the students engaged and learning more than they felt they paid for. It is a constant struggle and I have to look back at my list of things I accomplished and praise myself, because this road never ends. You have to measure how far you have come.
Although we provide students access to provide comments via surveys, it seems our institution's approach is locked into only metrics, spewing out data, and never moving from the data with possible working solutions to affect the numbers.
Ensure all staff knows what we are presenting to students and know each staff member's commitment to meeting those expectations. Developing a strong team atmosphere where staff and student collaborate together to resolve issues. Present the understanding that we are in our job to be of service to our students.
We hold weekly clearing meetings to assess the weekly outcomes of our commitments. We assess our strengths and how we brought them to the student population.
Work with faculty to ensure we are delivering our commitment of a quality education to our students.
Michael, could you share some examples of the valuable insights at your school?
Michael , how do you select the classes for direct feedback? Are they the most vocal?
Kevin, I applaud the spirit of improvement. It's too bad that sometime it takes mandates from the government for us to get motivated.
Is this an example of paralysis by analysis or simply a reluctance to take the steps needed to actually make improvements, Don?
We use two national surveys to measure student satisfaction: NPS (Net Promoter Survey) and Noel-Levitz. The results are analyzed and discussed in our management and faculty meetings. Those students with negative feelings that want to be contacted are contacted by a member of the management team to discuss where we have fallen short of their expectations. The data is then again analyzed and steps are taken to correct the situation when practical.
We perform a number of different surveys -- course which is completed at the end of each course, surveys are also completed mid way through a students' education, and post graduate and employer surveys are also completed. Questions on the survey range from use of textbook, to competencies learned, soft skills and hard skills. Surveys are carefully read each by our academic department, comments are taken seriously and then reviewed with the entire team.
Dayton, would you recommend either/both of the surveys to your peers? What information do they collect?
Karen , what actions have been taken as a result of these surveys? Are they used as part of employee evaluations?
We begin at new student orientation before the student's first class even begins. First after orientation, we have the students complete a survey on the actual orientation. During the orientation, we break-out by program and each Program Chair meets with their students. Questions are asked about why they are coming to our school, what their expectations are and why they chose the program they did. After each module, the student completes a survey on the instructor and textbooks for each class in which they are enrolled. Besides a overall school survey which is done approximately twice a year, whenever a teaching evaluation is done in a classroom, the observer will ask the instructor to step out and speak to the students to learn about their overall satisfaction with the class and instructor. I think one important source of student satisfaction is for the student to know that what they see, think and feel is their reality.It is important to keep students informed of changes within the school because we have found that if is not done well and in a timely manner, many students will interpret this as being told something else when they enrolled and now the school is not meeting that expectation.
Our students are told that we have an open door policy. They should feel free to speak with any of the faculty if they have any concerns. If they do not get the satisfaction they are looking for or do not feel comfortable with the faculty, they can speak with any other administrators including going back to the admissions rep.
Different administrators also go to the classes on break or into the student lounge and ask the students how everything is going. Students are very willing to tell you when something is wrong ie. vending machines not working, no paper in rest room, test too hard etc. At that point the easier things are fixed or a meeting is set up with the student to go over the issue in more detail.
At the end of a course the students are given a faculty evaluation to fill out. These are taken seriously and adjustments are made if warranted.
Satisfaction surveys are done on each teacher and course as well as all other depts in the company.
This is done to identify problem areas.
We are in constant communication with our students. I have my own campus in which I work with students. I am in contact either on a daily basis or weekly basis to see how they are doing and if they need anything from me or anyone else. I have built that rapport from the time they enrolled in our school and am their main point of contact. I am actually thinking of providing a suggestion box as well and will be bringing that to our director's attention. Thanks.
Sue, sounds like a very proactive program to get feedback from students. Do they respond positively to your efforts? Do you get fresh suggestions over time?
Kelly, it sounds like you have a close relationship with your students. What more to you hope to gain from installing a suggestion box?
At my school, we do surveys every term on every teacher. This allows the teachers to evaluate their teaching style to make appropriate changes to meet the students expectations. We also have a suggestion box that the students use to help us improve the overall experience at this facility.
