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Survey shows steady improvement
February 09, 2007
According to the results of a national survey, students’ satisfaction with the PLU experience has seen huge gains over the past 10 years.
The national Student Satisfaction Inventory survey measures student satisfaction and allows students to identify the issues that are most important to them. It is the primary tool used by PLU – and many other universities – to assess campus services. PLU has administered the survey seven times since 1996.
In 1996, students rated PLU above the national average in only two out of 12 categories. The most recent results, gathered in October 2006 from 1,000 PLU students in 44 undergraduate courses, show dramatic improvement: the university was rated above the national average in 10 out of the 12 categories.
Vice President for Admission and Student Life Laura Majovski said the university attributes the significant improvement to “very dedicated, deliberate work and investment of resources by a broad group of people on campus.”
The earlier surveys helped the university identify areas that needed improvement, and PLU dedicated time, energy and money to enhance the student experience through better student services and programming, as well as capital improvements, she said.
“The university is committed to obtaining and listening to students’ opinions,” Majovski said.
The most recent survey responses were compared to data gathered during the 2004-05 and 2002-03 academic years, and data gathered nationally from 400 four-year private institutions.
According to these results, students rated the following categories above the national average: academic advising; campus climate; campus life; campus support services; concern for the individual; instructional effectiveness; recruitment and financial aid; registration effectiveness; service excellence; and student centeredness.
The most important and positively rated items were concentrated in three areas: the faculty and academic experience; the atmosphere of campus; and support services, such as approachable and helpful advisors, and knowledgeable staff in the admission, financial aid and registrar’s offices.
The university has focused on improving areas of campus life that received neutral or negative ratings in past years. Those efforts proved successful as students rated a number of those items higher this year.
For example, students rated the category relating to academic advising above the national average for the first time this year. Majovski said over the past few years, the university has added more professional advisors, improved advisor training, continued mandatory advising appointments for freshman and sophomores, and improved communication to students about how to use advisors.
The major renovations to the University Center’s dining facility, planned for this summer, and the series of renovations to residence halls are also the result of student feedback from previous surveys.
The two categories in which PLU was at or below the national mean were responsiveness to diverse populations and safety and security.
Responsiveness to diverse populations refers to PLU’s commitment to specific groups of students, like under-represented populations, students with disabilities, and commuters, part-time and older, returning learners. Once again, students rated the category at the national mean.
Despite being rated more positively than in previous years, the safety and security category remains the only one rated below the national average. This category assesses parking and the overall safety of campus, as well as the responsiveness of safety personnel.
Within the category, Campus Safety officers and their response to emergencies consistently receive high marks. But overall, the results in this category show that even though PLU’s campus crime statistics compare favorably with similar universities, students still perceive their overall safety and security on campus as a significant concern.
In response, the university installed a video camera surveillance system in 2003 that monitors parking lots 24 hours a day. In addition, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies have increased their patrols of the campus perimeter, and Campus Safety’s safe ride/walk escort service has increased its capacity and expanded its boundaries.
“The results are positive and encouraging,” Majovski said. “Where deficiencies have been identified, the university is committed to improvement.”
In 1996, students rated PLU above the national average in only two out of 12 categories. The most recent results, gathered in October 2006 from 1,000 PLU students in 44 undergraduate courses, show dramatic improvement: the university was rated above the national average in 10 out of the 12 categories.
Vice President for Admission and Student Life Laura Majovski said the university attributes the significant improvement to “very dedicated, deliberate work and investment of resources by a broad group of people on campus.”
The earlier surveys helped the university identify areas that needed improvement, and PLU dedicated time, energy and money to enhance the student experience through better student services and programming, as well as capital improvements, she said.
“The university is committed to obtaining and listening to students’ opinions,” Majovski said.
The most recent survey responses were compared to data gathered during the 2004-05 and 2002-03 academic years, and data gathered nationally from 400 four-year private institutions.
According to these results, students rated the following categories above the national average: academic advising; campus climate; campus life; campus support services; concern for the individual; instructional effectiveness; recruitment and financial aid; registration effectiveness; service excellence; and student centeredness.
The most important and positively rated items were concentrated in three areas: the faculty and academic experience; the atmosphere of campus; and support services, such as approachable and helpful advisors, and knowledgeable staff in the admission, financial aid and registrar’s offices.
The university has focused on improving areas of campus life that received neutral or negative ratings in past years. Those efforts proved successful as students rated a number of those items higher this year.
For example, students rated the category relating to academic advising above the national average for the first time this year. Majovski said over the past few years, the university has added more professional advisors, improved advisor training, continued mandatory advising appointments for freshman and sophomores, and improved communication to students about how to use advisors.
The major renovations to the University Center’s dining facility, planned for this summer, and the series of renovations to residence halls are also the result of student feedback from previous surveys.
The two categories in which PLU was at or below the national mean were responsiveness to diverse populations and safety and security.
Responsiveness to diverse populations refers to PLU’s commitment to specific groups of students, like under-represented populations, students with disabilities, and commuters, part-time and older, returning learners. Once again, students rated the category at the national mean.
Despite being rated more positively than in previous years, the safety and security category remains the only one rated below the national average. This category assesses parking and the overall safety of campus, as well as the responsiveness of safety personnel.
Within the category, Campus Safety officers and their response to emergencies consistently receive high marks. But overall, the results in this category show that even though PLU’s campus crime statistics compare favorably with similar universities, students still perceive their overall safety and security on campus as a significant concern.
In response, the university installed a video camera surveillance system in 2003 that monitors parking lots 24 hours a day. In addition, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies have increased their patrols of the campus perimeter, and Campus Safety’s safe ride/walk escort service has increased its capacity and expanded its boundaries.
“The results are positive and encouraging,” Majovski said. “Where deficiencies have been identified, the university is committed to improvement.”