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Educational Effectiveness Review Appendix A2 SURVEY OF STUDENT EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCESAs the various writing teams prepared essays for the 2004 WASC Educational Effectiveness self-study, it became apparent that a student survey might help plug gaps in the data. A survey was drafted, reviewed for content by the conveners of the writing groups, for reliability by two faculty members with experience in survey administration, and by a group of faculty members and administrators who acted as a department-level human subjects review committee. The survey was announced the week of May 10 by emailing over 23,000 current students at all of the email addresses they had listed in the university directory. As an incentive, four students responding by May 29 were randomly selected to receive $50 Kennel Bookstore gift certificates. Reponses were anonymous, with email addresses used for the prize drawing maintained separately from the data file. In addition to a series of multiple-choice questions dealing with clarity of expected learning outcomes, academic advising, research, service-learning, and classroom technology, students were asked “ Please describe your most significant or memorable learning experience while a student at Fresno State. (The learning experience does not have to be associated with a specific course,)” and were giving the opportunity to provide additional comments or recommendations. Respondents numbered 2,246, of whom approximately 1,330 provided written comments. Responses to the multiple-choice questions are summarized here and excerpted in the essays where appropriate. Written responses are still being analyzed.
Clarity of Learning OutcomesUndergraduate students reported that “the course syllabus makes clear what I am expected to learn in” in most or all courses in General Education (77%) and major courses (83%) (Table 1). Table 1. Student responses to the question “With respect to general education/major courses, the course syllabus makes clear what I am expected to learn in…”
Academic AdvisingUndergraduate students were less able than postbaccalaureate students to identify their academic advisor by type and, as expected, more likely to be advised by a professional advisor and less likely to be advised by a program coordinator (Table 2). Table 2. Student responses to the question, “Your academic advisor is …”
Graduate students consulted their academic advisors more frequently than did undergraduate students, but at least 85% of both groups reported seeing an advisor at least once a year (Table 3). Table 3. Reported frequency of seeing an academic advisor.
Both undergraduate and graduate students rated the overall quality of academic advising at 3.2, between “somewhat” and “very” satisfied. Students rated their advisors between “somewhat” and “very” knowledgeable in all areas polled, especially with respect to knowledge of requirements and prerequisites (Table 4). Table 4. Mean response of undergraduate and postbaccalaureate students to questions about the quality of academic advising and the knowledgeability of their academic advisor.
Participation in ResearchLess than 5% of students felt that the university’s emphasis on faculty research and other creative activities is too heavy. The approximately 25% of students who had worked with faculty members in research were much less likely to be unsure of their opinion and much more likely to consider the emphasis on research to be about right or too light than those who had not done so (Table 5). Table 5. Student responses to the question, “Taken overall, the university’s emphasis on faculty research and scholarship is…” categorized by reported experience working with faculty on research or other creative activities.
Seventy-five percent of both undergraduate and graduate students who reported working with faculty in research or other creative activities at Fresno State indicated that their participation in these activities enhanced their educational experience substantially or very substantially (Table 6). Of these same students, 59% of undergraduates and 70% of graduate students felt that their participation had substantially or very substantially prepared them for their post-graduation goals. Table 6. Responses of undergraduate and graduate students who reported working with faculty in research or other creative activities to the question, “To what extent did participation in research or other creative activities enhance your educational experience?”
Participation in Volunteerism, Community Service, or Service-LearningMore than half (58%) of respondents indicated that they had previously or were currently participating in volunteerism, community service or service-learning (Table 7). Very few responded that, taken overall, the university’s emphasis on engagement with the community is too high. Students who had participated in service-related activities were more likely to express an opinion about the appropriateness of the university’s emphasis ion engagement with the community, and that opinion was likely to be positive. Table 7. Student responses to the question, “ Taken overall, the university’s emphasis on engagement with the community is …” categorized by their indication of current or previous service activity at Fresno State .
More than half (53%) of students who had participated in service-related activities indicated that their experience substantially or very substantially enhanced their educational experience (Table 8). Table 8. Extent to which students who had participated in service-learning or community service indicated that this activity enhanced their educational experience.
Technology-Enhanced ClassroomsMost (62%) students who reported taking a class in a technology-enhanced classroom indicated that classroom technology had enhanced their learning experience substantially or very substantially, 26% somewhat, and 14% very little (Table 9). Table 9. Response of students who responded “Yes” to “Have you taken classes in a technology-enhanced (SMART) classroom that allowed the instructor to project images from a computer and access the internet?” to the question “To what extent did classroom technology enhance your learning experience?”
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