Student satisfaction in four-year colleges and universities : report on the 2001 student opinion survey

BOARD OF REGENTS
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA
Office of Strategic Research and Analysis 270 Washington St., SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30334 (404-656-2213) Fax (404-657-4130)
June 12, 2002
Student Satisfaction in Four-Year Colleges and Universities
REPORT ON THE FALL 2001 STUDENT OPINION SURVEY
Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University Medical College of Georgia University of Georgia Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University
Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University
North Georgia College & State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia
Dalton State College Macon State College

Executive Summary 2001 Student Opinion Survey Four-Year Colleges and Universities
In Fall 2001, the University System administered the ACT Student Opinion Survey to assess student satisfaction with college services and environment. The survey replicates the 1997 survey project that established System level benchmarks in student satisfaction and provided System institutions with data for their review and action.
Among the major findings are the following:
USG four-year college students are positive about the services and college environment on their campuses. 74.9 percent of students were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with this college in general.
In terms of services provided by four-year colleges, students expressed highest satisfaction with recreational and intramural programs and services, library facilities and services, and honors programs. Students expressed less satisfaction with food services, residence hall services and programs, and parking facilities and services.
In questions related to college environment, students were most highly satisfied with class size relative to the type of course, attitude of the faculty toward students, and college catalog/admissions publications. Students expressed less satisfaction with purposes for which student activity fees are used, availability of student housing, and availability of the courses you want at times you can take them.
There has been little change in the areas of higher and lower satisfaction between the 1997 survey and the 2001 survey. The greatest gains in satisfaction with college services since the 1997 survey were in financial aid services, honors programs and computer services. The greatest gains in satisfaction with the college environment included general registration procedures, availability of financial aid information prior to enrolling and attitude of the faculty toward students. The greatest declines in satisfaction with services were in academic advising, student employment services, college mass transit, veterans services and day care services, the latter two used by few students. The greatest declines in satisfaction with environment included instruction in major field, course content in major field, variety of courses offered by this college, and availability of student housing.
The USG trailed national public college norms in several college services including college mass transit services, day care services and veterans services. However, few respondents used the latter two services. USG was higher than the national public college norms in student health insurance program, food services and honors programs.
USG's students were less satisfied than public college students nationally in responding to several questions pertaining to academic environment, including value of the
i

information provided by your instructor, instruction in your major field, and availability of your advisor. USG means were higher than the public college norm in laboratory facilities and racial harmony.
ii

Student Satisfaction at Four-Year Colleges in the University System of Georgia
In Fall 1997, the University System of Georgia undertook the first System survey of student satisfaction, focused on a variety of college services, learning environment and other aspects of the college experience. There were several objectives of the survey project:
To determine general attitudes toward and levels of satisfaction with USG undergraduates' educational experiences;
To provide institutions with data on their students' satisfaction with their educational experiences;
To compare and contrast USG attitudes and satisfaction levels with nationally normed data; and
To establish benchmarks for the University System of Georgia over time.
In Fall 2001, the student satisfaction project was repeated in USG institutions. The project employed the Student Opinion Survey instrument by American College Testing, Inc. ACT was chosen for the availability of national normative data for both two-year and four-year colleges and to ensure consistency when comparing the 2001 results with those of the 1997 survey. The survey project was coordinated by the University System of Georgia Office of Strategic Research and Analysis and was administered on each campus by a coordinator chosen by each institution's president. (See Appendix I.)
Survey Design
The ACT Student Opinion Survey has separate instruments for two-year and four-year institutions. The four-year survey is designed to obtain background and demographic information about students and gather perceptions of their college's student services, academic environment, facilities, rules, regulations, admissions and registration procedures, and general impression of their overall experience with their college.
Campus survey coordinators were instructed to construct a random sample of undergraduate1 class sections with the goal of achieving rough parity with their institutional student enrollment on the basis of sex, race/ethnic origin, and student level. Sampling on the basis of class sections rather than on individual students has the advantage of being easier to administer as well as more cost-effective. However, this method is less likely to achieve a mirror image of student enrollment on the basis of age and full/part-time enrollment status.2 Most four-year institutions administered the survey during class between October 29 and November 16, 2001.3 Three institutions--Georgia Institute of Technology, Medical College of
1 The sampling frame consisted of undergraduate for-credit courses except at Medical College of Georgia, where all enrolled students were sampled. Georgia Institute of Technology and Southern Polytechnic State University utilized a web-based survey and included all degree-seeking undergraduate students as their sampling frame. 2 By sampling on the basis of class sections, a student enrolled in five classes is five times more likely to be chosen than a student enrolled in only one class. The resulting sample will be more heavily weighted toward full-time students, and these students in turn are likely to be younger than the overall enrolled population. 3 After the initial completed surveys were lost in transit to ACT, the University of Georgia re-administered the survey in February 2002.
1

Georgia, and Southern Polytechnic State University--chose to administer the survey using the world wide web.4
A total of 22,378 surveys were distributed to campuses, and 12,802 surveys were returned, resulting in a response rate of 57.2 percent.5 Fall 2001 undergraduate enrollment at four-year institutions was 138,030. Thus, 9.3 percent of all four-year undergraduates responded to this survey. A list of the individual institutions and their response rates is provided in Appendix II.
Using These Results
This summary presents the composite results of all USG four-year colleges. When applicable, the results are contrasted with national averages as well as the USG 1997 results. Differences in demographic characteristics should be considered prior to comparing data from various subgroups. Sample selection, sample size and response rates should be sufficiently similar when making group-to-group comparisons. Differences between the 2001 USG survey respondents and 1997 USG survey respondents are presented in Appendix III. Differences between the USG survey respondents and the national normative group are presented in Appendix IV.
Raw data are presented here. Thus, the results were not weighted to reflect differences in college size or adjusted to reflect differences in the number of survey forms returned to ACT for processing.
The Student Opinion Survey uses a five-point Likert scale for measuring satisfaction. Higher values represent higher levels of satisfaction. The scale used is as follows:
1: Very Dissatisfied 2: Dissatisfied 3: Neutral 4: Satisfied 5: Very Satisfied
Averages for survey items are based on the total number of respondents for that item. In many questions, students had the option of selecting "Not Available," "Have not used," or "Does not apply." Some respondents chose to leave certain other items blank. Such non-responses were omitted from the base for average calculations.
ACT furnishes national comparison data based on 105,569 student records obtained from 148 colleges that administered the four-year instrument between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2000. Institutions in this group include public and private institutions from across 41 states. In this report, only the national norms from public institutions were used for comparative purposes
4 Colleges using the web-based version of the survey selected created random samples of students based on student ID rather than sampling individual class sections. Students were contacted via email and were requested to complete the survey using their web browsers. ACT administered the online version of the survey. The response rate for web administration was considerably lower (ranging from 18 percent to 32 percent) than for in-class administration (ranging from 46 percent to 91 percent). 5 This exceeded the target sample size of 11,028 needed for a .04 level of precision.
2

(n = 61,262). This normative group does not represent a random sample of students, and it is not necessarily indicative of the demographic breakdown of students at a national level.
When comparing USG results to the national normative group or to the previous USG survey administration, one should consider the absolute magnitude of all averages. For example, if the System's average for a particular item was 3.90 (on a five-point scale), and the comparable national average was 4.20, the System average, despite being low relative to the nation, still represents an overall high level of satisfaction.
Overall Impressions of USG Colleges and Universities
Students were satisfied overall with their college of attendance. When asked their level of satisfaction with "this college in general," 74.9 percent responded "very satisfied" or "satisfied." Only 6.9 percent responded "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied." These results are quite similar to the 1997 administration of the survey when 75.8 percent indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied.
Students were also asked, if you could start college over, would you choose to attend this college? 59.8 percent of respondents replied "definitely yes" or "probably yes."

Student Level of Satisfaction with "This College in General"

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied 1.5%

5.4%

Neutral 18.2%

Very satisfied 20.7%

Satisfied 54.2%
3

Demographic/Background Data
Racial/Ethnic Group: A comparison of the breakdown by race of the survey respondents to the overall Fall 2001 student enrollment at USG four-year institutions is presented below. The race/ethnicity categories used by the University System of Georgia and the ACT instrument are slightly different; for example, USG has a multiracial category, while ACT does not. The breakdown among the survey sample is fairly consistent with that of the overall population.
Race/Ethnic Origin of Survey Respondents and Fall 2001 Enrollment

6.4%

2.3%

26.2% 22.5%

Black Native American

Asian

0.2%

4.7%

2.0%

0.3% 3.5%

68.3%

2.5%

61.1% Student Population

Hispanic
White
Multiracial/Other/Prefer Not to Respond

Survey Respondents

Age: The age distribution of the survey sample is very close to that of the enrolled student population in Fall 2001. A comparison of the sample and the population is presented in the accompanying chart.

4

Percent

Age of Respondents in SOS Sample versus Fall 2001 Enrollment

16.0

15.1

15.2 14.6

14.8

14.0 14.0

14.0

13.6 12.9

13.4 12.8

Fall 2001Enrollment Survey Respondents

12.0

11.0

10.3

10.0

8.2 8.0

8.0

6.9 7.0

6.0

4.2

4.0

3.6

2.0

0.1 0.1

0.0

18 or 19

20

21

22 23-25 26-29 30-39 40-61 62 or

under

over

Age

Sex: The survey sample and the overall student population are fairly close in terms of sex. 62.0 percent of survey respondents were female, while females constituted 56.9 percent of enrollment.
Financial Aid: 74.2 percent of students reported receiving some form of financial aid. This figure is up slightly from the 69.4 percent reported in 1997, and it exceeds the national public college norm of 62.9 percent. The difference between the USG sample and the national norm is likely the result of the HOPE scholarship.
Work and Family Lives of Students
The Student Opinion Survey provides the System with a unique opportunity to discover who students are in terms of family background as well as what students do outside of class.
Employment: A significant number of students work while attending school. 33.9 percent of students reported working over 20 hours per week. This percentage is largely unchanged from the number of students working in 1997 (33.6 percent). Nearly one-third (31.7 percent) of students reported that their job was directly or indirectly related to their field of study.

5

Employment: Hours Worked per Week Over 40 Hours 6.1%
31-40 Hours 11.9%
0 or Only Occasional Jobs 37.2%
21-30 Hours 15.9%

11-20 Hours 19.3%

1-10 Hours 9.5%

Enrollment Status: Self-reported enrollment status of survey respondents is at variance from the population. Full-time students comprised 86.3 percent of those surveyed but only 69.9 percent of all enrolled students. In part, this may be an issue of different definitions of full-time between the System and individual response. However, it is also likely that the sampling methodology is responsible for this variance.6
Marital Status: 14.3 percent of respondents were married. This figure is slightly lower than the national public college norm of 18.0 percent.
College Residence: 20.5 percent of students live in a college residence hall, while 31.9 percent live in an off-campus room or apartment. 27.4 percent of students reported living in the home of their parents or relatives. These numbers are very much in line with national averages.

6 Most four-year colleges sampled class sections rather than individual students; thus, students enrolled in more classes were also more likely to be selected for the sample.
6

College Residence of Students

16.8%

2.3%

20.5%

1.0% 0.1%

27.4%

31.9%

College Residence Hall Fraternity or Sorority House College Married Student Housing Off-Campus Room/Apartment Home of Parents/Relatives Own Home Other

Purpose for Entering College: Students attend college for a variety of reasons. However, the goal of attending college for the majority of students (72.3 percent) was to obtain a bachelor's degree. Only 6.3 percent of students indicated they were attending college to take courses necessary to transfer to another institution.

Purpose for Entering College

3.9% 3.5%3.8% 4.8%

6.3% 5.4%

72.3%

No purpose
Transfer to another college
Obtain Associate degree
Obtain Bachelor's degree
Obtain Master's degree
Obtain Doctorate/Professional degree Other

7

Parents' Educational Background: Students were asked for the highest level of education attained by their mothers and fathers. 35.3 percent of mothers and 33.7 percent of fathers have not pursued any education beyond high school. 34.6 percent of mothers and 37.8 percent of fathers had completed a college degree and/or a graduate/professional degree.

Highest Level of Education Attained by Parents

1.7%

4.1% 5.0%

7.1%

14.9%

3.9%

12.0%

6.0%

1.3% 1.9%

25.4% 21.6%

20.7%

21.2%

8.2%

20.6% Mother

7.0%

17.5% Father

Less than high school High school graduate Some college Some graduate school Do not know

Some high school Postsecondary school other than college College graduate Graduate degree

Satisfaction with College Services

Students were asked whether or not they had used any of twenty-two college services and programs, and if they had what their overall level of satisfaction was with that service/program.

Areas of Higher Satisfaction: Several items had an overall average satisfaction score over or near
4.00, indicating a high level of satisfaction overall. Students were particularly satisfied with recreational and intramural programs and services, library facilities, honors programs, and computer services.

Items Higher in Satisfaction Recreational and intramural programs and services Library facilities and services Honors programs Computer services College-sponsored tutorial services

USG Avg. 4.11 4.00 4.00 3.92 3.87

% Who Used
Services 33.8 80.7 8.1 70.7 20.9

1997 USG Avg. 4.07 3.91 3.89 3.81 3.88

Public College Norm
4.05 3.98 3.87 3.84 3.86

8

Areas of Lower Satisfaction: The mean score for four of the twenty-two college services was below 3.50. Students were less satisfied with college mass transit services, food services, resident hall services and programs, and parking facilities and services. While students gave
relatively low marks for these items, USG students' satisfaction with food services, resident hall
services and parking services was close to or exceeded the national norms for public college
attendees.

Items Lower in Satisfaction College mass transit services Food services Resident hall services and programs Parking facilities and services

USG Avg. 3.42 3.37 3.36 2.51

% Who Used
Services 18.2 63.2 30.4 78.9

1997 USG Avg. 3.60 3.29 3.39 2.42

Public College Norm
3.68 3.19 3.38 2.47

Comparisons to National Norms: Most of the means for surveyed college services were close to those for public college students nationally. USG students were considerably more satisfied than their national peers with student health insurance programs (.21 higher than the norm), food services (.18 higher), and honors programs (.13 higher). Students expressed less satisfaction than their national peers with veterans services (.14 lower than the norm), day care services (.24 lower) and college mass transit services (.26 lower). It should be noted, however, that only 4.5 percent of students indicated they used veterans services, and only 1.9 percent used day care services. These relatively low response rates should temper any interpretation of student dissatisfaction relative to the national norms.
Comparison to 1997 Survey: There were some notable improvements in satisfaction in several service areas since the first administration of the Student Opinion Survey in 1997. Satisfaction with financial aid services increased by .23 points over the last administration, while satisfaction with food services and honors programs increased .18 and .13 points respectively. As discussed above, the levels of use of veterans services and day care services are so low that care should be exercised in interpreting the decline in satisfaction from the 1997 to the 2001 survey. However, nearly 1 in 5 students reported using college mass transit services, and the decline of .26 points since 1997 should be noted.

9

Largest Positive and Negative Differences between USG and National Public Averages College Services

Student health insurance program

Food services

Honors programs

Computer services

Recreational and Intramural Programs and Services

Academic advising services

Student Employment Services

Veterans Services

Day Care Services

-0.24

College mass transit services -0.26

-0.14

-0.06 -0.07

0.08 0.06

0.21 0.18 0.13

-0.30 -0.25 -0.20 -0.15 -0.10 -0.05 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25

Largest Positive and Negative Differences between USG 1997 and 2001 Surveys College Services

Financial Aid Services Honors programs
Computer services Parking facilities and services Library facilities and services
Career planning services Veterans Services
Job placement services Day Care Services
College mass transit services -0.25

-0.14 -0.18

-0.20

-0.15

-0.06 -0.06 -0.08

-0.10

-0.05

0.00

0.05

0.11 0.11 0.09 0.09

0.10

0.15

0.23

0.20

0.25

10

Satisfaction with College Environment

Students were asked their level of satisfaction with 42 aspects of college. The questions ranged across four areas: academics, admissions/registration, rules/policies and general aspects of the college, and facilities.
Academic Environment: Students were most satisfied with class size and faculty attitude toward students. Students expressed less satisfaction with the variety of courses available and flexibility to design their own programs of study.

USG responses were close to or below the national public norms for all academic environment items, with the largest negative disparities found in instruction in your major field and value of the information provided by your advisor. Little change was observed between the survey
administered in 1997 and the present survey.

Item Class size relative to the type of course Attitude of the faculty toward students Out-of-class availability of your instructors Course content in your major field Instruction in your major field Testing/grading system Availability of your advisor Preparation you are receiving for your future occupation Value of the information provided by your advisor Variety of courses offered by this college Flexibility to design your own program of study

2001 USG Avg. 4.03 3.88 3.84 3.82 3.82 3.74 3.67 3.65 3.61 3.54 3.51

2001 National
Avg. 4.04 3.91 3.87 3.88 3.91 3.81 3.75 3.69 3.70 3.59 3.55

1997 USG Avg. 4.03 3.82 3.81 3.87 3.85 3.77 3.65 3.68 3.60 3.60 3.54

11

USG Difference from National Public Norm: Academic Environment

Class size relative to the type of course Out-of-class availability of your instructors
Attitude of the faculty toward students Preparation you are receiving for your future occupation
Flexibility to design your own program of study Variety of courses offered by this college Course content in your major field Testing/grading system Availability of your advisor Instruction in your major field
Value of the information provided by your advisor

-0.01 -0.03 -0.03 -0.04 -0.04 -0.05 -0.06 -0.07 -0.08 -0.09 -0.09

-0.16

-0.11

-0.06

-0.01

0.04

0.09

0.14

Difference between USG 1997 and 2001 Survey: Academic Environment

Attitude of the faculty toward students Out-of-class availability of your instructors
Availability of your advisor Value of the information provided by your advisor
Class size relative to the type of course Testing/grading system
Preparation you are receiving for your future occupation Flexibility to design your own program of study Instruction in your major field Course content in your major field Variety of courses offered by this college

-0.03 -0.03 -0.03 -0.03 -0.05 -0.06

0.06 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.00

-0.20 -0.15 -0.10 -0.05 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20

12

Admissions/Registration: Students were most satisfied with college catalogs and admissions materials, while expressing less satisfaction with course availability. USG respondents lagged national norms in satisfaction with course availability and academic calendars. Considerable improvement was seen in satisfaction with registration, admissions and billing procedures, as well as with availability of financial aid information.

Item College catalog/Admissions publications Accuracy of college information you received before enrolling General admissions procedures Academic calendar for this college Billing and fee payment procedures General registration procedures Availability of financial aid information prior to enrolling Availability of the courses you want at times you can take them

2001 USG Avg. 3.86 3.69 3.68 3.64 3.58 3.56 3.52 2.89

2001 National
Avg. 3.85 3.67 3.67 3.80 3.58 3.56 3.50 3.01

1997 USG Avg. 3.82 3.65 3.59 3.72 3.49 3.34 3.35 2.86

USG Difference from National Public Norm: Admissions/Registration

Accuracy of college information you received before enrolling
Availability of financial aid information prior to enrolling
General admissions procedures
College catalog/Admissions Publications
Billing and fee payment procedures

General Registration Procedures
Availability of the courses you want at times you can take them
Academic calendar for this college

-0.12 -0.16

-0.16

-0.11

-0.06

0.02 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00

-0.01

0.04

0.09

0.14

13

Differences between 1997 and 2001 USG Surveys: Admissions/Registration

General Registration Procedures Availability of financial aid information prior to enrolling
General admissions procedures Billing and fee payment procedures College catalog/Admissions Publications Accuracy of college information you received before enrolling Availability of the courses you want at times you can take them Academic calendar for this college

-0.08

0.09 0.09 0.04 0.04 0.03

0.22 0.17

-0.20

-0.15 -0.10 -0.05

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

Rules, Policies and General Environment: Students were generally satisfied overall with their
college, but expressed less satisfaction with the use of their activity fees. Student satisfaction
exceeded the national norms in many items in this category, and students expressed higher levels of satisfaction than those in 1997 in several categories including racial harmony at this college and attitude of college nonteaching staff toward students.

Item This college in general Racial harmony at this college Opportunities for personal involvement in campus activities Personal security/safety at this college Rules governing student conduct at this college Campus media (student newspaper, campus radio, etc.) Religious activities and programs Attitude of college nonteaching staff toward students Academic probation and suspension policies Student government Concern for you as an individual Opportunities for student employment Student voice in college policies Residence hall rules and regulations Purposes for which student activity fees are used

2001 USG Avg. 3.87 3.75 3.69 3.69 3.59 3.56 3.54 3.54 3.48 3.42 3.39 3.37 3.24 3.23 3.07

2001 National
Avg. 3.88 3.66 3.65 3.66 3.51 3.53 3.48 3.52 3.45 3.36 3.39 3.42 3.20 3.18 3.03

1997 USG Avg. 3.88 3.63 3.67 3.61 3.60 3.57 3.53 3.43 3.51 3.42 3.31 3.36 3.20 3.26 2.98

14

USG Difference from National Public Norm: Rules/General

Racial harmony at this college Rules governing student conduct at this college
Student government Religious activities and programs Residence hall rules and regulations Opportunities for personal involvement in campus Student voice in college policies Purposes for which student activity fees are used Campus media (student newspaper, campus radio, etc) Academic probation and suspension policies Personal security/safety at this college Attitude of college nonteaching staff toward students Concern for you as an individual
This college in general Opportunities for student employment
-0.16

-0.05

-0.01

0.09 0.08 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04
0.03 0.03 0.03
0.02 0.00

-0.11

-0.06

-0.01

0.04

0.09

0.14

Differences between USG 1997 and 2001 Surveys: Rules/General

Racial harmony at this college Attitude of college nonteaching staff toward students
Purposes for which student activity fees are used Concern for you as an individual
Personal security/safety at this college Student voice in college policies
Opportunities for personal involvement in campus activities Religious activities and programs
Opportunities for student employment Student government
This college in general Campus media (student newspaper, campus radio, etc)
Rules governing student conduct at this college Academic probation and suspension policies Residence hall rules and regulations

-0.01 -0.01 -0.01 -0.03 -0.03

0.04 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.00

0.12 0.11 0.09 0.08 0.08

-0.20

-0.15

-0.10

-0.05

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

15

Facilities: Overall, students expressed general satisfaction with most facilities on their
campuses. Classroom, laboratory, and athletic facilities were all rated higher than the national
norms and also showed increased levels of satisfaction since 1997. However, satisfaction with the availability of student housing decreased markedly since the 1997 survey and ranked far
below the national norm.

Item Classroom facilities Laboratory facilities Athletic facilities Study areas General condition of buildings and grounds Campus bookstore Student union Availability of student housing

2001 USG Avg. 3.79 3.71 3.70 3.70 3.69 3.53 3.51 3.03

2001 National
Avg. 3.71 3.60 3.63 3.71 3.63 3.55 3.57 3.39

1997 USG Avg. 3.70 3.59 3.65 3.67 3.65 3.53 3.51 3.31

USG Difference from National Public Norm: Facilities

Laboratory facilities Classroom facilities
Athletic facilities General condition of buildings and grounds
Study areas Campus bookstore
Student union Availability of student housing -0.36
-0.40

-0.30

-0.20

-0.01 -0.02 -0.06

0.11 0.08 0.07 0.06

-0.10

0.00

0.10

16

Differences between USG 1997 and 2001 Surveys: Facilities

Laboratory facilities Classroom facilities

0.12 0.09

Athletic facilities

0.05

General condition of buildings and grounds
Study areas
Campus bookstore
Student union
-0.28
Availability of student housing

0.04 0.03 0.00 0.00

-0.30

-0.25

-0.20

-0.15

-0.10

-0.05

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

USG Questions
In addition to the ACT survey, the University System was able to ask twenty questions of respondents. Questions focused on student social and intellectual engagement on campus (six questions), students' financial ability to attend college (four questions), and the degree of intellectual challenge presented to students by their college (four questions). The remaining questions were used for demographic purposes (for example, the highest degree attained by the student's parents). A copy of the supplemental questions is provided in Appendix V.
Among the more notable findings, while many students feel their college is intellectually stimulating and they must work hard to achieve high grades, a significant number of students did not feel that their high school adequately prepared them for academic work at their college. When asked whether or not they agreed with the statement: the environment at this college is intellectually stimulating, 79.6 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed. In addition, 91.3 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: at this college, students must work hard to achieve high grades. However, 24.9 percent of students disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: high school adequately prepared me for academic work at this college.

17

High School Adequately Prepared Me for Academic Work at this College
Strongly disagree 9.8%

Somewhat disagree 15.1%

Strongly agree 29.5%

Somewhat agree 45.6%
Several supplemental questions were adapted from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), an instrument designed to measure the extent to which students are engaged in behaviors that are known to be associated with desired learning and personal development outcomes from the college experience.7 The results presented below will be compared to national benchmarks and analyzed further in other System research projects.

7 Improving the College Experience: National Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice: http://www.indiana.edu/~nsse/. USG participants in the 2001 administration of the NSSE were Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Georgia College and State University, and Georgia Southwestern State University.
18

Student Engagement: How often did you engage in discussion with the following...

100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0%

14.5% 33.1%

31.2%

2.6% 10.9%
39.9%

9.5% 25.7%

15.4% 24.2%

60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0%
0.0%

38.6% 13.8%

33.0%
27.0% 8.9%

46.6%

43.1% 21.7%

34.6% 25.7%

faculty members faculty members others, such as other students who students of a

outside of class outside of class friends, coworkers, held very different different ethnicity or

about material about ideas not or family about opinions from your race from your own

covered in class necessarily covered ideas from your

own

in class

course readings or

classes

Never Seldom Occasionally Frequently

Conclusions
The results of the 2001 Student Opinion Survey demonstrate areas of continuity in overall student satisfaction, as well as continuity in areas of student concerns. The largest improvements in student satisfaction are seen in the business processing of student life--admissions and registration, bill payment, and financial aid were all viewed much more favorably since the last survey.
Students remain concerned with academic quality and convenience issues. Satisfaction with advising services, course availability and academic calendars tended to decline from 1997 levels and continue to lag national norms. Additionally, satisfaction with student housing declined dramatically since the previous survey.
While composite results such as this can be used to identify large-scale trends, the most valuable use of these data is at the institution-level. Campus administrators will be able to identify areas of excellence and areas in need of improvement, and now have both a national benchmark and a prior-year institutional benchmark against which to measure their progress.
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Appendix I: Institutional Survey Coordinators

Institution Research Universities Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University Medical College of Georgia University of Georgia Regional Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University State Universities Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State Univ. Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia State Colleges Dalton State College Macon State College

Coordinator
Dr. Joseph Hoey Dr. Michael Moore Dr. Randy Butterbaugh Dr. Bobbi Lathrop
Mr. Nathan C. Coleman Dr. Michael Crowe
Dr. James L. Hill Dr. Joe Buck, Ms. Cheryl Tartar Dr. Jackie Stewart Dr. Jane Thompson Dr. Carolyn Cartledge Dr. John Dubriel Dr. Jim Purcell Dr. Frank Jones Dr. Nancy King Dr. Linda Roberts-Betsch Mr. Michael Crow Ms. Jocelyn Clark Dr. Andrew Luna
Dr. Henry Codjoe Dr. Michelle McCormick

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Appendix II: Institutional Return Rates for USG Four-Year Colleges

Institution Name

Fall 2001 Undergraduate Surveys Surveys Response Survey
Enrollment Distributed Scanned Rate Method

Research Universities Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University Medical College of Georgia* University of Georgia

10,888 17,205 2,377 24,401

1,899 1,500 1,803 1,000

612 32.2% Web 696 46.4% In Class 319 17.7% Web 678 67.8% In Class

Regional Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University

12,256 7,782

1,000 1,000

851 85.1% In Class 728 72.8% In Class

State Universities Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton College & State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State Univ. Kennesaw State University North Georgia College & State Univ. Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University State University of West Georgia

2,936 4,655 4,567 4,603 4,578 2,180 4,017 1,855 12,156 3,372 2,142 2,852 7,112

875 925 925 925 925 825 925 800 1,000 900 825 1,501 1,000

658 75.2% In Class 557 60.2% In Class 450 48.6% In Class 776 83.9% In Class 583 63.0% In Class 495 60.0% In Class 752 81.3% In Class 606 75.8% In Class 697 69.7% In Class 608 67.6% In Class 405 49.1% In Class 320 21.3% Web 508 50.8% In Class

State Colleges Dalton State College Macon State College

3,564 4,256

900

826 91.8% In Class

925

669 72.3% In Class

Totals

139,754

22,378 12,794 57.2%

*All enrolled students

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Appendix III: Background Information, Section I, SOS Georgia Four-Year Colleges 2001 vs. 1997 Surveys

2001

1997

Georgia Georgia 2001 vs.

Background Information -- Four-Year Form Four-Year Four-Year 1997

Colleges Colleges Difference

Median age range

21

21

0

% Age 23 and over

32.1

34.7

-2.6

% African-American or Black

26.2

25.8

0.4

% Native American (Indian, Alaskan, Hawaiian) 0.3

0.3

0.0

% Caucasian or White

61.1

62.4

-1.3

% Mexican-American, Mexican Origin

0.8

0.3

0.5

% Asian American, Oriental, Pacific Islander

3.5

3.2

0.3

% Puerto Rican, Cuban, Other Latino or Hispanic 1.7

1.3

0.4

% Plan to obtain a Bachelor's Degree

72.3

74.5

-2.2

% Plans Master's

4.8

6.4

-1.6

% Plans Doctorate or Professional Degree

3.9

3.9

0.0

% Female

62

58.8

3.2

% Married

14.3

15.9

-1.6

% Working 21 or more hrs/wk

33.9

33.6

0.3

% Receiving financial aid

74.2

69.4

4.8

% In-state residence classification

93.9

90.6

3.3

% Part-time student

13.7

12.7

1.0

% Freshman/sophomore

47

43.6

3.4

% Junior/senior

48.5

51.4

-2.9

% Entered from high school

64.5

59.4

5.1

% Transferred from Voc Tech School

3.0

3.0

0.0

% Transferred from two-year college

12.8

14.6

-1.8

% Transferred from four-year college

16.8

18.9

-2.1

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Appendix IV: Background Information, Section I SOS Georgia Four-Year Colleges vs. National Public College Normative Group

Background Information -- Four-Year Form

National 2001 Norms Georgia FourFour- Year Year Public CollegesColleges Difference

Median age range

21

22

-1

% Age 23 and over

32.1 41.2 -9.1

% African-American or Black

26.2 14.9 11.3

% Native American (Indian, Alaskan, Hawaiian)

0.3 1.4

-1.1

% Caucasian or White

61.1 64.5 -3.4

% Mexican-American, Mexican Origin

0.8 6.8

-6.0

% Asian American, Oriental, Pacific Islander

3.5 3.6

-0.1

% Puerto Rican, Cuban, Other Latino or Hispanic 1.7 2.7

-1.0

% Plan to obtain a Bachelor's Degree

72.3 76.2 -3.9

% Plans Master's

4.8 8.7

-3.9

% Plans Doctorate or Professional Degree

3.9 3.7

0.2

% Female

62.0 58.6 3.4

% Married

14.3 18.2 -3.9

% Working 21 or more hrs/wk

33.9 36.9 -3.0

% Receiving financial aid

74.2 64

10.2

% In-state residence classification

93.9 87.8 6.1

% Part-time student

13.7 13

0.7

% Freshman/sophomore

47.0 36.6 10.4

% Junior/senior

48.5 54.3 -5.8

% Entered from high school

64.5 58.5 6.0

% Transferred from Voc Tech School

3.0 2.2

0.8

% Transferred from two-year college

12.8 16.4 -3.6

% Transferred from four-year college

16.8 19.1 -2.3

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Appendix V: USG Supplemental Questions to the 2001 Four-Year Colleges Student Opinion Survey
1. High school adequately prepared me for academic work at this college.
a. Strongly agree b. Somewhat agree c. Somewhat disagree d. Strongly disagree
2. This college has helped me understand different cultural attitudes, beliefs and values.
a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Disagree d. Strongly disagree e. Not sure
3. The environment at this college is intellectually stimulating.
a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Disagree d. Strongly disagree
4. At this college, students must work hard to achieve high grades.
a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Disagree d. Strongly disagree
5. Which of the following best describes where you expect to be next fall?
a. Will have graduated from this college b. Will be taking courses at this college c. Will transfer to another college in the University System of Georgia d. Will transfer to another college in Georgia (private college or technical college) e. Will transfer to another college outside Georgia f. Will not be enrolled at this college or any other college
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6. If you could start college over, would you choose to attend this college? a. Definitely Yes b. Probably Yes c. Uncertain d. Probably No e. Definitely No
7. Currently, which one of the following best describes the type of employment you have? a. Am not currently employed for pay. b. Am working in an area directly related to my major area of study. c. Am working in an area somewhat or indirectly related to my major area of study. d. Am working in an area not at all related to my area of study.
How often did you participate in each of the following activities in the current academic term? 8. Engaged in discussion with faculty members outside of class about material covered in
class. a. Frequently b. Occasionally c. Seldom d. Never
9. Engaged in discussion with faculty members outside of class about ideas not necessarily covered in class. a. Frequently b. Occasionally c. Seldom d. Never
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10. Engaged in discussion with others, such as friends, coworkers, or family, about ideas from your course readings or classes.
a. Frequently b. Occasionally c. Seldom d. Never
11. Engaged in serious discussions with other students who held very different opinions from your own.
a. Frequently b. Occasionally c. Seldom d. Never
12. Worked outside of class with faculty on activities such as college committees, student life events, and other extracurricular activities.
a. Frequently b. Occasionally c. Seldom d. Never
13. Engaged in serious discussions with students of a different ethnicity or race from your own.
a. Frequently b. Occasionally c. Seldom d. Never
14. In a typical week, how many hours do you use a computer for course-related tasks?
a. Zero hours b. 1-5 hours c. 6-10 hours d. 11-15 hours e. 16 or more hours
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15. What is the highest level of education attained by your mother?
a. Less than high school b. Some high school c. High school graduate d. Postsecondary school other than college e. Some college f. College graduate g. Some graduate school h. Graduate degree i. Do not know
16. What is the highest level of education attained by your father?
a. Less than high school b. Some high school c. High school graduate d. Postsecondary school other than college e. Some college f. College graduate g. Some graduate school h. Graduate degree i. Do not know
17. Which of the following best describes your feelings about your ability to finance your college education at this institution?
a. I am certain that I will have enough funds to complete college. b. I probably will have enough funds to complete college. c. I probably will not have enough funds to complete college. d. I am certain that I will not have enough funds to complete college.
18. How much student loan debt do you expect to have when you leave college?
a. No debt expected b. $2,500 or less c. $2,501-$5,000 d. $5,001-$7,500 e. $7,501-$10,000 f. $10,001-$15,000 g. $15,001-$20,000 h. $20,001-$25,000 i. $25,001-$30,000 j. More than $30,000
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19. Approximately how much total credit card debt do you currently have (do not include credit cards co-signed by parents/guardians)? a. I do not have any credit cards. b. $0 (I pay off all my balances monthly.) c. $1-499 d. $500-999 e. $1,000-1,499 f. $1,500-1,999 g. $2,000-2,499 h. $2,500-2,999 i. $3,000-$3,499 j. $3,500-3,999 k. $4,000 or over l. I prefer not to respond to this question.
20. Which one of the following statements best describes the influence of the HOPE Scholarship on your decision to attend this college? a. I was not HOPE Scholarship eligible when admitted to this college. b. I was HOPE eligible and financial aid is helpful, but I would have attended this college with or without financial aid. c. I could only attend this college with the HOPE Scholarship, but could have attended elsewhere without the HOPE Scholarship. d. I could not have attended any college at all without the HOPE Scholarship.
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Appendix VI: Differences between 1997 and 2001 Institution Samples

Institution Name

1997

2001 Difference

Percent

Percent Between

1997 of 2001 of 1997 and

Surveys Overall Surveys Overall 2001

Scanned Sample Scanned Sample Sample

Research Universities Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University Medical College of Georgia University of Georgia

1,035 7.5% 612 4.8% -2.7% 429 3.1% 696 5.4% 2.3% 349 2.5% 319 2.5% 0.0% 973 7.0% 678 5.3% -1.7%

Regional Universities Georgia Southern University Valdosta State University

937 6.8% 851 6.7% -0.1% 579 4.2% 728 5.7% 1.5%

State Universities

Albany State University

775 5.6% 658 5.1% -0.5%

Armstrong Atlantic State University

685 5.0% 557 4.4% -0.6%

Augusta State University

624 4.5% 450 3.5% -1.0%

Clayton College & State University

706 5.1% 776 6.1% 1.0%

Columbus State University

1,149 8.3% 583 4.6% -3.8%

Fort Valley State University

465 3.4% 495 3.9% 0.5%

Georgia College & State University

991 7.2% 752 5.9% -1.3%

Georgia Southwestern State Univ.

1,008 7.3% 606 4.7% -2.6%

Kennesaw State University

639 4.6% 697 5.4% 0.8%

North Georgia College & State Univ. 716 5.2% 608 4.8% -0.4%

Savannah State University

723 5.2% 405 3.2% -2.1%

Southern Polytechnic State University 490 3.5% 320 2.5% -1.0%

State University of West Georgia

536 3.9% 508 4.0% 0.1%

State Colleges Dalton State College Macon State College

N/A* N/A 826 6.5% N/A N/A N/A 669 5.2% N/A

Totals

13,809 100% 12,794 100%

* Dalton State College and Macon State College used the two-year version of the Student Opinion Survey in 1997.

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