Student satisfaction in two-year colleges : report on the Fall 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 Two-Year Colleges
REPORT ON THE FALL 2001 STUDENT OPINION SURVEY
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College
Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College

Executive Summary 2001 Student Opinion Survey
Two-Year Colleges
In Fall 2001, the University System administered the ACT Student Opinion Survey to assess student satisfaction with college services and environment. The survey is a repeat of the 1997 survey project that established System level benchmarks in student satisfaction and provided System institutions with data for their review and action. While the USG students expressed higher levels of satisfaction in many categories since the 1997 survey, USG student satisfaction continues to trail national averages in several areas--most notably in satisfaction with academic environment.
Among the major findings are the following:
USG two-year college students are positive about the services and college environment on their campuses. 78.2 percent of students rated their college "Good" or "Excellent" when asked their opinion on the overall quality of education at their college. 76.9 percent of respondents were very satisfied or satisfied with this college in general.
In terms of services provided by two-year colleges, students expressed highest satisfaction with computer services, library/learning resources center facilities and services, and college-sponsored tutorial services.
In questions related to college environment, students were most highly satisfied with class size relative to the type of course, attitude of teaching staff toward students, and general condition and appearance of the building and grounds. They expressed less satisfaction with availability of adequate housing for students, purposes for which student activity fees are used, 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 for students between the 1997 survey and the 2001 survey.
The greatest gains in satisfaction with college services since the 1997 survey were in parking facilities and services and financial aid services. The greatest gains in satisfaction with the college environment since 1997 were in found in the area admissions and registration--assistance provided by the college staff, college catalog/admissions publications, and accuracy of college information you received before enrolling had the largest increase in satisfaction since the 1997 survey.
The USG trailed national norms in several college services including day care, student health services, cafeteria/food services, veterans services, and residence hall programs. However, some of these services were used by few respondents (day care and veterans services, for example).
The USG trailed national norms in several questions pertaining to academic environment, including course content in your major area of study, quality of instruction in your major
i

area of study, variety of courses offered, preparation for your chosen profession, and value of the information provided by your advisor.
ii

Student Satisfaction in Two-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 individual 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
Using 1997 survey data, System Office researchers discovered that higher levels of student satisfaction were related to higher levels of retention. Thus, there is a tangible academic benefit to the continuing efforts to gauge student satisfaction. 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.
Survey Design
The ACT Student Opinion Survey has separate instruments for two-year and four-year institutions. The two-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 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 advantages in being easier to administer as well as more costeffective. 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.1
All two-year institutions administered the survey during class between October 29 and November 16, 2001. 10,750 surveys were distributed to campuses, and 6,495 surveys were returned resulting in a response rate of 68.2 percent.2 Fall 2001 enrollment at two-year
1 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. 2 This exceeded the target sample size of 5,959 needed for a .04 level of precision.
1

institutions was 38,740. Thus, 16.8 percent of all two-year students responded to this survey. A list of the individual institutions and their response rates is provided in Appendix I.
Using These Results
This summary presents the composite results of all USG two-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 USG survey respondents and the national normative group are presented in Appendix III. Differences between the 2001 USG survey respondents and 1997 USG survey respondents are presented in Appendix II.
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 not used in the base for average calculations.
ACT furnishes national comparison data based on 89,310 student records obtained from 148 colleges that administered the two-year instrument between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2000. Institutions in this group include vocational/technical institutions as well as community colleges, both public and private, from across 35 states. 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.
2

Demographic/Background Data
Race/Ethnic Group: A comparison of the breakdown by race of the survey respondents to the overall Fall 2001 student enrollment at USG two-year institutions is presented below. The race/ethnicity categories are 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 Student Population

5.3%

25.3% 29.3%

61.8%

0.3% 4.3%
1.9% 2.4%

0.4% 1.7% 1.8%

65.5% Student Population

Black Native American Asian Hispanic Multiracial White Other/Prefer Not to Respond

Survey Respondents

3

Age: Younger students are slightly overrepresented, while older students are slightly
underrepresented in the survey sample. Sampling methodology is the likely cause of this variance.3

Age of Survey Respondents in SOS Sample Compared to Fall 2001 Enrollment

25

20.9 20
15 14.4

21.3
17.5 15.3
13.9

10

9.4 8.9

5

11.1
7.9 6.3
4.9

Fall 2001 Enrollment Survey Respondents

8.6 5.9

12.3 9.8

6.4 5.0

Percent

0.2 0.1

0

18 or under 19

20

21

22

23-25

26-29

30-39

40-61 62 or over

Enrollment Status: Self-reported enrollment status of the surveyed students is at variance with the overall population. While full-time students comprised 47.8 percent of Fall 2001 enrollment at two-year institutions, 75.1 percent of the survey respondents indicated they were enrolled fulltime. In part this may be an issue of different definitions of full-time between the System and individual response. However, as with age, this is likely an artifact of the sampling methodology.
Sex: Females comprised 64.2 percent of the survey respondents, compared to 61.1 of Fall 2001 enrollment. Males comprised 35.8 percent of respondents, compared to 38.9 percent of the overall student population.

3 Two-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. Older students are more likely to be enrolled on a part-time basis, so they are likely to be underrepresented in the survey sample.
4

Employment: Hours Worked per Week

Over 31 Hours 27.1%

0 or Only Occasional Jobs 27.5%

21-30 Hours 19.2%

1-10 Hours 7.3%
11-20 Hours 18.9%

Employment: Most students work in addition to going to school. 46.3 percent of students reported working more than 20 hours per week. However, this figure is down from that reported in 1997, when 53.6 percent of students reported working over 20 hours.
Financial Aid: 69.7 percent of students indicated they were receiving some form of financial aid while attending school. This figure is up from the 1997 administration, when only 60.5 percent of students stated they received aid.

5

Purpose for Entering Two-Year College

Obtain Associate degree 24.8%

Self -Improv ement

1.2% No purpose

Job-related

Other 3.1%

0.5%

6.3%

Transfer to another 2-

Year college

4.9%

Obtain certificate 1.7%
Vocational/Technical Program 1.6%

Transfer to a 4-year college 55.9%

Purpose for Entering College: Students choose to attend college for a variety of reasons. The majority of students (55.9 percent) indicated that transferring to a four-year institution was their goal in attending college. 24.8 percent of students were attending in order to obtain an associate degree. The major reasons for attendance have remained unchanged since the 1997 survey.

6

Highest Level of Education Attained by Parents: USG Respondents

1.1%

5.8% 7.8%

9.6%

2.4%

9.5%

6.1%

9.3%

9.5%

17.1% 14.7%

1.3%

17.9% 16.1%

28.3%
28.4%
Mother 7.9%
Father 7.2%

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

Parental Education: Students were asked for the highest level of education attained by their mothers and fathers. 43.9 percent of mothers and 45.5 percent of fathers had not pursued any post-secondary education.

7

Overall Impressions of the Colleges
The majority of students are pleased with the overall quality of education they receive from their college. 79.9 percent of students stated they were "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied" with their college in general, while only 4.2 percent stated they were "Dissatisfied" or "Very dissatisfied." The results are very similar to those of the 1997 survey, where 80.8 percent stated they were "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied."
When asked if they could start college over, 65.8 percent of students replied that they would still choose to attend the same college ("Definitely Yes" or "Probably Yes"), compared to 66.1 percent of students in 1997.
Students were asked to rank their reasons for selecting their particular college. The top five reasons were: convenient location, low cost of attending, offered the courses I wanted, could work while attending, and good chance of personal success. These were also the top five responses in the 1997 survey administration.

Student Level of Satisfation with "This College in General"

Very dissatisfied 1.4%
Dissatisfied 2.8%
Neutral 15.9%

Very satisfied 26.4%

Satisfied 53.5%
8

College Services
Students were asked whether or not they had used any of twenty college services and programs, and if they had what their overall level of satisfaction was with that service/program.
Areas of Higher Satisfaction: Eight of the twenty college services had averages of 4.00 or above, indicating overall satisfaction with those services. Students were most satisfied with computer services, rating it an average of 4.18. Library/learning resources center facilities and services and college-sponsored tutorial services were also very highly rated, averaging 4.14 and 4.11 respectively.

Items Higher in Satisfaction Computer services Library/Learning resources center facilities and services College-sponsored tutorial Services Recreational and intramural programs and services Cultural programs and activities College-sponsored social activities Personal counseling services Student employment services

USG Avg. 4.18 4.14 4.11 4.07 4.06 4.03 4.02 4.02

% Who Used
Services 65.1 74.3 22.2 19.7 16.8 26.3 11.2 9.5

1997 USG Avg. 4.14 4.14 4.07 4.02 4.04 3.98 4.06 4.01

Areas of Lower Satisfaction: Four of the twenty college services surveyed stand out as areas of lower student satisfaction. Parking facilities and services, resident hall programs and services, and cafeteria/food services all rated near or below 3.5. Day care services was also rated low.
However, only 2.5 percent of students indicated they had used this service. Given that most
USG institutions do not actually offer on-campus day care services, it is possible that many of
those who responded to this question were indicating dissatisfaction with the lack of available
day care on campus.

Items Lower in Satisfaction Parking Facilities and Services Resident Hall Programs and Services Cafeteria/Food Services Day Care Services

USG Avg. 3.51 3.44 3.42 3.33

% Who Used Services 79.7 11.8 39.7 2.3

1997 USG Avg. 3.33 3.49 3.48 3.55

9

Comparisons to national norms: Fourteen of the twenty college services surveyed were within .05 points of the national two-year comparison group. However the remaining items were more than .10 points below the norm. Again, it should be noted that given the low number of students utilizing day care services, it should be treated as an outlier.

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

Parking Facilities and Services College Orientation Program
College-Sponsored Social Activities Recreational and Intramural Programs and Services
Computer Services Resident Hall Programs and Services
Veterans Services Cafeteria/Food Services Student Health Services
Day Care Services

-0.77

-0.15 -0.18 -0.19 -0.23

-0.8 -0.7 -0.6 -0.5 -0.4 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1

0.05 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.02
0 0.1

10

Comparison with 1997 Administration: Results are fairly consistent between the Student Opinion
Survey administered in 1997 and this administration. Thirteen of the services surveyed were within .05 points of each other. Two items--parking facilities and services and financial aid services were viewed more favorably in this administration. Students' opinion of parking
facilities was .18 points higher in 2001 versus 1997, while their opinion of financial aid services
was .16 points higher. A list of the top ten items of greatest difference (both positive and
negative) between the two survey administrations is presented below.

Differences between USG 1997 and 2001 Surveys: College Services

Parking Facilities and Services Financial Aid Services
College Orientation Program Credit by Examination Program (CLEP, etc.)
Veterans Services Recreational and Intramural Programs and Services
College-Sponsored Social Activities Computer Services
College-Sponsored Tutorial Services Academic Advising/Course Planning Services
Student Health Services Job Placement Services Cultural Programs and Activities Student Employment Services Library/Learning Resources Center Facilities and Vocational Guidance/Career Planning Services Personal Counseling Services Resident Hall Programs and Services Cafeteria/Food Services -0.22
Day Care Services
-0.25 -0.2

-0.15

-0.01 -0.04
-0.05 -0.06

0.06 0.06 0.06
0.05 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.00

-0.1 -0.05

0

0.05 0.1

0.18 0.16
0.15 0.2

11

College Environment

Students were asked their level of satisfaction with 44 aspects of college. The questions range 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 the attitude of the teaching staff, while they were less satisfied with the variety of course offerings and the information provided them by their advisors. USG institutions fell short of the national norms on many of the academic items; however, the results are not substantially different from the 1997 administration of the survey.

Item Class size relative to the type of course Attitude of the teaching staff toward students Challenge offered by your program of study Quality of instruction in your major area of study Out-of-class availability of your instructors Testing/grading system Flexibility to design your own program of study Course content in your major area of study Availability of your advisor Preparation you are receiving for your chosen profession Variety of courses offered at this 2-year college Value of the information provided by your advisor

2001

2001 National

USG Avg. Avg.

4.24

4.22

4.06

4.14

3.93

4.02

3.91

4.04

3.91

3.91

3.88

3.97

3.87

3.90

3.84

3.98

3.80

3.86

3.80

3.91

3.76

3.88

3.76

3.86

1997 USG Avg.
4.21 4.10 3.97 3.93 3.95 3.92 3.85 3.87 3.79 3.82 3.75 3.76

12

USG Difference from National Norms: Academic Environment

Class size relative to the type of course

Out-of-class availability of your instructors

Flexibility to design your own program of study

Availability of your advisor

-0.06

Attitude of the teaching staff toward students

-0.08

Challenge offered by your program of study Testing/grading system
Value of the information provided by your advisor

-0.09 -0.09 -0.10

Preparation you are receiving for your chosen profession

-0.11

Variety of courses offered at this 2-year college

-0.12

Quality of instruction in your major area of study -0.13

Course content in your major area of study -0.14

-0.03

0.02 0.00

-0.16

-0.11

-0.06

-0.01

0.04

0.09

0.14

Admissions/Registration: Students were most satisfied with the quality of college catalogs and admissions publications, but were less satisfied with course availability. While USG institutions lag national averages in several categories, there has been an improvement in satisfaction in 8 of the 9 items since the last administration of the survey. Most notably, satisfaction with availability of financial aid information increased by .11, and satisfaction with course availability and general registration procedures improved by .09 and .08, respectively.

13

Differences between USG 1997 and 2001 Survey Administration: Academic Environment

Class size relative to the type of course Flexibility to design your own program of study
Availability of your advisor Variety of courses offered at this 2-year college Value of the information provided by your advisor
Out-of-class availability of your instructors Preparation you are receiving for your chosen profession
Course content in your major area of study Attitude of the teaching staff toward students
Challenge offered by your program of study Testing/grading system
Quality of instruction in your major area of study
-0.11

-0.02 -0.02 -0.03 -0.04 -0.04 -0.04 -0.04

0.03 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.00

-0.06

-0.01

0.04

0.09

2001

Item

USG Avg.

College catalog/Admissions Publications

3.99

Academic calendar for this college

3.84

Accuracy of college information you received before enrolling 3.83

Assistance provided by the college staff

3.80

General Admissions/Entry Procedures

3.79

Availability of financial aid information prior to enrolling

3.76

General Registration Procedures

3.76

Billing and fee payment procedures

3.75

Availability of the courses you want at times you can take them 3.44

2001 National
Avg. 3.98 3.94 3.86 3.87 3.87 3.77 3.86 3.83 3.59

1997 USG Avg.
3.98 3.86 3.80 3.76 3.73 3.65 3.68 3.74 3.35

14

USG Difference from National Norms: Admissions/Registration

College catalog/Admissions Publications Availability of financial aid information prior to enrolling Accuracy of college information you received before enrolling
Assistance provided by the college staff Billing and fee payment procedures
General Admissions/Entry Procedures General Registration Procedures
Academic calendar for this college -0.15 Availability of the courses you want at times you can take them

-0.07 -0.08 -0.08 -0.10 -0.10

-0.01 -0.03

-0.16 -0.11 -0.06 -0.01

0.01
0.04

0.09

0.14

Differences between USG 1997 and 2001 Surveys: Admissions/Registration

Assistance provided by the college staff College catalog/Admissions Publications Accuracy of college information you received before enrolling
Billing and fee payment procedures General Admissions/Entry Procedures
General Registration Procedures Availability of the courses you want at times you can take them
Availability of financial aid information prior to enrolling Academic calendar for this college
-0.11

-0.06

-0.02

0.06 0.04 0.03 0.01 0.01

0.11 0.09 0.08

-0.01

0.04

0.09

15

Rules & Policies/General: Students were generally satisfied overall with their college but expressed dissatisfaction with opportunities for student employment. Relative to the national norms, students gave higher marks to the opportunities provided them to get involved with college activities and student government. The 2001 students are generally more satisfied than those in 1997, with the largest improvements seen in attitudes toward opportunities for personal involvement in the campus, and perceptions of racial harmony.

Item

2001 2001 1997

USG Avg. National USG Avg.

Avg.

This college in general

4.01

4.06

4.00

Personal Security/Safety at this college

3.96

3.93

3.95

Racial harmony at this college

3.95

3.91

3.90

Rules governing student conduct at this college

3.91

3.89

3.92

Opportunities for personal involvement in college 3.77

3.68

3.71

activities

Attitude of college nonteaching staff toward students 3.73

3.76

3.69

Concern for you as an individual

3.65

3.71

3.62

Academic Probation and Suspension Policies

3.59

3.61

3.62

College Media

3.59

3.52

3.57

Student Government

3.59

3.50

3.54

Student voice in college policies

3.56

3.53

3.53

Opportunities for student employment

3.51

3.62

3.53

Purposes for which student activity fees are used

3.40

3.45

3.34

USG Difference from National Norm: Rules & Policies/General

Opportunities for personal involvement in college activities Student Government College Media
Racial harmony at this college Student voice in college policies Personal Security/Safety at this college Rules governing student conduct at this college Academic Probation and Suspension Policies Attitude of college nonteaching staff toward students
This college in general Purposes for which student activity fees are used
Concern for you as an individual Opportunities for student employment

-0.11

-0.16

-0.11

-0.02 -0.03 -0.05 -0.05
-0.06

-0.06

-0.01

0.04 0.03
0.03 0.02

0.09 0.09 0.07

0.04

0.09

0.14

16

Difference between 1997 and 2001 Survey: Rules & Policies/General

Opportunities for personal involvement in college activities Purposes for which student activity fees are used Racial harmony at this college Student Government
Attitude of college nonteaching staff toward students Student voice in college policies Concern for you as an individual College Media
Personal Security/Safety at this college This college in general
Rules governing student conduct at this college Opportunities for student employment
Academic Probation and Suspension Policies
-0.11

-0.01 -0.02 -0.03

-0.06

-0.01

0.06 0.06 0.05
0.05 0.04 0.03 0.03
0.02 0.01 0.01

0.04

0.09

Facilities: Students were generally satisfied with college facilities, although they noted dissatisfaction with the availability of student housing. Athletic facilities, student community center/student union, study areas and classroom facilities were all rated higher than national
averages, and these same items were rated higher than they were in the 1997 survey. Satisfaction with college bookstore declined since the previous survey, and significantly lagged the national
average.

Item
General Condition of buildings and grounds Classroom Facilities Study Areas Business-training facilities/equipment Laboratory facilities Student Community Center/Student Union Athletic Facilities College Bookstore Industrial Arts/Shop Facilities Availability of student housing

2001 USG Avg. 4.03 3.99 3.95 3.91 3.84 3.83 3.67 3.58 3.45 3.24

2001 National
Avg. 4.03 3.94 3.88 3.92 3.84 3.70 3.51 3.68 3.58 3.32

1997 USG Avg. 4.03 3.96 3.91 3.91 3.82 3.76 3.62 3.67 3.47 3.29

17

USG Difference from National Norms: Facilities

Athletic Facilities Student Community Center/Student Union
Study Areas Classroom Facilities General Condition of buildings and grounds Laboratory facilities Business-training facilities/equipment Availability of student housing
College Bookstore Industrial Arts/Shop Facilities

-0.08 -0.10 -0.13

0.00 0.00 -0.01

0.07 0.05

-0.16

-0.11

-0.06

-0.01

0.04

0.09

0.16 0.13
0.14

Differences between 1997 and 2001 Survey: Facilities

Student Community Center/Student Union Athletic Facilities Study Areas
Classroom Facilities Laboratory facilities Business-training facilities/equipment General Condition of buildings and grounds Industrial Arts/Shop Facilities Availability of student housing College Bookstore

-0.09

-0.11

-0.05

-0.02

0.07 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.00

-0.06

-0.01

0.04

0.09

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Additional 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 IV.
Among the more interesting 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 79.2 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed. In addition, 91.7 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: at this college, students must work hard to achieve high grades. However, nearly 25 percent of students disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: high school adequately prepared me for academic work at this college.
Agreement with: "High school adequately prepared me for academic work at this college."

Strongly disagree 9.7%
Somewhat disagree 14.6%

Strongly agree 26.6%

Somewhat agree 49.1%

19

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.4 While national benchmarks exist for the NSSE, they are derived from four-year colleges and universities, and are thus not directly comparable to the results obtained from the two-year college sample. The results presented below will be analyzed further in other System research projects.

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

100% 90% 80%

19.3%

35.3%

4.0% 12.9%

13.8%

21.6%

70% 60% 50% 40% 30%

31.8% 36.0%

31.0%

40.8%

29.4% 39.8%

24.7% 31.8%

Never Seldom Occasionally Frequently

20%

26.3%

42.2%

10% 0%

12.9%

7.3%

17.0%

21.8%

faculty members outside of class about material covered in class

faculty members

others, such as

outside of class friends, coworkers,

about ideas not or family about ideas

necessarily covered from your course

in class

readings or classes

other students who held very different opinions from your
own

students of a different ethnicity or race from your own

4 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.
20

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. By and large, students' opinions of their two-year college have improved since 1997. Largest improvements are seen in the areas of admissions and registration, where students were particularly impressed with the assistance provided by staff and college catalog and admissions publications. Other notable improvements were made by financial aid services and parking services. However, students remain concerned with the ability to take courses at time that they want, and the availability and quality of student housing. In addition, students expressed considerably less satisfaction that their national peers with the quality of instruction and course content in their major areas of study. While composite results such this one can 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 to measure their progress. Given the positive relationship between student retention and student satisfaction, it is important that the System and its institutions continue to ask students their opinions of their college experience and listen to their responses.
21

Appendix I: Institutional Survey Coordinators

Institution

Coordinator

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Dr. Donna Miller

Atlanta Metropolitan College

Dr. Gloria B. Ransom

Bainbridge College

Dr. Marjean Boyd

Coastal Georgia Community College Mr. Dave Leenhouts

Darton College

Dr. Gary Barnette

East Georgia College

Dr. Tim Goodman

Floyd College

Mr. Jack Bishop

Gainesville College

Ms. Susan Smith

Georgia Perimeter College

Dr. B. Edward Hale

Gordon College

Dr. Andrea Hardin

Middle Georgia College

Dr. James W. Collins

South Georgia College

Dr. James A. Cottingham

Waycross College

Mr. Akin Akinruntan

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

Institution Name

Fall 2001 Undergraduate Surveys Surveys Response
Enrollment Distributed Scanned Rate

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College

2,798 1,879 1,355 1,981 2,983 1,206 2,288 3,444 14,071 2,981 2,029 1,064 661

875 800 700 800 875 700 825 900 1,000 900 800 975 600

564

64.5%

595

74.4%

403

57.6%

665

83.1%

607

69.4%

404

57.7%

380

46.1%

602

66.9%

398

39.8%

666

74.0%

488

61.0%

443

45.4%

280

46.7%

Totals

38,740

10,750

6,495

60.4%

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Appendix III. Background Information, Section I, SOS Georgia Two-Year Public Colleges 1997 vs. 2001 Survey Respondents

Background Information Two-Year Form

01. Median age

02. % age 23 and over

03. % African-American or Black

4.

% Native American (Indian,

Alaskan, Hawaiian)

05. % Caucasian or White

6.

% Mexican-American, Mexican

Origin

7. % Asian American, Oriental,

Pacific Islander

8. % Puerto Rican, Cuban, Other

Latino or Hispanic

09. % Female

10. % Married

11. % With dependent children

12. % Working 21 or more hrs/wk

13. % Receiving financial aid

14. % Part-time student

15. % Attended this college 2 years or less
16. % Entered from high school

17. % Worked before entry

18. % Transferred from another two year college
19. % Transferred from four-year college
20. % Entered after military

21. % Lived within 5 miles

22. % > 20 miles from campus

23. % Day classes most frequent

24. % Evening classes most frequent

25. % Weekend classes most frequent

1997 Georgia Two-Year Colleges
20 28.7 25.3 0.4
65.5 0.6
1.7
1.2
64.2 16.5 21.6 46.3 69.7 24.9 88.2
50.8 21.2 4.3
8
1.6 21.7 42 85.1 14.5 0.1

Percentages 2001
Georgia Two-Year Colleges
21 36.4 22.1 0.3
68.9 0.4
1.4
0.9
63.2 20.6 25.4 53 59.5 29.3 80
44.7 22.7 5.6
10.1
2.6 21.6 37.2 76.3 21.8 0.1

1997 vs. 2001 Difference
-1 -7.7 3.2 0.1
-3.4 0.2
0.3
0.3
1 -4.1 -3.8 -6.7 10.2 -4.4 8.2
6.1 -1.5 -1.3
-2.1
-1 0.1 4.8 8.8 -7.3 0

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

Background Information -- Two-Year Form

01. Median age

02. % age 23 and over

03. % African-American or Black

4.

% Native American (Indian

Alaskan, Hawaiian)

05. % Caucasian or White

6.

Mexican-American, Mexican

Origin

7. % Asian American, Oriental,

07. Pacific Islander

8.

% Puerto Rican, Cuban, Other

Latino or Hispanic

09. % Female

10. % Married

11. % With dependent children

12. % Working 21 or more hrs/wk

13. % Receiving financial aid

14. % Part-time student

15. % Attended this college 2 years or less
16. % Entered from high school

17. % Worked before entry

18. % Transferred from another two-

year college

19.

% Transferred from four-year

college

20. % Entered after military

21. % Lived within 5 miles

22. % > 20 miles from campus

23. % Day classes most frequent

24. % Evening classes most frequent

25. % Weekend classes most frequent

2001 Georgia Two-Year Colleges
21 36.4 22.1 0.3
68.9 0.4
1.4
0.9
63.2 20.6 25.4 53 59.5 29.3 80
44.7 22.7 5.6
10.1
2.6 21.6 37.2 76.3 21.8 0.1

Percentages National Two-Year
Comparison Group 22 45.7 11.2 2.2
72.8 2.8
2.4
2.7
60.6 24.2 30.9 52.1 54.2 29.5 82.1
38.1 30.5 4.1
8.0
2.6 27.6 29.4 76.9 22 0.4

Georgia vs.
National Difference
-2 -17 14.1 -1.8
-7.3 -2.2
-0.7
-1.5
3.6 -7.7 -9.3 -5.8 15.5 -4.6 6.1
12.7 -9.3 0.2
0
-1 -5.9 12.6 8.2 -7.5 -0.3

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Appendix V USG Supplemental Questions to the 2001 Two-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. Do you see yourself primarily as...
a. a full-time student going to work b. a part-time student going to work c. a full-time worker going to school d. a part-time worker going to school
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
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
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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
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
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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 Surveys Scanned

Difference

1997

Between

Percent of 2001 2001 Percent 1997 and

Overall Surveys of Overall 2001

Sample Scanned Sample Sample

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Atlanta Metropolitan College Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Dalton College Darton College East Georgia College Floyd College Gainesville College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon College Macon College Middle Georgia College South Georgia College Waycross College

945 901 688 931 738 775 300 844 981 1,436 738 1,278 1,128 505 440

7.5% 7.1% 5.4% 7.4% 5.8% 6.1% 2.4% 6.7% 7.8% 11.4% 5.8% 10.1% 8.9% 4.0% 3.5%

564 595 403 665 N/A* 607 404 380 602 398 666 N/A 488 443 280

8.7% 9.2% 6.2% 10.2% N/A 9.3% 6.2% 5.9% 9.3% 6.1% 10.3% N/A 7.5% 6.8% 4.3%

1.2% 2.0% 0.8% 2.9% N/A 3.2% 3.8% -0.8% 1.5% -5.2% 4.4% N/A -1.4% 2.8% 0.8%

Totals

12,628 100% 6,495 100%

* Dalton State College and Macon State College used the four-year version of the Student Opinion Survey in 2001.
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