Report:

Results of the Survey of Current Students of

Central Connecticut State University

Class of 1999 - 2000

During the 1999-2000 academic year, for the fifth time, current students at Central Connecticut State University were surveyed to ascertain their perceptions of their university. The questionnaire was developed primarily to learn about the current activities of our students, especially their satisfaction, and to secure their evaluation of their collegiate experience. This report is a summary of the results of that survey. Perusal of this report may raise questions not addressed here. The Office of Planning and Institutional Research will be happy to run other or more detailed analyses than those described below in response to specific requests.

Methodology

Survey Instrument. The survey form used for this study was a revision of the forms used in previous years. The original survey form was developed by the four-campus Institutional Research Advisory Council (IRAC). We do not envision this questionnaire as a tool for the evaluation of academic programs, which are evaluated by the academic departments as part of their program review process. The survey questions as well as detailed statistical results are included as Appendix A. In addition, Appendix B provides a four-year historical perspective.

The questionnaire is four pages long and consists mainly of checklists. It could be completed by most respondents in less than ten minutes. Included at the end of the survey are two open-ended items, which allowed respondents to answer in a less structured way.

Distribution. The original mailing went out in November 1999. Questionnaires were sent to 2,274 CCSU students. A cover letter was attached explaining the need for the survey and encouraging response. About three weeks later, a postcard “reminder” was sent to those who had not yet been heard from, asking them to return the completed questionnaire. After another month, a third mailing was sent out containing another copy of the survey form and plea letter. This strategy was employed for previous years’ surveys with good results.

The questionnaire was not to be returned anonymously. A label was affixed to the front of it, which contained the respondent’s name and social security number. We felt that the lack of anonymity would not discourage many from returning the survey. The ability to match up responses with information in the existing computer files would have value far exceeding the information that might be gained from the few more who might have responded had they been able to do so anonymously. In the previous annual administrations, we have had no feedback to indicate that the label was a deterrent to responding.

Returns and Data Handling. The total return for the survey was 534. A response rate is 24%. This is a 11% drop compared to last year’s survey. Although the response was lower than desired, it is sufficient to be considered a reasonable sample.

Demographics: The respondents were divided by school as shown in Table 1. Sixty-three percent of the respondents were female, 37% male. Race, student status and age breakdowns are shown in Table 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

TABLE 1: Respondents categorized by school.

School	Headcount	Percent
School of Arts & Sciences	176	33%
School of Business	97	18%
School of Education	158	30%
School of Technology	27	5%
Undeclared	76	14%
TOTAL	534	100%

TABLE 2: The percentage of the respondents categorized by race

Race	Headcount	Percent
Asian & Pacific Islanders	16	3%
Black, non-Hispanic	18	3%
Hispanic	11	2%
White, non-Hispanic	453	85%
Other	2	1%
Not Reply	34	5%
TOTAL	534	100%

TABLE 3: Respondents categorized by Student Status

Student Status	Headcount	Percent
Undergraduate
Full-time	263	49%
Part-time	144	27%
Total Undergraduate	407
Graduate
Full-time	24	4%
Part-time	103	19%
Total Graduate	127
Unknown	0	0%
TOTAL	534	100%

TABLE 4: Respondents categorized by Age

Student Age	Headcount	Percent
19 and Under	16	3%
20 - 24	201	38%
25 - 29	93	17%
30 - 34	51	10%
35 - 44	101	19%
45 - 54	49	9%
55 - 64	11	2%
65 and older	6	1%
No Reply	6	1%
TOTAL	534	100%

As in the past, a simple frequency analysis was applied to the data to determine the number and percentage of graduates responding to each alternative for each item. The results are shown. It should be cautioned that, while an affirmative response is usually easily interpreted, negative answers might have several explanations, including non-applicability in some cases.

This year, the results center around the need to answer some key questions, to assess progress towards our planning goals and to monitor some indicators of customer satisfaction. The results of the survey are shown in the following section. They are arranged under the headings of larger questions to which survey is intended to respond:

I. Who are our students?

II. What do our students want?

III. How are our students using computing technologies on campus and in their academic work?

IV. How are our students paying for our services?

V. How satisfied are our students?

Findings:

I. Who are the respondents?

287 (54%) were full-time students while 247 (46%) were part-time students. More than 80% of the respondents were continuing students. Most of the respondents (96%) were Connecticut residents. The remaining 4% came from other states, and none of the respondents came from other countries.

Forty-three percent of the respondents were employed full-time and 40% part-time. About 9% of the respondents (1% greater than last report) were employed on campus at CCSU. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents have parents that have attended or graduated from colleges and universities.

II. What do our students want?

Most respondents (more than 99%) reported that they attended CCSU with definite purposes. About 77% said their most important reason for attending CCSU was to obtain a Bachelor's or Master's degree. When having been asked: "Do you intend to register for classes again at CCSU?" seventy-nine percent of the respondents (10% less than last report) said, "Yes."

III. How are our students using computing technology on campus and in their academic work?

About 88% of the respondents consider themselves to be "computer literate," and 92% reported that they own or use computers at home. Fifty-five percent of the respondents said they have computer accounts on campus, and 70% said they use computers in their workplace.

Most of the respondents reported that they use computers to do word processing (90%), to access the World Wide Web (88%), to use E-mail (79%) and the library computer search system (60%).

IV. How are our students paying for their education?

Forty-three percent of the respondents reported that they are working full-time while attending classes at CCSU. Another 40% are working in part-time jobs. More than 64% of respondents have used their personal earnings or savings to pay for their education at CCSU. About 31% reported that they have received their parent's support to cover educational expenses. Financial Aid (including loans) seemed to play a very important role to help students pay their costs at CCSU (41% reported that they had received financial aid through the University Financial Aid Office in 1999). About 18% reported that they have received employer reimbursement to cover their educational expenses.

V. How satisfied are our students?

It seems that the respondents were generally satisfied with most aspects of their CCSU experience. When having been asked: “ Would you recommend CCSU to a friend?” 92% of the respondents said “Yes.” Areas of greatest satisfaction include the effort students put in their education (95%), the Women's Center (93%), computer services (93%), independent study and research opportunities (92%) and cultural events at CCSU (92%). Areas of greatest dissatisfaction are the Student Center (43%), food services (37%), Resident Hall facilities ((33%), campus building and grounds (33%), Financial Aid awards (33%), classroom facilities (32%), course scheduling (31%), the availability of courses students want (31%), social life on campus (29%) and academic advising (27%).

Summary

Overall, it seems that once again the respondents to the survey have a very positive impression of CCSU. During the academic year 1999-2000, our University had a lot of constructions. This is the reason why the Student Center and campus building/grounds have been received the highest dissatisfaction from students. The other dissatisfaction areas clearly do not change very much from year to year. Food services, classroom facilities, insufficient course offerings and advising always figure near the top of the order. These areas are being addressed and we hope to see their decline continue as problems in the future. It is unlikely, however, that they will be overcome entirely. While there are areas where improvements are suggested, most current students indicated that they feel they have received a good education and that the University met their needs.