North Carolina State University
2010 Sophomore Student Survey:
Executive Summary
Survey Methods
NC State conducted its biennial survey of sophomore students during the spring 2010 semester. Eligible students had completed 45-59 credit hours, with at least 30 at NC State.
The survey methodology consisted of a web survey, followed by a paper survey distributed by academic advisors to those students not responding on the web. The response rate for the survey was 39.7 percent (998 of 2,516 eligible sophomores), with a margin of sampling error of ±1.9.
General Satisfaction
Over 90 percent of respondents said they plan to complete their degree at NC State. More than one-half of respondents agreed strongly that they made the right decision to attend NC State and that they would still choose to attend NC State if starting over. However, about 15 percent of respondents reported having seriously considered leaving NC State, and a very small number said they had actually left and returned. The most common reasons for thinking about withdrawing or transferring from NC State were related to the desire for a different or stronger academic program, or due to campus life issues (e.g., inability to make friends, difficulties getting involved in campus life, large campus size).
Academic Environment and Faculty Contributions
More than 85 percent of respondents agreed that experiences at NC State have stimulated an interest in an intended field of study and that they consider what they have been learning in classes valuable.
A majority of respondents gave positive ratings to various items related to quality of instruction at NC State. When asked about the overall quality of instruction at NC State, 85 percent of respondents said they were either "very satisfied" (16%) or "satisfied" (69%). Satisfaction was highest for how effectively instructors use instructional technology and how carefully instructors explain expectations of student performance. Less than 10 percent of respondents indicated that they were dissatisfied with any of the specific aspects of teaching asked about.
One-half of sophomores reported having at least one type of faculty-student mentoring experience at NC State. Sophomores were most likely to report regularly meeting with a faculty member for academic guidance (38%) or professional guidance (24%), and working with a faculty member on campus activities (19%). For each mentoring activity asked about, ratings for its contribution to personal and professional growth were overwhelmingly positive.
Ratings for satisfaction with academic advising were overwhelmingly positive, with a majority of respondents being either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with each of the 12 items asked about. Respondents were particularly satisfied with items related to their advisor's knowledge of degree requirements and university procedures. Although still generally positive, respondents were least satisfied with their advisor's role in keeping them informed of their academic progress.
Campus Climate and Safety
Over 95 percent of respondents overall agreed that NC State is committed to helping minorities succeed, and 80 percent agreed that there is visible leadership to help foster diversity on NC State's campus. Hispanic and white respondents, however, were much more likely than Asian and African American respondents to "strongly agree" with each of these individual statements.
With one exception, 40 percent or more respondents said that the campus is "strongly supportive" of the various student groups asked about. Only 29 percent of respondents said the campus is "strongly supportive" of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students.
A sense of community at NC State is perceived as important by the majority of sophomores and, for the most part respondents who say it is important for them to experience a sense of community while at NC State believe that they actually experience such community to at least some extent. However, about 10 percent of respondents who believe it is "very important" to experience a sense of community say they actually experience it only a little or not at all at NC State.
More than 75 percent of respondents were satisfied with the availability of public information about crimes on campus and information about crime prevention and safety on campus. However, while about 60 percent of respondents said they knew how to report suspicious or threatening behavior, less than one-third said they were "very likely" to report such behavior to campus authorities.
Sophomores' ratings of safety varied greatly depending on campus location and time of day, with outdoor locations at night receiving the lowest ratings. More than two-thirds of respondents reported feeling "very safe" in campus residence halls during the day/early evening, as compared to only 10 percent saying they felt "very safe" outside on the grounds of the campus at night.
Student Services
Respondents were generally satisfied with academic services at NC State. With very few exceptions, at least two-thirds of respondents said they were either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with each of the 29 individual services provided by or related to the library, information technology, career services, the bookstore, and academic assistance and tutoring.
Overall, of the 29 individual services asked about respondents were most likely to have expressed satisfaction with several items related to the library. More than 25 percent of respondents said they were "very satisfied" with library hours of operation, access to online library resources, and helpfulness of library staff. On the other hand, a couple of library services - - space for group work and space for individual student work -- received some of the lowest ratings of all services asked about, with about 20 percent or more of students saying they were "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" with these aspect of the library.
Services related to information technology on campus also received high ratings. About 25 percent or more respondents said they were "very satisfied" with the availability of wireless access on campus and with the hours of operation for university computer labs. Ratings were relatively low for online course management system(s) used in my classes, with about 15 percent of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with this aspect of IT on campus.
More than 20 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with opportunities to be involved with faculty on their research.
With one exception, a majority of sophomores were satisfied with each of the non-academic services asked about. Respondents were most likely to be satisfied with health services and least likely to be satisfied with dining services and parking. In general, ratings for quality of staff tended to be slightly higher or mirror those for the service itself.
Sophomores were asked to evaluate several of the university's online systems. Two-thirds of respondents were satisfied with the ease of use of the online billing system, the online course registration system, and the online financial aid system.
One-in-ten respondents do not believe they have the financial resources they need to finish college, and another 20 percent appear to be uncertain if they do. A little fewer than two-thirds of respondents had some form of financial aid at NC State, the vast majority of whom were satisfied with their financial aid package. Majorities of all those with financial aid gave positive ratings to the customer service skills of financial aid staff.
Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Development
Sophomores were asked the extent to which NC State contributed to their development of 36 individual goals that the University has for their overall education. A majority of sophomores said NC State contributed at least "somewhat" to each of the individual goals, but they generally gave highest ratings to NC State's contribution to the development of a range of goals related to their personal development, followed by those related to general education, and, lastly, those related to their world view.
Highest average ratings were given to NC State's contribution to sophomores' independence and self-reliance, potential for success, personal growth, and to their problem-solving skills. While still rated positively by a majority of respondents, potential areas for improvement include appreciating the humanities and appreciating the arts, exercising public responsibility and community service, appreciating differences in sexual orientation, and understanding the potential impacts of climate change, each of which one-fourth or more respondents said NC State contributed "very little" or "not at all" to their development.
Employment and Extracurricular Activities
One-half of sophomores said they were employed during the 2009-2010 academic year, the slight majority of whom worked off campus only. While fewer than one-third of all employed respondents said they worked more than 20 hours per week, those working off campus were slightly more likely than those working on campus to report working that many hours. Those working off campus were also less likely to be working in jobs related to their major. Only about 5 percent of employed respondents said that their job takes "a lot of time" away from their school work., but fully half admitted that it takes "some time" away from their school work.
Among the campus activities and organizations asked about, respondents most commonly reported involvement in intramurals/recreational sports/club teams and organizations/clubs related to their major, with about 40 percent saying they participate in such activities. Sophomores were also asked the frequency with which they participated in various campus activities. Students were most likely to report at least occasionally participating in workshops, seminars, speakers, etc. outside of class, with less than 30 percent saying they had "never" done such a thing during their time at NC State. Respondents were least likely to have ever participated in multicultural/diversity events/programs or co-curricular activities, with more than half of respondents saying they had "never" participated in these types of activities at NC State. However, the frequency of participation in co-curricular activities among those who said they had ever done this type of thing was much higher than for the other activities asked about, with more than one-third of participants saying they had done so "one or more times a week". So, although less than half of respondents had participated in co-curricular activities, those who participated were likely to do so on a regular basis.
Sophomores are generally satisfied with opportunities for involvement on campus. A majority of respondents reported being at least "satisfied" with each of the opportunities asked about, with the exception of weekend activities on campus for students, for which only 38 percent were "satisfied."
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu
Posted: July, 2010
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