Student Satisfaction and University Family Engagement: Student Academic Experiences

This is the third in a series comparing student perceptions with the perceptions of university families.  The first article focused on satisfaction with financial aid and tuition value while the second examined the perceptions of the admissions process.  This one takes a closer look at the student academic experiences while enrolled. 

These results are based on nearly 140,000 students from the RNL Student Satisfaction Inventory across three academic years, and over 20,000 families who completed the CampusESP/RNL University Family Engagement study.  Both populations were asked a series of questions regarding their satisfaction level with a variety of items about the student experience.

A few demographics about the families:

• 65% reported household incomes of $100,000 or greater;
• 80% of parents responding were born between 1965-1980;
• Two thirds of their students attend institutions with 10,000 or higher total enrollment;
• Slightly over half of their students live on campus, 8% live at home;
• 20% are families of first-generation college students.

Overall perceptions

When asked to consider the overall learning experience and the overall levels of satisfaction, university families indicate higher satisfaction than currently enrolled students across all class levels.

Overall satisfaction with experience/overall learning experience (Very Satisfied or Satisfied):       

While the scores here are especially positive for the families, there are continued opportunities for institutions to work to improve satisfaction levels for the student populations they are serving. Addressing areas that matter to students is an opportunity for colleges and universities to further improve satisfaction levels and to influence student retention.

Academic experiences

The core of the campus experience is academically, with student and family perceptions reflected here.

Quality of instruction (Very Satisfied or Satisfied):         

The quality of instruction item is often a top priority one for improvement from the student perspective because they place such a high value on the classroom experience. Faculty need to know students value them and the faculty also need institutional support for current teaching methodologies. Satisfaction levels are solid here from the family perspective, but there is potential for higher satisfaction for both students and families.

Faculty are available outside of class / quality of communications with faculty (Very Satisfied or Satisfied):      

Students are much more satisfied with faculty availability outside of the classroom than they are with the quality of instruction they are receiving inside the classroom. This is an area where families are reflecting lower satisfaction scores than students, perhaps because they are more removed from the faculty interaction. It is important for faculty to recognize the opportunities for relationship building and the influence they can have with students with their availability beyond the classroom.

Academic support services adequately meet the needs of students (Very Satisfied or Satisfied):   

The availability of academic support services can make a big difference to students who may be struggling with their adjustment to college expectations. Offering these services and communicating their availability to students as well as creating awareness among families can go a long way to improving student success.

Academic advising perceptions

Advising is also an important component of the students’ academic experience. University families responded to this item:

Quality of academic advisors

Currently enrolled students, across class levels, responded to three items related academic advising:

My academic advisor is knowledgeable about requirements in my major

My academic advisor is approachable

My academic advisor is concerned about my success as an individual

These items are among the highest in satisfaction for students and are also considered highly important. Families are also generally satisfied with advising, with perceptions at private institutions higher than public institutions.

Conclusion

When campuses are looking to make a significant difference is satisfaction and student success, they should recognize the value students place on the quality of instruction and faculty interaction. The personal connection with the advisor is also critical for students to receive appropriate guidance and support. Students and their families understand the importance of the overall academic experience and college leaders have opportunities to re-enforce these messages on campus and off.

It is important to understand your own students’ satisfaction levels. Contact me if you would like to learn more about conducting a satisfaction assessment at your campus. The next article in this series will focus on the student experience outside of the classroom.