SUBJECT: Survey of the Undergraduate
Population
Dear
Colleague:
As part of its ongoing commitment to regularly
survey the undergraduate population, Student Affairs Research will administer a
questionnaire to UC Davis students this spring to determine students’
assessment of institutional quality. To maximize the value of information
collected, minimize the questionnaire burden on students, and to control cost,
electronic mail contact and web-based survey collection will be employed.
Student Affairs Research proposes to administer a
census survey of undergraduate students using e-mail contact and web-based
administration of a series of questionnaires designed to elicit sufficient
responses to support a series of performance measures in three areas and an
overall assessment of student evaluation of institutional quality. Every
undergraduate student will be asked to respond to all items in sections A.
Academic Experience, and D. Overall Satisfaction with Educational Experience,
and to a random sample of items from sections B. Academic Services and
Facilities, C. University Services, D. University Environment, and E. Universal
administration of items in sections A and D makes possible reporting these
results at the academic department level. Responses to sections B and D will be
reported at the divisional and institutional levels.
The comprehensive list of proposed
items includes many from prior undergraduate surveys but several new times as
well. In section A. Academic Experience, there are new items consistent with
the type being used in the National Survey of Student Engagement and with Seven
Principles of Good Practice for Undergraduate Education[1].
Section C. Institutional Services and University Environment, is mostly new and
includes items designed to better support the evaluation needs of service
providers and to better measure campus climate.
Please review the items under consideration for inclusion. In particular, please offer item revisions, suggest which items can be eliminated as redundant or likely to yield information of little value, and identify additional items or measures that should be included. Your reply will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
[1] March 1987, the AAHE Bulletin, “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.” The Principles, created by Art Chickering and Zelda Gamson with help from higher education colleagues, AAHE, and the Education Commission of the States, with support from the Johnson Foundation, distilled findings from decades of research on the undergraduate experience.