A recently published survey showed that some undergraduate students were “dissatisfied” or “neutral” with different components of academics at Syracuse University.

Undergraduates for a Better Education conducted a survey via email in March to measure student satisfaction with advising, instruction and course availability. The goal of the survey was to shed light on students’ concerns and set the foundation for administrative action. The survey was sent out to 13,943 full-time undergraduates and a total of 778 students participated.

When asked how grades reflected learning at SU, 60 percent of the 628 undergraduates who answered said “dissatisfied” or “neutral.”

Emily Ballard, president of UBE, said she noticed a general trend of neutrality and apathy throughout the survey’s findings.

“We’re getting a neutral education for what we’re paying for,” said Ballard, a junior policy studies major.  “And I’m not happy with that.”

In terms of teaching assistants’ ability to help students learn, almost two-thirds of the 600 students who answered the question said they were dissatisfied or indifferent.

Going forward, Ballard and Vice President Sawyer Cresap said they hope to use their findings to improve the TA training and orientation process.  Ballard emphasized that issues with TAs are institutional rather than the individual’s fault.

“We’ve realized that it isn’t their fault,” Ballard said.  “They aren’t getting adequate training; the training they do have is very outdated.”

Students had a similar response to questions about their professors’ ability to get students excited about the course subject and to get students to engage during class, with more than 50 percent answering “neutral” or “dissatisfied.”

Survey respondents had the most positive feedback about their advisers’ knowledge of core requirements and the availability of courses that meet their major requirements. More than 60 percent said they were as “satisfied” in both categories.

UBE last conducted a student survey in 2005, not long before the student group disbanded. UBE returned to campus last year.

Ballard estimated that the entire process of creating, administering and documenting the survey took about 10 months. William Coplin, UBE adviser and policy studies professor, assisted in the design and presentation of the survey, she said.

The survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data. One question asked students what they would recommend the university do to improve undergraduate education, which received 365 responses.

The survey included 21 sample open-ended responses, some of which were about funding.

One response said the university should be more transparent in communicating where undergraduate tuition is spent. Another said that unfair preference is given to specific majors and schools, and that the focus of the university environment seems to be about sports.

Results were presented in the survey for the undergraduate population and then broken down by some schools and colleges. The School of Architecture, the School of Education and the School of Information Studies were not included in the survey due to the low response from students in those colleges.

Engineering and David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics students were least satisfied with their professors’ ability to get students excited about course subjects, while College of Visual and Performing Arts students had the highest satisfaction.

VPA students also reported the highest level of satisfaction with how grades reflect learning. S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications and College of Arts and Sciences students were least satisfied.

The survey’s findings were shown during the Student Association’s meeting on Monday, and will be presented to administrators and the University Senate in the coming weeks, said Cresap. Ballard and Cresap said they hope the survey’s results can be used to lend credibility to student concerns.

“I think the administration is willing to make these changes,” Ballard said. “I just don’t think they know how big an issue some of the things are because they don’t research behind the student issues.”

Ballard added that the survey was made possible because Interim Chancellor Eric Spina and Associate Provost Andria Staniec allowed UBE to contact students through email.

Coplin, UBE’s adviser, said the administration was cooperative throughout the survey process. The survey will ultimately benefit both students and faculty by encouraging students to speak up, he said.

“If they’re better citizens, then the people running the show will be better leaders,” Coplin said.

Ballard and Cresap would also like to see more transparency and better communication between undergraduates and the administration.

“Things could be so much easier if there were less walls and more windows,” said Cresap, who’s also a junior policy studies major.

In general, the UBE representatives said they are optimistic that the survey will empower undergraduates to feel that they can influence the quality and direction of their education.

“Everyone is afraid if they speak up there is going to be consequences,” Cresap said. “We’re hoping that this report and this organization shows you that you have all the power.”

The problems identified in the survey are not unique to SU, Ballard said. Though the problems are apparent across higher education in general, UBE would like to hold SU to higher standards, she said.

“I don’t think we should try to be like the other institutions anymore,” she said. “I think we should try to set ourselves apart and actually do something about it.”

Published on October 15, 2013 at 2:00 am

Contact Linda: lggorman@syr.edu