2014 MyUni Student Satisfaction Survey

Transcription

1 Key Messages 2014 MyUni Student Satisfaction Survey About the 2014 Student Survey 2,450 students from University of Adelaide responded to the MyUni Student Satisfaction Survey The 2014 MyUni Survey focused on collecting information on : o Reliability of MyUni o Usability of MyUni o Support for MyUni o Future improvements of MyUni 150 students attended an informal event to meet staff to and discuss their use and suggestions for improving MyUni and also completed the survey on ipads. Major Findings Quantitative Data Overall, the quantitative feedback which asked questions relating to technical and functionality aspects of using MyUni was positive o 98% found MyUni to be reliable or very reliable o 92% found MyUni easy or very easy to use o 82 % rate their MyUni experience as satisfying or very satisfying However, only 51% of students knew how to access support if they had a problem with MyUni Major Findings What Students say about MyUni The 2,450 students surveyed were also asked to comment on how MyUni could be improved This report will focus on five key themes which emerged as the most significant issues as identified by students. The five themes are: o Consistency and Structure o eassessment and Feedback o Student Communications o MyUni Usage o Support for Staff and Students 1

2 Background Technology-enhanced learning is increasingly important to the University and is recognised in the following Beacon targets for 2015 in Teaching and Learning: Online learning is available in 100% of undergraduate programs. MyUni is actively used in 80% of all courses in all faculties. A key driver of the Enhancing MyUni project 2012 was The Student e-experience (SeE) Strategy which outlined the University of Adelaide's vision for the type and standard of experience students should have in the digital environment. The SeE Strategy outlined the steps for the University to take to achieve this vision and create an online student environment that meets student needs, and delivers a competitive advantage for the University. In May 2014 The Change Management Team, Learning Technologies conducted the MyUni Student Satisfaction Survey. Over 2,400 students responded to the survey. This survey was run in conjunction with a student event in the Hub, which engaged approximately 150 students who also completed the survey. The MyUni Student Satisfaction Survey 2014 collected information on; how satisfied students were in relation to reliability, usability and support for MyUni. Data was also captured about suggestions for improvements of MyUni. Please see Appendix A to view the survey questions. The Five Themes described below summarise and capture comments and suggestions from students about how they believe MyUni could be improved. The Five Themes This report will focus on five key themes which emerged as the most significant issues as identified by students who undertook the survey. Overall, these themes relate to the student experience, and pedagogical aspects of MyUni rather than the technical functionality. The five themes are; Consistency and Structure, eassessment and Feedback, Student Communications, MyUni Usage and Support for Staff and Students. 2

3 Percentage of students * 25% Five Significant Issues for Students * 23% 20% 21% 15% 10% 12% 10% 5% 6% 0% Consistency and Structure MyUni Usage Support for Staff and Students eassessment and Feedback Student Communications Theme One: Consistency and Structure (23% of respondents) The theme of consistency was common throughout the qualitative data. A majority of students indicated they would like an Improved the structure and navigation of MyUni courses. Many students also indicated they would like a standard layout for MyUni throughout different courses and for resources to be uploaded in an organised manner. Over 21% of respondents commented on this theme. Some students also suggested that training for lecturers in relation to location of student information may support greater consistency. Some students highlighted courses where their experience was positive. They observed that the structure was clear, and the resources were easy to locate, and materials were organised. However, a majority of comments indicate a poor experience, or they have provided suggestions for improvement. For example: Some lectures are great and well organised with a logical structure. Others rarely use it or just place stuff on randomly. I'd like them to all have some sort of standard in using it or at least a master key on your course guide or something to help with navigation. This graph represents the percentage of students who responded to Question 6 of the survey; refer to Appendix A for a copy of the survey questions. 3

4 Other Comments included: Some lecturers are great with it, some are not - some put things all over the place and it takes forever to find - I think possibly some more training for all lecturers to make it seem better for every subject Have some consistency in how information is put up on MyUni. Learn to label things in a common-sensical way. Consistency in course material naming formats and dates. More logical and fixed hierarchy with less ability for coordinators to create an overload of links. Learn how to use it properly, so things are organised in a logical manner. I think university staff need to see what MyUni looks like to a student as opposed to themselves, because it is not the some try to keep MyUni layout similar Theme Two: MyUni Usage (21% of respondents) A large number of survey respondents made comments and suggestions in which referred to the overall use of MyUni. For example, students commented on the importance of having one place to visit to gain access to all learning needs and a single point for content. Students would like the majority of lecture slides and tutorial material up on MyUni at the one time rather than posting things from week to week. Once again many comments referred to inconsistency, where experiences varied in relation to how academics are using the various tools and features of the online environment. In many instances simple uploading of resources in MyUni by lecturers was seen as an important and valuable part of their learning experience. By making notes and some readings open for viewing earlier, but other than that I find MyUni is a very helpful resource. A comment from a first year student highlighting how MyUni could support their experience: By advertising course related activities and events to allow students, especially in 1st year, to be aware of the opportunities available to them and the activities that can allow them to better themselves and their learning along with assisting them in involving themselves in activities which are related to their course and perhaps their future career. And from an Honours Year Student: MyUni was great during my undergrad years but now I m doing my honours year, it has been neglected. Regular updates from honours coordinator on MyUni would be appreciated Many students indicated they would like to access the recording of lectures, to enhance an improve their learning experience. One student who had a hearing impairment stated: It would be fantastic to have audio recordings of my lectures and tutorials available on line. I have a hearing impairment and recordings of tutorials especially would be very useful. Some of the students suggested that the lecturers would benefit from training in relation to the use of MyMedia and the uploading files. Comments included; 4

5 Ensure all material and lecture recordings are available promptly. Teach the lecturers how to record the correct screen during lectures and how to upload the recordings straight after the lecture finishes. Sometimes lectures aren't always recorded, or the quality can be poor, so if that could be improved then it would be great! Theme Three: Support for Staff and Students (12% of respondents) Only 51% of students knew how to access support if they had a problem with MyUni. The responses in the student survey provided valuable feedback about how both and staff and students could benefit from a greater understanding and practical use of tools available in the MyUni platform Some comments indicated that staff may use MyUni more frequently if that had more knowledge of how to use the tools and for what purpose. Some staff seem not to use MyUni as much as they could - maybe they struggle with it or prefer not to use it. I find it a very helpful resource and would prefer they used it as much as possible. Train the lecturers to get them familiarised with uploading materials to MyUni Ability and skill of MyUni usage differs dramatically from lecturer to lecturer. A few could do with further training in how best to use all features of the system. The above comments indicate that some staff would benefit from support and/or training in relation to an increased knowledge of the pedagogical aspects of MyUni. Unless staff have a good understanding and are well-versed in the use of MyUni they are unable to offer guidance to students. As student suggestion to support staff to improve proficiency in MyUni is to engage the more confident staff to provide one on one support or workshops. Equally, the comments called for more support to be available for students who struggled with navigating MyUni as well as how resources can be used. Tell me how to use and what we should do when meet different problems. There were many excellent suggestions from students about how they could use MyUni more effectively and efficiently. A large number of suggestions were about providing tutorials and introduction sessions to students at commencement of courses. Another suggestion was to create a demonstration video for students to access when they first log in to MyUni. Some comments below suggest dedicated information sessions as well an option for a support phone line. During the introductory sessions for first year students, MyUni ought to be explained in greater depth and more details should be given as I find the existing MyUni Info sessions a little too brief. At the beginning of each semester, staff involved in each subject should explain to students where to find all of the information they need on MyUni 5

6 Have a phone line to help students who may be having trouble. Maybe even an online guide on "how to use MyUni" Theme Four: eassessment and Feedback (10% of respondents) The theme of assessment included comments and suggestions for improvement including the use of Assessment tools (both for formative and summative assessment) and MyGrades. In particular many comments referred to MyGrades and how feedback was received, and that it was inconsistent between courses. This may be due to some Instructors not using this function Some students indicated a lack of confidence as a result from a poor experience using the MyGrade function. Generally students would like to see improvement in the assignments submission system, and for consistency across courses. Make more assessment online (tutorial submissions etc.) to reduce the amount of paper wasted. Not all of my subjects use 'My Grades' or the 'discussion' areas on MyUni, and wish they did because it's a lot easier to keep track of my grades that way. Many students commented on how the Calendar could be used more effectively to support students meeting their assignment deadlines. For example it was suggested that lecturers use the Calendar feature of MyUni more widely and include due dates for assignments and assessments. Lectures could ALL us the inbuilt calendar for all tests and due dates to help students see an overview of when everything is due. Other Comments included: I think MyUni should be utilised as a resource for assessments more by teaching staff. Often basic information is uploaded there but I would like to see more online tests and assignments able to be submitted online! In some courses there does not appear to be use of tools such as My Grades. It would be good to see consistent use of this as it is a convenient way to get results in a timely manner. I want all of my grades posted up on My Grades quicker in a way that is easier to see how I am going with my courses. I like using it [MyUni] and I don't mind when it [MyUni] goes haywire, just so long as it's not in regards to assignment submission. Theme Five: Student Communications (6% of respondents) The Student Communications theme refers to a desire for greater consistency of communication channels currently used between academic staff and students. Currently there are multiple communication channels which include; announcements and notifications. A large number of students made comments and suggestions which relate to the communication channels and how they would like to receive information. The student survey indicated that a majority of students would like a clearer and consistent approach as to how the University of Adelaide communicates with students relating to their studies. 6

7 Possibly couple it with s more to communicate. It's reasonable to assume that a student will check MyUni once a day, but unreasonable to assume they live on it. s allow us to be notified of updates to the course. Other Comments Include: If something new is up on MyUni, it's helpful to get an about it. I think that announcements could be used more to notify students when new course material, etc. is added to the courses MyUni page. Announcements about the course would be helpful, such as when tutorials and lectures are cancelled, and when tests are coming up. Lecturers could use announcements more instead of posting important information in the forums so that students are able to receive a notification. Continue to use the announcements tool which also links to student If an announcement is made in lecture, it should also be made on MyUni - i.e. changes to assignment due times, methods of submitting assignments, and other important things that people may miss or overlook in the context of the lecture. Summary and Recommendations This report provides some clear messages to the University about how the student experiences in using MyUni could be improved. In particular, students would like a greater consistency in the use of MyUni. The message of greater consistency was evident across all five themes. Students would like a more positive e-experience in the use of MyUni as well as greater support in accessing the learning resources to support their studies. Students also recognised that in many instances lecturers were not able to provide support due to their own limited use, or lack of understanding of some of the tools in MyUni. Students highlighted the importance of how and when learning resources were uploaded and that it had an enormous impact on their overall learning experience. This is not about functionality but the organisation of the course. The following recommendations aim to the address the overall feedback from the students, as well as concerns from students in relation to academic use of MyUni Prioritise MyUni enhancements that will provide a more consistent student experience of courses (use of templates, consistent course structure ) Staff Development Guidelines for Academics - on how MyUni can support improved engagement with /for students Implement minimum usage guidelines for MyUni. Develop best-practice guidelines on the use of recorded lectures (e.g. lectures recorded and uploaded within specified timelines). Provide more information on the use of MyUni and support options available for MyUni during O-week/at the commencement of semesters. Actively promote regular training and attendance in MyUni & include changes to functionality 7

8 Appendix A MyUni Student Satisfaction Survey How would you rate the reliability of MyUni a) MyUni is always reliable b) Most of the time Myuni is reliable c) Most of the time MyUni is unreliable d) MyUni is always unreliable 2. How would you rate the usability of MyUni? a) I find MyUni very easy to use b) I find MyUni easy to use c) I find MyUni hard to use d) I find MyUni very hard to use 3. Do you know how to access support if you have a problem with MyUni? a) Yes b) No 4. What type of MyUni Support do you prefer? (Please select up to 2) a) Face to face b) Phone c) d) Self-help (on the website) 5. Are you satisfied with the amount MyUni is used in your courses? a) Too much b) Just right c) Too little 6. How can the University staff improve your experience with MyUni? 8