Results. 12. The Graduate School is responsive to my requests N = 335

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1 Graduate School Student Survey The Graduate School State University of West Georgia Fall Semester 1998 prepared by, Jack O. Jenkins Ph.D. and Cheryl Thomas, M.Ed. The Graduate School Office at the State University of West Georgia recently conducted a survey of currently enrolled graduate students regarding the quality of service and the efficiency and effectiveness of Graduate School Office staff. The survey was also used to gather information about student s perceptions of the Graduate School in general as well as data that could prove helpful in graduate student recruitment. The Graduate School mailed 1,016 surveys to students enrolled during fall semester This constituted one half of the graduate students enrolled at the time of mailing. Students were chosen for the survey by simply selecting every other name on a list of graduate students enrolled for fall semester. Survey recipients received a letter explaining the purpose of the survey and requesting that they return the completed instrument by December 11, A business reply envelope was included to facilitate the survey s return. Students were not asked to place their names on the survey. In general, four kinds of information were obtained by the survey. First, students provided demographic information on factors such as age range, ethnicity, and full-time/parttime status. Second, the survey asked questions related to the quality of service provided by the Graduate School Office. Students responded to these questions using a five point Likert-type scale with 1 being Strongly Agree and 5 being Strongly Disagree. Questions were structured so that a rating of 1 meant that students had a very favorable impression of the Graduate School Office in that area. Students could also choose a NA (Not Applicable) option for each question. Third, students used the same scale to respond to questions about the quality of their educational experience at UWG. Students responded to questions about admissions standards, the quality of their graduate degree programs, whether or not their Graduate School experiences constituted Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment, and etc. Fourth, the survey collected information that could be helpful in graduate student recruitment such as the respondent s primary reasons for choosing UWG (e.g., location, contact with faculty, cost, and etc.) and motivational factors for going to graduate school (e.g., increase knowledge in field, obtain a pay raise, advancement in the work place, and etc.).

2 2 Results While a few surveys will continue to trickle in and will be incorporated in the final survey results, based upon past experience it is clear that the vast majority of those who will respond to the survey already have. Therefore the following preliminary data analysis is being distributed. These analyses are based on 345 respondents. The profile of the 345 students who responded to the survey was quite similar to the total fall semester population of enrolled graduate students. More students checked the 31 to 40 age bracket than any other group and 65% of the students checked the age brackets 21 to 25, 26 to 30, and 41 to 45. For some time now it has been known that the average age of graduate students at UWG is approximately 35. Eighty percent of the sample were female (N = 276) compared to 77% of the total fall semester enrollment. Eighty seven percent of those responding to the survey were Caucasian compared to 13% (89% of this figure was African American) classifying themselves in a racial/ethnic group other than Caucasian. These results are almost identical to those found in the total fall semester enrollment. Sixty three percent of the students classified themselves as part-time. The vast majority (364) of students indicated that they were classified as in-state while only 11 indicated that they were out-of-state (7) or international (4) students. While all respondents did not report their degree objective or graduate program, information on those who did suggests a rough parallel to the representation of students with these majors in the total fall semester graduate student population. Sample characteristics data are summarized in Table 1. Quality of Graduate Office Services Overall, students rated the quality of services received from the Graduate Office quite favorably. Students rated various aspects of Graduate Office services on a scale that ranged from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (Strongly Disagree). Students were also able to check a sixth choice, Not applicable. Not applicable ratings were excluded from the data presented below. The following results were obtained from items 12 through 15. Question Average # Responding 12. The Graduate School is responsive to my requests N = The Graduate School responds to my requests in a timely manner N = Communication with the Graduate Office staff generally resolves the issue(s) I have when I call or visit the office N = My interactions with the Graduate Office staff are pleasant N = 339 My interactions with Graduate Office staff are pleasant yielded the highest rating.

3 3 Overall Perception of the Graduate School Using the same scale indicated above, respondents rated aspects of the entire Graduate School. Below are the results for questions 16 through 21. Question Average # Responding 16. I am kept aware of Graduate School practices, policies, and procedures that may affect my functioning as a student N = The goals of the Graduate School appear consistent with my goals as a student N = The standards for admission to graduate degree programs are satisfactory N = My graduate program is/was of high quality N = The Graduate School is meeting the needs of its students N = The Graduate School offers educational excellence in a personal environment N = I am glad I chose this university to further my graduate education. 318 Yes 14 No (5 uncertain and 8 no responses) These results suggest a high level of satisfaction with graduate education at UWG. We can boast of Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment. Information related to Choice of UWG and Financing of Graduate School Education Students were asked to supply information that could be helpful in Graduate School recruitment. These results are given below: 4. How did you learn about graduate education at UWG? 85 As an undergraduate 1 Career Fairs/Recruitment Fairs 4 UWG Web Site 2 Graduate School Web Site 198 Word of Mouth 0 Radio/TV advertisements 53 Other

4 4 Table 1 How I Learned About UWG: Other Responses < Sought schools in GA that offered a particular program < Program listing at Clayton State College < Earned Masters at UWG < Degree catalog < Offering special courses for endorsement/specialist degree < County referred me to the college < My mother went to UWG < West GA graduate - B.S./MED < Supervisor of ESOL (Public School System N.GA) < Catalog of Accredited Graduate Programs in Psychology with a holistic transpersonal base < Co-worker < LSS at my base school < Found out you have a media degree < Through our county office < Graduated form UWG in 1998 < Flyers posted at my school (where I teach) < I attended a program at UWG < Dalton Chamber Link publication < Night option teacher certification < Professional Standards Commission < Graduate School reference books < Many teachers/administrators have UWG degrees in my county because of the school s good reputation, so I wanted the same background < Working on certification/education < Major professor at FSU knew one of the professors in my dept at West GA < I live nearby < Flyer (from another person) < School Board Director of Special Education < Friend < I live in Carrollton < Reference materials re:transpersonal psychology < Dr. Jack Johnson < Living in the area < Re-entry student < Advertisements in my school system < Dr. Suzanne Cobb < Common Boundary Graduate Education Guide < Formerly a student < Common Boundary Holistic Graduate School Guide

5 < Graduate of UWG 1963 < I attended UWG previously for teacher certification < Friends attended UWG as undergrads < Wife (word of mouth) < I completed my masters at UWG < Offered classes in my county school system < I called around to see who offered what I needed < From taking classes for an add-on < Personal inquiry < Penny Honeycutt of Inner Harbour Hospice < Called for info < I researched which area schools offered the program I desired - then I came to visit and sit in on a graduate seminar. I met and was very impressed with Dr. David Newton. < Mail, I believe < APA Guide to Graduate Education in Psychology < Recommended by friend who is alumni of UWG 5

6 6 10. Indicate your rating of this university at the time you applied for admission. 283 First Choice 56 Second Choice 1 Third Choice 3 Fourth Choice Two individuals wrote in that UWG was their only choice. 24. I decided to attend the State University of West Georgia because of: (Please rank in order of importance with #1 being the highest). Choices are presented in the order in which students ranked them: Average Ranking N a) UWG offered courses/program I needed b) Location c) Other (those who provided rankings for this category) d) Course(s) were scheduled at convenient times e) Cost f) Recommendations from friends and relatives g) Academic Reputation h) Contact with faculty i) Contact with administrative staff (e.g., Graduate office staff, Department staff, Financial Aid Office, and etc.) Responses made to Other category whether or not the respondent provided a ranking. Some provided rankings but no comments. # Responding a) Received undergraduate and/or graduate 8 degree from UWG b) [Courses] offered in my city or close to me 6 Satellite sites c) GSAMS classes 4 d) HOPE Scholarship 1 e) Knew where classes would be and knew the routine from [completing] undergraduate [degree] 1 f) Convenient to work 1 g) On quarter system vs. semester system 1 h) Flexibility in admittance (Provisional status) 1 i) Safety of campus 1 j) Had not heard from other graduate schools in time 1 k) Psychology program 1 l) Needed course offered in Fall 1

7 7 25. Personal factors motivating me to attend UWG outside of those mentioned in Question #24 are: (Please rank in order of importance to you with #1 being the highest.) Choices are presented in the order of importance in which students ranked them: Average Ranking N a) Expectations of a pay raise upon completion of my degree or Certification program b) I wanted to be more knowledgeable in my field c) I thought obtaining a graduate degree or certification would help me to advance in my job d) I knew I could obtain a HOPE scholarship for the graduate degree program I wanted e) I was able to obtain financial assistance outside of the HOPE Scholarship through the university I financed my graduate education by: (Check all that apply.) Choices are presented in terms of the frequency with which students chose them. Number Choosing a) Personal funds 295 b) HOPE Scholarship 66 c) Federally funded student loans 41 d) Graduate assistantship or graduate research assistantship 51 e) My place of employment is funding my education 23 f) Other 13 g) Regents opportunity Scholarship 2 h) Scholarship(s) awarded through the UWG Foundation 2 such as the Hirsch Scholarship i) Scholarships from other foundations or organizations 2

8 Comments and suggestions for improvement: A large number of comments were received. Most did not relate to contacts with the Graduate School Office. Students made both positive and negative comments about various aspects of graduate education at UWG. Students raised concerns about how much information they receive about certain policies, specific instructors, programmatic issues, the number of distance learning classes offered, payment of certain fees and the like. Of the few comments made concerning the Graduate School Office, most were quite positive. One student was concerned that she had not been able to make his/her case for an exception to a specific policy adequately and another was concerned about lost paperwork for a name change. In the first instance the student was probably told they could not take 20 graduate hours because his/her case did not meet requirements for an exception and as far as the other, it is not clear what did or did not happen. One student was concerned that no one in the Graduate School Office knew where to tell her to go for the shooting of the Graduate School video. While, in retrospect, it would have been helpful to have given Graduate School receptionists a shooting schedule, no student was told to come to the Graduate School Office and this situation was not anticipated. 8

9 9 Summary and Discussion The Graduate School Quality of Service Survey results confirm that students are quite pleased with both the quality of service rendered by the Graduate School Office and the Graduate School in general. This, notwithstanding a few concerns expressed through students comments. While most comments were positive, students raised concerns related to policies and practices of their graduate programs, admissions standards and policies, payment of certain fees, the need to offer more distance learning and off-campus courses, and etc. Comments relating to the Graduate School Office per se were overall quite positive. The findings of the survey will also help the Graduate School in its recruitment efforts. For example, most students learned that UWG offered the graduate program they needed by word of mouth. This means that students who previously attended the university or those who have formed positive images of UWG, are the Graduate School s best recruiters. Therefore, it remains important that students truly feel that we are concerned about their success and that we are interested in providing them with an excellent educational experience in a personal environment. The second most common way that students learned about graduate education is as undergraduate students. This means that the Graduate School Office and graduate program faculty must continue to emphasize the recruitment our own students. The Graduate School will continue to sponsor the Graduate School Recruitment Seminar and other activities that focus on recruiting UWG students. The survey also helped the Graduate School gain information on the nature of the fall semester 1998 graduate student population. Having this information helps determine how graduate programs at UWG should be marketed (i.e., radio, magazine, TV ad campaigns, and other methods). Results indicated that most students were female, between the ages of 31-40, and Caucasian (300). African-American students (40) were the second largest group responding to the survey. Five students classified themselves as Asian or Pacific Islander (2), Native American (1), and Moorish American (1). Most of these students (117) have been out of school less than two years. This reinforces the importance of recruiting our own juniors and seniors and continuing to market the Graduate School to undergraduates at other institutions. Most students are currently attending part-time. However, if courses were scheduled at more convenient times more students might take more courses. Most students in the survey sample also ranked UWG as their first choice (82%). This means that our graduate students highly favored this university before they applied here. The reasons that students decided to attend the State University of West Georgia are also of importance to our recruitment efforts. Most students said that they decided to attend West Georgia because we offered the courses and programs they needed, because of our convenient location, and the fact that we offered courses at convenient times. The most common motivating factors for seeking graduate education at UWG were expectations of a pay raise, to increase knowledge in their fields, and being promoted on the job. While these variables are not directly manipulable by the Graduate School, they can be emphasized in our advertisements. Another finding of the survey is that a majority of the survey respondents financed their graduate education with personal funds. While student loans, HOPE scholarships, graduate

10 10 research assistantships, and place of employment were also cited as frequent means of financial support, it is clear that most students are probably paying their own way. If a conclusion is to be drawn, it may be that the institution must remain sensitive to the fact that increases in tuition may result in the loss of some students. While it goes without saying that tuition increases across University System of Georgia institutions must occur, a comprehensive enrollment management plan would suggest that the institution take steps to ensure that graduate students are fully aware of the various methods of financing their graduate education. In summary, the results of the survey suggest that the Graduate School Office can state with the some degree of confidence that it is providing excellent service in a personable manner. In addition, in no way disregarding student s comments suggesting areas where we might improve, the Graduate School can truthfully state that we are providing Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment.

11 11 Table 2 Sample Characteristics Age 21 to to to to to to to & above 2 Sex Male 69 Female 276 Racial/Ethnic Group African-American/Black 40 Caucasian/White 300 Native American 1 Asian or Pacific Islander 3 Multiracial 0 Moorish American 1 Number of Years Students were Graduated from a College/University Before They Decided to Return for a Graduate Degree 0-2 years years years years years 27

12 12 20 or more years 40 Blank 17 Purpose for entering this university Obtain Masters degree 239 Obtain Specialist degree 58 Obtain or maintain certification 32 Take a few courses for personal enrichment 2 Masters & Certification 10 Add-On 1 Masters, Specialist, & Certification 1 Non-Degree 1 Specialist & Certification 1 Current Enrollment Status Full-time 92 Part-time 251 Residence classification In-State student 334 Out-of-State student 7 International student 4 Number of contacts with Graduate School Office more than 15 9 Blank 1

13 13 Glad they chose this university Yes 318 No 14 Uncertain 5 Blank 8

14 Table 3 Majors Listed by Graduate Students During Fall Semester 1998* 14 Area Degree Program(s) of Survey Respondents Certification MEd Ed.S. Add-On Non-Degree MEd & Certification Ed.S. & Certification MEd & Ed.S. MEd, Ed.S., & Cert Total Business Education Guidance & Counseling Early Childhood Educational Leadership ESOL 2 2 Health & PE Media Middle Grades Music Education 2 2 Reading Secondary Ed English Secondary Ed Math Secondary Ed Science Secondary Ed Spanish Secondary Ed Social Studies Special Education Speech- Language Patthology Total *Not all individuals responded to this question.