A college-wide satisfaction
survey of students
revealed that a jaw-dropping
97.9 percent of respondents
would recommend
Bucks to family and friends.
Respondents gave a solid
B+ to the college in four key
areas: being treated as an
individual, having their
efforts as a student supported,
being provided the services
they need and being
challenged academically.
Dean Catherine McElroy
said of the results, “The fact
that so many of them took
the time to write their comments
out — and candid
comments, that I am sure
that the information that we
got is reliable.”
She added, “Of course we
want it to be 100 percent,
and that’s what we’re striving
for. You know, we’re
not going to rest on 98, but
we’re happy that that’s our
starting point.”
The survey was posted on
WebAdvisor at the same
time as final grades to
obtain the maximum possible
response from all students
enrolled at Bucks during
the fall 2010 semester. It
was the brainchild of
McElroy, Dean of Academic
and Curricular Services,
Christine Boyle, director of
Institutional Research, the
Assistant Dean of
Enrollment Services,
Elizabeth Kulick, and Bill
Ford, executive assistant to
the Provost.
Designed similarly to the
annual “President’s Survey
of Graduates” and the
“Graduating Students’ Exit
Survey,” which are limited
only to graduating students,
this was an effort to garner
information from a wider
range of students.
This group offered survey
participants the chance to
enter a raffle for an iPad,
provided they
gave their name.
This move
proved significant.
While
graduate survey
response rates
tend to be low,
550 students
participated in
this survey.
“The response rate was
excellent, the comments
were well thought out, they
were articulate and they are
useful to us,” said McElroy.
The results of the survey
have been distributed and
reviewed by President
James Linksz, the president’s
staff, the Deans’
Council, Student Services,
and all of the assistant academic
deans who head the
departments.
In the past, surveys have
shaped a variety of college
decisions from scheduling
of classes to modular course
offerings. As changes are
made, frequent assessment
of students needs will monitor
effects to insure continued
success.
When asked whether
there were any specific
changes that will happen as
a result of the fall survey,
McElroy said, “It’s a little
too early to say that. I know
that there will be a lot of discussion
and I’m sure there
will be some changes, but at
this point I can’t say what
specific changes. We’ll
need a little bit more time.”
She did say that without a
doubt, another survey will
be done in the spring and
it’s likely that more frequent
surveys will help the college
monitor changes made as a
direct result of student
input.
The student’s opinion
does count, especially for
Donna Parks Smutnik, who
is in the medical billing and
coding certificate program
at Bucks. She won the iPad.
Smutnik’s reaction? “I was
shocked, I did not remember
that anything was being
awarded,” she said.
Asked whether she
thought that the iPad raffle
may have colored the
results, she said “no.”
Confirming McElroy’s
assertion that the survey
answers were generally reliable,
Smutnik added, “As I
said, I did not remember
there being one given away.
I feel that answering the
survey can help your experience
and that of future
students.” Furthermore,
she had responded in all of
the comment areas offered.
The iPad was a double
bonus for her family too.
Smutnik had not planned
on buying an iPad because
she already had a laptop.
Her son was going to buy a
new laptop, but when she
won the iPad, she gave the
laptop to him.