Editor’s Note: On Thursday, March 27, an analysis of the Student Government Association’s Campus Climate Survey was emailed to all students. The analysis was completed by SGA Academic Affairs Committee Member and Rambler Contributor Lyra Duffy. The analysis below has been unedited from what was sent out to all students:
SGA’s Campus Climate Survey was launched a few months ago with the purpose of understanding the academic needs of students. After a discussion panel with SGA Senators discussing their comments and complaints about courses, the survey was created with help from Laura Scroggins and Melissa Fortner. This survey was developed with a student perspective and overall continuing goal of striving for academic excellence. Eighty-four Transylvania students responded to the survey. The results of this survey have been further analyzed to showcase what ways Transylvania’s academic climate is working, and in what ways it can be improved. This survey is intended to identify potential academic challenges students may face and work to further inform faculty and staff of student opinion. While the results of this survey are targeted at faculty and staff, students can also use this information to better understand the consensus of fellow classmates.
The survey questions were answered using a one to five ranking level for each prompt. When students were asked how engaged they generally feel in the classroom, 61.9% of students rated a level four on a five-point scale. This number exemplifies the high amount of students who do feel moderately engaged in their classes on campus. However, when students were asked if said engagement varies across courses, 42.9% of students rated a three, and 22.6% of students rated a four. This shows that students are feeling a strong sense of engagement but this engagement is not consistent and often is based on the specific course they are enrolled in. Based on this analysis it can be assumed that there are courses that lack that feeling of engagement.
Students were then asked about the involvement of grades within their courses at Transy. When asked how frequently students receive communication or feedback about their grades, many students ranked a two (34.5%) or three (33.3%). This tells us that students are not receiving as much feedback or communication from their instructors based on their work in the course. This lack of communication has the potential to create anxiety for students when they are unaware of what direction their grades are going. With that being said, the type of course relates directly to the style of grade communication. This strong variation can be seen through 31% of students responding with a rank of four when asked how strongly their grade feedback varies for each course. This demonstrates that while communication over students’ grades may be lacking, it is strongly varied by the type of course and differs depending on the subject and professor.
Students were then asked about their classroom communities or sense of belonging and comfortability in Transy classes. The majority of students, 51.2% ranked a four out of five when asked about how they have felt supported in the classroom. When asked if this feeling of support varies across courses, 39.3% of students ranked a two out of five– showing that this support is fairly consistent.
Lastly, students had the opportunity to share what classroom practices they benefited from. There were varying responses, however, 47.14% of students included the use of classroom discussions. Students noted how classroom discussions create more comfort and present the opportunity for students to be active participants in the classroom. Beyond that, 20% of students included how they also benefited from well-structured and organized lectures.
When students were asked what classroom practices didn’t work well, a plurality of 21.4% responded with critiques on certain lecture styles that leave no room for student engagement or that are unorganized/difficult to follow. Beyond that, 17.1% of students also noted variations of group work did not work well in addition to flipped classroom structures.
To look at the visual aid charts and anonymous feedback that accompany the data presented in this analysis, access that here.
Thank you for your time,
Lyra Duffy
TUSGA Academic Affairs Committee
