SHORELINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE S T U D E N T G A P S U R V E Y E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y This research was conducted via the web May 29, 2007 to July 13, 2007. The study was extended several times to ensure that a 400 sample would be obtained. It measures two elements: First is how important students view a variety of experiences and services offered by the college. Second is how satisfied students are with that experience at your college. When experience is rated more highly than the importance level, we have a positive gap where the college has exceeded student expectations. When experience is less highly rated than the importance level, we have a negative gap where the college fails to meet student expectations. Not all gaps are significant. There are many small gaps that the college should see as fundamentally meeting student expectations. It is where those gaps are large, or in areas where the college takes particular pride and places particular importance, that the gaps are significant. Overall, Shoreline is meeting the majority of its students’ expectations, with only small gaps. However, there are indicators that the college will want to examine in order to increase the overall student experience. In addition, there are four major gaps that Shoreline will want to address. Page 2 of 76 F I N D I N G S • The application process can all be improved, but orientation and college tours should be focused on first. • The financial aid process is always a target in the gap survey (as they are the college department that must say “No” to many students). However, the satisfaction levels on scholarships in particular are lower that we would expect (typically scholarships are rated more highly that college services), and this is an area that needs immediate attention. • Generally, students are satisfied with the information they receive in both print and online, as it relates to the schedule and catalog. These levels of satisfaction indicate no need for major changes or shifts. • None of the ratings for registrar services are unsatisfactory. However, there is a gap between expectations and satisfaction. We recommend you review the issue of transcript availability and the process by which students access this service. • None of the ratings for day, time, and location are unsatisfactory, however, students are least satisfied with the time scheduling for classes. If current students are only slightly satisfied with the timing of courses, it is reasonable to believe that individuals who choose not to attend Shoreline may be significantly less satisfied. This is an issue that should be examined. • The college should examine the payment plan options, business office assistance, and statement issues in order to improve satisfaction in this area. • None of the advising services received glowing reviews, but the most troubling are the transfer (3.7) and career (3.6) advising ratings. Given Shoreline’s focus on transfer as a core function, and its growing focus on occupational education, these are two services that should be examined immediately. • Assistance with career information, job placement, and links with the business community are areas where there is a sense of dissatisfaction among students. • Overall, the college should examine security and emergency loans issues for students. The cafeteria satisfaction issue is skewed because of campus construction. However, this should be noted as an important source of general student dissatisfaction. • The quality of teaching at Shoreline is seen as solid and Shoreline’s student population is satisfied with the teaching experience. • Classroom facilities, while adequate with slightly satisfied ratings, appear to be an anomaly in the classroom experience. The college should examine the classroom setting for its adequacy. • Given the surge in interest in online and hybrid courses, these ratings are an indicator that students are generally satisfied with their classroom, distance ed, and hybrid course offerings. However, the significant low rating of tele-courses indicates that this is an area that should be examined to identify the cause of the dissatisfaction. • Generally students are slightly satisfied with the information they are receiving on campus. The college may want to focus on improving ways to deliver information in short, useable “bursts”. • Generally students see the image of the college and the image of programs as positive, and this perspective is reinforced once they experience the college. Page 3 of 76 R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S Small Gaps Because of the focus Shoreline puts on transfer and the gap this research has identified in transfer advising, we recommend that Shoreline examine this issue immediately, even though the gap is small. Medium Gaps The issue of a sizable value gap is problematic, as most two-year colleges excel in this area. While there is no cause for a crisis response, there is cause for alarm that the expectation of value and satisfaction level with value are so disparate. Shoreline should keep careful track of this issue. Major Gaps Career Gap (1.5) The career gap is comprised of gaps in career information on the website, job search assistance, and professional internships available through the college. Generally, students were less than pleased in all of these areas. More importantly, their expectations of Shoreline were significantly higher than the experience Shoreline delivered. It is strongly recommended that Shoreline review these areas and formulate a plan to improve student experiences. Financial Gap (1.3) The financial gap is comprised of gaps in expectations versus experience in both financial aid and scholarships. Individual areas included application process, phone, face to face, web, and award experiences for both areas. It should be noted that the highest rating in this area was near the mid-point in the scale (3.5). This is the one area in all college services where the means were all in the negative section of the scale. Students are less than pleased with Shoreline’s performance in financial aid as well as scholarships. While both are important, it is unusual for scholarship services to have this high a gap. It is strongly recommended that Shoreline examine financial aid services, particularly scholarships. Academic Support Gap (1.2) The academic support gap is comprised of gaps in importance versus experience on the issues of tutors and test advising. Students had significantly higher expectations than experiences on both factors. It is strongly recommended that Shoreline address these areas, and formulate a plan to improve student experiences. Advising Gap (1.05) The advising gap is comprised of gaps in personal, career, transfer, program, academic, and registration importance versus experience. Generally, students were pleased with program, academic, and registration advising. They were significantly less pleased with personal, career, and transfer advising. It is strongly recommended that Shoreline review these areas, and formulate a plan to improve student experiences. Page 4 of 76 S U R V E Y S A M P L E A N D D E M O G R A P H I C S Gender Gender 300 262 200 142 100 y c n e u q e r F 0 Mal e Female Gender • The Shoreline Community College sample for this survey was 2/3 female and 1/3 male. This ratio is representative of community college campuses throughout the country. Page 5 of 76 Age Age group 140 120 100 80 60 40 y c n 20 e u q e r F 0 20 o r un de r 21 to 25 26 to 30 31 to 35 36 to 40 41 to 45 46 o r ove r Age group • More than 50% of respondents were 25 years old or less and could be considered traditional age college students. Page 6 of 76 Race/Ethnicity Race 300 200 100 y c n e u q e r F 0 African-American Asi an or Pacific Isl Hisp ani c Ameri can Ind ian Cau casi an Othe r Race • More than half of the sample identified themselves as Caucasian • More than one quarter of the sample identified themselves as Asian or Pacific Islander, with another 20% split between African-American, Hispanic, or other. Page 7 of 76 Semesters Attended Semester attended 200 100 y c n e u q e r F 0 1 se mester /qu arter 3 se mester s/qu arte rs 5+ s emesters/q uart er 2 se mester s/qu arte rs 4 se mester s/qu arte rs Semester attended • Most of the students who participated were longer-term students at Shoreline. Page 8 of 76 Cumulative GPA Cumulative GPA 300 200 100 y c n e u q e r F 0 No cre dit s e arne d 2.0 - 2.49 3.0 - 3.49 1.99 o r b elo w 2.50 - 2.99 3.5 o r ab ove Cumulative GPA • The students who participated in the survey appear to be some of the more successful students at Shoreline. • It is possible that the survey attracted students who are more successful at Shoreline or students who participated in the survey felt a need to inflate their grades. Page 9 of 76 Financial Aid Use Financial aid 200 100 y c n e u q e r F 0 G Lo W G G Lo G N ra a o ra ra a ra o n n r n n n n a t s k t t s t i / o o / / / / d sc n n sc sc w sc h ly ly h h o h o o o r k o la la la l/ r r r lo o / / a n lo w n ly a o / n r w s k rk Financial aid • Nearly half of participants did not receive any financial aid, while the other half received some form of assistance.