By Staff – 21 Jan ’15
More than 90 percent of University of Wyoming students are pleased with their UW education and would recommend the university to friends and relatives, according to the latest UW Student Satisfaction Survey (UWSSS).
Highlights of the 2014 survey findings were presented to the UW Board of Trustees last week by Vice President for Student Affairs Sara Axelson, who notes that UW scores higher than national averages on a majority of student satisfaction issues.
The UWSSS consists of one UW student survey conducted on a biennial basis since 1994, along with two national surveys: the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory, first administered at UW in 1998, and the American Collegiate Testing Inc. (ACT) survey, first used at UW in 1994. Together, these surveys provide UW important data and national comparison information.
The 2014 UW student survey, provided to a representative sample of students both on campus and through the Outreach School, yielded about 1,000 responses.
“We are pleased to see that UW students continue to be overwhelmingly happy with the education they receive. They’re particularly pleased with campus safety, library and computer facilities, and the quality of our faculty,” Axelson says. “There are other areas where students are less satisfied — including our residence halls — and we are looking closely at ways to address those concerns.”
Axelson notes that the surveys show a high correlation between investments in UW facilities and programs and increases in student satisfaction. The survey also will help in addressing areas where improvements are needed.
Highlights from the latest UWSSS include:
— The percentage of students who are pleased with their UW education was 94 percent, a number that has held relatively constant since 2004.
— Seventy-nine percent of students rated the quality of UW instruction as excellent, up from 77 percent in 2012.
— Eighty-one percent of students report that faculty members are available to meet with them after class with regular office hours, a number that also has been relatively constant since 1998.
— The percentage of students who believe the campus is safe and secure was 87 percent — up from 84 percent in 2012, and significantly higher than the national average.
— Eighty-two percent of students were satisfied with UW’s classroom facilities, 70 percent with laboratory facilities, and 92 percent with library facilities and services — all percentages that were significantly higher than national averages.
— The percentage of students satisfied with computer services was 84 percent, while satisfaction with computer labs was 85 percent — numbers that also were significantly higher than national averages.
— The percentage of students who expressed satisfaction at the availability of financial aid was 66 percent — the same number as 2010 and 2012, but up from 58 percent in 2006. Axelson notes that the Hathaway Scholarship Program was initiated in 2006.
— Seventy-three percent of students described their tuition as a worthwhile investment, the same number as 2012.
Full results of each survey can be found at www.uwyo.edu/studentaff.
