SSPG Executive Committee Meeting Notes

February 16, 2010

Attending: Ron Braeutigam,Rachelle Brooks, Steve Carr, Debbie Crimmins, Mary Desler, Mary Finn, Paul Schatz

Review potential student surveys

  • Survey on how graduate students make career choices by Klara Mueggenburg (SESP graduate student) – Student worked with Rachelle to make revisions to the survey. Student is ready to ask for IRB approval. Lisa Metzger-Mugg (TGS) was also working with the student on improving the instrument and identifying the students to be surveyed. Survey is approved, pending Lisa’s approval. Debbie offered to follow-up with Lisa and report back to Mary Desler, who will then contact Klara with a final approval from SSPG.
  • ECAR (EducauseCenter for Applied Research) student IT survey by Brian Nielsen (ITAcademicTechnologies). Online survey about how students use information technology was conducted in 2007, 2008, and 2009 with a sample of freshmen and seniors. There was a low response rate last year and the results have not been reviewed. Brian initially wanted to launch between March 29thand April 22nd but is now is indecisive about whether or not to conduct the survey this year. It could be conducted in early April with a short window to minimize overlap with other surveys. Currently waiting for decision on how Brian wants to proceed.
  • WCAS advising survey will launch the first week of March
  • Student Affairs NASPA surveys will launch around February 22nd. Incentives in the form of gift certificates are being used.
  • BlockMuseum survey will launch next week to a sample of students. Mary Desler will contact Block representative regarding the advantages of using only the sample provided, and not seeking additional responses from various other Block lists, in the interest of limiting respondent fatigue and to provide some general information about how a sample enables one to gather the most “generalizable” data from which broader conclusions can be drawn.

Next steps on the student satisfaction project

  • Debbie will send the summary report of the lunch discussions on student satisfaction to SSPG members.
  • Mary Desler is scheduling student focus groups for early April to further investigate student satisfaction.

Senior survey and PULSE survey

  • WCAS, SESP, and SoC are interested in surveying their freshman and possibly sophomores using the Pulse Survey
  • The school representatives have been sent senior survey questions that are optional this year and the proposed supplemental questions from the Enrolled Student Survey. More information on the project using these questions will be presented at the March 16th meeting.

Potential agenda items for March 16th SSPG meeting

  • Update on the student satisfaction project including focus groups (Mary D. and Debbie will present)
  • Plans for the PULSE survey
  • Senior survey 2010 and assessment (Mary Finn, Hilarie Lieb, and Debbie will present more information on the project)
  • Possible items from past agendas (assessment and survey updates)
  • TGS graduate student surveys by Lisa Metzger-Mugg (Debbie offered to confirm that Lisa would like to be the main presenter at the March meeting.)