Student Perceptions of Learning

Survey Methodology

Student perceptions of learning are an important indirect method that serves to complement the direct methods of assessment. Although the method does not provide evidence of student learning, it does provide evidence that may help to explain student performance levels.

Instrument

Student perceptions of learning are gathered by means of survey instruments. In particular, the Graduate and Transfer student surveys ask students about how their experience at NMC has contributed to their learning of our general education outcomes.

on the Transfer Student survey and the Graduate Student survey (survey instruments). The prompt is as follows:

On a three-point scale (with 3 meaning major contribution and 1 meaning no contribution), how much have your educational experiences at NMC contributed to your growth in each of the following areas?

Students are allowed a “not applicable” response choice. The statements for which the student responds are:

1. Developing my public speaking ability…[indirectly measures Communications]
2. Improving my ability to express my ideas in writing…[Communications]
3. Improving my research skills…[Communications]
4. Developing an openness to opinions other than my own…[Cultural Perspectives]
5. Broadening my awareness of other cultural viewpoints…[Cultural Perspectives]
6. Improving my skills to think critically and solve problems…[Critical Thinking]

Process

The Graduate Student Survey and the Transfer Student Survey are administered to our graduates and transfer students, respectively. The surveys are administered mostly by phone through NMC Research Services. Using Research Services allows consistency of administration and ensures reliability of the method. Some graduate surveys are completed by hand in-person by the graduate and mailed to the Office of Institutional Research, but an examination of the surveys showed that there is not a difference in responses based on administration method. In future, all of the Graduate Student surveys will be administered by the phone method, eliminating any uncertainty about reliability. Once a representative sample of students has completed the surveys they are sent to the Office of Institutional Research.

Sampling

For the Graduate Student Survey, all graduates from the previous academic year are surveyed. The graduates are surveyed at least six months after graduation. The response rate is typically 65%, which constitutes a representative sample. For the Transfer Student Survey, all transfer students we can locate are surveyed. We find the transfer institutions of our former students through the National Student Clearinghouse Enrollment Search. We then use institutional phone directories to locate the students. NMC Research Services administers the survey to as many transfer students as possible. The response rate is similar to the Graduate Survey, about 65%.

Analysis

Although the method does not provide evidence of student learning, it does provide evidence that may help to explain student performance levels. Descriptive statistics from the Graduate Student survey and the Transfer Student Survey are aggregated by outcome to give an overall student perception of learning.

Results

The Office of Institutional Research presents the results in a separate report. Summaries of all the findings produce by our assessment methods are documented in the "What We Have Learned" documents.