Though you may have skipped through it in your NJIT inbox, it’s difficult to miss the blue posters all over campus that read “Student Experience Survey.”
Sent out by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) on Feb. 4, this 27-question survey asks NJIT students to rate their academic programs, campus life, clubs and extracurriculars, library services, food on campus, campus facilities, administration, information technology, and overall NJIT experience.
According to Charles Brooks, the Executive Director of OIE, the in-depth survey takes less than 10 minutes to finish, on average, thanks to the survey being shortened from previous years, but it still provides an enormous sum of vital information.
Brooks said, “The annual Survey of Student Experience is one of the primary tools NJIT has to receive feedback, both positive and negative, from students. We make an effort to involve students in all our planning activities, and incorporate student members in all our committees….
The survey was created based on the input of students and faculty, the Provost, senior management, the Board of Trustees, and best practices of our peer institutions.”
NJIT Provost and Senior Executive Vice President, Fadi Deek, said “I can tell you that we work very hard to explain to our students the value of them responding to some critical surveys. Princeton Review, for example, our university was not doing well because our students were not responding in large numbers…. They were not responding to those surveys, and as a result, there was a very small pool of opinion to qualify and quantify into a reaction on our university by Princeton Review.”
“When we up this [survey response] to the thousands,” Deek continued, “all of a sudden we had enough wide range of opinions and point of views that changed. The total change of how we were represented, which is so important to the students, this is how we got that response. We worked with the students, we work with the Student Senate, to ensure that students understand that this survey, in the end, is about the value of their education and the degree that they hold because of how the university is seen, and as a result, how their degree… is then seen.”
The OIE has also partnered with the Student Senate to spread the word about the importance of the survey. Susmitha Duvapu, Vice President of Student Affairs, said, “The Student Satisfaction Survey is a good way to measure how successfully the school is accommodating to students’ needs. It’s critical to fill out this survey because this will cause the school to change for the better. We all have the opportunity to make a positive impact to our campus.”
According to Deek, once the surveys are collected, the results are analyzed by the OIE then disseminated to the Board of Trustees, President Bloom and other key administrators who use the data to gauge where future funding and resources should be targeted.
“Students are central to the success of our university” Brooks said. “The survey is an opportunity to address issues that impact your day-to-day campus life. Enlighten us about what matters to you the most. You can be assured that your responses will be acted on to make sure NJIT continues to be a place you are proud to call your Alma Mater.”
The survey will be open until Feb. 29.
