Student survey reveals high satisfaction with Yukon College
WHITEHORSE – Amy Andison is a typical Yukon College student- she’s happy learning here.
“I love it, this gives you a place to learn and get a good quality education close to home,” says the second-year Business program student.
Andison’s feelings are shared by a vast majority of Yukon College students. A recent survey of 340 of the College’s 597 full-time and 519 part-time students in credit programs showed 96 per cent would agree with the phrase that “This is a good learning environment.”
There’s also nearly unanimous agreement that “Yukon College is a good place for people like me”, with 95 per cent saying they “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement.
Results of the survey, conducted in November, were released today by the College.
“It’s awesome,” says the Director of Student Services, Colleen Wirth, of the survey’s findings. “It shows the College’s hard work in meeting the needs of its students is paying off.”
The survey explored a wide range of attitudes and beliefs of students attending the College in the fall of 2011. For the most part, the results were overwhelmingly positive (see Highlights, attached).
Students were asked, “From your perspective, what is Yukon College really good at?” According to their responses, Yukon College’s supportive and welcoming atmosphere is one of its best features. The College helps students feel “at home.” Students say staff and faculty offer encouragement, and help to accommodate their individual needs.
“The instructors are really good, they are structured but lenient,” says Andison, echoing the findings. “They are focused on you doing well, which is good.”
Small class sizes at the College contribute to the welcoming and supportive atmosphere where students feel that they are “more than just a number.”
“Across the board the report tells us the students recognize the staff and faculty are here for them,” says Wirth. “They are working for them to succeed.”
Still, there’s always work to be done. One question asked, “What does Yukon College need to start doing better?” One of the most frequent responses was for the College to offer a wider variety of courses and programs, including more degrees and advanced programs, more transferable courses, and expansion of the trades, along with other potential areas for growth.
The survey also showed improvements could be made with the way the College connects with its students through its website.
“Communication is a big one,” says Wirth. “We’ll be looking at our systems, improving awareness of our portal and improving people’s use of the tools we have.”
“We take student’s comments seriously, and will work hard to follow up on them,” says Wirth. “While we can take a moment to celebrate these results, we can never assume we are where we need to be. We’ll continue to pay attention to improve what we are doing.”
The survey was a classroom-based, targeted sample of all program areas at the College, designed to be as representative as possible. While statistical accuracy cannot be determined for this type of non-random sampling, College researchers say they feel it represents a fair snapshot of student attitudes at the time the information was collected.
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Other Survey Highlights
• Nearly all students (98%) “agree” or “strongly agree” that what they are learning in their courses is current and up-to-date. Nevertheless, one-fifth (20%) “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement, “Some of my courses seem out of touch with the way the world is now.”
• Four-fifths (80%) of students “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement, “The way I’m being taught suits the way I learn best.”
• Over four-fifths (82%) of students “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement, “My courses challenge me to accomplish more than I knew I could.”
• Most students (62%) intend to graduate from Yukon College. One-quarter (25%) intend to graduate from another institution after transferring there.
• Most students say they are going to school right now because they are interested in their field of study (72%), to get a better job (62%), to have a better life (61%), and to make more money (56%). Reasons for going to school vary substantially depending on the student’s demographics and field of study.
• Fewer than one-fifth (18%) of students view their current program as terminal. Almost half (45%) are planning to take another program after this, and 37% are unsure or are keeping their options open.
• A large majority (86%) of students “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement, “Technology is used effectively in my courses at Yukon College.” The percentage in agreement varies from nine-tenths (90%) in Management, Tourism and Hospitality to just under three-quarters (73%) in Trades.