devry university: using your satisfaction data to … · devry university: using your satisfaction...

DeVry University: Using Your Satisfaction Data to Take

Action

Julie BryantAssociate Vice President

of Retention SolutionsMay 21, 2009

Dial-in: 888-675-6240Conference Code: 319 248 2302

Agenda

• Opening comments and introduction to the project: Jerry Murphy

• Guidance with next steps on reviewing and taking action with your Noel-Levitz results: Julie Bryant

• Next steps and expectations: Jerry Murphy and Julie Bryant

IMPORTANT: First some basics• * 6 to mute your line and # 6 to unmute• Please be respectful to the other attendees by keeping

your phone on mute during today’s session.• Please DO NOT put your phone on HOLD during the call

– we will be able to hear your background music. Please disconnect from the call if you have to step away and call back in.

• While the presentation is taking place, I will not be able to respond to written questions asked through the Web; I will pause at the end of each segment to see if there are questions. You can type questions and I will answer them during the pauses or you can ask a question over the phone.

• Today’s session is expected to run approximately 90 minutes.

DeVry University: Using Your Statisfaction Data to Take Action May 21, 2009

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Assessing student satisfaction and priorities

Your campus has administered the Student Satisfaction Inventory over multiple years.

You have your results and it may feel like the survey process is done

But you are not done - Your work is really just beginning

Keep in mind that once you receive this data, your work is not done – it really is just beginning.


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Where do you see yourself a year from now if you don’t actively use the data?

Stop and consider where you will be a year from now if you have not taken any action with the data results. Will the survey process have been worth the investment of time and effort if you don’t act on what you have learned from your students?

Are your satisfaction levels going down or up from one year to the next?

What happens next with the data is most important

You need to move the data into usable information. This information becomes knowledge which gives you power to make changes.


3

Build a culture of systematic assessment

Inform the campus how

you responded

Survey your

students

Review your results

Respond to the data with initiatives

You need to build a culture of systematic assessment to take action with the results and to show students you are listening to them. Surveying is not a once-and-done activity; you should survey your students on a regular basis. We are going to cover each of these four areas in more depth today.

Survey your students

1

The first step is to survey your students.

Reviewing and Sharing the

Results

2

You have begun reviewing the data, but you can take this to the next level with some more intensive reviews.


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Reports delivered for 2008 administration: DeVry Universities

• DeVry University SSI vs. Four-year private national comparison group

• DeVry University SSI vs. DeVry University SSI Composite

• Year to year report for fall 2008 vs. fall 2007

• Target group reports to slice the data by demographic variables

• Raw data for further analysis

Demographics groups: Male, Female, Day, Evening, Full-time, Part-time, Time at DeVry (Item #116) answers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 24 and younger, 25 and older, Estimated 10 degree codes specific to location

An overview of the Satisfaction-Priorities data

• The demographics provide the overview of your population.• The scale report provides the big picture of your priorities and

how you match up with the national comparison group.• The item report provides you with a clearer picture of how you

are performing on individual issues.• The Strategic Planning Overview provides identified

strengths and challenges for action planning.• The factors in the decision to enroll identifies which factors

influence your students’ decision to come to campus and is valuable for your admissions staff.

• The summary report provides you with a bottom line indication of satisfaction levels for your institution.

• The year to year report identifies where your students are significantly more or less satisfied than they were when you last administered the survey.

• Target group reporting allows you to slice the data by demographic variables.

This is what each segment of the report can tell you.

Satisfaction-priorities data provide clear direction and actionable next steps

The data you have provides the specific information you need to make decisions on campus and gives you opportunities to dig in further with focus groups and target group reporting.


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Sharing the data to build buy-in campus wide

You are more likely to take action when people know about the data and care about the results; they will want to know what next steps are being taken. Share the data through meetings, presentations and publications. Share the data with your leadership, faculty, staff and students. Focus on relevant segments of the data (by scale or by demographic segment) with groups on campus that will have an interest. Sharing the results is important for accountability and to set the stage for change on campus.

Elements of an Executive Summary

• Why your institution is assessing student satisfaction• When the survey was conducted; how it was administered;

the response rate• An overview with demographic percentages to confirm that

the sample is representative and to inform who your population is

• The scales in order of importance with just the rank listing• An overview of how you compare to the national comparison

group – scales or items with significantly higher or lower satisfaction

• A list of your strengths in descending order of importance• A list of your challenges, again listed in descending order of

importance• As available, comparisons with previous results to highlight

where satisfaction levels have gone up and identify where satisfaction has slipped

• Identify next steps and who is responsible for taking action

You will want to create an Executive Summary of your results. This Summary can be in a written format or a PowerPoint presentation. Focus on the rankings and the listings rather than the numbers. People can get hung up on the numbers. Use the numbers to guide what you are sharing, but the focus is on the story. Lead with your strengths before addressing your challenges and allow time to celebrate the positive responses. The key focus is on the identified challenges. You may want to include target group reporting highlights, depending on the audience.

Responding to the data with

new initiatives

After reviewing the results and sharing the initial findings, it is important to respond to the priority areas of your students.


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Managing change

Responding to the data will likely mean making changes in the ways things are done currently.

Activity-oriented/Results-oriented

• Activity-oriented• Redefining problems

• Failing to set priorities• Focusing on non-critical

problems/issues

• Working to improve too much simultaneously

• Disputing and overanalyzing

• Results-oriented• Recommending specific

actions to address problems• Establishing top priorities• Selecting the issues that are

most important and that makethe biggest difference

• Working to improve a small number of critical issues

• Moving forward, using the data to point directions

Is your campus activity-oriented or results-oriented?

Collaborative problem-solving

You will need to get people involved to identify the best course of action. Get additional feedback from students and the departments delivering the services. The data sets the stage for the opening dialogue on campus. Be careful not to point figures, but to work together to improve the situation.


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Identify goals, Achieve goals, Measure goals

The satisfaction-priority data help you to identify areas that need goals established and help you to measure if you have achieved the goals. The action you take in the middle is how you achieve the improvement.

Matrix for prioritizing actionVery

Important

VerySatisfied

VeryUnimportant

VeryDissatisfied

Copyright 2007 Noel-Levitz

Strengths = high importance and high satisfaction. Receive positive information to celebrate. Challenges = high importance and low satisfaction or large performance gap. These are the priorities for focusing resources and improvements. You are not going to worry about the things that are not as important to your students.

Definition of strengths and challenges

• Strengths = items in the top half of importance and the top 25% of satisfaction scores

• Challenges = items in the top half of importance and the bottom 25% of satisfaction scores or top 25% of performance gaps (still in top half of importance)

• Not related to external comparison; does not matter if the item has higher or lower satisfaction than the external comparison group.


8

Celebrate your strengths

So often we are quick to begin working on the challenges, but don’t overlook the opportunity to celebrate your strengths.

DeVry SSI Strengths 2008

• Campus item 4: My program of study will help me achieve my career goals

• Campus item 1: I am treated with respect. • Campus item 5: Faculty demonstrate the relevance of

the curriculum to real-world situations. • Nearly all faculty are knowledgeable in their field• Quality of instruction in most classes is excellent• Computer labs are adequate and accessible• Campus is safe and secure for all students• Major requirements are clear and reasonable

15 strengths.

DeVry SSI Strengths 2008, continued

• Campus item 2: Faculty teach at a level that makes courses sufficiently challenging

• Campus staff are caring and helpful• Faculty are fair and unbiased in treatment of individual

students• Personnel involved in registration are helpful• On the whole, the campus is well-maintained• Faculty are usually available after class and during office

hours• Students are made to feel welcome on campus


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Ways to build on strengths

1. Provide positive feedback to the campus2. Use high performing areas as models for

other departments3. Incorporate strengths into your recruiting /

marketing messages

Communicate and share positive feedback with all areas on campus. Highlight areas that are performing well as models for other departments. Use the strengths in your recruitment materials to attract more students who value where you are performing well.

Address your challenges

Use your challenges list as your top priority for response. Work on those areas that matter most to your students. Identify what can be responded to immediately and what needs more time.

DeVry SSI Challenges 2008

• The content within my major is valuable• Campus item 3: Value of education I receive is excellent• Instruction in my major field is excellent• Able to register for classes with few conflicts • Financial aid counselors are helpful • Adequate financial aid is available• Tuition paid is a worthwhile investment• Good variety of courses provided on this campus • Faculty provide timely feedback about student progress• Adequate services to help me decide upon a career• Financial aid awards are announced in time• Billing policies are reasonable• Academic advisor concerned about individual

13 items; Note: Content of courses within major and campus item 3 on both strengths and challenges. Slice down by programs and explore on a campus level to see where performing well and where there is room for improvement.


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Three key ways to respond to challenges

1. Changing perceptions with information2. Easy, immediate response items3. Longer term, strategic plan items

With every response area, always remember to inform the campus of any changes you make immediately, as well as keep the students informed of any changes that will be part of a future planned activity.

Information to change

perceptions

Information and communication can be a powerful way to change perceptions and improve satisfaction. This first response area is often overlooked, but can be very powerful.

Definition of satisfaction

“When expectations are met or exceeded by the student’s perception of the campus reality.”

Schreiner & Juillerat, 1994

The two key words are “perception,” because that is all we can really measure, and “expectation”. Remember that perception is reality. So to change the reality, change the perception.


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Address possible misconceptions

Help students to understand why something is the way it is, provide them with more context, more details. Be sure they know if and when something has changed and don’t assume that they notice the change. Examples: clear posting of hours of the business office, deadlines for financial aid, details on what a student’s tuition dollars cover, FAQs posted on your Website, etc.

Easy, immediate response items

The second response area are those things that can be changed fairly easily on campus.

Possible immediate responses

These are things that can be changed fairly easily, without a lot of resource commitments. Examples: extending the computer labs available hours, cutting down bushes near parking lots that may make students feel safer, adding career service programs for first and second year students, etc. When the change is made, be sure to let students know that you made the change based on their responses to the satisfaction survey. “This change is brought to you by. . .“


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Longer term, strategic plan

items

The third area are those items which may need to be part of longer term response.

Areas that may need additional planning and resource commitments

These areas may include adjusting what classes are offered when, adding advising or financial aid staff, adding additional parking, etc. Keep the campus informed of those items which will be part of your long-term planning because even though the student may not benefit from the change, they will know that you heard them and that you are working towards making a change.

Identifying next steps

You need to be prepared to identify next steps.


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Questions to consider

• What are you going to do?• When are you going to do it?• Who is responsible for doing it?• How much will it cost?• How will you know it has been

accomplished?

Know the answers to these questions for each identified challenge.

Building buy-in across campus

You need to build buy-in across campus for this process.

Important to get cross-departmental participation

This should not be just a student affairs activity. Need to get other divisions involved in the process.


14

Someone has to own the action!

If no one is responsible, then the action is less likely to get done.

Keep it a priority!

Even when you feel like there is too much to do, do your best to keep making progress!

Inform the campus how

you responded

4

The fourth step is a critical one. Be sure to close the feedback loop by communicating with your campus on how you have responded to the key issues.


15

Showing responsiveness when action has been taken

Making changes in areas that matter to students is a great way to show students that you care about them and that you are being responsive to the issues they have identified. We said we would change it and we did. This type of environment is more likely to have satisfied students.

Communicate with leadership, faculty, staff and students

You will want to communicate with students to show them that you care, but it also important to inform your leadership, faculty and staff of the changes that have been made and why. Once again, this helps with accountability and with buy-in, similar to the information sharing you should be doing when you first receive the results.

Communicate through a variety of methods

Use campus meetings, student newspapers, postings to your website, direct email messages, presentations to organizations on campus, etc. One communication method will not reach all constituencies.


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Communicate multiple times

You will also need to share the messages multiple times throughout the process. Keep the data as a regular discussion point in leadership meetings and standing committees; provide regular updates to students and faculty/staff on activities and issues that are next to be addressed. Especially important to communicate prior to the next survey administration to remind students and faculty of how the data from the previous administration were used to implement improvements and share how you plan to use the results from this next round of surveying. This helps to get everyone on board for the next survey administration.

Next steps

You need to be prepared to identify next steps.

Key elements for successfully using the data for improvement

1. Create an Executive Summary of your results for distribution on your campus

2. Get various departments and stakeholders involved with reviewing and responding to the data

3. Communicate your strengths and challenges widely on campus

4. Dig into your data deeper with the target group reporting and the year to year comparisons

5. Conduct focus groups to better understand the issues behind the challenge items and to get students and staff involved in the problem-solving


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Key elements for successfully using the data for improvement, continued

6. Establish individuals to be responsible for taking action with the data and establish action plans (using Excel spreadsheet)

7. Revisit the data and the action plans on a regular basis to determine next steps

8. Communicate with the campus through a variety of methods at a variety of times on the actions taken and planned

9. Make use of the resources available to you from Noel-Levitz

10. Continue to survey regularly to track progress in each area

Excel spreadsheet example

Student worker assigned to project

25%7/1/

2009$0Director of Financial Aid

Identify additional loans and scholarships available

Adequate financial aid

Working with IT to post50%

6/1/2009$500

Dean of Student Services

FAQ Posted to Web

Campus "Run-Around"

Comments% Due

DateBudgetResponsibilityAction ItemArea

This is an example of a spreadsheet to track activities. This type of spreadsheet with be provided to you for your strengths and for your challenges. You will want to indicate action items as applicable in each area and return to Noel-Levitz by Friday 5/29.

Goal: To document actions taken in the past and to identify at least three items to take

action with this year


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What’s Next

• Excel spreadsheets distributed to each campus by 5/22

• You will need to return your updated spreadsheet with documentation on actions taken in the past (with either strengths or challenges) by 5/29

• Compiled spreadsheets will be shared with all campuses by June 5th to aid in brainstorming

• During two hour time block on June 9 (in-person) we will facilitate a discussion on the ways you have been responding to challenges to provide you with ideas and suggestions for additional improvements you can make

What’s Next, continued

• By July 1st, you will make a commitment on the items you will work on going forward

• By July 10th, you will be provided with an updated Excel spreadsheet

• During the week of August 10th, Noel-Levitz will check in on how you are doing with your progress

• By September 9th, you will return updated spreadsheets with actions taken or planned

• Week of September 21st, another Webinar will be held for a facilitated discussion of actions taken and planned

Do you have some ideas of what you can do to improve the student experience on your

campus?


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If you don’t take action, you will not improve your students’ experience

Knowing your students’ perceptions of strengths and challenges is not enough

What you do now can make a positive difference in the lives of your students


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Today’s discussion should help you to better understand how to take the next steps

Questions?


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