Q2S SurveyKelsie Miller

Vice President for Academic AffairsAssociated Students of

Central Washington University

Board of Directors

Creation of Survey• Objective task force of students in association with the Student

Academic Senate (SAS)• Brian Davis• Robert Moser• David Sturgell

• Expansion of research that SAS conducted Spring 2013

Background Research• Eastern Washington University Study: Quarter to Semester

Conversion, 2009• Explained premise of survey• Basic facts on both Semester and Quarter systems• Provided source for students who wished to view EWU study• Qualtrics

Distribution of Survey• CPORT Communication• Sent to 10,332 students• All active CWU students, including all Campuses• Resent once to students who had not interacted with email

• Advertising• Publicity center• Tabling in SURC

• All communications from BOD regarding survey neutral, designed to not influence outcome

Results• Goal: 10% of students to take survey• 1,765 total student responses• 17.08% student body responded- exceeded original goal• Margin of Error

• 2.12%, According to American Research Group.com

Overlo

ad (1

9+ cr

edits

)

Full T

ime (

12-1

8 cred

its)

Three

Qua

rters-

Time (

9-12

cred

its)

Half-T

ime (

6-8 c

redits

)

Less t

han 6

cred

its

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Status for the 2013-2014 Academic Year

Num

ber

of S

tude

nts

Figure 1: Depicts the responses of surveyed students. Out of 1765 stu-dents surveyed. This represents 17.08% of students at CWU.

Question 1: Enrollment Status

16%

84%

Q2: Have you ever attended

a college using a semester

system?

Yes

No

Figure 2: Depicts the responses of surveyed students in percentages. Out of 1761 student responses.

81%

19%

Q3: If you an-swered "Yes" to

Question 2: Which system do you prefer and

why?Quarter

Semester

Figure 3: Out of 16% of students who responded saying they had previously attended a semester system school.

Q3: Continued…Why?• Preferred quarters because:• Classes

• Greater variety of class options• Easier scheduling, more flexibility• Focus on fewer classes at a time• More frequent class meetings• Smaller class size• Less commitment for classes

students are unhappy in• quicker pace/greater intensity • Shorter classes means less "burn

out"• “Breathe between courses"

• Financial reasons• Refund checks more frequent• Payments spread out • Beneficial for summer jobs

• Transfer students- easier for students from community colleges

• Improves time management• Graduate faster

Preferred semesters because: Increased:

Instructional time In-depth learning Quality of relationships with

professors Comprehension Retention of information Use of textbook

Classes: More time to recover from bad start More classes at a time Steady pace Greater time to complete assignments Less rushed/stressful less repetition of classes Fewer general education classes Easier to settle into routine

January term useful Semester schedule similar to more

schools

65%

17%

9%

5%5%

Q4: Do you support a transition from quarters to semesters at Central Wash-

ington University?

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neither Agree nor Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Figure 4: Depicts percentages of preferences in student support of semester conversion at Central Washington University. Out of 1761 responses.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

11%

18%

25%

20%

15%

12%

Q5: If Central Washington University were to switch to a semester system, would you transfer to a different uni-

versity?

Level of Certainty

Per

cent

age

Figure 5: Depicts percentages of foreseen actions of students upon switch to semester system. Out of 1,763 total responses.

29%

9%

23%

7%

5%

4%

5%

3%

15%

Q6: What are your concerns regarding a semester system?

Lack of class choice

Class size

Graduating on time

Cost of tuition

Cost to implement semester system

Conflicts with summer work schedules

No concerns

Everything

Other

Figure 6: Depicts primary concerns of students regarding a semester system. Out of 1,760 re-sponses.

“Other” includes student in-putted answers including most frequently: length of classes, transfer between schools, fewer classes to focus on at one time, financial aid changes, online degree pro-gram changes

ASCWU-BOD Pros & Cons

Pro• More time for students to

fully comprehend the material in a longer period of time.

• Semesters allow for easier transferring of credits from other colleges.

• Converting to Semesters would allow students more time to improve grades.

• Could potentially save costs over the long term.

Con• Possibility of being in class a

longer period of time, with a professor whom you disagree with.

• Quarter systems allow for more class variety.

• Students who are enrolled in CWU now feel that conversion will lead to a longer graduation time.

• Large upfront costs associated with conversion.

• Students voiced concerns regarding a change to their summer schedule.

55%

24%

13%

4% 4%

Q7: How strongly do you feel about quarter to semester

conversion?

Dislike ExtremelyDislike Very MuchNeither Like nor DislikeLike Very MuchLike Extremely

Figure 7: Depicts level of like/dislike towards semester conversion in percentages of students out of 1,759 responses.

ASCWU-BOD Recommendation

Given the overwhelming student response against semester conversion, the ASCWU-BOD recommends that the Faculty Senate not move forward with any proposal to pursue conversion at Central Washington University. It is our firm belief that the responses gathered in this survey accurately reflect how the student population feels on this topic. We also believe that due to the high response rate and unbiased nature of the survey, these results are not an anomaly or a concerted effort by a small and passionate minority to oppose conversion. We appreciate the efforts of the Faculty Senate to include us in this process, and are confident that the concerns of the student body will be taken seriously as the Senate decides how to proceed on this issue.