What do the students think about the study environment?
Today is the last day that students at SDU can let their opinions be known in the study environment survey. NAT's answer percentage was 43.7 %, which provides a good basis for the Faculty to work with.
– The annual study environment survey is important for us as management, as it gives us a picture of how the students experience the study environment. We are always keen to listen to the students, and we appreciate getting as much input as possible. It benefits the current students as well as future students at the Faculty. The study environment is an important element in retaining our students, and I'm also convinced that it is a crucial factor when potential students are choosing their study programme. That's why we prioritise it so highly here at the Faculty, says Dean Martin Zachariasen.
At this time two years ago, the last study environemtn survey was carried out. In the February edition of RUST, Head of Secretariat Niels Kring explains why a survey of the study environment is necessary:
– We have taken the survey seriously and have been ambitious with our targets. The students are an important source for our understanding of how they experience their studies. Naturally, we are interested in hearing about whether they are thriving.
It is stated in the Faculty's action plan for 2015 that there should be clearer information about well-being offers, that there should be a new test for laboratory safety (e-test introduced in autumn 2016) and that there should be more focus on counselling. This has meant that from the autumn of 2015 the Student Counselling Service at the Faculty of Science extended its opening times and that counsellors are more visible and active on digital platforms, e.g. BlackBoard. These are just some of the improvements which Niels Kring hopes to see reflected in the recently completed survey:
– It's a real wasted effort if we can't see any improvements in the new survey. But the world is constantly changing, so some things can have happened that are out of our hands. That could be, for instance, the Study Progress Reform, which was just about to be implemented during the last survey. But we hope to see improvements in some areas.
The next step for the 2017 survey is for every Education Committee at the departments to prepare an action plan based on the results for each study programme. Interdisciplinary themes will be handled by the Faculty's Management Group, the Study Board and the Faculty Secretariat. An overall action plan based on the survey is expected to be available in the autumn.
Photo: Colourbox