News Release 08-041-D

A national survey of students shows UCC to be superior

	News Release 08-041-D	For more information:
	Release date: 10/14/08	Bentley Gilbert
	For immediate release	(541) 440-7747
	http://www.umpqua.edu/ 

Umpqua Community College students find the College superior in (1) active and collaborative learning, (2) the effort they apply to their studies, (3) the intellectual and creative challenge of their coursework and (4) the amount of faculty interaction they enjoy. Even in a fifth benchmark, the support services the College makes available, UCC students’ responses were on par with similar colleges in Oregon and across the US.

It will be held on Tuesday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. Location is on the UCC campus in the Physical Education Complex, Room 10. For more information please contact the UCC Counseling and Advisement Center, 440-4610.

With 14 other Oregon community colleges and hundreds of colleges nationwide, Umpqua Community College participated in the national Community College Survey of Student Engagement during Spring Term 2008. This survey is designed to reflect student views on the quality of their educational programs and the services they received. The responses of UCC students were compared with those from the other Oregon community colleges and with a national group of similarly-sized community colleges.

“This is a highly gratifying result,” said UCC President Blaine Nisson. “It shows we’re a student-centered institution. The results of this survey, taken just this past spring, show that our students want challenge and UCC is giving it to them. It shows that the students want to work cooperatively with their instructors and our faculty members are doing so. It shows that they want to work with their fellow students and to think about and apply what they learn outside the classroom and we are making those opportunities available. It shows that they understand they must work hard to do well and that they are, in fact, doing so. And, it shows that they need some support outside the classroom in order to succeed and that they are finding that on campus, too.” The results of this survey indicate that Umpqua Community College is doing a lot right. The college is working hard to connect with and challenge students by effectively using innovative tools and methods for instruction and learning. The results of this survey will go to the UCC Board of Trustees at its regular monthly meeting at 7 pm, Wednesday, October 15, in the board room of the College administration building.

The results of this survey will help the College better understand road-blocks to student success and to improve its programs and services. “But, it shows that the improvement we continue to make will start from a position out front,” Nisson said.

Nationwide, the survey was conducted during the spring last year and, locally, was made of randomly selected classes from a sample of UCC credit college level classes. In all, 29 classes were surveyed, taught by 25 different instructors and with a total of 386 students.

Some other findings of the survey include:

• 88% of students feel at least one UCC faculty member cares about them and their academic progress.
• 66% get academic advising from the College, while 23% get academic advising from family and friends.
• If the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree were offered entirely online, 21% said yes they would pursue it; 31% said maybe.
• 72% said they use technology on campus to obtain web-based information and materials for classes.
• “With advising assistance from the College, I have set academic goals and created a plan for achieving them.” 73% agree or strongly agree; 12% disagree or strongly disagree; 15% did not use advising services.
• 92% would recommend UCC to a friend or family member.
• 87% evaluated the educational experience at UCC as good/excellent.
• 68% began college at UCC.

“One of our alumni has volunteered that ‘UCC is the jewel in our backyard’,” Nisson said. “Our current students seem to recognize that, too.”