Solano College 2010 Accreditation Employee Survey And Student Opinion .

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Solano College2010 Accreditation Employee Surveyand Student Opinion SurveySummary ReportBoard of TrusteesDenis Honeychurch, J.D., PresidentA. Marie Young, Vice PresidentSarah E. Chapman, TrusteeJames M. Claffey, TrusteePam Keith, TrusteePhil McCaffrey, TrusteeRosemary Thurston, TrusteeJohn M. Glidden, Student TrusteeTom Henry, Special TrusteePresident/SuperintendentJowel C. Laguerre, Ph.D.Research Study Conducted by:Research and Planning OfficeChristopher J. Myers, Ph.D., Interim DirectorDonna Vessels, Research TechnicianFebruary 2011

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Solano College2010 Accreditation Employee Survey andStudent Opinion Survey Summary ReportExecutive SummaryIn fall 2010, the Solano Community College (SCC) Accreditation Steering Committee surveyed employeesand a sample of students. The purposes of the surveys were to assess the respondents’ perceptions of thedegree to which the college is fulfilling the accreditation standards of the Accrediting Commission forCommunity and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), and the students’ opinions of their college experience. Theresults are intended to support the Accreditation Self Study, as well as provide information that can be usedfor assessing and improving Solano College’s programs and services.The Accreditation Employee Survey (AES) was completed by 172 employees, who representapproximately 39% of permanent employees and 6% of part-time faculty. The typical respondent is afull-time faculty member working at the Fairfield Campus. She also is a White, non-disabled woman whohas worked at Solano College for more than 10 years.The majority of AES respondents indicated that they were satisfied with how most aspects of SolanoCollege are functioning. Overall, part-time faculty were most positive and classified/confidential staff wereleast positive.The Student Opinion Survey (SOS) was completed by 1,301 students (approximately 11% of enrolledstudents), who are generally representative of the student body. The typical respondent is a 19 year old,White woman who attends Solano College full-time and is planning to transfer to a four-year college oruniversity. She also works part-time, does not receive financial aid, and commutes 11-20 miles to theCollege.SOS respondents were generally satisfied with most programs and services. However, they rated someareas significantly lower than did respondents from the national norm group of other two-year colleges.Areas of StrengthSurvey respondents identified the following strengths and areas in which Solano College is performingwell:1. Faculty, classified/confidential staff, and managers are dedicated and support student success.2. Employees are familiar with the Mission Statement, Strategic Goals and Objectives, and theSLO/SAO process. They have also participated in program review and in developing SLOs/SAOsand three-year plans.3. Employees perceive the College to be moving in a positive direction.4. Students perceive the College’s quality of education and campus climate to be good or excellent.5. Students have a high level of satisfaction with student health services, day care services, computerservices, the library/learning resource center, veterans services, tutorial services, recreationalprograms and services, social activities, and cultural programs and activities.ii

Areas Needing ImprovementSurvey respondents were less satisfied or expressed a need for improvement in the following areas:1. While employees perceive the campus climate to be improving, a greater percentage rated thecampus climate for employees as fair or poor than rated it very good or excellent. They believe thatthere is a need to enhance employee relations.2. Employees most often disagreed that: the budget reflects the College’s goals and priorities; theyhave access to sufficient professional development activities; leaders support empowerment,innovation, and excellence; and needed data are analyzed, interpreted, and available for planning.3. Less than one-half of students have an understanding of SLOs.4. While students are generally satisfied with online courses, they are less satisfied with them thanthey are with face-to-face classes.5. Students are most dissatisfied with: the availability of courses at the times they want to take them;financial aid processes and information; academic advising, course planning, and the availability ofcounselors; and opportunities for student employment.Recommendations as to how Solano College might address areas needing improvement are also offered forconsideration.iii

AcknowledgementsI would like to acknowledge the contributions of the many persons who provided the guidance, resources,and support to make this research study possible. Through their contributions, Solano College will be ableto better understand employee and student perceptions about the degree to which the college is fulfilling theaccreditation standards and meeting student needs.First, I would like to acknowledge the Solano College Accreditation Steering Committee, co-chaired byJeff Lamb and Tracy Schneider, and the Accreditation Standard Committee Chairs, who helped to designand implement this major research project. Other members of the committee and chairs include: PhilipAndreini, Adrienne Cary, Joseph Conrad, George Daugavietis, Erin Duane, Jim Ennis, Erin Farmer, RuthFuller, Les Hubbard, Betsy Julian, Jerry Kea, Corrine Kirkbride, Jowel Laguerre, Shirley Lewis, YulianLigioso, Art Lopez, Debbie Luttrell-Williams, Will Martinelli, Mary Mazzocco, Bob Myers, Arturo Reyes,Genele Rhoads, Leslie Rota, Teresa Ryland, Cynthia Simon, Roy Stutzman, Zafer Sun, Galen Tom, KarenUlrich, Erin Vines, and Thom Watkins.Second, my appreciation goes to the faculty who administered the Student Opinion Survey and to thestudents who completed questionnaires, as well as to the employees who completed the AccreditationEmployee Survey. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Donna Vessels, Research Technician,whose excellent work provided support for this study and report.Chris MyersProject Directori

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Table of ContentsExecutive SummaryAcknowledgements . iIntroduction .1Method .1Survey Results .1Respondent Characteristics .2Employees . 2Students. 2Reasons for Attending SCC .3Campus Climate and Quality of Education .4Student Learning Outcomes .7Labs .9Library Services .10Distance Education .12Student Use of Services .16Other Student Opinion Survey Results .16Significant Subgroup Differences .16Areas of Strength .19Employees . 19Students. 20Areas Needing Improvement .20Employees . 20Students . 21Summary and Conclusions .22Areas of Strength .23Areas Needing Improvement .23Recommendations .23Appendices .25Appendix A. Student Opinion Survey Results: Satisfaction with College Services by CampusAppendix B. Student Opinion Survey Results: Satisfaction with the College Environment byCampusAppendix C. Accreditation Employee Survey Results: Solano College’s Greatest StrengthsAppendix D. Accreditation Employee Survey Results: How Solano College Can ImproveAppendix E. Accreditation Employee Survey Results: Other CommentsAppendix F. Student Opinion Survey Results: Student CommentsAppendix G. Accreditation Employee SurveyAppendix H. Student Opinion SurveyAppendix I. Student Opinion Survey: Section V-Additional Questionsiii

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Solano College2010 Accreditation Employee Survey andStudent Opinion Survey Summary ReportIn fall 2010, the Solano Community College (SCC) Accreditation Steering Committee surveyed employeesand a sample of students. The purposes of the surveys were to assess the respondents’ perceptions of thedegree to which the college is fulfilling the accreditation standards of the Accrediting Commission forCommunity and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), and the students’ opinions of their college experience. Theresults are intended to support the Accreditation Self Study, as well as provide information that can be usedfor assessing and improving Solano College’s programs and services.MethodThe Research and Planning Office developed the research procedures in collaboration with theAccreditation Steering Committee. An online employee survey questionnaire was drafted, piloted with afew employees, and finalized after receiving input from the Steering Committee (see Appendix G). Anemail message was sent to all permanent employees and part-time faculty, inviting them to complete thesurvey online. Follow-up email messages were sent to the employees, reminding them to complete thequestionnaire.Students were surveyed with the Student Opinion Survey (2-Year College Form) (SOS), which is anationally normed instrument developed by ACT. In addition to the standard questions, students were asked20 additional questions developed by the Accreditation Steering Committee (see Appendices H and I).Faculty from a stratified random sample of approximately 70 fall 2010 course sections were asked toadminister the SOS questionnaire to their students during a class session. Courses taught at the Vacavilleand Vallejo Centers were over sampled to assure adequate representation. A sample of students takingonline courses was also invited to complete the online version of the SOS.Response frequencies and average responses are reported for questions having quantitative ratings.Average responses among subgroups were also statistically compared using analysis of variance (p .001).Subgroups were considered to be significantly different from one another if the subgroup averages were (1)at least 0.25 point different (on a 4-point or 5-point scale) and (2) were statistically different from oneanother. Responses to open-ended questions were categorized and summarized.Survey ResultsThis report summarizes the key findings of the Accreditation Employee Survey (AES) and Student OpinionSurvey results. It supplements more detailed and additional AES results broken down by employee group,which may be found at:http://www.solano.edu/institutional Revised%20110910.pdf andhttp://www.solano.edu/institutional loyee%20Group%20Revised%20110910.pdf. Similarly, more detailed SOS results may be found at:http://www.solano.edu/institutional 01010.pdf andhttp://www.solano.edu/institutional cs%201010.pdf. Student Opinion Survey results for Solano College are also compared to a national norm group of112 other two-year community and technical colleges.1

Respondent CharacteristicsDemographics and other characteristics of employee and student survey respondents are summarizedbelow.Employees. The Accreditation Employee Survey (AES) was completed by 172 employees, including68 full-time faculty (43% of the respondents), 23 part-time faculty (14%), 32 classified and confidentialstaff (33%), and 17 managers (11%) (see Graph 1). Respondents represented approximately 39% of thepermanent employees and 6% of the part-time faculty.Accreditation Employee Survey ResultsGraph 1. Percent of Respondents byEmployee l-TimeFaculty43%Part-TimeFaculty14%The vast majority of respondents (87%) worked at the Fairfield Campus, while 8% worked at theVallejo Center, 4% worked at the Vacaville Center, and 3% worked elsewhere. Approximately 11% ofthe survey respondents indicated that they had worked at Solano College for less than three years, 26%for 3 to 5 years, 25% for 6 to 10 years, and 38% for more than 10 years. In addition, the majority ofrespondents were women (61%), White (68%), and not disabled (97%).Students. The Student Opinion Survey was completed by 1,301 students (approximately 11% of thoseenrolled), including 581 (51% of the respondents) at the Fairfield Campus, 173 (15%) at the VallejoCenter, and 165 (14%) at the Vacaville Center, all of whom completed the paper version of the survey.In addition, 181 distance education students (16% of the respondents) completed the online version ofthe SOS (see Graph 2 and Table 1A).2

Student Opinion Survey ResultsGraph 2. Percent of Respondents by LocationOther4%Online16%Fairfield51%VallejoCenter 15%VacavilleCenter 14%Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1A. Location Where Respondents Completed SurveyQuestion²V-1. Where are youare completing irfieldCampusNote: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹ Not included in percentage calculations.² Question number references questionnaire.The survey respondents fell evenly into thirds by age group: 19 years old or younger, 20 to 24 years old,and 25 years old or older. In addition, the largest proportion of respondents was White (39%), followedby Asians (20%), African Americans (17%), and Latinos (16%). Also, 57% of those completing thesurvey were female and 63% attended Solano College full-time. Overall, the survey respondents wererelatively representative of the Solano College student population, except that there were greaterproportions of younger and full-time students completing the SOS.Approximately one-half of the respondents entered Solano College directly from high school and themajority (57%) intends to transfer to a four-year college or university. Most of the students (58%) werealso employed with approximately two-thirds working part-time. In addition, 42% of the respondentswere receiving financial aid. While 25% of the students live five miles or less from Solano College,29% commute 6 to 10 miles, 35% travel 11 to 20 miles, and 12% live 21 or more miles from theCollege.Reasons for Attending SCCSOS results show that the reason most often given by students for attending Solano College was SCC’sconvenient location (93% of respondents), followed by the low cost of attending (87%), offering courses3

that the students want to take (81%), and providing a schedule that allows them to work while attending(73%).Campus Climate and Quality of EducationBoth employees and students were asked to assess the campus climate for students on their respectivesurveys, the results of which are depicted in Graph 3 and Table 1B1. The graph and table show that whilethe greatest proportion of respondents rated the campus climate for students as very good or excellent, agreater proportion of employees (54%) than students (43%) did so. However, similar percentages ofemployees (19%) and students (17%) rated it as fair or poor.Accreditation Employee Survey and Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1B1. Assessment of Campus Climate for Students by 14%2717%3118%Very )ResponseGood to VeryGoodGood to VeryGoodGood to VeryGoodGood to VeryGoodGood to VeryGoodExcellentNANANANANAVery pondentsTypical(Average)ResponseNANANANOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Total includes respondents who did not designate a campus.4NAGood to VeryGood

Accreditation Employee Survey andStudent Opinion Survey ResultsGraph 3. Campus Climate for % 14%15% ntsEmployees were also asked to assess the campus climate for employees. As shown in Graph 4, 36% of thesurvey respondents rated it very good or excellent but a larger percentage (39%) rated it as fair or poor.Accreditation Employee Survey ResultsGraph 4. Campus Climate for EmployeesPoor15%Excellent9%Very Good27%Fair24%Good25%Additional results of the Student Opinion Survey show that three-fourths of the respondents assessed thequality of education at Solano College to be good or excellent and two-thirds of the students indicated thatthey would probably or definitely choose SCC if they were to choose again (see Tables 1B2-1B3).5

Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1B2. Overall Assessment of SCC by 65100%173100%181100%1,301100%Definitely Yes17231%4126%4628%5631%38231%Probably 3320%3117%23819%Probably No6211%149%1811%169%13511%Definitely No275%128%74%137%685%Total RespondentsII-C. If you could start college over, wouldyou choose to attend this college?Typical (Average) ResponseUncertain toProbably YesUncertain toProbablyYesUncertain toProbably YesUncertain toProbably YesUncertain toProbably YesNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Question number references questionnaire.³Total students includes respondents who did not designate a campus.Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1B3. Overall Assessment of SCC by ageTotal RespondentsII-D. What is your overall impression of thequality of education at this 2-year college?12523%3422%4226%3419%26822%Below Average92%43%42%63%262%Very Inadequate41%32%00%11%101%Typical (Average) ResponseGoodGoodNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Question number references questionnaire.³Total students includes respondents who did not designate a campus.6GoodGoodGood

Student Learning OutcomesThree questions added to the Student Opinion Survey by Solano College addressed student learningoutcomes (SLOs) (see Tables 1C1-1C3). Slightly less than one-half of the respondents indicated that theyknow what SLOs are (44% of respondents), and about one-half have read the expected SLOs for theircurrent classes (51%). However, among students who have read the SLOs, most respondents (90%)indicated that they understand what they mean. In addition, Table 2C shows that a greater proportion offinancial aid recipients than non financial aid recipients know what SLOs are (50% v. 40%) and have readthe expected SLOs for their current classes (59% v. 46%).Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1C1. Perceptions About Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) %165100%173100%181100%1,301100%Yes, Definitely12622%2616%3822%3117%23421%Yes, 22123%42%12%47841826%47%10%26752810823%46%9%Total RespondentsV-2. Do you know what studentlearning outcomes (SLOs) are?Typical ResponseNoNoNoNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Question number references questionnaire.³Total students includes respondents who did not designate a campus.7NoNo

Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1C2. Perceptions About Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) %165100%173100%181100%1,301100%Yes, For All of My Classes12526%2921%4934%3524%25226%Yes, For Some of My Classes13728%2921%2618%3826%23425%No, I Have Not Read Them21143%7252%6746%6545%43145%No, Student LearningOutcomes Are Not Availablefor My Classes163%86%43%75%374%Total RespondentsV-3. Have you read the expectedstudent learning outcomes (SLOs)for your current classes?No, I HaveNot ReadThemTypical ResponseNo, I HaveNot ReadThemNo, I HaveNot ReadThemNo, I HaveNot ReadThemNo, I Have NotRead ThemNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Question number references questionnaire.³Total students includes respondents who did not designate a campus.Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1C3. Perceptions About Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) %165100%173100%181100%1,301100%Very 3233%3440%27044%Not at All278%1216%1010%67%579%Total RespondentsV-4. If you read the expectedstudent learning outcomes(SLOs) for your current classes,how well do you understandwhat they mean?Typical ResponseSomewhatVery Well/SomewhatVery WellNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Question number references questionnaire.³Total students includes respondents who did not designate a campus.8Very WellVery Well

LabsAs shown in Table 1D, students were asked to assess their satisfaction with the College’s reading, writing,and math labs. The results show that the majority of students who used the labs were satisfied or verysatisfied with them. Specifically, somewhat more than one-half of the respondents were satisfied with thereading lab (56%) and writing lab (57%), while 66% were satisfied with the math lab.Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1D. Satisfaction With Labs by 65100%173100%181100%1,301100%Very 34%2126%1429%13732%NeutralDissatisfiedVery 31%8%2%142291834%7%4%Total RespondentsV-6. How satisfied are you with theReading Lab?Typical (Average) ResponseNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedV-7. How satisfied are you with theWriting Skills Lab?Very 3%DissatisfiedVery pical (Average) ResponseNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedNeutral toSatisfiedV-8. How satisfied are you with theMath Activities Center (MAC Lab)?Very 0%23%DissatisfiedVery cal (Average) ResponseNeutral toSatisfiedSatisfiedSatisfiedNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Question number references questionnaire.³Total students includes respondents who did not designate a campus.9SatisfiedSatisfied

Library ServicesEighty-three percent of respondents to the Student Opinion Survey indicated that they were satisfied or verysatisfied with the overall library/learning resources center facilities and services. However, as shown inTable 2A, students attending the Fairfield Campus were more satisfied (82% satisfied) than were VallejoCenter students (72% satisfied) and the Vacaville Center students (71% satisfied).Additional questions were added to the SOS to assess specific library services (see Table 1E). Sincestudents were asked some of the same questions in 2005, the differences in responses between 2005 and2010 are noted where applicable. The majority of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with allservices. The students were most satisfied with the library computers (Information Commons) (78%satisfied) (12% higher than 2005), assistance from library faculty and staff (76% satisfied) (7% higher than2005), and electronic resources (73% satisfied). In addition, 67% of the respondents were satisfied with theprinted collection and resources (5% lower than 2005), 61% were satisfied with library services for distanceeducation and off campus access (21% lower than 2005, but the 2005 question did not include off campusaccess), and 59% were satisfied with textbook reserves. Table 2B also shows that African Americans weremore satisfied (77% satisfied) with the library’s printed collection and resources than were Asian/PacificIslanders (60% satisfied).Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1E. Satisfaction With Library Services by 65100%173100%181100%1,301100%Very 20927%Dissatisfied205%44%108%33%405%Total RespondentsV-9. Printed collection and resources(books, magazines, newspapers, journals)Typical (Average) iedV-10. Library computers (InformationCommons)Very 5319%Dissatisfied184%22%75%11%314%Typical (Average) ResponseSatisfiedSatisfiedSatisfiedNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an online course.²Question number references questionnaire.³Total students includes respondents who did not designate a campus.(Continued)10SatisfiedSatisfied

Student Opinion Survey ResultsTable 1E. Satisfaction With Library Services by Campus¹ (continued)VacavilleCenterN%N%N%N%N%Very oCenterTotalStudents³FairfieldCampusOnlineV-11. Assistance from Library faculty and staffTypical (Average) iedV-12. Electronic resources (databases, websites,eBooks)Very 0223%Dissatisfied133%87%97%43%364%Typical (Average) ResponseV-13. Textbook reservesVery 0%10%351428%11%301033%11%2356432%9%Typical (Average) iedV-14. Library services for distance education andoff campus accessVery 38448%5%401335%11%25626%6%2214832%7%Typical (Average) ResponseSatisfiedSatisfiedNOTE: Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.¹Location where student completed survey. Online students were enrolled in an onlin

In fall 2010, the Solano Community College (SCC) Accreditation Steering Committee surveyed employees and a sample of students. The purposes of the surveys were to assess the respondents' perceptions of the degree to which the college is fulfilling the accreditation standards of the Accrediting Commission for

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