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UPEI students show high degree of satisfaction with their education

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The 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) shows that first- and fourth-year students attending the University of Prince Edward Island have a high degree of satisfaction with their experience at the university.

Of 1,513 first-year and fourth-year students invited to fill out the survey last spring, 53 per cent responded, well above the Canadian average response rate of 39 per cent. And the news is good for UPEI!

The survey reveals that UPEI provides its students with more opportunities for interactions and collaborations among students, faculty, and staff, and for community involvement. It also shows that UPEI students care about their education and are more “engaged” in shaping their own educational experience.

Eighty-three per cent of first-year students and 88 per cent of fourth-year students rated their entire educational experience at UPEI as “good” or “excellent.” And 83 per cent of first-year students and 85 per cent of fourth-year students would pick UPEI again if they could start their university education over again. Eighty-one per cent of first-year students and 78 per cent of fourth-year students rated the quality of academic advisement they received at UPEI as “good” or “excellent.

First- and fourth-year UPEI students also fared well in the NSSE benchmarks used to rate effective education practices; they were more engaged than, or as engaged as, average students in NSSE-participating institutions in Canada. The benchmarks are: Level of Academic Challenges (LAC), Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL), Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI), Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE), and Supportive Campus Environment (SCE).

This year’s NSSE results also show the progress UPEI has made since 2006 when the university participated in the survey for the first time. For example, the 2006 NSSE identified the Level of Academic Challenge for first-year students as an area for improvement. This year’s survey reports a significant increase in first-year students’ scores for this benchmark.

The survey provides feedback about curriculum, student services and campus life. In the months to come, the campus community will work together to examine the NSSE results and identify areas to address to further improve students’ experience and student engagement at UPEI.

Institutional research officer Yuqin Gong will give presentations about the NSSE data to the campus community this fall. Please contact Yuqin at 566-0361 or ygong@upei.ca if you wish to receive more information.

Contact

Anna MacDonald
Media Relations and Communications, Integrated Communications

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