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STUDENT ISSUES & ADVISORY COUNCIL2011-2012 SURVEY RESULTS & ANALYSIS

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The following pages contain the full report of the 2011-2012 College of Communication Survey. Communication Council’s Student Issues and Advisory Committee (SIAC) has carefully dissected and considered each of its recommendations in response to each College-Wide Imperatives and Departmental Questions. This report includes information, analysis, and student imperatives for the following issues:

• Four-Year Graduation Rates• Online Courses in the College of Communication• Academic Advising• Study Abroad• DegreeSpecficInquiries

AUTHORS:

Jannah Deis, SIAC Committee ChairKaitlyn Clark, SIAC MemberFaith Daniel, SIAC MemberGloria Delgadillo, SIAC MemberDarlene Garcia, SIAC MemberRobert Milligan, SIAC MemberBailey Mintz, SIAC MemberVanessa Saldivar, SIAC MemberWynden Williams, SIAC Member

SPONSORS:

Patrick White, Communication Council PresidentBobby Hammelman, Communication Council Vice President

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OVERALL RESPONSE ANALYSIS

18%

7%

13%

31%

14%

17%

1%

Responses by Major

Advertising

CSD

CMS

Journalism

PR

RTF

Communication Undeclared

26%

24% 24%

24%

2%

Responses by Classification

Freshman

Sophmore

Junior

Senior

Graduate Student

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COLLEGE-WIDE IMPERATIVE: FOUR-YEAR GRADUATION RATES

5

294

148

59

33

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Very Important Important Neutral Unimportant

HOw imPORTANT iS iT TO yOU TO gRAdUATe iN fOUR yeARS?

wHAT ARe THe bARRieRS yOU cURReNTly See TO gRAdUATiNg iN fOUR yeARS?

102 105

260

156

174

135

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

None Financial Burdens More than one major/minor

Course Availability Semesters Abroad Time intensive- internships

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RESPONSE ANALYSISWhile the majority of people think that it is important to graduate in four years, the biggest barrier they see is having more than one major/minor

• Emphasize degree specialization rather than adding on additional degrees/minors• Emphasize starting early for those who do pursue multiple degrees• Create a year-to-year checklist to help students better plan their degrees• Explore Degree in Three option

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COLLEGE-WIDE IMPERATIVE: ONLINE COURSES

8

11%

89%

Yes

No

HAve yOU TAkeN AN ONliNe cOURSe iN THe cOllege Of cOmmUNicATiON?

iN wHicH dePARTmeNT(S) did yOU TAke AN ONliNe cOURSe?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Advertising Communication Sciences & Disorders

Communication Studies

Public Relations Journalism Radio-TV-Film

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wHAT wAS THe fORmAT Of THe ONliNe cOURSe?

dO yOU feel THAT yOU Received THe SAme qUAliTy Of edUcATiON THAT yOU wOUld HAve fROm A TRAdiTiONAl clASSROOm SeTTiNg?

62%

27%

2% 10% A virtual classroom with regular online meeting times

Online interaction plus face-to-face meetings

All virtual but no regular meeting times

Other

0

5

10

15

20

25

Yes, very much

Yes, somewhat

Neutral No, not really No, not at all Unsure

10

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Neutral No, not at all No, not really Yes, somewhat Yes, very much

HYBRID-STYLE CLASS ONLY: dO yOU feel THAT yOU Re-ceived THe SAme qUAliTy Of edUcATiON THAT yOU wOUld HAve fROm A TRAdiTiONAl clASSROOm SeTTiNg?

RESPONSE ANALYSISWhile currently only 11% of students have taken an online course in the College of Communication, thisnumberwillsteadilyincreaseasefficiencydemandsfromtheBoardofRegentsandthestatecontinue to rise. The College of Communication has the ability to be the leader in the world of online classroom communication and education, and there are some very telling signs to point our college in the right direction.

Moving forward, we should:

fiNd wAyS TO eXPlORe ANd eXPANd ONliNe HybRid-STyle cOURSeS62% of students took online classes with regular online meeting timesOfthesestudents,anoverwhelmingmajorityreportedthattheyreceivedthesamequalityofeducation as they would have from a traditional classroom, versus a very mixed sentiment when students were polled across online course formats.

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COLLEGE-WIDE IMPERATIVE: ACADEMIC ADVISING

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83%

13%

5%

Yes

No

dO yOU feel THAT yOU HAve eNOUgH AcceSS TO AcAdemic AdviSiNg?

dO yOU TRy TO TAke AdvANTAge Of yOUR AdviSOR’S wAlk-iN HOURS, OR dO yOU ONly USe ScHedUled APPOiNTmeNTS?

38%

60%

2% Yes, I use walk-in hours

No, I only want to see my advisor during a scheduled appointment time

My advisor doesn't offer walk-in hours so I can only see him/her during a scheduled appointment.

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wHeN/wHy dO yOU TyPicAlly TRy TO See yOUR AdviSOR?

ARe yOU AwARe Of THe cOmm be AdviSed iNiTiATive?

21%

66%

13% I visit with my advisor regularly to discuss my progress towards degree Shortly before my registration period to discuss what classes I should take I only see my advisor when I have an urgent problem that I need him/her to fix

36%

16%

48%

Yes, and I have visited with my advisor as a result

Yes, but it has not persuaded me to see my advisor

No

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RESPONSE ANALYSISstudents feel that they’re getting What they need, but there are still Ways to get the message out better:66% only see their advisor shortly before registration48% of students said they had never heard of the Comm Be Advised initiativeThe “Comm Be Advised” effort works to help ease registration-time congestion, but a majority either do not know about it, or do not see the need to do so early

Moving forward, we should:• Work to increase adviser visibility and work with department chairs to help disseminate mes-

saging by more heavily promoting the Comm Be Advised Week• Utilize the professors and student organizations to disseminate information

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COLLEGE-WIDE IMPERATIVE: STUDY ABROAD

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11%

34%

21%

34%

Yes, I have

Yes, I am planning on it Unsure

No

HAve yOU OR ARe yOU PlANNiNg TO STUdy AbROAd?

wHAT weRe THe mOST RewARdiNg ASPecTS Of yOUR STUdy AbROAd eXPeRieNce?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Knowledge of foreign affairs

& cultures

Impact on my career

Impact on my studies

Foreign language

proficiency

Personal development

(self confidence,

maturity, etc.)

Civic engagement

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wHAT wOUld yOU SAy iS/ wAS yOUR biggeST bARRieR TO STUdyiNg AbROAd?

8%

51%

26%

4%

3% 3% 3%

2% None

Finances

Not sure it will fit into my four-year graduation plan/it will increase my time to graduation Campus Involvement (athletics, leadership, etc.)

Personal reasons

Academics

Fear of leaving comfort zone

Language

RESPONSE ANALYSISmore than half of students surveyed have or are planning on studying abroad, but 21% are unsure of hoW to do it. affordability and fitting study abroad into a four-year degree plan are the biggest barriers

Moving forward, we should:• Emphasize scholarship portals and ways to decrease costs• 2ndbiggestbarriertostudyingabroadisfittingitintotheirgraduationplan• Emphasize the “story-telling” aspect of study abroad• Createstudyabroaddegreeplanchecklistsforspecificprogramsbasedontheircurriculum

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DEPARTMENTAL BREAKDOWN: ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

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0

10

20

30

40

50

A A- B+ B B- C D F

HOw wOUld yOU cURReNTly gRAde THe qUAliTy Of edUcATiON iN yOUR dePARTmeNT?

Advertising

Public Relations

A A- B+ B B- C D F 0

10

20

30

40

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HAve yOU fOUNd All Of yOUR cOURSeS iN THe PR de-gRee TO be HelPfUl iN PRePARiNg yOU fOR A cAReeR iN THe PR iNdUSTRy?

HAve yOU fOUNd All Of yOUR cOURSeS iN THe AdveR-TiSiNg degRee TO be HelPfUl iN PRePARiNg yOU fOR A cAReeR iN THe AdveRTiSiNg iNdUSTRy?

74%

26%

Yes, all of my classes have been helpful No, some of my classes have not been helpful

79%

21%

Yes

No

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wHAT cOURSeS dO yOU feel SHOUld be TRANSfORmed TO beTTeR PRePARe yOU fOR A cAReeR iN yOUR field?

Advertising

Public Relations

advertising research (344k)• “I would’ve loved a class with more research case studies and helpful hintsonhowtousecertaindatabases,articulateourfindingsintoprofes-sional documents, or other knowledge that would help us in our future career paths.”

communications management (adv 370, pr 367)• “doesn’t accurately represent the role of strategic thinking and the way

communications planning actually happens in the industry, and having to develop communications solutions for brands that are no longer in exis-tence…”

general sentiments• “IwishmoreclassesoncertaintypesofPRsuchasnonprofitPR,orPRin

the fashion industry were offered rather than advertising.”

introduction to public relations• “I feel like a lot of the information presented is not essential to learning

the practice of PR. The background information is good to know…”• “The course is lacking relevancy to the industry [in today’s world].”

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RESPONSE ANALYSISFrom the survey, students in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations truly feel that the program is performing well and that they are receiving a top notch degree; however, there are certain elementsofspecificcoursesthatwerepainpointsforstudents.24%ofstudentsinthedepartmentfeltthat there are courses that need to be changed in various ways, all of which can be easily changed to impact students and their takeaways from these courses.

Moving forward, we should:wORk TO imPROve key cOURSeS iN THe dePARTmeNT:

Advertising Research (344K):• Explore ways for courses to use real-world data that allows students to research issues that will

have a real-world and more relevant impact• Explore ways for students to interact with more up-to-date databases and tools

Communications Management (370, 367):• Revamp the course material book to include more relevant and up-to-date Harvard Business

Review (HBR) case scenarios for students to use for the creation of their hypothetical commu-nication strategy solutions.

Introduction to Public Relations (319):• Explore ways to blend historical cases to ensure that the course material helps students under-

stand “today’s industry”• ConsiderexploringandexpandingthePublicRelationscurriculumtofitwidelyvaryinginter-

ests among students in the department (e.g. event planning, non-profit, fashion, etc.)

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DEPARTMENTAL BREAKDOWN: COMM. SCIENCES & DISORDERS

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ThisyearthequestionsfortheCSDDepartmentwerebasedonOnlineSummerCourses,Indi-vidualTutoring,andSmallerCoursesizes.Fromthesetopicswedevisedthefollowingquestionsand discovered some very interesting results.

wHAT PATH ARe yOU eNROlled iN?

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HOw wOUld yOU cURReNTly gRAde THe qUAliTy Of ed-UcATiON iN THe dePARTmeNT Of cOmmUNicATiON ScieNceS & diSORdeRS?

wOUld yOU be iNTeReSTed iN TAkiNg SUmmeR cSd ON-liNe cOURSeS THAT dO NOT ReqUiRe yOU TO be iN AUSTiN OR ON cAmPUS?

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wHAT cSd cOURSeS wOUld yOU PRefeR TO See OffeRed ONliNe?

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ARe yOU iNTeReSTed iN HAviNg iNdividUAl TUTORiNg OffeRed fOR cSd cOURSeS?

wHAT cSd clASSeS dO yOU feel iNdividUAl TUTORiNg iS mOST Needed?

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wOUld yOU be iNTeReSTed iN HAviNg SUPPlemeNTAl iNSTRUcTiONAl (Si) SeSSiONS fOR yOUR cSd cOURSeS wHeRe TAS OffeR eXTRA HelP iN yOUR clASSeS?

HOw imPORTANT iS HAviNg A SmAll cSd cOURSe Size TO yOU?

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ARe yOU iNTeReSTed iN HAviNg iNdividUAl TUTORiNg OffeRed fOR cSd cOURSeS?

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RESPONSE ANALYSISBased off the results of our survey we discovered that students are pushing for a greater number of online course offerings and looking for the CSD Department to explore ways to transform course/cur-riculum for the larger introductory courses. Exploring ways to create smaller communities in larger classes would be a solution to giving the students a new opportunity to learn in larger classes. Creat-ing “group learning” environments, such as SI sessions would be a way to developing those smaller communities. The responses that we got back from our survey have given us an insight to what the students would like to see added to the CSD Department but overall it shows how they are happy with their department.

Moving forward, we should:

fiNd wAyS TO eNHANce THe ONliNe leARNiNg eXPeRieNce:Explore ways to transform course/curriculumCSD 306K, CSD 313L

give STUdeNTS THe iNTimATe leARNiNg eNviRONmeNT THey cRAve:Explore ways to create smaller communities in large classesCreate “group learning” environmentsSecondary Instruction sessions

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DEPARTMENTAL BREAKDOWN: COMMUNICATION STUDIES

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bReAkdOwN Of ReSPONSeS by TRAck:

HOw wOUld yOU cURReNTly gRAde THe qUAliTy Of edUcATiON iN yOUR dePARTmeNT?

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ARe yOU AwARe THAT THeRe ARe cmS cOURSeS OffeRed ONliNe?

HAve yOU eveR TAkeN AN ONliNe cmS cOURSe?

if NO, wOUld yOU be iNTeReSTed iN TAkiNg AN ONliNe cmS cOURSe?

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HAve yOU HAd OR ARe yOU PlANNiNg TO HAve A cOmmUNicATiON-RelATed iNTeRNSHiP befORe yOU gRAdUATe?

ARe yOU iNTeReSTed iN cONdUcTiNg ReSeARcH iN yOUR AReA Of STUdy?

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RESPONSE ANALYSISonline courses:72% of CMS students want to take a Communication Studies online course at some point in their col-lege career. However, only 37% of students were aware that CMS courses were offered online and only 8% have actually taken an online CMS course.

Moving forward we should:(1) iNfORm STUdeNTS ON wHAT cOURSeS ARe AlReAdy OffeRed ONliNe

This could be accomplished through an email from the advisors or a list posted online.Explore ways to transform course/curriculum for new classes that will be offered online in the future.As more classes are offered online, we need to explore ways to transform courses and course curriculum so that classes continue to be effective even through the new medium.

internships:68% of students plan on having a communication related internship before they graduate. CMS ma-jorsneedguidanceinfindingrelevantinternshipfields.

Moving forward we should:(1) wORk wiTH ccS TO Receive “mAjOR-fOcUSed” cAReeR iNfORmATiON

A CMS degree is very broad and tends to prepare students for a career in the academic arena. WorkingwithCCStofindoutwhatcareersCMSstudentscanpursuebesidesacareerinaca-demiacanhelpstudentsfindoutwhattypesofinternshipstheyshouldlookfor.

(2) emPHASize imPORTANce Of ReAl-wORld eXPeRieNceStudents will eventually be working in the real-world. We should emphasize to students that they need some type of real-world experience before they graduate, such as an internship, so that they are ultimately better prepared for their career.

research:38% of students are interested in conducting research while 42% are unsure. Promoting research op-portunities

Moving forward we should:(1)PROmOTe THe beNefiTS Of cONdUcTiNg ReSeARcH

Because so many students are unsure if they want to conduct research, we should inform studentofthebenefitsofdoingresearch.Thiscouldbeaccomplishedthroughtheadvisors,through emails to students or online.

(2)PROmOTe cURReNT ReSeARcH OPPORTUNiTieS38% of students are already interested in conducting research. Informing students on what research opportunities are available and how they can start getting involved should increase actual student involvement in research.

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DEPARTMENTAL BREAKDOWN: JOURNALISM

37

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

A A- B+ B B- C D F

HOw wOUld yOU cURReNTly gRAde THe qUAliTy Of edUcATiON iN yOUR dePARTmeNT?

wOUld yOU ATTeNd AN OPeN fORUm wiTH THe diRecTOR Of THe ScHOOl ANd jOURNAliSm PROfeSSORS, if iT wAS AvAilAble, TO diScUSS SPecific iSSUeS fAciNg jOURNAliSm STUdeNTS?

79%

21%

Yes

No

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dO yOU UNdeRSTANd THe fAceTS ANd fUNcTiONS Of THe New cURRicUlUm, wHicH STARTS wiTH STUdeNTS eNTeRiNg UT iN THe fAll 2012 SemeSTeR?

ONce iT iS fiNAlized ANd APPROved, HOw wOUld yOU PRefeR TO be iNfORmed AbOUT THeSe UPcOmiNg cHANgeS TO THe cURRicUlUm?

12%

48%

40% Yes

Somewhat

No

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Via detailed emails Postings on the School of Journalism website

Town hall/ information sessions

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RESPONSE ANALYSISSTUdeNTS wANT TO STAy iNfORmed: 79% of students said that if the Director of the School and journalism professors were to hold a dis-cussion,aboutspecificissuesfacingstudents,theywouldattend.

Moving forward, we should:Weshouldenactconversations,andgivestudentsanoutlettovoicetheirquestionsandcon-cerns in an open forum format, the time and nature of which should be collaboratively deter-mined with the students.Work with various student organizations to help disseminate information.

STUdeNTS wANT TO kNOw AbOUT THe New jOURNAliSm cURRicUlUm:88% of students do not understand or only somewhat understand the changes being made to the cur-riculum.

Moving forward, we should:We should begin to explore ways to get the information concerning things, such as course of-ferings to students now rather than later, now that the new curriculum has been approved.

Amajorityofstudentssaidthatwhenthecurriculumhasbeenfinalizedtheyweliketoreceivetheinformationmainlybyemail.Weshouldusethisinformationtofindwaystomaketheemails as concise and easy to understand as possible.

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DEPARTMENTAL BREAKDOWN: RADIO-TELEVISION-FILM

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HOw wOUld yOU cURReNTly gRAde THe qUAliTy Of edUcATiON iN yOUR dePARTmeNT?

wHAT cAReeRS ARe yOU iNTeReSTed iN PURSUiNg wiTH yOUR RTf degRee?

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wHAT wOUld yOU like TO leARN AbOUT TO beTTeR PRePARe yOU fOR yOUR cAReeR?

wHicH Of THeSe THiNgS wOUld yOU like TO See mORe Of iN THe RTf dePARTmeNT?

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RESPONSE ANALYSISstudents need Ways to explore their fields beyond the classroom:

70studentsindicatedthattheyareinterestedinfindingadditionalcareerinformation,andmore than 60 students indicated that learning imperatives for them to succeed include obtain-ingeasieraccesstonecessaryequipmentandfindingopportunitiestohelpeasethecostsofshowcasing their work.

Moving forward, we should:Exploreandpromotealternativesforstudentstogetaccesstoequipment(i.e.rentalcentersand inexpensive tools used by other students.Promoteandfosterwaysforstudentstopromotethemselveswithstudent-ledfilminitiativessuch as University Film Makers Alliance Jump Cut Film Festival which allows students the op-portunitytoshowcasetheirworkandbecritiquedbyleadingindustryprofessionals

students Want real-World experience noW:70studentsindicatedthattheyareinterestedinfindingadditionalcareerinformation,andmanymoreareinterestedinfindingadditionalopportunitiesandwaystostayaheadofthecurveinthefieldofRTF.

Moving forward, we should:Promote local internship and experience opportunities, particularly through vehicles such as Communication Career Services (CCS), advisor emails.Work closely with CCS to help recruit and offer more diverse RTF career opportunities.

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