In February 2024, we asked Ƶ students about their college experience. The survey results are in — find outwhat we’ve learned.
Overall Experience
- 74.8% of students had positive and supportive interactions with Ƶ employees.
- 80.2% felt supported in achieving their educational objectives.
- 81.3% of students were satisfied with their overall experience at Ƶ.
Student Life
- 72% of students feel like they belong at Ƶ.
- 90.1% of students feel safe at Ƶ and do not fear being harassed for who they are or how they are perceived.
Education
Students responded to the following statements about education at Ƶ:
Ƶ College has a strong reputation among peers
- Agree: 46%
- Strongly agree: 21.2%
Ƶ College has a strong reputation with the local Ƶ
- Agree: 50.1%
- Strongly agree: 27.2%
I am satisfied with my current program
- Agree: 46.8%
- Strongly agree: 29.2%
I am satisfied with the quality of teaching in my courses
- Agree: 44.8%
- Strongly agree: 26.4%
I would recommend my program
- Agree: 42.9%
- Strongly agree: 32.6%
I would recommend Ƶ College
- Agree:43.5%
- Strongly agree: 43.2%
If I had to start over, I would still choose the same program
- Agree: 36.6%
- Strongly agree: 31.7%
If I had to start over, I would still choose Ƶ College
- Agree: 36.3%
- Strongly agree: 36.2%
Applied Learning
- 71% of students agreed that their time at Ƶ provided them with the opportunity to apply their learning in the real world.
- 67.3% are satisfied with the development of their employability skills.
Services
- 77.9% of students agreed that Ƶ offers all of the resources, supports and services they need to be successful.
- 71% agreed that they were able to access the supports they needed in a timely fashion.
Strategic Plan
- 61.2% of students agreed that their experience at Ƶ included opportunities for creativity and innovation.
- 54.4% agreed that the college helped them enhance their understanding of Indigenous culture and issues.
- 71.6% expressed that having students from other countries in their classes enriches their overall experience.
- 63.4% said Ƶ positively influenced their actions to advance sustainability.
Schools
The survey respondents were distributed throughout the following schools:
- Centre for Sport and Excellence Education: 7%
- Trades and Technology: 18%
- հ:9.5%
- Technology: 8.5%
- Access: 7.3%
- Health and Human Services: 13.9%
- Business: 27.6%
- Arts and Science: 24.3%
Satisfaction
When asked "What has been most satisfying about your experience so far at Ƶ?" 1,269 students responded, and 9 themes emerged:
Theme | Responses | Comments |
---|---|---|
Learning experience | 434 | Positive comments about the quality of teaching, the commitment of instructors, and high standards of programs and curriculum. |
Engagement and connection | 313 | Students placed great value in the sense of Ƶ, the opportunity to make friends, and being able to engage in activities outside of class. |
Services and supports | 189 | Students commented on how helpful staff are, and about the importance of services and supports to their academic journey. |
Personal achievements | 122 | For many students, a personal achievement was the most satisfying - completing a program, achieving a certain grade, participating in project, balancing school, work and family. |
Applied learning | 104 | Students commented on the value of practicums and co-op, and the connection of curriculum to work. |
Physical environment | 96 | Students appreciate the natural environment of both campuses. Students commented on the CHW, Wilna Thomas, and the libraries as spaces conducive to learning. |
Diversity and inclusion | 67 | Students commented on the diversity of the college Ƶ, and how they appreciated learning alongside students from different backgrounds and identities. |
Flexible options | 63 | Favourable comments about online and asynchronous offerings, part-time studies, and weekend and evening classes that allow working students to pursue studies. |
Class size | 55 | Students appreciate smaller classes, and the benefits of a more personal learning experience. |
Enhancement
When asked "What could Ƶ do to enhance the student experience?" 1,226 students responded, and 12 themes emerged:
Theme | Responses | Comments |
---|---|---|
Learning experience | 237 | Students commented on quality of teaching, workload demands, limited opportunity to provide feedback on learning experience. |
Engagement and connection | 215 | Students would like to have more opportunities to connect outside of class. |
Services and supports | 137 | Hours of service, wait times for some services, limited awareness of what is available. |
Registration and related operations | 130 | Tuition and fees, registration processes, waitlists, service delivery mode. |
Physical environment | 110 | More quiet study spaces, more recreational spaces, outdoor spaces, update some of the older buildings. |
Transportation | 97 | Cost and availability of parking; bus availability. |
Food services | 83 | Cost and type of food choices, limited food service on weekends and evenings. |
Communications | 65 | Website improvements, desire to have a newsletter about campus events, opportunities to provide feedback. |
Flexible options | 48 | More online offerings; more course offerings on weekends and evenings. |
Diversity and inclusion | 37 | Lack of diversity in the college Ƶ; instances of racism and other identity-related marginalization. |
Housing | 27 | Desire to have on-campus housing. |
Resources | 24 | Cost of textbooks, condition and availability of equipment and tools. |
Cultural background
The racial and cultural backgrounds in a of gathering of 100 respondents is were distributed as follows:
- White: 56
- Latin American: 11
- South Asian: 9
- Indigenous: 6
- Chinese: 5
- Filipino: 5
- Black: 3
- Japanese: 2
- Southeast Asian: 1
- Korean: 1
- West Asian:1
Gender
In a gathering of 35 respondents the gender distribution was as follows:
- Female:20
- Male:12
- Non-binary:2
- Trans:1
Orientation
In a gathering of 35 respondents their orientations were reported as:
- Straight:25
- Bisexual: 7
- Gay/lesbian/queer:2
Family history and Disability
Students responded to the following statements about themselves:
I ampart of the first generation in my family to attend post-secondary school
- True: 26%
- False: 68.4%
- Prefer not to disclose: 5.6%
I live with a disability
- True: 20.8%
- False: 79.2%
For more information contact:studentexperiencesurvey@camosun.ca