Students surveyed understand liberal education

A survey designed to gauge student opinions of their education showed that current students had many positive things to say about Grand Valley and that they understand the value of a liberal education.

Researchers wanted to follow the 2004 student survey that was conducted as part of the Claiming a Liberal Education initiative. Last winter, researchers held focus groups with undergraduate students and collected 95 student surveys.
Diana Pace, associate dean of students, said results showed that students are more serious about their education than the 2004 group. Pace conducted the survey with Catherine Frerichs, former director of the Pew Faculty and Teaching Learning Center, and FLTC staff members Kurt Ellenberger and Tamara Rosier.

"The results said students are more aware that they need to take responsibility for their education," Pace said.

Frerichs, who retired as director of FTLC in August, said she was surprised at the depth of what students said about what constituted learning. Frerichs relayed a remark from a student who said, "I used to think that being a good student meant getting goods grades. Now I think it's being able to reflect and say what you have learned."

Pace also said students indicated they want more interaction from their professors in the classroom and fewer electronic presentations. "They desire more active learning," she said. "I think the novelty of PowerPoints has worn off, and the students said they don't appreciate faculty members who rely on them too much."

Students were also polled about diversity on campus and researchers found that students were more globally aware than students who were polled in 2004. More students in the 2009 survey mentioned the value of studying abroad and the need to become more global in their studies.

Students were mixed in their opinions when asked about Grand Valley's efforts related to diversity. Some students said Grand Valley is a diverse campus and they have learned a great deal from that exposure. Others felt the university needs more diversity.

Researchers were pleased that Claiming a Liberal Education initiatives established after the 2004 survey appeared to have met their intended goals. These initiatives include strengthening the advising program, emphasizing liberal education during summer orientation, tying co-curricular programming to in-class learning, and revising faculty orientation for a greater focus on liberal education.

Pace said she hopes faculty and staff members will review highlights of the 2009 student focus group study. "It gives a good snapshot of what our students are like. The more we know about our students, the better the results for everyone will be," she said.

Highlights from the survey are online at www.gvsu.edu/dos and click on "GVSU Pulse."