March 2014

2014 Winter Term Survey

In late January, students and faculty who participated in the 2014 winter term were invited to complete the Winter Term Survey. The survey addressed a variety of topics, including participants' satisfaction with the winter term, their perceptions of the workload, and the implications of the winter term on student enrollment in future terms. A total of 1,115 undergraduates (35.4% response rate), 51 graduate students (34.9% response rate), and 132 faculty or staff teaching during the winter term (67.7% response rate) participated.

Satisfaction with the Winter Term

The majority of both students and faculty reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall winter term experience. Among students who were dissatisfied, the heavy workload and/or inability to learn all of the material in the time available was the most frequently cited reason, with 72.6% of undergraduates citing the workload or fast pace as the reason for their dissatisfaction. The majority of faculty also reported that they were satisfied with the resources available during the winter term, such as IT support and access to on-campus resources. However, faculty did express concern about the length of time between the winter term and spring term; only 48.6% of Oxford faculty and 41.2% of regional campus faculty were satisfied with the length of time between terms.

Course Workload

Both students and faculty reported concerns about students' ability to keep up with the pace of the winter term. Among undergraduates, 22.7% of Oxford campus students and 33.3% of regional campus undergraduates reported concerns about the heavy workload and fast pace of their course(s). In addition, only 42.7% of Oxford faculty and 50.0% of regional campus faculty agreed that students should be allowed to take 6 credit hours.

Despite concerns, the majority of faculty and students reported that students were able to keep up with the pace of the winter term. Among undergraduates, 90.4% of Oxford undergraduates and 88.8% of regional campus undergraduates reported that they were able to keep up with the pace of the course. In addition, 88.5% of Oxford faculty and 94.4% of regional campus faculty agreed that students were able to keep up with the pace of the winter term.

Communication About the Winter Term

The majority of students and faculty agreed that communication regarding the winter term was helpful, but they also identified areas in which communication might be improved. Students and faculty reported that better communication with students prior to or at the start of the winter term describing the fast pace and heavy workload of the winter term would be beneficial. Some students also reported confusion about course meeting dates and the type of course (e.g., online vs. face-to-face). For 53.6% of undergraduates in hybrid courses and 48.6% in online courses, the winter term was their first time completing a hybrid or online course. Students in these courses may need additional information about what to expect from their first hybrid or online course.

Overall Satisfaction with the 2014 Winter Term

Additional Information

The full winter term survey results are available at www.miamioh.edu/oir/Surveys/Winter_Term/. If you have additional questions about the survey, please email InstitutionalResearch@MiamiOH.edu.