Online survey opens for students
All Utah State University students will be invited via WebMail to complete an online survey Tuesday which gives students an opportunity to anonymously voice opinions about the university.
The Princeton Review Survey consists of questions in four areas: About yourself, academic/administration, students and life at your school. Questions range from “How often do you go home?” to “What size is the average lecture class?”
President Kermit L. Hall said, “The survey is important because The Princeton Review relies on it to provide the larger world with an understanding of the university. They believe, correctly I would add, that the views of the students are critical. The survey, then, will provide a window into Utah State and one that will be shared across the nation. It is important because it will give us real national exposure.”
According to The Princeton Review Web site at www.PrincetonReview.
com, the Princeton Review’s “Students Say” Profile on Review.com will be written directly from the survey. “The purpose is to help readers understand what life at [USU] is like, assisting potential students to match themselves with the school most-suited to their educational and personal needs.”
Craig Petersen, president’s chief of staff, said the survey should take about 15 minutes to complete and will be open until the end of this school year.
Having USU take part in this review will “enhance the reputation of the university,” he said. “It means the degree you earn from Utah State University will be more valuable … and have greater prestige attached to it,” he said.
President Hall said, “It will give the university a good deal more national visibility and put us in the same publication with BYU and the University of Utah. That we have not been there in the past has limited what we can do with recruiting students and arguing our points of pride with the national educational community. The real benefit is that we will be ‘discovered’ by a lot of people who simply don’t know that we even exist.”
According to the Web site, in addition to the survey and results, The Princeton Review also offers classroom and online test preparation courses, private tutoring, educational Web sites and information for paying for higher education for no charge.
“The students are in the position of being able to sing our praises and to raise questions,” President Hall said. “A full response will underscore to the people at The Princeton Review that Utah State and its students are to be taken seriously. We have the opportunity; now the students need to make the best of it.”
Some questions on the survey are multiple choice while others allow students an opportunity for free-response. Once the survey has been submitted, revision is not possible. Students are also given the opportunity to receive the results of the survey. The responses are anonymous.
“We couldn’t look at the individual student responses if we wanted to,” Petersen said. “We encourage all students to participate. The larger the response, the more accurate it is.”
Once the survey is completed, students need to verify their e-mail address by clicking on a link sent to their e-mail address.