Executive Summary Student Satisfaction Study University of Kentucky The purpose of the Student Satisfaction Study was to investigate the nature and source of student satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the quality of undergraduate instruction and noninstructional services at the University of Kentucky. A Project Team, appointed by the President of the University in December 1995, was charged with the task of increasing understanding of student concerns and making recommendations for improvements. This Executive Summary briefly describes the proceedings, findings, and conclusions of the Project Team, and it includes 12 recommendations and 78 possible initiatives to improve students’ satisfaction with their overall educational experience at the University. A plan developed for the Student Satisfaction Study included four major activities: 1) reviewing existing survey data available on campus; 2) reviewing related literature; 3) collecting and analyzing additional information as necessary; and 4) making recommendations for improvements. Before moving forward with data collection efforts, the Project Team spent several months reviewing existing survey data and the related literature and discussing the need for additional information. The existing survey data reviewed included the following: the 1993-94 Graduating Student Survey; the 1991-92 Undergraduate Alumni Survey; the Survey of Non- returning Students, Fall 1993 to Fall 1994, the 1990-91 University of Kentucky Self-Study Undergraduate Survey, the 1990-91 University of Kentucky Self-Study Faculty Survey, and the Educational Planning Survey, administered to fall 1996 incoming freshmen. The literature reviewed covered broad topics such as student satisfaction with the overall college experience, determinants of quality teaching and learning experiences, and the need for change in higher education. As a result of the initial research activities, seven areas were identified as possible sources of student satisfaction and dissatisfaction: • Academic advising • Attitudes and expectations • Campus climate • Career development • Computer labs and libraries • Curriculum • Teaching and research activities Following the identification of these areas, the Project Team developed an information- gathering strategy that included interviews, focus groups, and a sample survey. The strategy also included a commitment to broad-based involvement of the University community and the careful consideration of the needs of special populations such as females, African-Americans, Appalachians, first-generation college students, and community college transfers. Interviews. Throughout the study, many university faculty, staff and students shared their ideas and suggestions for improving student satisfaction. The Project Team listened to academic advisors from the Central Advising Services and Transfer Center; library and computer services administrators; administrative and professional staff such as the Dean of Student Affairs and the Director of Career Planning and Placement; the Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies; the Directors of Undergraduate Studies; graduate teaching assistants; faculty and staff involved in special student success efforts; instructional faculty; and students. The exchange of ideas took place in a variety of formats—during an all-day team meeting, during regularly scheduled monthly or bimonthly meetings, and through written correspondence. >From all of these various informed sources, a comprehensive agenda of issues and concerns evolved. These included, but were not limited to, the quality of academic advising; the academic preparedness and expectations of students; faculty responsibilities for both teaching and research; the need for small, interactive classes and fully-equipped operational classrooms; current efforts to improve library and computer services; the need to expand career counseling, planning and placement services; the influence of racial tension on campus climate; and the needs of special populations such as African-Americans, Appalachians, and first-generation college students. All of these areas were considered and are therefore reflected as appropriate in the conclusions and recommendations of project team members. Focus Groups. In response to a need felt by project team members to elicit honest, descriptive data from students and faculty about problematic issues related to the quality of both undergraduate instruction and noninstructional services, the Student Satisfaction Project Team distributed requests for proposals and subsequently contracted with Horizon Research International (HRI) to conduct a series of qualitative focus groups. The focus group findings were extremely helpful to project team members, and they are presented below as a series of highlights. Several areas of strength for the University were identified by students or faculty: • Preparation for life in the outside world (time management skills, etc.) • 24-hour library service • Construction of a new library • Up-to-date software, email and Internet access • UK101 course • Faculty current and knowledgeable in their field • Hands-on research opportunities for some students Weaknesses were identified by students or faculty in the following areas: • Racial tension • Residence hall life • Opportunities for communication and interaction • Space and facilities designed for interaction • Large class sizes • USP complexity, proliferation and unavailability of courses • Faculty research taking time away from teaching • Student employment taking time away from studying • Location of faculty offices and time of office hours • Computer availability and disrepair of equipment (one of two greatest hassles) • Computer lab printing fees and poor staffing • Services and ease in locating information in existing libraries • Academic advising • Student parking (one of two greatest hassles) • Campus bureaucracy Several areas were identified for needed improvements by both students and faculty: • Class size conducive to communication and interaction • Computer accessibility and printing fees • A user-friendly library • Academic advising • Open-minded acceptance of others on both the student and faculty levels Gaps or differences between and among students and faculty were: • Opportunities to apply knowledge through internships, coops and labs • The value of a well-rounded education versus the desire for more classes germane to the major • The quality of instruction and classroom experiences • Mutual respect between students and faculty • Feedback to students on their progress • Career counseling services • The University Studies Program • Faculty research activities The areas above, where there were gaps or differences between and among students and/or faculty, provided the basis for many survey questions designed for the final step in the data collection and analysis plan. Finally, another important aspect of the focus group discussions was the collection of information from students as to what constituted for them a high quality of instruction and academic advising. For instructors, the students cited the following expectations: • Effective communication, including the teaching skills necessary to impart knowledge to students, make interesting class presentations, interact with students during class, use practical application of theory in class, and speak English clearly. • Caring and understanding, including compassion, flexibility, concern for student progress, and genuine interest in student success. • Enthusiasm, including a desire to teach, enjoyment of the subject, and enjoyment of the teaching process. • Knowledge, including being well-versed in the subject, having information to answer readily students’ questions, and being up-to-date with information. Students also cited three major traits that they expected from academic advisors: • Caring and understanding • Knowledgeable about curricula • Available on a regular basis Again, this information provided the basis for many survey questions designed to assess the extent to which the University was meeting student expectations for a high quality educational experience. Sample Survey. The Student Satisfaction Project Team developed a written survey process to provide national comparison data, to confirm focus group findings, and to identify other specific areas for improvement in students’ perceptions of the quality of undergraduate instruction and noninstructional services. The Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey was selected as the primary instrument because of the availability of national comparison data. Thirty additional items were constructed as supplementary satisfaction items primarily to confirm focus group findings and to analyze findings in relation to the accountability items under study. Survey respondents rated the importance of each item as well as their level of satisfaction with each item. Using the importance and satisfaction ratings, a performance gap was computed for each item by subtracting the satisfaction rating from the importance rating. The performance gap is a critical factor in the Noel- Levitz approach to satisfaction analysis. According to Noel-Levitz, the larger the performance gap for a particular item or scale of items (i.e. high importance and relatively low satisfaction), the greater the concern should be for improvement as a means to increase both student satisfaction and retention. The sample survey data were analyzed in an exploratory manner and from a variety of perspectives. The results are presented below as a series of highlights. Compared to a national group of research institutions (Auburn University, Iowa State University, Kent State University, Oklahoma State University, SUNY-Albany, Ohio State University, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Wyoming, and Utah State University), UK survey respondents were significantly more satisfied in the following areas (according to scales on the Noel-Levitz survey): • Instructional effectiveness • Academic advising • Registration effectiveness • Concern for the individual • Campus climate • Service excellence • Recruitment and financial aid • Campus life Compared to the national group, UK survey respondents were significantly more satisfied on 47 of 79 items, too numerous to mention here; they were significantly less satisfied on only six items: • The amount of student parking space on campus is adequate. • There is a strong commitment to racial harmony on this campus. • Library resources and services are adequate. • Computer labs are adequate and accessible. • Residence hall regulations are reasonable. • This institution demonstrates a commitment to meeting the needs of commuters. Although UK compared favorably with the national group, the Project Team remained committed to understanding the relationship between accountability item ratings and student satisfaction concerns and making recommendations for improvement. Therefore, the second step in the analysis – an analysis of performance gaps—focused only on the UK data in order to identify areas where they may be a need for improvements in general. The identified areas were: • Adequate and safe parking facilities for students • Ease in locating library information and the adequacy of library resources and services • Getting the “run-around” when seeking information • Computer accessibility and the helpfulness of computer lab staff • Registering for classes with few conflicts • Adequacy of financial aid and helpfulness of staff • Other financial concerns: use of fees and billing policies • Residence hall regulations and living conditions • Effectiveness of USP courses in preparing for the major courses • Concern, caring and respect for individual students and their opinions • Quality of instruction, TA competence and presentation of course materials • Opportunities for practical work experience When performance gaps were reviewed for special subgroups – females, African- Americans, community college transfers, and seniors – two additional items emerged as important factors to consider in drawing conclusions and making recommendations: • Campus is safe and secure for all students. • Campus staff are caring and helpful. Additional items for which African-Americans reported much larger performance gaps than were reported by the overall group and other subgroups included: • My academic advisor is knowledgeable about my major requirements. • Major requirements are clear and reasonable. • Classes to satisfy USP courses are readily available. • In courses I learn to apply new knowledge to real-world situations. • Financial aid awards are announced in time to be helpful for planning. • Students are made to feel welcome on this campus. • I get encouragement I need from faculty on this campus. • Faculty take into consideration student differences as they teach • My academic advisor helps me set goals. • Academic support services adequately meet the needs of students. The final piece of the performance gap analysis involved a review of the performance gaps by student classification (i.e. freshman, sophomore, etc.) This analysis was undertaken because the Project Team was particularly interested in how student perceptions may change over time. On every USP item, the performance gap for seniors increased substantially over the gap for freshmen: • My academic advisor is knowledgeable about USP requirements. • Classes to satisfy University Studies requirements are readily available. • University Studies requirements are clear and easy to understand. • My University Studies courses helped prepare me for my major courses. • My University Studies courses have helped me acquire communication and problem-solving skills needed for future success. The third step in the analysis focused on explaining students’ responses to the accountability items, the primary impetus for the student satisfaction study. The Project Team was able to identify a pool of items that appeared to be significant in explaining student evaluations of instruction and noninstructional services. For the evaluation of instruction, the items were: • The content of courses within my major is valuable. • My academic advisor is knowledgeable about my major requirements. • My academic advisor is approachable. • Faculty are fair and unbiased in their treatment of individual students. • Faculty are enthusiastic about teaching. • Opportunities for practical work experiences in my major are adequate. • Course materials are present in an interesting, creative manner. • Faculty are enthusiastic about their subject or discipline. • Major requirements are clear and reasonable. • Most faculty on this campus are effective communicators. • Graduate TAs are competent as classroom instructors. • Opportunities to interact and connect with faculty…..are adequate. • Faculty care about me as an individual. For the evaluation of noninstructional services, the items were: • Computer labs are adequate and accessible. • The availability of up-to-date computers and software is adequate. • The UK Library is a good source for the information I need. • Computer lab staff are responsive to my requests for help. • Library staff are helpful and approachable. Conclusions Following much review and discussion of the various ways of looking at and thinking about the student satisfaction data, project team members came to a number of conclusions. Based on the national group comparison results, the first conclusion of the Student Satisfaction Project Team is that the University of Kentucky appears to be doing a good job providing a quality educational experience to the majority of students enrolled. Recent strategic planning initiatives to improve the quality of undergraduate education appear to be making a positive impact. However, if the University community is committed to improving the educational experience for all students, then it must address those areas that are problematic for a considerable number of students who are not satisfied. The student satisfaction survey findings are striking in that they identified the need for improvements in such a wide variety of areas; however, these findings were not surprising. From early readings and discussions, the Student Satisfaction Project Team believed that the factors underlying the University’s need to improve student satisfaction, and even retention and timely graduation, were diverse and numerous. The 28 items with the largest performance gaps ranged from parking to library services, registering for classes, residence hall regulations and conditions, student activities, channels for expressing complaints, computer labs, financial aid, USP courses, billing policies, issues of fairness and reasonableness, getting the “run-around”, practical work experiences, quality of instruction, and issues of concern, caring, and helpfulness. Collectively, these results suggest a climate that does not communicate to all students that the University places a high value on their instruction and individual needs. Thus, the second conclusion of the Project Team is that the University of Kentucky should do more to provide the supportive, student-centered climate that students expect and want from their university. In the broadest sense, the Project Team recommends that the University adopt a systematic, comprehensive approach to creating an integrated living and learning environment where student success and achievement are clearly top university priorities. Finally, the various pools of items identified as problem areas for students were sorted into meaningful categories, based on information assembled through all the various data collection efforts of the Student Satisfaction Study. Using these categories, the Project Team has concluded further that the University can increase student satisfaction by focusing efforts in the following areas: • Developing a service-oriented campus climate • Creating and sustaining a community appreciative of differences • Improving the quality of instruction by graduate teaching assistants • Supporting an environment that facilitates effective, creative instructional practices • Communicating to students the faculty’s respect and concern for them • Improving access to information resources through effective library services • Improving student access to information technology and using technology to improve advising and teaching • Re-examining and revising the University Studies Program (USP) • Improving academic advising for both USP and major programs • Expanding efforts to help students make the transition to the world of work • Improving residence hall life • Improving campus safety and security Recommendations The recommendations that follow are presented within the context of three major concerns. First, project team members are concerned about the costs associated with implementing the initiatives necessary to follow through with the recommendations. We are sensitive to the difficulties faced by administrators who must constantly evaluate and make decisions regarding the many critical needs of the University. We are aware of the need to maintain the affordability of a University of Kentucky education for the people of the Commonwealth, and we are aware of the historical trend toward diminishing state support. Thus, we have made a special effort to refrain from presenting a set of recommendations perceived as an unrealistic and unmanageable budget request; rather, we have offered a variety of possible initiatives ranging from enforcing existing policies and procedures to revising or developing new ones; from training existing personnel to hiring new ones; from relocating student services units to refurbishing classrooms; from using existing computer resources to acquiring new ones; from placing a greater emphasis on good teaching practices in the classroom to revising curricula. It is our hope that administrators, directors, deans and department chairs will work with their faculty and staff to identify and address as soon as possible those recommendations and initiatives that will make the biggest difference while maximizing the use of limited resources. Secondly, project team members are concerned about the spirit with which these findings, conclusions, and recommendations are received and addressed. Too often our response to students’ attempts to express their dissatisfaction is a counter-attempt to discount their feelings with explanations or excuses. For example, “students have difficulty registering for classes they need, because they don’t want to take 8:00 am classes.” Or, “students complain about parking because they’re too lazy to walk a short distance.” In reality, there may be other important and valid reasons for such student complaints. Eight o’clock classes and parking difficulties can be enormous problems to commuters and married students who are juggling multiple roles to attain their educational goals. We submit to the University community that, in large part, the perceptions of students create their reality, and the collective perceptions of students create the climate for students on the campus of the University of Kentucky. Thus, we need to open our minds to the realities of being a student in today’s world and let student concerns become our concerns as well. Finally, project team members are concerned that the recent passage of the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act and the resulting emphasis on making the University of Kentucky a top 20 public research institution will diminish the University’s focus on the needs of individual students, especially undergraduates. In the best of all worlds, the University of Kentucky can and should be an institution that excels in achieving both the teaching and research missions. Indeed, research has suggested that an institution placing a high value on both teaching and research provides the most powerful environment for a high quality undergraduate program (Volkwein & Carbone, 1994). Therefore, as plans to implement the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act begin to unfold, we encourage all members of the University community to increase their focus and efforts on improving the quality of undergraduate education in accordance with increased efforts to improve our status as a research institution. Recommendation 1. Create throughout the university community a service-oriented climate that clearly and explicitly communicates to all students concern for their individual needs. Possible Initiatives • Develop and implement mandatory, ongoing customer service training for all “front-line” staff, including student workers, to ensure that students are consistently treated with respect, kindness, and concern for their individual needs. • Develop and implement an ongoing reward and recognition program to honor excellent student service. • Continue and expedite efforts to provide student services in a central location. • Cross-train key student services personnel to ensure timely access to accurate information in response to student inquiries. • Establish an on-going student feedback mechanism, such as a web page, to evaluate progress. Recommendation 2. Intensify efforts to create a university community that accepts, appreciates and celebrates diversity. Possible Initiatives • Develop a pilot course in social relations that addresses not only the intellectual benefits of a diverse community at the University but affective dimensions as well. • Expand the content of the cross cultural component of USP to include ethnic minorities in the United States. • Increase the emphasis on the value of diversity at all new student, faculty and staff orientations. • Establish an incentive program to support the implementation and evaluation of innovative ideas and projects proposed by faculty and staff to improve the campus climate for diverse groups. • Develop and implement a workshop series on appreciating differences, and offer incentives to students, faculty and staff for completing the series. • Provide support to student organizations for specific projects aimed toward improving the campus climate for diverse groups. Recommendation 3. Strengthen and expand recent efforts to improve the quality of instruction provided by teaching assistants, given the crucial role that they play in undergraduate education. Possible Initiatives • Ensure that all teaching assistants, before assuming teaching duties, complete a formal, extensive orientation at both the university and departmental levels. This orientation is to include information regarding duties, rights and responsibilities, as well as the teaching skills appropriate to the various disciplines. • Establish formal departmental programs for TA development utilizing both departmental resources and the opportunities available through the Teaching and Learning Center. This formal program is to include an orientation, opportunities for continuing development of teaching skills, mentoring, and periodic feedback on classroom performance. (See AR II-1.0- 9.M for a parallel regulation regarding international teaching assistants.) • Ensure that all teaching assistants are evaluated by students at the end of each semester. • As an aid to continued improvement, conduct annual departmental assessments of existing TA/ITA development programs and submit this assessment to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies for review. • Provide the tangible resources necessary to aid departments and the Teaching and Learning Center in their efforts to improve the quality of instruction provided by teaching assistants. • Recognize model TA development programs at the departmental level through the establishment of a substantial reward program for excellence. Recommendation 4. Involve and support faculty in a focused effort to create optimal classroom learning environments marked by enthusiasm and effective, creative instructional practices. Possible Initiatives • Include a category on the Distribution of Effort (DOE) agreement to reflect professional development in the area of teaching, separate from professional development in the area of research. • Establish and enforce university guidelines to ensure that the percentages allocated to teaching, research and service on the DOE agreement are accurately translated into merit raises and tenure and promotion decisions. • Recognize departmental efforts to improve the quality of undergraduate instruction through the establishment of a substantial reward program for excellent instruction by units as a whole. • Increase substantially the funds available to faculty teaching undergraduate courses for teaching innovation grants and travel to teaching-oriented conferences. • Modernize and update a significant number of classrooms to match the instructional needs of faculty. • Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for refurbishing and re-equipping classrooms to match the instructional needs of faculty on a regular basis. Recommendation 5. Acknowledge and respond to the fact that undergraduate students surveyed perceived a lack of “fair and unbiased treatment of individual students” and “concern for students as individuals.” Possible Initiatives • Recognize that large class sizes are often detrimental to individualized attention, positive interactions, and effective learning; hire additional faculty in areas where the number of large class sizes needs to be reduced; and establish a goal to keep the number of large classes, especially for first-year students, to a specific minimum. • Increase the number of sections of UK101: Academic Orientation and establish a goal for the percent of freshmen who enroll in UK101. • Help students with the transition from high school to university life by incorporating into courses practices that allow the individual student to participate more fully (e.g. active learning techniques, cooperative and collaborative work, etc.). These practices also help students take greater responsibility for their own learning and afford faculty more opportunities to interact with students. • Create opportunities for faculty-student interaction beyond regular office hours (e.g. open help sessions, experiential learning projects, participation in student professional organizations, freshman year programs). • Incorporate teaching and communication practices aimed at creating an inclusive classroom, which recognizes individual, gender, and cultural differences. • Vary teaching strategies and assessment practices so that individual differences are addressed and acknowledged. • Utilize mid-term course evaluations in order to gain insights into student perceptions of instructional effectiveness and classroom climate. • Provide timely and adequate feedback to students about their progress. • Examine and explain grading procedures and philosophies thoroughly and repeatedly. • Provide resources (e.g. consultations, mid-term evaluations, workshops) that address these issues to faculty. • Modify all Teacher and Course Evaluation forms to include items related to classroom climate. • Reward faculty efforts to increase their interaction with students both in terms of merit raises and tenure and promotion decisions. Recommendation 6. Support improvements in all campus libraries in providing access to information resources and public service. Possible Initiatives • Improve signage in all campus libraries to facilitate way-finding. • Improve the arrangement of collections in all campus libraries. • Align the libraries’ catalog database with actual holdings of each library. • Enhance access in libraries to external electronic information resources. • Develop and implement a uniform service training program for library staff, especially student workers. • Review staffing levels and increase as necessary to ensure optimum library service. Recommendation 7. Increase significantly: 1) student access to computers; 2) easy access to student information by faculty, staff and students, within the limits of confidentiality; and 3) the use of information technology by faculty for instructional purposes. Possible Initiatives • Increase significantly the number of seats in student computer labs on campus. • Complete wiring of residence halls and other facilities with easy student access as quickly as possible. • Improve off-site access to UK computing resources. • Develop and implement a training program for computer lab staff, especially student workers, to ensure that they are both knowledgeable and responsive to students. • Negotiate and offer financial arrangements and incentives for students to purchase, lease, or lease-purchase computers at an affordable cost, and adopt a policy of encouraging incoming freshmen and their parents to purchase personal computer systems. • Design and distribute a brochure to students and parents explaining the benefits derived from the technology fees. • Re-open discussions with students leaders on the benefits of the technology fee, with the aim of reaching agreement about increasing the fee to support much-needed improvements in computer lab access and service. • Improve access to student data by authorized faculty and staff. • Develop for academic advisors a user-friendly degree audit information system to improve the accuracy of academic advising. • Increase the number of classrooms equipped with the instructional technology necessary to deliver course content in interesting, creative ways. • Establish a user feedback mechanism to evaluate continually progress in meeting user needs. • Investigate the possibility of moving rapidly toward client-server, relational databases using open standards that can provide easy and friendly, across-the-board access to data. Recommendation 8. Re-examine the entire University Studies Program in order to: 1) clarify its purpose and value; 2) simplify requirements and reduce the number of USP courses; 3) strengthen basic skills of students (i.e. writing, oral communication, and problem solving); and 4) determine the advisability of continuing the cross-disciplinary requirement. Possible Initiatives • Clarify the purpose of the USP by disseminating the program objectives widely and defining the relationship between USP offerings and courses in the major. • Survey academic units to confirm what areas of USP are most problematic and what consensus can be developed for introducing changes. • In the absence of a full revision of the program, reduce the number of offerings in University Studies. • For the immediate future increase the number of sections in COM181 and/or other USP offerings in oral communications to enable all students to satisfy this area of University Studies in the freshman year. • Increase the availability of cross-disciplinary courses in University Studies by continuing in the program only those courses that are offered annually. (This initiative will apply only if it is deemed advisable to retain the requirement.) • Assist students in developing their analytical and communicative skills through the following strategies: ? Extend the “writing across the curriculum” efforts which are currently in place. ? Develop a similar program for oral communication across the curriculum. ? Integrate the writing and oral communication requirements into a single USP requirement as a way of strengthening both. • Expand the current efforts of the departments and of the Teaching and Learning Center to promote active learning and problem solving exercises in USP courses. • Develop and offer alternate routes for satisfying University Studies requirements through programs (large or small) which provide an integrated academic experience. Recommendation 9. Make a concerted effort to improve undergraduate advising with respect to both University Studies and to individual major programs across campus. Possible Initiatives • Provide more detailed and sophisticated training for advisors through the use of personnel in Central Advising and the Counseling and Testing Center. • Provide a user-friendly degree audit information system and training to all academic advisors. • Distribute the responsibility for advising more equitably among departmental faculty members. • Provide greater incentives for better advising by highlighting this responsibility in the annual or biennial evaluations of faculty and staff. • Train and use peer advisors in a well-designed program that includes adequate supervision. • Identify individuals among faculty and staff who are particularly adept at advising, use them effectively, and provide adequate rewards. Recommendation 10. Strengthen and expand efforts to help students make the connection and transition from the classroom to the world of work. Possible Initiatives • Improve collaboration among existing units providing career services (Career Planning and Placement Center, Counseling and Testing Center, Office of Experiential Education, and other relevant units in various colleges). • Locate career services units in close proximity to each other. • Coordinate efforts among career services units and the faculty and academic units to emphasize and ensure student access to current career information and experiences. • Place greater emphasis in the classroom on teaching students how to apply new knowledge to the world of work. • Intensify marketing, communication and outreach efforts to students to increase their awareness of campus career services and information and to assist them in making connections between the classroom and the world of work. Recommendation 11. Conduct an in-depth study of campus safety aimed toward understanding and improving student satisfaction with safety and security on campus. Possible Initiatives • Assess student satisfaction with the adequacy of student parking, especially for commuters, in view of the opening of the new parking structure. • Review campus bus schedules, including frequency, accessibility and adherence to time schedules. • Investigate the feasibility of additional lighting and other safety features in parking areas, such as phones and safety patrols. Recommendation 12. Conduct an in-depth study of residence hall life aimed toward understanding and improving student satisfaction with residence hall life. Possible Initiatives • Investigate the effectiveness and ability of current residence hall facilities in providing a living environment conducive to student comfort, safety and security, and well-being; student interaction and socialization; and academic and support programming. • Review current regulations and the policies and procedures used to implement current regulations. • Identify and adapt successful practices and model programs at similar institutions that seek to improve student satisfaction with residence life. Recommendations Recommendation 1. Create throughout the university community a service-oriented climate that clearly and explicitly communicates to all students concern for their individual needs. Recommendation 2. Intensify efforts to create a university community that accepts, appreciates and celebrates diversity. Recommendation 3. Strengthen and expand recent efforts to improve the quality of instruction provided by teaching assistants, given the crucial role that they play in undergraduate education. Recommendation 4. Involve and support faculty in a focused effort to create optimal classroom learning environments marked by enthusiasm and effective, creative instructional practices. Recommendation 5. Acknowledge and respond to the fact that undergraduate students surveyed perceived a lack of “fair and unbiased treatment of individual students” and “concern for students as individuals.” Recommendation 6. Support improvements in all campus libraries in providing access to information resources and public service. Recommendation 7. Increase significantly: 1) student access to computers; 2) easy access to student information by faculty, staff and students, within the limits of confidentiality; and 3) the use of information technology by faculty for instructional purposes. Recommendation 8. Re-examine the entire University Studies Program in order to: 1) clarify its purpose and value; 2) simplify requirements and reduce the number of USP courses; 3) strengthen basic skills of students (i.e. writing, oral communication, and problem solving); and 4) determine the advisability of continuing the cross-disciplinary requirement. Recommendation 9. Make a concerted effort to improve undergraduate advising with respect to both University Studies and to individual major programs across campus. Recommendation 10. Strengthen and expand efforts to help students make the connection and transition from the classroom to the world of work. Recommendation 11. Conduct an in-depth study of campus safety aimed toward understanding and improving student satisfaction with safety and security on campus. Recommendation 12. Conduct an in-depth study of residence hall life aimed toward understanding and improving student satisfaction with residence hall life.