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Students rate TRU above average, survey says

Krystal Kehoe - Investigative Editor

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 2009 results saw Thompson Rivers University students rate their school higher in several categories this year, than in the previous year.

“We are extremely happy to see improvement throughout the result, and we acknowledge that we are engaging our students on many fronts.” said Christopher Seguin, VP of Advancement at TRU.

The NSSE is a survey of first- and fourth-year students. Students are asked to rate their school on five benchmarks that are said to be directly linked to academic success.

TRU students rated the university on academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching education experiences, and supportive campus environment.

On Monday, Feb 22, the results of the NSSE were presented at the TRUSU council meeting. Dorys Crespin-Mueller, director of institutional planning and analysis at TRU, explained that 83 per cent of students surveyed said they have had a positive experience at TRU, and out of those students 22 per cent rated their experience as excellent.

2009 was TRU’s second year participating in the survey. 10 Canadian universities took part in the 2009 NSSE. Fourth-year TRU students rated 4 out of the five benchmarks higher than the Canadian average, and one benchmark equal to the average.

First-year TRU students rated the level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, and student-faculty interaction higher than 2008. Fourth-year TRU students rated level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus environment above the 2008 level.

“We are extremely pleased to see our ranking in regards to faculty-student interaction, and we attribute that to our personal learning environments and the efforts of our faculty,” said Seguin. “We are continually striving to improve, with more focus on orientation, mentorship, and student support we hope to see these positive trends continue.”

This year will be the third year that students are asked to take part in the survey. 41 per cent of the sample participated in the 2009 survey.

The survey is sent out via email addresses from the student files. Students are unable to participate if TRU does not have their current email address on-file explained Crespin-Mueller in the presentation. She said that they encourage students to use their myTRU accounts, or to give TRU an updated email address to put on their file. The third annual NSSE will be conducted during February and March of this year.

“Like any survey we watch the data for trends and areas of concern, but we are continually listening to our students, staff and faculty for their personal input and ideas.” said Seguin.