Increasing Institutional Effectiveness: A Continuous Effort after Accreditation.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVUP) is a separately accredited campus of the University offering 2 baccalaureate, 10 associate, and 2 certificate programs. In response to concerns raised in a recent accreditation report, WVUP conducted a study examining student attitudes toward facilities, course scheduling, student advising, registration, and tutoring. Questionnaires were distributed to a random sample of students in April 1995, receiving usable responses from 1,149 students representing 34% of the total population. Results of the study indicated the following: (1) about 80% of respondents had met with their advisors, while 857 of these were satisfied with the service; (2) only 77. of students had used WVUP's child-care facilities; (3) 567 of respondents had used the computer labs on campus, but many felt that the facilities should be made more available; (4) the majority of students (56%) preferred a 2-day weekly course schedule, while one-third preferred a 3-day schedule; (5) 527 of students felt that WVUP's baccalaureate programs should be expanded; (6) 527 supported a Saturday registration alternative; (7) 36% felt that some courses that are offered only once a year should be offered in both semesters, 30% felt that some additional courses should be offered during the summer session in addition to the normal academic year, and 18% indicated that many required courses were not offered in the evenings; and (8) students supported adding varsity sports teams (49%), student lockers (38%), off-campus housing (28%), and public transportation (18%). (The survey instrument, student comment summary, and student ranking statistics for facility expansion and recreational programs are appended.) (MAB) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * ********************************************************************** Increasing Institutional Effectiveness: A Continuous Effort after Accreditation U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Cr.ce Flucar-ona Resea., and 1,proverlent EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy HongYu Chen, Ph.D. Director, Institutional Research WVU at Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV 26101 'PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY H. Chen TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERICI:Presented at the Southeastern Association for Community College Research Twenty-fourth Annual Conference Asheville, North Carolina August 6-9, 1995
Differences in Traditional and Nontraditional Students' Preferences for Advising Services and Perceptions of Services Received
When traditional students' perceptions of advising were compared to those of nontraditional students, the traditional students placed more value on developmental advising. Overall, traditional stud...
Expansion without equity: An analysis of current policy on access to higher education in Brazil
Access to higher education in Brazil is to a large extent restricted to the higher socio-economic groups. Public universities have limited places and entry is determined by highly competitive exams, thereby excluding those who have not had a high quality secondary education or attended an expensive preparatory course. There has been considerable growth in the private sector to absorb the excess demand, but the majority of Brazilians cannot afford the fees. This paper develops a concept of equity in higher education in which, firstly, there should be sufficient places in the system as a whole and, secondly, all people should have a fair opportunity of attending the university of their choice regardless of socio-economic background. Recent efforts to expand access are analysed, including incentives for the growth of private universities, student loans and the new Prouni initiative, in which private institutions provide free places to low-income students in return for tax exemptions. While these initiatives have the potential to increase the total number of places, they will not lead to an equitable expansion, as disadvantaged students will still be confined to courses of lower quality or with lower subsequent value on the employment market. Initiatives aimed at the public sector such as the introduction of quotas and changes to entry examinations are also discussed. Finally, some implications for future policy development are outlined.