ASU_UOPS_SurveyResults

Arts Student Union 2012-2013

Student Survey Report: Displaying Class Averages on Transcripts March 2013

Presented By:

Chloe Baron, President, ASU

Prepared by: Jacky Au Duong, Vice-President, ASU Jonathan Choo, Commissioner, ASU Jessica Reuel, Commissioner, ASU

For:

Bill Chesney, Associate Dean Faculty of Arts

University of Waterloo


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As requested by Bill Chesney, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo, the Arts Student Union surveyed a small sample of internal staff consisting of Executives, and Student Directors (volunteers). The survey participants were briefed with the project description as shown in the Introduction section on Page 1. All responses were voluntary and anonymous. The sample size is 19 undergraduate students that were enrolled in the Faculty of Arts in the Winter 2013 term. Participants were not required to answer any or all questions, resulting in varying number of responses per question. Results were compiled based on responses from: 11 first-year students; 2 second-year students; 2 third-year students, and; 4 fourth-year students. The survey was not limited to any program of study in particular, though 5/18 students who chose to disclose their program of study indicated that AFM was their program of study. The survey was also open to co-op and regular students as well. The Appendix section of this document consists of, in order: the e-mail communication to establish first-contact with the sample size; the e-mail communication to the ASU Executive team, and; the entire survey, and; individual survey results. The survey, deployed through a free survey tool online (www.surveymonkey.com), asked whether or not the student would like to see class averages displayed on their transcript. First contact was made with the sample size on Thursday, March 14th, 2013. Participants were asked to complete the survey by Monday, March 18th. Results could be summarized by the following:

Students felt that the ability to see class averages would help them better understand their standing in the class in relation to other students, and the knowledge would be useful as a benchmark for personal motivation and assessment.

The major concerns against the decision are that the availability of such data could adversely impact student health related to anxiety, stress, and confidence should the data be unfavourable, and that the comparative data could negatively impact the student’s success in co-op and other situations.

As a result, 19 participants were engaged, and eighty percent of respondents (16/19) responded “Yes” in favour of displaying class averages and rankings on transcripts. It is with confidence that the Arts Student Union presents the survey findings to the Faculty of Arts, and the Undergraduate Operations Committee (UOPS) at the University of Waterloo. Jacky Au Duong VP Executive | Arts Student Union 4B - Business | Communication | Human Resources e | [email protected] c | 647-267-7444

http://www.surveymonkey.com/

mailto:[email protected]


Contents INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1

SCOPE ...................................................................................................................................... 1

METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 1

RESULTS .................................................................................................................................. 2

Appendix A – First Contact with Participant Pool ...................................................................... 5

Appendix B – Email to ASU Executive Team ............................................................................ 6

Appendix C – Full Survey ......................................................................................................... 7

Appendix D – Individual Responses ........................................................................................10


1 | P a g e

INTRODUCTION

Displaying class averages and other rankings on transcripts: The chair invited feedback on the idea of including class averages and/or other like information on transcripts. In discussion: several members supported the idea (will assist faculty members who draft letters of reference; poor performing students will understand how they are doing; a suggestion that students should have access to this information), while others expressed concern about it (it may be helpful to students who are doing well, but is likely harmful for poor performers; a question about the relevance of the information absent context); practicalities in implementation (timing; frequency of refreshing the information; privacy considerations); options (rankings; medians; grade distributions; provision of the information on the informal transcript only, or online); that work is being done to engage stakeholders (students, faculty members, associate deans, Graduate Studies Office, employers) to inform next steps. The chair advised that following discussion at December’s council meeting, the Undergraduate Operations Committee (UOPS) considered the subject again and voted strongly against adding course averages to official transcripts, but was divided on another vote about whether to add the information to informal transcripts (5 members voted in favour, 4 voted against and 5 abstained). Chesney advised that UOPS has received more information and the chair agreed to defer discussion until UOPS reconsiders the matter.

SCOPE

The survey was sent via e-mail to an existing mailing list managed by the Arts Student Union. The list consists of:

9 Arts Student Union Executives

45 Student Directors

Undisclosed number of associates* o Participants were encouraged to forward the survey to personal networks outside

of the Arts Student Union. The intent was to collect a representative group of data, given that a large-majority of Student Directors are enrolled in their first-year of studies, and that the issue could potentially affect students currently enrolled in their upper years.

METHODOLOGY

The survey was deployed through a free survey tool online (www.surveymonkey.com).

The survey link (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GHTJRCC) was sent to:

Survey responses were reviewed on Wednesday, March 20th, 2013.

There were 19 responses as of 10:00 AM Wednesday, March, 20th, 2013.

This report was compiled immediately after reviewing the responses on Wednesday, March 20th, 2013.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GHTJRCC


2 | P a g e

RESULTS

1. What is your current level of study as of March 2013? (19 responses)

ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES

1A / 1B 57.89% (11)

2A / 2B 10.53% (2)

3A / 3B 10.53% (2)

4A / 4B 21.05% (4)

I prefer not to answer 0% (0)

Total 19

2. Are you enrolled in a co-op program? (19 Responses)


Yes 42.11% (8)

No 57.89% (11)


Total 19

3. What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to

answer) (18 responses)

RESPONSE FREQUENCY LEVEL OF STUDY

AFM 5 1st year – 5

Psychology 4 1st year – 1 2nd year – 1 3rd year – 0 4th year – 2

Speech Communication 3 3rd year – 1 4th year – 2

GBDA 2 1st year – 2

Liberal Studies 1 3rd year

Legal Studies 1 1st year

Political Science 1 2nd year

ARBUS (General) 1 1st year


3 | P a g e

4. In your opinion, what do you think some of the benefits of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) (13 Participants)

RESPONSES FREQUENCY

Personal Knowledge / Evaluation 3

Increases Competitiveness 1

Knowledge of how well you did in the course (e.g., context)

3

Helps you determine your standing within the course 6

I can see my grades as I progress 1

System of communication 1

Motivation 2

Availability for employers (if they require a course average)

2

Makes judging my peers easier 1

My parents can see my grades easily if they wish 1

Seeing whether or not the average is at an acceptable level - a lot of opacity with this issue

1

reduced teacher differences 1

Improves self-esteem 2

Indicator to either continue study ways or contact/speak to the prof or SSO

1

Goal Setting 1

Not all professors put course averages on LEARN 1

Grad admissions 1


4 | P a g e

5. In your opinion, what do you think some of the disadvantages of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) (13 Participants)

RESPONSES FREQUENCY

Comparison may not be favourable 2

Lower self-esteem if your grade is lower than average 3

None 2

End up making mark seem low in a competitive program 1

Decreases efforts 1

Anxiety (e.g. for first years in upper-level classes) 1

Teacher blaming 1

Not a fair representation of student abilities because some students are highly involved while others focus on academics

1

Anyone who sees that transcript will now compare you based on the grade average of your peers

1

Excuse making 1

Grades are arbitrary; doesn’t consider external factors such as stress

1

Increases stress 1

Increases health issues 1

6. Would you like to know the final averages for each of your courses?

(19 Responses)


Yes 84.21% (16)

No 15.79% (3)


Total 19

a. Any concerns? (3 responses)

CONCERN NOTES

I personally would prefer to have the final average for each of my courses displayed on QUEST instead of my transcripts.

See respondent #17 – page 20

I don't want to give people a means to compare me to my peers on MY transcript but would still like a reference point as to where I stand in the class.


But I don’t necessarily want it on my transcript



5 | P a g e

Appendix A – First Contact with Participant Pool

Sent by: Jacky Au Duong < [email protected] > Date: Thursday, March 14th, 2013 11:50AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good Morning ASU, The Undergraduate Operations Committee (UOPS) has been deliberating on whether or not class averages should be shown on your unofficial transcripts. They have been unable to reach a consensus on this matter, and has requested feedback from the student population. To assist in their engagement efforts, I would like to request that you provide your feedback by Midnight - Monday, March 18th. Please take five minutes to fill out a very brief survey, which can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GHTJRCC. For further context, the Chair of UOPS invited feedback on the idea of including class averages and/or other like information on transcripts. In discussion:

Several members supported the idea (will assist faculty members who draft letters of reference; poor performing students will understand how they are doing; a suggestion that students should have access to this information);

Others expressed concern about it (it may be helpful to students who are doing well, but is likely harmful for poor performers; a question about the relevance of the information absent context);

Practicalities in implementation (timing; frequency of refreshing the information; privacy considerations);

Options (rankings; medians; grade distributions; provision of the information on the informal transcript only, or online);

Implementing class averages would also benefit other stakeholders with regards to decision making (students, faculty members, associate deans, Graduate Studies Office, employers).

If you have any questions, I invite you to contact either myself, or Chloe ([email protected]), and we will answer it to the best of our ability. Thank you for your time in advanced – your feedback is important to the faculty! Jacky Jacky Au Duong UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO VP Executive | Arts Student Union 4B - Business | Communication | Human Resources e | [email protected] c | 647-267-7444






6 | P a g e

Appendix B – Email to ASU Executive Team

Sent by: Jacky Au Duong < [email protected] > Date: Thursday, March 14th, 2013 11:57AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Team, Chloe had sent out a request for feedback late last month regarding the UOPS discussion on showing class averages on transcripts. If you haven’t provided your feedback yet, I invite you to send take five minutes to fill out a very, very brief survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GHTJRCC As well, given that a large base of our student directors are in first year, I would like to have some upper-year input on this matter but still keep the sample size small. If you can forward this email to a few of your upper-year friends so that we can get a good representation of data, that would be helpful. Jordan – Can you send this to Bri/Andy/Andre? Renish – to Chinye/Jacquie, perhaps? Chloe – to Donne? Thanks, Jacky




7 | P a g e

Appendix C – Full Survey

Full survey can be accessed here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GHTJRCC

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 1:

Arts Survey on Unofficial Transcript Averages

33%

The Undergrad Operations Committee (UOPS) is considering adding final course averages onto the unofficial transcript. The committee has reached out to the student populace to gather feedback and perspectives as to whether this would be a good idea. Please think about the proposed idea before answering the following questions. You may choose to opt out of any question at any time. Your participation is truly appreciated.



8 | P a g e

Page 2:

Arts Survey on Unofficial Transcript Averages UOPS Survey - Class Averages on Unofficial Transcripts

67%

1. What is your current level of study as of March 2013?

1A / 1B

2A / 2B

3A / 3B

4A / 4B

I prefer not to answer 2. Are you enrolled in a co-op program?

Yes

No

I prefer not to answer 3. What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer)

4. In your opinion, what do you think some of the benefits of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer)

1

2

3

4

5


9 | P a g e

5. In your opinion, what do you think some of the disadvantages of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer)

1

2

3

4

5 6. Would you like to know the final averages for each of your courses?

Yes

No

I prefer not to answer Any concerns? If so, please state the concern.

Page 3:

Arts Survey on Unofficial Transcript Averages Thanks!

100%

Thank you for your time and feedback! Thank you for completing this survey! Your input is highly appreciated!


10 | P a g e

Appendix D – Individual Responses

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Respondent #1

COMPLETE Collector: Web Link (Web Link)

Started: Thursday, March 14, 2013 11:56:17 AM

Last Modified: Thursday, March 14, 2013 12:01:03 PM

Time Spent: 00:04:46

IP Address: 129.97.124.106

PAGE 2: UOPS Survey - Class Averages on Unofficial Transcripts Q1: What is your current level of study as of March 2013?

4A / 4B

Q2: Are you enrolled in a co-op program?

Yes

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Honours Arts & Business, Speech Communication, Human Resources

Q4: In your opinion, what do you think some of the benefits of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer)

1Gives context to my grade, in comparison to class average

2Employers can see this

3Grad Admissions can use this for consideration

Q5: In your opinion, what do you think some of the disadvantages of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer)

1Can potentially harm me if class average is higher

2Grades are arbitrary; doesn't consider external factors such as stress

Q6: Would you like to know the final averages for each of your courses?

No


11 | P a g e

Respondent #2


Started: Thursday, March 14, 2013 12:05:05 PM



IP Address: 129.97.125.114


4A / 4B


Yes

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) arbus spcom


1can see academic performance in relation to others


1not a fair representation of student abilities bc some students are highly involved while others focus on

academics


Yes

Any concerns? If so, please state the concern.But I dont necessarily want it on my transcript

Respondent #3





IP Address: 129.97.124.80


2A / 2B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Arts, Sociology and Psychology


1Personal evaluation

2Goal Setting


1Teacher Blaming

2excuse making


Yes


12 | P a g e

Respondent #4

INCOMPLETE Collector: Web Link (Web Link)




IP Address: 129.97.125.119


1A / 1B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Honours Legal Studies

Q4: In your opinion, what do you think some of the benefits of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Respondent skipped this question

Q5: In your opinion, what do you think some of the disadvantages of having the course average displayed on unofficial transcripts would be? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Respondent skipped this question


Yes

Respondent #5





IP Address: 129.97.124.111


1A / 1B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Global Business and Digital Arts




Yes


13 | P a g e

Respondent #6





IP Address: 129.97.125.109


3A / 3B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Liberal Studies


1Motivation

2Indicator to either continue study ways or contact/speak to the prof or SSO


1Anxiety (if a first year student in a upper year class)


Yes

Respondent #7





IP Address: 129.97.125.93


1A / 1B


Yes

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Arts and Business Psychology


1Can compare how you did to the rest of the class



Yes


14 | P a g e

Respondent #8





IP Address: 129.97.124.235


1A / 1B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Arts and business




No


15 | P a g e

Respondent #9





IP Address: 129.97.125.51


1A / 1B


Yes

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) AFM


1System of communication

2Improves self-esteem

3Know where you stand

4Increases efforts

5Increases confidence


1Decreases efforts

2Decreases self-esteem

3Increases stress

4Decreases confidence

5Increases health issues


Yes


16 | P a g e

Respondent #10





IP Address: 129.97.124.92


1A / 1B


Yes

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) AFM Accounting


1Better comparison

2reduced teacher differences

3More accurate representation


1End up making a high mark seem low is competitive program


Yes

Respondent #11





IP Address: 64.235.96.2


4A / 4B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Arts Honours, Psychology


1Seeing where you stand in comparison to the rest of the class

2Seeing whether or not the average is at an acceptable level - a lot of opacity with this issue


1There aren't any - no harm on the unofficial transcripts.


Yes


17 | P a g e

Respondent #12





IP Address: 129.97.244.189


2A / 2B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Arts - Political Science


1I can see my grades as I progress

2My parents can see my grades easily if they wish

3Not all professors put course averages on LEARN


1None!


Yes

Respondent #13





IP Address: 129.97.247.185


1A / 1B


Yes

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Accounting and Financial Management


1Helps you determine your standing within the course


1May feel like a form of discouragement for many people


Yes


18 | P a g e

Respondent #14





IP Address: 129.97.247.23


1A / 1B


Yes





Yes

Respondent #15





IP Address: 129.97.124.227


1A / 1B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Respondent skipped this question


1Knowledge of how well you did in the course


1lower self of esteem if your grade is lower than the average


Yes


19 | P a g e

Respondent #16


Started: Friday, March 15, 2013 9:53:30 AM

Last Modified: Friday, March 15, 2013 9:59:02 AM


IP Address: 129.97.124.119


1A / 1B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Global Business and Digital Arts


1Increases Competitiveness

2Makes judging my peers easier

3Encourages more hard work


1The comparison may not be favourable

2Anyone who sees that transcript will now compare you based on the grade average of your peers


Yes

Any concerns? If so, please state the concern.I don't want to give people a means to compare me to my

peers on MY transcript but would still like a reference point as to where I stand in the class.


20 | P a g e

Respondent #17


Started: Friday, March 15, 2013 11:06:03 AM

Last Modified: Friday, March 15, 2013 11:07:34 AM


IP Address: 129.97.45.214


4A / 4B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Honours Arts Psychology




Yes

Any concerns? If so, please state the concern.I personally would prefer to have the final average for

each of my courses displayed on QUEST instead of my transcripts.

Respondent #18


Started: Friday, March 15, 2013 6:37:52 PM

Last Modified: Friday, March 15, 2013 6:39:17 PM


IP Address: 69.49.40.196


3A / 3B


No

Q3: What program AND major are you in? (Please leave blank if you prefer not to answer) Arts - Speech Communication


1Personal Knowledge

2Availability for employers (if they require a course average)



No


21 | P a g e

Respondent #19


Started: Monday, March 18, 2013 11:27:20 PM

Last Modified: Monday, March 18, 2013 11:27:59 PM


IP Address: 129.97.125.156


1A / 1B


Yes





Yes

Documents

ASU_UOPS_SurveyResults