Revealing Institutional Strengths and Challenges

“The survey process was very easy. The different levels of detail within a specific topic area was nice. When there was an issue identified, we were able to drill down to understand that challenge more specifically.”

Rebecca Carr, Associate Director of Institutional Research, Southeast Community College

“What I really liked about RISC were the questions, and that we could customize the survey with our logo and department names.”

Kim Chandler, Ph.D., Vice President of Planning, Research & Institutional Effectiveness, Eastfield College

“Parking and cafeteria are chronic issues that students bring up, and the results prompted the college to act.”

Erin L. Volk, Ph.D., Director of Institutional Research and Resource Development, Western Iowa Tech Community College

“We wanted to understand what challenges our students are facing, and the RISC is directly focused on getting that information. Having some peer comparison data to add context to our results was incredibly valuable.”

Rebecca Carr, Associate Director of Institutional Research, Southeast Community College

“For our program review process, RISC provides useful feedback about selected programs. This data can be used as we prepare our SACSCOC accreditation reports.”

Britt Canada, Dean of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Western Texas College

“The instructors liked the electronic in-class version compared to the Scantron format of competitor surveys. For the first round they were impressed with how easy it was.”

Quri Wygonik, Coordinator of Institutional Research, Evaluation and Assessment, Monroe County Community College

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semester.

Pinpoint where college students experience obstacles and identify campus offices that excel in helping students succeed.

CHALLENGES TO SUCCESS

Contains more than 80 specific challenges that college students face.

STUDENT-OFFICE INTERACTIONS

Asks about access to offices, staff concern for students, and office effectiveness.

STUDENT VIEWS OF THE COLLEGE

Assesses college support of student goals and whether the college is a good value.

COLLEGE-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

Allows colleges to add their own questions to the survey.

OPTIMIZED FOR CELLPHONE USE

Most college students answer web surveys using cellphones, not computers.

TAKES LESS THAN 10 MINUTES

Unique question branching allows students to move quickly through more than 100 questions.

CUSTOMIZED FOR EACH COLLEGE

Uses college-provided office names so students recognize specific offices on their campus.

NO QUESTION ORDER EFFECTS

Avoids order effects by randomly sorting questions and responses.

Survey Overview

Challenges

Asks students about challenges they face during the current semester in five broad areas: academic support services, campus environment, finances and financial aid, succeeding in their courses, and work and personal issues. Each section has multiple challenges, with over 80 unique challenges to student success across the five areas, such as errors with financial aid paperwork, not being told to take a course necessary for their degree, or difficulty using course technology in online classes.

Student-Office Interactions

Asks students about their experiences with five campus offices; the specific offices are chosen by the college. Office names are customized for each campus, so that students see office names they recognize. Our research indicates that students want office staff who are accessible, concerned about helping them, and can effectively solve their problem. Students describe the five offices on these three dimensions.

Student Views of the Institution

Asks students about their overall perceptions of the college. Students are asked if they would recommend the college to a friend, whether the college is a good value, and how well the college is helping them meet their goals, such as improving job and career opportunities or preparing for a four-year degree

Institutional Report

Schools receive an institutional report (see sample 2-year and 4-year reports) and a copy of their survey data.