Student responses and comparisons with other colleges

MISO
The response rate for a random sample of Bates students was 63 percent. This is the highest response rate we have achieved for a student survey in the past decade, and is higher than the average response rate of students in the comparison group. Students are among our heaviest users, and are in most cases our most discerning critics. Like Bates faculty and staff, Bates students rate our services higher in importance than those of peer schools. We conduct regular focus groups with students to elicit more nuanced information, especially because they spend more time in our library and computer labs than anyone else. We also employ direct observation to help us tailor and improve services.

Here is what we learned about Bates students in contrast with the comparison group of other colleges:

  1. Bates students rate most of our services as more important than the average of the comparison group, including:
    • Help Desk
    • Online audio/video for academic or work purposes
    • Physical course reserves
    • Library subject guides
    • Library reference services
    • Library website
    • Borrowing technology equipment
    • Lyceum
    • Computing website
    • Library circulation services
    • Garnet Gateway
    • Group study spaces in the library
    • Input on library decisions that affect students
    • Quiet space in the library
    • Library databases
    • Web conferencing (e.g. Skype, Adobe Connect)
    • Input into computing decisions that affect students
    • Computing labs
    • Printers
    • Access to online resources from off campus
    • Wireless network
  2. Bates Students are more satisfied than the average of the comparison group with:
    • Garnet Gateway
    • Help Desk schedule
  3. Bates students are less satisfied than average with:
    • Performance and availability of wireless network on campus
    • The wired network
    • Email services
    • Email spam filtering
    • Web conferencing (e.g. Skype, Adobe Connect)
    • Campus printers
    • Overall computing service
    • Access to online resources from off campus
    • Physical comfort in the library (e.g. seating, lighting)
    • Campus computer labs
    • Support for desktop/laptop computing problems
  4. Bates students say they are more informed than the average about:
    • Whom to contact for desktop/laptop computing needs
    • Whom to contact for library needs

Student Response Details (in order of perceived importance, left to right)

Student Satisfaction Graph

MISO Survey 2012