Monitoring trends in student satisfaction

Over the last decade, the assessment of student experience has gained significant prominence in Australian higher education. Universities conduct internal surveys in order to identify which of their services students rate higher or lower on importance and performance. Thus, institutions can promote highly performing areas and work on those needing improvement, while students are given an opportunity to influence decision-making in both academic and non-academic spheres of campus life. National student surveys conducted by the government aim to maintain quality assurance in the sector, benchmark outcomes, and, in some cases, reward better performing institutions. This paper outlines the findings of a study which monitored the entire student experience in a large metropolitan multi-campus university during 2005-2011. A specially designed biennial survey was repeated across the years, and completed over the period by 10,562 students from all key cohorts. This paper discusses the trends in perceived importance and performance of various university services and key issues the university has been addressing in order to enhance student experience. It concludes that: (a) the time series data provide a powerful lens into the university's strategies, initiatives and actions which worked well and those needing further effort or adjustment; (b) it is the total experience of the university that shapes students' judgements, not just what happens in the classroom; and (c) taking a systematic approach to student feedback, and acting on the results in a timely manner, can significantly improve student engagement and satisfaction.