Highlights from the Spring 2011 ACT Student Opinion Survey (SOS) include: College Environment – Of the 42 ACT SOS items about the college environment, the highest satisfaction levels were seen in the following three academic-related areas:

• 78% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with class size relative to course type
• 73% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the attitude of faculty toward students
• 72% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the instruction received in their major field

On the 42 college environment items, Nicholls students reported higher satisfaction than University of Louisiana (UL) System students on 18 items, and higher satisfaction than students nationwide on 17 items.  Two items where Nicholls students reported higher satisfaction than their UL System counterparts were:

• 62% of Nicholls students were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the general condition of campus buildings and grounds, compared with 54% of UL System students
• 60% of Nicholls students were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the attitude of non-academic staff toward students, compared with 55% of UL System students

Even greater differences were observed when comparing satisfaction with the student union and campus media between Nicholls students and students nationwide, as shown below:

• 69% of Nicholls students were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the student union, compared with only 46% of students nationally.
• 58% of Nicholls students were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with campus media (e.g., newspapers and radio stations), compared with 48% of students nationally.

College Services – The 23 survey items regarding specific college services ask students both if they have used the service, and, if so, their level of satisfaction with the service.  Of the 18 services used by at least 10% of students, the highest satisfaction levels were observed on the following items:

• 85% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with library facilities and services (which were used by 78% of students)
• 81% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with personal counseling services (which were used by 11% of students)
• 79% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with student health services (which were used by 33% of students)

Of the 18 services used by at least 10% of respondents, Nicholls students reported higher satisfaction than UL students on 9 items, and higher satisfaction than students nationwide on 14 items.  Nicholls students reported higher satisfaction than both UL System and national students on the following health-related services:

• As reported above, 79% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with student health services, compared with 67% of both UL System students and students nationwide.  The 33% of Nicholls students that reported using on-campus health services is slightly lower than the percentage for both UL System students (39%) and students nationally (36%).
• 62% of Nicholls students reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the student health insurance program, compared with 52% of UL System students and 57% of students nationwide. The 21% of Nicholls students using student health insurance is slightly higher than the percentage for both UL System students (14%) and students nationally (12%).

Trend Analyses: College Environment – Since 2006-07, the greatest increases in student satisfaction regarding the college environment were on facility-related items (athletic facilities, campus bookstore, and the general condition of building and grounds).  Click here for a chart comparing mean scores for these three items over time to UL system and national scores.   For tables showing mean scores from 1999-2000 on all campus environment items for Nicholls, UL System, and national students, click here. (Note: The “change” columns in these table is the amount of the change between the current and previous survey administrations.  Score decreases are in parentheses and highlighted in red, while increases are in black). College Services – Over the same time period, the greatest increases in student satisfaction regarding college services were with residence hall services, personal counseling services, and cultural programs.  Click here for a chart comparing mean scores on these items over time to UL system and national scores.  For tables showing mean scores from 1999-2000 on all campus services items for Nicholls, UL System, and national students, click here. Past administrations – To see summary results from the 2008 or 2009 ACT SOS administrations, click on the appropriate link.