Table of Contents
Page
Methodology and Participants 4
Participant Profile 5
Figure 1: Student Level 5
Figure 2: Enrollment Status 6
Figure 3: Employment Status 6
Online Courses 7
Figure 4: Likelihood of taking a course online 7
Friday Courses 8
Figure 5: Likelihood of Taking a Course on Fridays 8
Figure 6: Available times on Fridays for Students Likely to take a Course on Fridays 9
8:00 a.m. Courses 10
Figure 7: Likelihood of Taking a Course at 8:00 a.m. 10
Figure 8: Availability on Each Day for students likely to take courses at 8:00 a.m. 11
Intersession Courses 12
Figure 9: Likelihood of Taking a Course during Intersession 12
Saturday Courses 13
Figure 10: Likelihood of Taking a Course on Saturdays 13
Figure 11: Available times on Saturdays for Students Likely to take a Course on Saturdays 14
Off-Campus Courses 15
Figure 12: Likelihood of Taking a Course at an off-campus location 15
8-Week Courses 16
Figure 13: Likelihood of Taking a Course in an 8-week session 16
2:00 p.m. Courses 17
Figure 14: Likelihood of Taking a Course After 2:00 p.m. 17
Summer Courses 18
Figure 15: Likelihood of Taking a Course During the Summer 18
Available for Classes on Mondays 19
Figure 16: Times Available to Take Courses on Mondays 19
Figure 17: Available Times on Mondays for Undergraduate and Graduate Students 20
Figure 18: Available Times on Mondays for Undergraduate Students by Enrollment Status 21
Figure 19: Available Times on Mondays for Undergraduate Students by Employment Status 21
Available for Classes on Tuesdays 22
Figure 20: Times Available to Take Courses on Tuesdays 22
Figure 21: Available Times on Tuesdays for Undergraduate and Graduate Students 23
Figure 22: Available Times on Tuesdays for Undergraduate Students by Enrollment Status 24
Figure 23: Available Times on Tuesdays for Undergraduate Students by Employment Status 24
Available for Classes on Wednesdays 25
Figure 24: Times Available to Take Courses on Wednesdays 25
Figure 25: Available Times on Wednesdays for Undergraduate and Graduate Students 26
Figure 26: Available Times on Wednesdays for Undergraduate Students by Enrollment Status 27
Figure 27: Available Times on Wednesdays for Undergraduate Students by Employment Status 27
Available for Classes on Thursdays 28
Figure 28: Times Available to Take Courses on Thursdays 28
Figure 29: Available Times on Thursdays s for Undergraduate and Graduate Students 29
Figure 30: Available Times on Thursdays for Undergraduate Students by Enrollment Status 30
Figure 31: Available Times on Thursdays for Undergraduate Students by Employment Status 30
Available for Classes on Fridays 31
Figure 32: Times Available to Take Courses on Fridays 31
Figure 33: Available Times on Fridays for Undergraduate and Graduate Students 32
Figure 34: Available Times on Fridays for Undergraduate Students by Enrollment Status 33
Figure 35: Available Times on Fridays for Undergraduate Students by Employment Status 33
Available for Classes on Saturdays 34
Figure 36: Times Available to Take Courses on Saturdays 34
Figure 37: Available Times on Saturdays for Undergraduate and Graduate Students 35
Figure 38: Available Times on Saturdays for Undergraduate Students by Enrollment Status 36
Figure 39: Available Times on Saturdays for Undergraduate Students by Employment Status 36
Advising 37
Figure 40: Helpfulness of Advisor 37
Figure 41: Evaluation of the UMKC Advising System 38
Conclusions 39
Appendix A: Tabled Findings for Course Scheduling Survey 41
Methodology and Participants
The Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning administered a Course Scheduling survey for the University of Missouri – Kansas City during spring 2010. The purpose of the survey was to identify whether students would take courses at UMKC if they were offered during different times, at different locations, or via different mediums than they are currently offered. The survey also assessed how well the current advising system was working for students.
The web-based survey was sent to all undergraduate and graduate students (excluding dual high school and professional students) on February 4th. A reminder e-mail was distributed on February 18th. A total of 26 students were eliminated due to obsolete e-mail addresses and one indicated they were no longer a student at UMKC, reducing the list of potential respondents to 11,339. Of those, 2,100 completed surveys for an adjusted response rate of 19%.
Demographic variables were analyzed to determine whether or not the respondent group accurately reflects all of the students enrolled at UMKC. After comparing the percentages of students by gender, ethnicity, academic unit, and academic load it was determined that the respondents are not significantly different from the population.
Participant Profile
As Figure 1 shows, nearly two-thirds of the respondents were undergraduate students and a third were graduate students. Of the undergraduates, approximately one-third were underclassmen (Freshmen and Sophomores) and two-thirds were upperclassmen (Juniors and Seniors). Figure 2 displays the enrollment status of the respondents. The majority of the undergraduate students were enrolled full-time (82%), whereas the majority of the graduate students were enrolled-part-time (60%). Finally, Figure 3 portrays the respondents’ employment status. Approximately two-thirds of the undergraduates were employed, but a relatively small percentage of those students were employed full-time. Conversely, seven out of ten graduate students were employed, with slightly more than half of those students working full-time. See Tables 1-2 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Online Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered online. As Figure 4 depicts, two thirds of the respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered online at UMKC. This was especially true for upperclassmen, part-time undergraduate students, and undergraduate students who were employed full-time. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Students who indicated they would likely take a course online were asked whether they would prefer a course that was offered completely online or one that was a blend of online and in-class instruction. Just over half indicated they would prefer the course to be completely online. This was particularly true for upperclassmen. However, a substantial number of respondents (40%) indicated they would prefer a hybrid of online and in-class instruction. See Tables 7-10 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Friday Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered on Fridays. As Figure 5 depicts, slightly more than half of the respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered on Friday at UMKC. This was especially true for underclassmen, graduate students, and undergraduate students who were unemployed. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Figure 6 shows the available times for students who indicated they would likely take a course on Fridays. As this figure shows, 50% or more of undergraduate students are available to take a course on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with the best block of time being between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Conversely, availability was best for graduate students between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. See Table 11 in Appendix A for detailed results.
8 a.m. Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered at
8:00 a.m. As Figure 7 depicts, just under half of the respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered at 8:00 a.m. at UMKC. However, more than half of the underclassmen, full-time undergraduate students, and undergraduates who were unemployed or employed part-time indicated they would take a course at this time of day. Conversely, graduate students, part-time undergraduates, and undergraduates who were employed full-time appeared much less interested in this option. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Students were asked to identify the times they were available to take courses for each day of the week (Monday through Saturday). As Figure 8 shows, more than 60% of the students who indicated they would take an 8:00 a.m. class were available at that time on Monday through Thursday. Similarly, approximately 50% of the graduate students who indicated they would likely take an 8:00 a.m. class were available at that time on Monday through Thursday. See Table 12 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Intersession Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered during Intersession. As Figure 9 depicts, only four out of ten respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered during Intersession at UMKC. The option did appear to resonate most with graduate students and undergraduate students that were employed full-time. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Students who indicated they would likely take a course during Intersession were asked whether they would prefer to take the course during the December, May, or August Intersession. Nearly half (46%) indicated they would prefer to take a course during the May Intersession. See Tables 7-10 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Saturday Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered on Saturdays. As Figure 10 depicts, only a third of the respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered on Saturday at UMKC. Graduate students, undergraduate students enrolled part-time, and undergraduate students who were employed full-time were more likely to want to take a course on Saturdays. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Figure 11 shows the available times for students who indicated they would likely take a course on Saturdays. As one might expect, the best block of time to schedule classes on Saturdays for both undergraduate and graduate students appears to be between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. See Table 13 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Off-Campus Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered at an off-campus location. As Figure 12 depicts, only slightly more than a quarter of the respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered off-campus. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
8-Week Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered in an 8-week session during the fall or spring semester. As Figure 13 depicts, fully eight out of ten respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered in an 8-week session at UMKC. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
2:00 p.m. Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered after 2:00 p.m. As Figure 14 depicts, nearly eight out of ten respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered after 2:00 p.m. at UMKC. As might be expected, this option was less popular among undergraduate students who were employed full-time, but was highly popular with unemployed undergraduates. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
As mentioned previously, students were asked to identify the times they were available to take courses for each day of the week (Monday through Saturday). For the undergraduate students who indicated they would likely take a course after 2:00 p.m., it appears that the block of time between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday would work best. Conversely, the block of time that would work best for graduate students who indicated they would likely take a course after 2:00 p.m. appears to be 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. See Tables 15-16 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Summer Courses
The survey asked students to identify how likely they would be to take a course at UMKC offered during the summer. As Figure 15 depicts, more than half of the respondents indicated they would likely take a course that was offered during the summer at UMKC. This was especially true for graduate students, whereas it was a noticeably less popular option among underclassmen. See Tables 3-6 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Students who indicated they would likely take a course during the summer were asked whether they would prefer to take the course over an 8-week block or a 4-week block. There was a fairly even split between these two options, with approximately 40% of the group selecting the 8-week block and approximately 40% selecting the 4-week block. The remainder of the group had no preference.
Additionally, students who indicated they would likely take a summer course were asked whether they would prefer to take the course during a June-only block or a July-only block. A large number of respondents chose not to answer this question, but of those who did, a clear majority (70%) desired the June-only block option. See Tables 7-10 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Available for Classes on Mondays
The survey asked students to indicate when they were available to take classes on Mondays. As Figure 16 depicts, the time frame during which the most students are available to take courses is between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Interestingly, nearly half of the respondents reported being available for classes between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. See Table 17 in Appendix A for detailed results.
Given that students at differing academic levels, academic loads, and workloads may have very different schedules, it is important to break student availability down by these variables. As Figure 17 shows, undergraduate students are more likely to be available earlier in the day whereas graduate students are more likely to be available in the evening. Particularly noteworthy is the finding that 40% or more of the undergraduate respondents indicated they were available for courses at 8:00 a.m. and between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., times typically not scheduled at UMKC at the present time. See Tables 18-19 in Appendix A for detailed results.