The Student Satisfaction Survey 2008 was conducted by the NMC Office of Institutional Advancement among 286 students during the last spring semester.
The respondents answered 69 questions regarding course of instruction, personal information, admission and registration, teaching learning and assessment, college environment, library, college book store, computer lab services, canteen/snack bar, scholarship and financial aid, and accreditation.
According to William M. Castro, director of the Office of Institutional Advancement, the “attitudinal survey” provided an overview of the general satisfaction of students regarding the various services offered by NMC.
Of the 286 respondents, 85 percent were full-time students and 67 percent were females.
Eighty-eight percent of the respondents were below the age of 30 and 96 percent were Asian and Pacific islanders.
“Interestingly enough there weren’t any areas that students were extremely dissatisfied or very dissatisfied whether in academics or other services and technology access…giving us a 96 percent overall satisfaction rate,” Castro said.
Asked if they were satisfied with the quality of teaching at the college, “only 4-5 percent responded ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied,’ ” Castro said.
“The quality of teaching received the highest mark — 96 percent…meaning, majority felt they were either satisfied, fairly satisfied, or very satisfied with the quality of teaching at NMC,” he added.
“This survey is able to reveal new information or information that affirms what we already know like the facilities issue,” Castro said. “However, this concern is being addressed by the college even before this survey was done.”
According to Castro, NMC submitted a facilities master plan to the accrediting commission.
The survey indicated that 78 percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the scholarship and financial aid programs offered by the college; 79 percent were satisfied with the comfort of teaching in the classrooms; and 81 percent said they were fairly satisfied with the campus security at NMC.
But some respondents were not satisfied with the parking space and the price of books at the college bookstore. They also requested for additional pay phones on campus.
Castro said the expansion of the parking space was incorporated in NMC’s facilities master plan that now awaits funding for implementation.
Castro at the same time noted that college policy does not preclude students to use telephones in the NMC offices.
“We have quite a few pay phones on campus…but we will make it widely known that they can also use the nearest office phones,” he said.
According to the survey results, “More than half of the respondents feel that NMC has improved since it was placed on probation last year.”
Respondents stated that the NMC president and the board of regents are doing their best; the atmosphere at the college has become more professional and safer; action has been taken and changes have been made; workshops and evaluations are conducted on a regular basis; surveys are being conducted to get the students’ opinions; the staff members are striving to do their best; more resources are now available to the students; campus renovation projects have been implemented — buildings are being painted and the campus is now cleaner.
NMC, Castro said, will conduct the survey every year to allow students to share their ideas regarding the college’s management planning process.
