In a survey from this spring by the American Council on Education (ACE), they received feedback from over 400 university presidents. Here are some important highlights addressed from the data obtained:
- 8 out of 10 presidents indicated that student mental health has become a higher priority on their campus over the last three years
- Presidents at 4 year institutions were more likely to make student mental health a priority than other types of colleges and universities
- 7 out of 10 presidents have indicated that they had reallocated or sought additional funding to address the issue of student mental health
- 90% of the presidents agreed or strongly agreed that faculty was spending more time related to student mental health than three years ago
- Many institutions continue to face issues meeting their student concerns
- The top two mental health issues facing students are anxiety and depression
- Institutions are increasing staff and faculty training along with looking for ways to address ways students can develop coping and self-care skills
Measuring student perception
One of the difficult challenges listed above is that many education institutions continue to face issues meeting their student concerns. Obtaining information on how many students are currently being impacted by mental health issues and how effective the programs being implemented to improve student issues can be challenging for a college and university with limited staff resources. Students may not come forward for help and for the ones that do, it can be difficult for institutions to capture the true perception from the students on how they feel about the effectiveness of these programs.
One way for colleges and universities to be more effective is the year-round measurement of student perceptions to improve the programs and training to positively impact the student experience. Students are entering a time in history with unprecedented change and uncertainty. The challenges that come with this change and uncertainty (ex. job future, technology change, moving cultural norms, social pressures, student debt, money, housing, environment, information overload, and other stressors) can be difficult to adapt to. Every student has their own way of adjusting to this constant change and uncertainty.
As students and institutions take on more stress, having feedback that is simple and easy to give and review will allow a strong information flow between the institution and the students they serve. By giving students a voice along with showing them that their voice matters will enhance the reputation of the school and build more trust and confidence of students, their families, alumni, and others who donate to the school programs.
How SmileyAnswers can help colleges and universities
By using the four Smiley’s from HappyOrNot®, SmileyAnswers can help colleges and universities measure, follow, and improve their efforts to positively impact student experiences and lives. A quick summary of how this can be done is described below:
- Measure – By using one of the four Smiley’s from HappyOrNot®, SmileyAnswers can help institutions measure student, faculty, and staff perceptions to get a better understanding of how all stakeholders are perceiving the current programs to improve student mental health and other activities on campus. With simple, real time, and anonymous feedback, institutions will see higher quality and quantity data sets to sharpen the decisions they make with the resources they have available.
- Follow – With the Quick View and Analytics screens that comes with the reporting system, colleges and universities will be able to easily follow the student perception of the changes that are made to improve student experiences. Following the negative and positive feedbacks will uncover hidden pain points and reveal successful actions that can be repeated.
- Improve – By sharing the positive results either at the point of experience, through digital boards, email, presentations, or through social media, an institution can share the real time feedback on how the student perceives the experience. This shows validity as the proof of positive change is coming from the student voice and not just from the college or university.
Wrapping it up
The data from the ACE survey clearly indicates a concerning trend that is occurring on campuses. The stress and anxiety felt by students impacts not only their current studies but their individual health and well being for many years ahead. Using real time feedback to capture perceptions of all stakeholders along with valuable insight on the programs that are being implemented will empower colleges and universities to be more effective with the resources that are being used to take on this important issue.
SmileyAnswers can help institutions with a combination of Smiley’s from HappyOrNot® to measure, follow, and improve the performance of the programs to help students and their experiences. By consistently obtaining the pulse of students, the colleges and universities will be able to stay on top of changing perceptions and expectations of the student body and it will enhance both the student experience along with the reputation of the school.
