Results in for NDSCS’ employee survey, student inventory | Local News Stories

The college, which has locations in Wahpeton and Fargo, commissions the survey and inventory every two years. Inventory results named Ruffalo Noel Levitz, an educational consultant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Strategic plans are in effect for three years.

Dr. John Richman, NDSCS’ president, said the survey and inventory information is used to develop the strategic plan and applied in everyday practices.

“We wanted (the plan) to be a living document,” Richman said. “The goals aren’t going to change, the strategies more than likely aren’t going to change, but the objectives and the key principle indicators could be modified even during the three years.”

NDSCS’ new strategic plan has three goals. Improving the comprehensive learning experience includes strategies like growing the assessment of student learning in co-curricular areas and enhancing the development of students’ essential (“soft”) skills. Fostering relationships with partners to fulfill state and regional workforce needs includes strategies like enhancing current and future marketing and recruitment efforts to grow enrollment.

The second goal, fostering, has indicators including increasing the number of graduates entering the workforce in North Dakota by 8 percent. Of 437 graduates in career and technical education programs in 2020, NDSCS reported, 256 took jobs in North Dakota.

The third goal is committing to the continuous improvement of NDSCS and its employees. A total of 602 benefitted and non-benefited employees received the College Employee Satisfaction Survey in fall 2020. There was a 34.7 percent response rate, with 209 employees answering at least one question.

“Employee satisfaction, I would say, is where we saw some of our highest marks in satisfaction in several years,” Richman said.

Respondents were asked 51 questions, 30 on campus culture and policies and 21 on work environment. They were asked to respond on a 1-5 scale ranging from not satisfied at all to very satisfied. In addition to NDSCS’ employee respondents, there was a comparison group of 18,248 individuals representing 56 public two-year colleges with data collected within the past five years.

• rank your overall satisfaction with your employment here so far — NDSCS scored a mean of 4.11 for 2020, up from 3.88 in 2018 and 2016; the comparison group averaged 3.82

• efforts to improve quality are paying off at this institution — NDSCS in 2020: 3.59 for 2020; in 2018: 3.19 in 2018; comparison group: 3.33

• there is a spirit of teamwork and cooperation at this institution — NDSCS in 2020: 3.39; in 2018: 2.99; comparison group: 3.10

• employee suggestions are used to improve our institution — NDSCS in 2020: 3.14; in 2018: 2.94; comparison group: 2.98

• there are effective lines of communication between departments — NDSCS in 2020: 3.06; in 2018: 2.79; comparison group: 2.78

The highest satisfaction, a mean of 4.0 or higher, came with 12 questions on topics including being proud to work at NDSCS, whether work was appreciated by supervisors and whether work was valuable to the college. The lowest satisfaction, a mean below 3.2, came with three questions, regarding effective communication between departments, that departments have the staff needed to do jobs well and that employee suggestions are used to improve NDSCS.

Composed of 95 questions, NDSCS’ student satisfaction inventory was administered online to all students taking face-to-face classes in October 2020. There were 316 respondents, or 19.59 percent of the 1,613 students eligible to respond. In 2018, the response rate was 18.65 percent. In 2016, it was 44.42 percent. There was also a comparison group in 2020 of 120,705 individuals nationwide.

NDSCS students were asked to follow a 1-7 scale ranging from not satisfied at all to very satisfied. For example, overall satisfaction with one’s experience to date had a mean of 5.27, compared to 5.30 in 2018 and 5.61 for the national group. “If you had to do it over again, would you enroll here again?” had a mean of 5.55, compared to 5.60 in 2018 and 5.88 for the national group.

Overall strengths, indicated by inventory results, included students feeling they are able to achieve their education goals at NDSCS, that nearly all classes deal with practical experiences and applications and that the campus is safe and secure for all students. Strengths were gauged by items being considered highly important and/or receiving high levels of satisfaction.

Overall challenges, indicated by inventory results, included students’ response to whether the quality of instruction received in most classes is excellent and if faculty members take into consideration student differences as they teach a course. Challenges were gauged by items having high importance and low satisfaction and/or a large performance gap.

Richman and Jane Vangsness Frisch, NDSCS’ vice president of student affairs, discussed the changes between 2018 and 2020.

“We want this information,” Richman said. “(Previously), we saw that college-wide communication was trending downward. In our previous strategic plan, and listening to this (new information), we took measures to broaden our communications.”

NDSCS’ last strategic plan was developed through an inclusive process like the newest one, Vangsness Frisch said. The planning team represents the wider college including students, Richman said. Both said the new plan includes a feedback loop for continuing information and improvement.

“It’s not about what we’ve done, it’s more about what we’re doing today and need to be doing in the future,” Richman said.

Next: NDSCS’ economic impact, roles locally and statewide and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upcoming: the ongoing North Dakota Legislative Assembly, enrollment and “SEE” days.