Campaign starts to encourage participation in undergraduate survey

February 24, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Undergraduate Gators will again have a chance to speak up and improve the college experience with the 2011 Student Experience in the Research University, or SERU, survey this year.

The University of Florida survey is a 20-minute questionnaire designed to broaden understanding of the undergraduate experience at nine research universities participating in a partnership with the University of California Berkeley, the survey’s developer. It targets undergraduate students and allows the opportunity for them to evaluate quality of education, student services and diversity understanding on campus, among other issues.

Two years ago, nearly 70 percent of UF students participated in the survey, the highest of seven universities that participated. The university’s goal this year is to reach a 75 percent response rate.

Since its first survey in 2009, UF has used the results to enhance undergraduate experiences. Changes since 2009 include:

• The university’s free tutoring and academic support services in Academic Affairs and The Office of Academic Technology are being reviewed to attract more students to use these resources.
• 2009 SERU results contributed to the addition of more advisers on campus.
• UF developed task forces to review SERU results related to Campus Climate and Academic Integrity, asking them to make recommendations related to respect for racial and ethnic diversity on campus and perspectives of academic ethics, respectively.

The SERU team, made up of five university faculty and staff members and student-run public relations firm Alpha PRoductions, launched the “We Listened” campaign this month to advertise these changes. Jeanna Mastrodicasa, assistant vice president for student affairs, said the team created the campaign to garner more support and enthusiasm for the 2011 survey.

“What we’re trying to do is learn more,” Mastrodicasa said. “We’re doing our best to listen.”

To achieve the desired 75 percent response rate, the SERU team created incentives for students to take the survey.

According to Marie Zeglen, assistant provost and director of institutional planning and research, making the survey a requirement to sign up for the football ticket lottery is the most effective incentive.

Other incentives include a total of about $3,000 in prizes such as coupons to the Harn Museum of Art and the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Rainforest, gift cards to Amazon, iTunes and the UF Bookstore, and two iPad giveaways.

The 2011 survey opens March 15. Students can access it on ISIS. There will be online content, TV advertisements and printed materials, such as posters and handouts with updates and information about the survey.

SERU student ambassadors, who are members of the Alpha PRoductions team and Campus Diplomats of the Dean of Students Office, will raise SERU awareness on campus from March to July.

Students eligible to take the survey include all currently enrolled undergraduate students and class of 2015 freshmen ages 18 and over. Results will be calculated by the middle of fall semester.

“We encourage all students to participate in SERU 2011,” Zeglen said. “It’s your chance to let us know what you think; your vote for the best UF can be.”

For more information about the 2011 SERU survey, please visit www.aa.ufl.edu/seru/welistened. To view 2009 SERU results, please visit www.ir.ufl.edu and log in with your GatorLink username and password.