Students‘ „pulse“ at the Faculty of Social Sciences in 2024 autumn semester
In 2024, the Faculty of Social Sciences launched periodic Studentpulse surveys. These surveys help the administration to get to know its students better and address their challenges more effectively. Meanwhile, students have the opportunity to express their observations or needs throughout the semester. In addition, when students tick certain answer options in the Studentpulse survey, an automatic referral is generated to university departments, centres or faculties that can help students solve the problems they encounter in the study process.
Three Studentpulse surveys were conducted at the Faculty in the autumn semester 2024. So, what did the results of these surveys show?
The best reflection of the mood of the students at the Faculty of Social Sciences in the autumn semester is the overall student satisfaction score, calculated by averaging the responses to the question “I am happy to study at the Faculty of Social Sciences” on a ten-point scale. This score (8.3) and the percentage of students’ responses (‘mood’) can be seen in the figure below.
It should be noted that the satisfaction score varies depending on when the survey was conducted. At the beginning of the autumn semester, the study satisfaction score was 8.6. By contrast, it was 8.3 in the end-of-semester survey, which is most likely due to the increased study load and the pressure of the upcoming exams.
Thus, based on the aggregated results of all three Studentpulse surveys, 61.3% of SMF students who participated in the surveys feel happy studying at the Faculty of Social Sciences of VMU. Students are satisfied with the friendly environment, relations with lecturers, their choice to study in a particular study programme and the quality of studies, opportunities to implement their ideas, and they notice that the Faculty tries to take into account their opinions and needs. 21.9% of the students who took part in the surveys have a neutral attitude towards their experience – they feel good at FSS, but also experience some “mood” swings.
The remaining 16.8% of students surveyed are sceptical. Let’s take a closer look at the attitudes of the latter.
According to Studentpulse surveys, some of the main difficulties expressed by students are the high study load and pace, the uneven distribution of timetables, exams or assignments in some study programmes or subjects, and the fear of losing their state-funded place if they fail to do well in exams. These students’ observations are reflected in a lower score for study-life balance (6.6) and 7.4 score for motivation to study. However, despite the difficulties, the 8.0 score for goal-setting (‘I think that the Faculty of Social Sciences gives me the best chance of succeeding in the exams’) shows that students are confident in their ability to overcome them.
Students‘ suggestions
During the surveys, students expressed their suggestions on how to improve their study experience at the VMU Faculty of Social Sciences. Students would prefer a more even distribution of assignments and midterm exams during the semester, a more flexible approach of lecturers to attendance in some seminars and laboratory sessions, a clearer and more timely presentation of course information and study materials on Moodle, more innovation in teaching, and more hands-on activities. Some concrete suggestions were also made on how to help first-year students navigate the flow of information and how to help to choose a thesis supervisor for senior students.
All the observations and suggestions made in the Studentpulse surveys have been analysed and will be forwarded to the study program committees, the relevant university departments responsible for the organisation of studies and other activities at the university, and the Faculty administration will endeavour to respond to other suggestions where possible.
In response to students’ requests, the Faculty administration and the study program committees continuously initiate a number of changes: the communication tools used to ensure timely and clear dissemination of information are revised and updated; efforts are made to facilitate the lecture timetables for working master students; lecturers are encouraged to use innovative teaching methods in their courses.
We invite students to continue to participate in Studentpulse and other VMU surveys and to actively express their opinions and suggestions. Our goal is to create the best possible study environment and experience at the Faculty of Social Sciences through the joint efforts of the entire Faculty community.
