9:55 a.m., May 14, 2010----This year's Blue Hen Poll was a huge success, with the largest number of students responding. Among the results, the poll found that 90 percent of students are satisfied with the University of Delaware, but that 25 percent are dissatisfied with the Office of Public Safety, 22 percent are dissatisfied with the diversity of UD students, and 31 percent have left meetings with their academic advisers still having questions.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

The Blue Hen Poll was conducted by David C. Wilson, assistant professor of political science and international relations, psychology, and Black American Studies, along with 19 students enrolled in his independent research course. According to Wilson, “the goals of the Blue Hen Poll are first, to give students a voice on campus, second, to give students an opportunity to do applied research and develop quantitative literacy skills, and third, to track change and continuity in student opinions over time.”

In past years students have worked on the Blue Hen Poll through a formal course; however, this year all of the students were volunteers. In an effort to remain organized and work efficiently, the students divided into three teams: questionnaire design, marketing/public relations and event planning, and statistical analysis. Many students worked closely with the StUDent Government Association and the Review student newspaper.

The 2010 poll, which was designed as a public opinion survey and as an outlet for UD students to voice their opinions, had the largest response rate (43 percent) in Blue Hen Poll history. The survey was distributed to a random sample of 2,500 undergraduate students with 1,117 responding. The list of students to be surveyed was provided by the Office of Institutional Research. The data were collected between March 15 and midnight on April 14.

Wilson and his Blue Hen Poll team presented their results and findings on Tuesday, May 4, to UD students, faculty and administrators.

"This poll provides invaluable information for University administration to meet and exceed the expectations of undergraduate students. Because the Blue Hen poll is administered by students for students, and the response rate is so high, the results are extremely helpful to us," said David Brond, UD vice president of communications and marketing.

At the results presentation, each student took turns discussing topics covered in the poll such as: student confidence in UD education, student satisfaction, Winter Session, laptop use in classrooms, academic advisement, intellectual and community development, student safety, student involvement in the Student Government Association, media consumption and effects, academic cheating, the medical amnesty program, equality, stress, and student faculty interaction.

The results showed that an overwhelming percentage of students had high confidence in their UD education, and that those who had high confidence in their education also tended to have high satisfaction with UD's professors, facilities and services, and also with academic advisement. They also tended to be more satisfied with their social life and friends at UD.

The poll also found that a majority of students agreed that Winter Session provided for flexibility with classes and as a nice break from school. Approximately 52 percent of students feel that spring semester should start earlier; however, of this percentage, 60 percent were freshmen, who were less likely to take classes or study abroad. The reason so many students may want spring semester to start earlier could be attributed to employment opportunities, specifically for out-of-state students, or it could be those students who are doing nothing during the winter session are actually eager to return.

One of the largest percentages seen in the results was in the section devoted to laptop use in classrooms. Sixty-four percent of students agreed that the use of laptops in the classroom leads to students playing on their computers, but 45 percent also agreed that laptop use leads to a better performance in class.

When asked about their experiences, 50 percent of students reported falling asleep during class, 65 percent reported having a stressful problem with their finances, 28 percent had developed a serious romantic relationship with someone, 34 percent had lost their “keys, wallet, or phone,” and 25 percent wished they had chosen to attend another college or university at some point during the school year.

One major problem the poll found was that 54 percent of students feel that they have no say in what the University does. This may be attributed to the fact that almost 90 percent of students reported that they pay very little or almost no attention to the StUDent Government Association.

Also, the poll found that 33 percent of students agreed with the statement, “equality is something that must be earned not given,” and 62 percent “resent when some in society get special considerations in the name of equality.” These results suggest that students may be less willing to support certain equal opportunity policies designed to address past inequities on UD's campus.

For more information on results, see the Blue Hen Poll website.

After the students' presentations, Mark Blumenthal, editor and publisher of pollster.com, offered his comments. “It's a real challenge to cover this much substance in such a small time. I applaud the University and Prof. David Wilson for doing a student-led survey,” he said.

He also commented on the outstanding response rate, noting that, at best, the average survey response rate is usually only about 20 to 30 percent, which this year's Blue Hen Poll far surpassed with 43 percent.

Also in attendance was Laura Coogan, a founding member and researcher of the Blue Hen Poll in the spring semester of 2008. A graduate of UD, she currently works in the campaign office of U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). “I want to commend you. This experience will help; it gives a great background and it has helped me,” she said.

At the conclusion of the presentation, a brief question and answer time was allotted. Questions were raised about how the survey was designed, how the questions were written, the decision to only include undergraduate students, and about the methods used that caused such a high response rate.

“Working on the Blue Hen Poll has truly been a rewarding experience. I realized my hard work, late nights and determination had paid off when I saw and presented the results of this year's poll. I know that this is an experience I will take with me into any job or career in the future,” said Anne-Elyse Wachur, a student who worked on this year's Blue Hen Poll.

Article by Katie Galgano