Writing Center Exit Survey – May 2006

The Writing Center at TSJC conducted an exit survey with students who had used the Center. The results were tabulated by number, percentage, and score based on a 5-point system with 5 equaling “Strongly agree,” 4 equaling “agree,” 3 equaling “Neutral,” 2 equaling “Disagree,” and 1 equaling “Strongly disagree.” Two open-answer questions were asked. A list of the responses is included. A total of 75 students are included.

1. I found the on-duty tutors to be helpful and courteous as they assisted me with my papers.

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Responses 46 28 1

Percentages 61 37 1

Score – 4.57

2. I found the on-duty tutors supportive in assisting me on the computers.

Responses 28 41 6

Percentages 37 55 8

Score – 4.29

3. The Writing Center staff was knowledgeable and well-informed on writing procedures and styles.

Responses 43 29 3

Percentages 57 39 4

Score – 4.53

4. I found the atmosphere (noise level, appearance, set up, etc.) of the Writing Center to be comfortable and pleasant.

Responses 44 28 3

Percentages 59 37 4

Score – 4.55

5. I had an overall positive experience in the Writing Center.

Responses 54 21

Percentages 72 28

Score – 4.72

6. I plan on using the Writing Center in the future.

Responses 61 12 2

Percentages 81 16 3

Score – 4.79

Open Questions:

Do you have any suggestions on improvements for the Writing Center?

Positive comments:

No, you are all doing a wonderful job.

No, I felt like the Writing Center is very organized, and it is very helpful.

Several “No’s” and “None’s.”

Keep up the great work.
No, everyone is wonderful.

No, it seems fine as it is.

No, well-structured and very helpful.

No, everything looks good and I like the atmosphere.

No, it is perfect in every single way and form.

All the people on duty are nice and polite.

Nope. Everything is going good.

No major ideas come to mind.

Negative comments:

The tutors could improve by being more knowledgeable of the computers and writing procedures/styles.

Keep the environment free from those bugs of any kind, if possible.

Seeing how we are college students, we tend to stay up late, especially doing homework, so it would be nice if the Writing Center was open longer. Plus, being an athlete, I don’t get to start my homework until later. Therefore, I need more time.

I wish it was open later sometime.

Temperature control!

Maybe some sort of outline on how to put PowerPoint presentations together and how to work the system.

Take a moment to describe your overall reaction to the Writing Center.

Positive comments:

It is very quiet. It is easy to work in, and people are very helpful.

I like a nice, peaceful place to work.

Love it! It is so welcoming and comfortable. I learn a lot from the staff. Thanks for this service!

It is a very comfortable place to come do my homework. It is helpful if you need help.

It has been a great help.

Pleasant.

Really calm and you can get a lot done.

I like that it is a nice, quiet, friendly atmosphere to get work done in.

I like the peace and quiet in the Writing Center.

Awesome. I wouldn’t have gotten my papers done without it.

It is nice that the writing lab promotes a professional atmosphere to get work done; whereas, the lab downstairs is noisy and less work oriented.

Very nice.

It was nice, quieter than what I thought it would be.

Good.

I found the Writing Center to be helpful and a place that is quiet and I can get my work done. The people that were there to assist me helped tons!

Nice place to come and get your work done. It’s always quiet.

It is very helpful when struggling with essays and developing ideas for an essay. Very helpful!

Keep up the good work.

It is very quiet and nice to have to do writing assignments.

Very helpful.

It is very useful, and I highly recommend it to all of the students.

The Writing Center staff was always willing to help me with anything: papers, computers, research, etc. Overall, the Writing Center is a great place to get help and to study.

Setup is conducive to learning.

The Writing Center is a very easy and helpful place to get schoolwork done.

I get a lot of homework done in the Writing Center this year and I’m planning on using it twice as much next year.

It is a great place to come and write papers.

Tif is totally the best tutor in the Writing Center. She should totally get a raise.

I liked it because I could work on my own, but help was available if I needed it.

Good resource to have. Assistance is very helpful.

It is quiet and helpful. I can always get my word done. The tutors are very helpful.

I’m very grateful to have an area that has been there to help me with great workers. If only I would have come in sooner!

It is a nice place to come study and it’s organized, no papers or anything just laying around! Great work!

I liked it. The people were nice and helpful.

I like the Writing Center because it’s always open so I can get my work done.

Gave a lot of help.

Very welcoming. Thank you.

I like that it’s easy to get my work done here.

Very user friendly.

It’s great!

The Writing Center is an excellent resource for students and should continue as long as possible. Keep up the good work.

Very informative and a great place to go to do homework.

Nice place to be.

Very helpful.

Nice atmosphere.

It’s a great place to come and do homework. It’s clean, quiet, and comfortable.

I have had a good experience here. This is the place to go if you need help on something. The people have very good experience on the writing assignments.

The Writing Center is very helpful and professional with what they do.

Good. I like the Writing Center and its atmosphere. It is very helpful for school and the staff is very nice and helpful as well.

Nice, quiet, learning environment, with helpful people.

A good place to learn and work and great to get help.

Very helpful and handy when you need to use computers on campus, and for those people who do not have a computer or internet at home.

Negative comments: none

Interpretation:

The vast majority of the students using the Writing Center find the atmosphere safe and welcoming. They see the WC as a place that they can study, do research, have acceptance, make improvements, and get the help they need.

There were far fewer comments this year about noise levels being unacceptable and tutors being too aloof. These were issues that were dealt with during tutor trainings as a result of last year’s assessment.

No student commented on the lack of proofreading. All students seemed to be satisfied that the Writing Center staff helps with the process of writing and the improvement of larger ideas like content, voice, organization, proof of thesis, and clarity of language and purpose.

The Writing Center remains an important facility at TSJC for improvement of student learning and commitment to life long learning. It continues to be a non-threatening hub of learning for all students and addresses the diverse needs of our student population.

Actions for the coming year:

Maintain the high-quality service and staffing. Update services as needed; e.g., develop more Power Point presentations to help students develop skills in research, documentation, paraphrasing, summarizing, computer usage, and using Power Point.

The temperature in the Writing Center varies greatly day to day. A new heating/cooling system is being installed this summer. Hopefully, that will take care of the problem.

We will need to revisit the hours that the WC is open. The hours seem generous now, but perhaps one or two later nights each week would be helpful to the athletes and others.