QEP Awareness Survey 2009

QEP Awareness Survey 2009

October 28, 2009

prepared by Office of Planning and Assessment

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Table of Contents

Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Sample........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 13

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Executive Summary

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, the Office of Planning and Assessment administered a paper and pencil survey assessing students’ awareness of the Texas Tech Quality Enhancement Plan at three locations on campus (near the Engineering Key, outside the Student Union Building, and in the Recreation Center). The survey also assessed student exposure to and understanding of ethics and academic integrity on campus. A sample of 361 Texas Tech students responded to the survey. Comparing the sample to the population of all Texas Tech students in terms of gender, class standing, college, ethnicity, and residency status, it appears that the sample is a fairly good representation of the population. Although only a small group of students reported being aware of the Quality Enhancement Plan (6.93%) or “Do the Right Thing: A Campus Conversation on Ethics” (21.05%), the majority of students have had some exposure to ethics on campus (85.87%). Most of this exposure appears to have come from classroom discussion or other in-class activities. Most students have seen some information about the “Strive for Honor” campaign (64.82%) or academic integrity (81.16%) on campus. Fewer students have seen information about “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” (29.09%). The most common places for seeing this information have been in class or on a class syllabus and on posters or banners placed in the buildings on campus or on the bus. A large majority of students report that they are familiar with Texas Tech’s policy on academic integrity (80.06%) and report being able to use their knowledge of academic integrity to make ethical decisions (88.92%). Less than half of the students know how or where to report dishonest academic acts (46.54%). Most students report that if they saw an act of academic dishonesty that they would talk to their professor or someone else that might be able to help correct the situation. The majority of students report that involvement in ethics initiatives on campus will help them in their professional life (75.35%), their personal life (66.76%), or their civic life (47.09%). Students want to know more about ethical issues related to their future career, social issues, and personal relationships and development. Students also want to know more about ethical issues on campus and how to handle or report unethical acts when they see them. It may take more time and more may need to be done for more students to be aware of the Quality Enhancement Plan and the “Do the Right Thing” initiative. The classroom may be a good place for the Quality Enhancement Plan and the “Do the Right Thing” initiative to get more attention. It appears that Texas Tech has been successful in informing students about policies on academic integrity. More may need to be done to let students know how and where to report acts of academic dishonesty. Most students believe that involvement in ethics initiatives on campus will help them and want to know more about a wide range of ethical

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

topics. Further research could help identify which groups of students are interested in learning about which ethical issues to help cater more activities to individual interests. Results from this survey show that the recent ethics initiatives on campus seem to have increased the students’ ability in dealing with professional codes of ethics as well as ethical issues in their personal, professional, and civic life. They also feel very confident about their knowledge in regards to academic integrity. Despite not having to fill in any information that might identify them later, students might have answered in a way they thought would be expected of them (i.e., in this case overly positive). However, even taking that into account it seems as though the “Do The Right Thing” initiative has been successful in bringing students closer to achieving the student learning outcomes laid out in the Quality Enhancement Plan. Students still want to know much more about ethical issues and academic integrity, but the overall positive responses seem to indicate that students feel confident when it comes to handling ethical questions.

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Introduction

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, the Office of Planning and Assessment administered a survey to (1) assess Texas Tech students’ awareness of the Texas Tech Quality Enhancement Plan, (2) assess knowledge of ethics or academic integrity related to the official Quality Enhancement Plan student learning outcomes, and (3) find out what student want to know more about (see Attachment A for a copy of the survey). The surveys were filled out by hand at a table set up in three locations on the Texas Tech campus for one to three hours at each location (near the Engineering key, outside the Student Union Building, and in the Recreation Center). Students were offered bottled water and candy to participate in the survey. Since ethics can be a sensitive topic, various precautions were taken to keep social desirability bias low. To keep students from answering in a way they think might be expected, the survey did not ask for names or information which could be easily used to identify the respondents. Participants were given the paper-and-pencil survey along with a clipboard, so they could fill it out without the researchers watching. The survey results were entered into an Excel file by the Office of Planning and Assessment staff for analysis. A second person randomly selected ten percent of the entered results to verify that the information had been entered correctly. No errors were found. Sample A sample of 361 Texas Tech students responded to the survey. This represents a small percentage of the population of all Texas Tech students. Some sample demographics were compared to the demographics of all Texas Tech students to check whether the sample is a good representation of the population of all Texas Tech students. The following charts show these comparisons: 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00%

Sample Population

30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00%

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Sample Population

35.00% 30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00%

80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00%

QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Sample Population

Sample Population

100.00% 90.00% 80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00%

Sample Population

From these comparisons of the sample and population gender, class standing, college, ethnicity, and residency status it appears that the sample is a fairly good representation of the population of all Texas Tech students. It does appear that the sample represent more freshman and sophomores and fewer graduate students than would be expected from the population and there are some slight discrepancies in the percentages of students from each college, but overall the sample appears to be a fairly good representation of Texas Tech students.

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Results QEP Awareness

The survey began with nine awareness questions. Here are the results of those questions: Yes

No

Does Not Apply

Left Blank

6.93%

92.80%

0.28%

0.00%

21.05%

76.73%

0.28%

1.94%

13.85%

30.19%

15.51%

40.44%

15.24%

26.87%

16.07%

41.83%

47.09%

47.92%

4.16%

0.83%

Question 6: “Are you familiar with Texas Tech’s statement of ethical principles?”

37.67%

59.56%

1.94%

0.83%

Question 7: “Are ethics and/or ethical practices ever discussed in your classes?”

73.96%

22.71%

2.77%

0.55%

21.88%

76.18%

1.94%

0.00%

35.73%

61.50%

2.22%

0.55%

Question 1: “Before this survey, had you heard of Texas Tech’s Quality Enhancement Plan?” Question 2: “Are you familiar with the, ‘Do the Right Thing: A Campus Conversation on Ethics’ initiative?” Question 3: “Has ‘A Campus Conversation on Ethics’ increased your knowledge of ethics?” Question 4: “Has ‘A Campus Conversation on Ethics’ increased your knowledge of the professional code(s) of ethics in your major?” Question 5: “Can you identify the professional code(s) of ethics in your specific major?”

Question 8: “Since August 2008, have you participated in any ethics activities or events outside of the classroom?” Question 9: “Since August 2008, have you participated in any ethics activities or events in the classroom?”

While less than of fourth (21.05%) of the students are familiar with the “Do the Right Thing: A Campus Conversation on Ethics” initiative and very few (6.93%) have heard of Texas Tech’s Quality Enhancement Plan, it is positive to note that 13.85% of the students reported that “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” has increased their knowledge of ethics and that 15.24% of the students reported that “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” has increased their knowledge of the ethics in their major. These percentages are high when we consider that only 21.05% of the students were aware of the initiative. The majority of students (85.87%) answered “Yes” to at Page 7 of 16

QEP Awareness Survey 2009

least one of these nine questions, showing that they have had some exposure to ethics on campus.

While only about 15% credit ‘A Campus Conversation on Ethics’ with increasing their knowledge of the professional code(s) of ethics in their major, almost half (47.09%) of the students are confident that they can identify the professional ethics in their major. This directly supports one of the student learning outcomes: Students should be able to identify the importance of professional codes of ethics related to their specific academic discipline as appropriate. Over a third (37.67%) of the students say that they are familiar with Texas Tech’s statement of ethical principles. This leaves room for improvement. It appears that the most common exposure to ethics comes from classroom discussion of ethics or ethical practices (73.96%). A large group of students have also been exposed through other ethics activities or events inside the classroom (35.73%) and outside of the classroom (21.88%). These nine questions were followed by three questions assessing what ethics and academic integrity information students have seen around campus. Here are the results of those questions:

Question 10: “Have you seen information around campus about ‘A Campus Conversation on Ethics?’” Question 11: “Have you seen information around campus about the ‘Strive for Honor’ campaign?” Question 12: “Have you seen information around campus about academic integrity?”

Yes

No

Left Blank

29.09%

70.91%

0.00%

64.82%

34.90%

0.28%

81.16%

18.56%

0.28%

A large majority of students (81.16%) have seen information about academic integrity around campus. As would be expected, fewer students report having seen information about the specific campaigns. More students have seen information about “Strive for Honor” (64.82%) than have seen information about “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” (29.09%). The discrepancy between those students that report having seen information about “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” (29.09%) and those that report being familiar with “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” (21.05%) may be due to some students having seen some information without becoming familiar with the initiative. These three questions about the information students have seen on campus were followed by an open-ended question: “Where have you seen this information?” Of the 361 students that took the survey, 271 responded to this question. The responses to this open-ended question were categorized into the following response themes and counted to see which methods were seen by the most students:

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Response Theme In class/Syllabus Student Union Building Billboards/Posters/Banners Bus Dorms/Halls Flyers/Handouts Internet/Email/Tech Announce Classroom Buildings Orientation

Number of Responses 86 60 59 45 39 26 24 21 12

QEP Awareness Survey 2009 Response Theme

Rec. Center Around campus/Everywhere Library Arbor Day/Tables/Other Events Football Games Daily Toreador At Other School I don't know/Can't remember I have not seen anything

Number of Responses 10 9 7 5 3 1 1 7 3

It appears that the most common place to have seen information about “A Campus Conversation on Ethics”, “Strive for Honor”, or academic integrity on campus is in class or on a class syllabus. If we assume, though, that students have seen the information on some sort of poster or banner when they report seeing this information at the Student Union Building, the Dorms or Halls, the Classroom Buildings, the Rec. Center, or the Library then billboards, posters, or banners might be the most common place students have seen this information. Ads on the bus, flyers or handouts, and information sent online seem to have been other effective methods of helping students see this information. Academic Integrity Students were also asked a few questions about academic integrity. Here are the results: Yes

No

Does Not Apply

Left Blank

Question 12: “Are you familiar with Texas Tech’s policy on academic integrity?”

80.06%

17.73%

0.28%

1.94%

Question 13: “Are you able to use your knowledge of academic integrity to make ethical decisions?”

88.92%

6.09%

3.05%

1.94%

A large majority of students are report that they are familiar with Texas Tech’s academic integrity policy (80.06%) and that they are able to use their knowledge of academic integrity to make ethical decisions (88.92%). It is important to keep in mind that this is a piece of indirect assessment and we do not know how well students can judge their own knowledge. They might think that they know everything, but the truth might be different. However, overall these numbers are very positive and show that Texas Tech students seem to be confident about their knowledge of academic integrity and use thereof. One student learning outcome states that students should be able to identify key components of the institution’s policy on academic integrity. The fact that 80.06% of the participants say that they are familiar with Texas Tech’s Page 9 of 16

QEP Awareness Survey 2009

policy on academic integrity shows that many students think that they meet this learning outcome already. Another student learning outcome states that students should be able to use their knowledge of academic integrity to make ethical academic decisions. It is very positive that 88.92% feel that they are able to do so. Reporting Academic Dishonesty The next question in the survey asked students if they would know how and where to report academic dishonesty. Here are the results:

Question 14: “If you witness an act of academic dishonesty (e.g., you see someone cheating on a test), would you know how and where to report it?”

Yes

No

Left Blank

46.54%

50.42%

3.05%

Less than half of the students (46.54%) reported that they would know how and where to report acts of academic dishonesty. This question was followed by an open-ended question: “How would you report an act of academic dishonesty?” Of the 361 students that took the survey, 302 responded to this question. The responses to this open-ended question were categorized into the following response themes and counted to see the most common ways students would report an act of academic dishonesty: Response Theme • • • • • • • • • •

Tell the professor/teaching assistant Tell the college dean/department head Tell someone with authority/move up the chain of command Talk to the person cheating Tell academic advisor/faculty mentor Tell ombudsman/judicial services I would report it I would not report it I don't know what I would do Other response

Number of Responses 221 46 8 5 4 3 8 30 10 16

All of the responses that involved reporting the academic dishonesty involved talking to someone about it. The most common person chosen by students to talk to was the professor or teaching assistant of the class. Another common person chosen to talk to was the college dean or head of the department. Of 302 that responded, 30 (9.93%) said that they would not report an act of academic dishonesty if they saw it. It is curious that none of the students mention the Ombuds for Students as a possibility to get someone involved.

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Ethic Initiatives on Campus

The last couple of questions on the survey asked students about the impact of ethics initiatives on campus and what students would like to know more about. The first of these questions asked students which areas of their life will be impacted by their involvement with ethics initiatives on campus. Here are the results: Personal Professional Life Life Question 16: “Will your involvement in ethical initiatives on campus help you in your: (check all that apply)”

66.76%

75.35%

Civic Life

Does Not Apply

Left Blank

47.09%

16.07%

2.22%

Note that students may have selected more than one of the responses. A large percentage (82.71%) of students reported that involvement in ethical initiatives on campus would help them in at least one of these three areas of their life. Three of the Quality Enhancement Plan student learning outcomes relate to this question. Based on them, students should be able to identify/articulate/reflect critically on ethical issued in their personal, professional, and civic life from their own perspective as well as that of others. According to the students, ethics initiatives on campus have has the biggest impact on their professional life (75.35%) and personal life (66.76%). Just under half (47.09%) of students reported that ethics initiatives on campus would help in their civic life. This question was followed by an open-ended question: “What ethical issue(s) in your personal, professional, and/or civic life would you like to know more about?” Of the 361 students that took the survey, 156 responded to this question. The responses to this open-ended question were categorized into the following response themes and counted for the number of occurrences of each theme: Response Theme

Number of Responses

Professional Life: ethics specific to my chosen field/future profession Civic Life: ethics around diversity and other social issues Personal Life: personal morals/values/characteristics Ethics in the classroom/at Texas Tech Anything/Everything/I want to know about a lot of ethical issues Recognizing/handling/reporting unethical behavior I do not want to know more about ethical issues I already know a lot about ethics I don't know Other specific topics/suggestions

27 22 18 14 13 7 29 9 15 5

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

The most common area that students reported wanting to know more about was ethical issues in professional life. These comments included wanting to know more about specific major or job related ethical issues, as well as ethics regarding general workplace conduct. The second most common area that students reported wanting to learn more about was ethical issues in civic life. These comments also included wanting to know more about ethical issues involving gender, ethnicity, and other factors of social diversity. Students want to know more about abortion, politics, criminal activity, and other social issues as well. The third most common area that students reported wanting to learn more about was ethical issues in personal life. These comments included wanting to know more about integrity, kindness, and other personal characteristics. They also included wanting to know more about ethics in personal relationships. Students also reported wanting to know more about ethical issues at Texas Tech and how to handle or report unethical behavior. There were also many students that reported that there are no ethical issues that they want to know more about and that they already know about ethics. Summary Although only a small group of students reported being aware of the Quality Enhancement Plan (6.93%) or “Do the Right Thing: A Campus Conversation on Ethics” (21.05%), the majority of students have had some exposure to ethics on campus (85.87%). Most of this exposure appears to have come from classroom discussion or other in-class activities. A large group of students have also been exposed through activities and advertisements outside of the classroom. Most students have seen some information about the “Strive for Honor” campaign (64.82%) or academic integrity (81.16%) on campus. Fewer students have seen information about “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” (29.09%). The most common places for seeing this information have been in class or on a class syllabus and on posters or banners placed in the buildings on campus or on the bus. A large majority of students are familiar with Texas Tech’s policy on academic integrity (80.06%) and report being able to use their knowledge of academic integrity to make ethical decisions (88.92%). Less than half of the students know how or where to report dishonest academic acts (46.54%). Most students report that if they saw an act of academic dishonesty that they would talk to their professor or someone else that might be able to help correct the situation. The majority of students report that involvement in ethics initiatives on campus will help them in their professional life (75.35%), their personal life (66.76%), or their civic life (47.09%). Students want to know more about ethical issues related to their future career, social issues, and personal relationships and development. Students also want to know more about ethical issues on campus and how to handle or report unethical acts when they see them.

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Conclusion

It appears that education about ethics has been a part of most students’ experience at Texas Tech. It may take more time and more may need to be done for more students to be aware of the Quality Enhancement Plan and the “Do the Right Thing” initiative, but most students have had exposure to information about ethics and academic integrity on campus. It appears that the classroom may be a good place for the Quality Enhancement Plan and the “Do the Right Thing” initiative to get more attention. It appears that Texas Tech has been successful in informing students about policies on academic integrity and most students feel capable of using what they know to make ethical decisions. More may need to be done to let students know how and where to report acts of academic dishonesty. Although from the open-ended question it appears that most students would do something to report academic dishonesty, less than half of the students reported that they know how and where to report acts of academic dishonesty. Most students believe that involvement in ethics initiatives on campus will help them in their professional, personal, or civic life. Students want to know more about a wide range of ethical topics, including ethics in their profession, ethics in society, ethics in personal relationships, and ethics at Texas Tech. Further research could help identify which groups of students are interested in learning about which ethical issues to help cater more activities to individual interests. Results from this survey show that the recent ethics initiatives on campus seem to have increased the students’ ability in dealing with professional codes of ethics as well as ethical issues in their personal, professional, and civic life. They also feel very confident about their knowledge in regards to academic integrity. Despite not having to fill in any information that might identify them later, students might have answered in a way they thought would be expected of them (i.e., in this case overly positive). However, even taking that into account it seems as though the “Do The Right Thing” initiative has been successful in bringing students closer to achieving the student learning outcomes laid out in the Quality Enhancement Plan. Students still want to know much more about ethical issues and academic integrity, but the overall positive responses seem to indicate that students feel confident when it comes to handling ethical questions.

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Attachment A: the Survey

QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Please evaluate the following questions and choose your response:

Yes

No

Does Not Apply

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

6. Are you familiar with Texas Tech’s statement of ethical principles?

O

O

O

7. Are ethics and/or ethical practices ever discussed in your classes?

O

O

O

8. Since August 2008, have you participated in any ethics activities or events outside of the classroom?

O

O

O

9. Since August 2008, have you participated in any ethics activities or events in the classroom?

O

O

O

1. Before this survey, had you heard of Texas Tech’s Quality Enhancement Plan? 2. Are you familiar with the, “Do the Right Thing: A Campus Conversation on Ethics” initiative? If you answer Yes to this question, please answer question 3 and question 4. If you answered No to this question, please move directly on to question 5. 3. Has “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” increased your knowledge of ethics? 4. Has “A Campus Conversation on Ethics” increased your knowledge of the professional code(s) of ethics in your major? 5. Can you identify the professional code(s) of ethics in your specific major?

10. Have you seen information Around campus about, “A Campus Coversation on Ethics?”

11. Have you seen information around campus about the, “Strive for Honor” campaign?

12. Have you seen information around campus about academic integrity?

O Yes O No

O Yes O No

O Yes O No

Where have you seen this information?

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QEP Awareness Survey 2009

Please evaluate the following questions and choose your response:

Does Yes No Not Apply

12. Are you familiar with Texas Tech’s policy on academic integrity?

O

O

O

13. Are you able to use your knowledge of academic integrity to make ethical decisions?

O

O

O

14. If you witness an act of academic dishonesty (e.g., you see someone cheating on a test), would you know how and where to report it? (Please do not use this space to describe specific incidents and please do not provide any names)*** O Yes O No 15. How would you report an act of academic dishonesty? (Please do not use this space to describe specific incidents and please do not provide any names)***

16. Will your involvement in ethical initiatives on campus help you in your: (check all that apply) O Personal Life O Professional Life O Civic Life O Does Not Apply 17. What ethical issue(s) in your personal, professional and/or civic life would you like to know more about?

Please continue on to the next page. You’re almost done! Page 15 of 16

Some information about yourself:

QEP Awareness Survey 2009 Sex:

Student Classification:      

Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate Student Other:

 Male  Female

Age: __________ Ethnicity:

College: (multiple selections possible)             

College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources College of Architecture College of Arts & Sciences Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration College of Education Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering Honors College College of Human Sciences College of Mass Communications College of Outreach & Distance Education College of Visual & Performing Arts School of Law Other:

O American Indian/Native American O Asian American O African American/Black O European American/White O Hispanic American O Middle Eastern American O Multiracial O Other (please define) __________________

Are you a: O Resident of the United States O Non-Resident Alien O I don’t know

***If you would like to report a violation of Texas Tech’s statement of ethical principles, a violation of the professional code(s) of ethics in your major, and/or a possible violation of academic integrity, please contact the Office of the Ombuds at (806) 742-SAFE. You may e-mail the Ombuds for Students at [email protected] may also ask the administrators of this survey for a business card with contact information.

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