Student Feedback on Educational Master Plan

Written by: Sierra College Planning, Research and Resource Department

Every few years, Sierra College updates its Educational Master Plan, or guiding document that provides specific direction on implementing programs and support services at the college. In the Spring 2022 semester, students were surveyed to provide feedback on the next version of the plan, and over 500 responded! However, many students asked, is anyone actually reading the survey responses? The answer is YES! And here are some of the things we heard:

Community

• “Maybe more student life engagement, or more club funding. I find Sierra clubs to be very fun and inclusive and would love if there were more.”
• “keep encouraging students there’s always room to learn that we made it through this, let’s press on to better educate ourselves.”
• “More school events.”

Scheduling Flexibility

• “Maximizing the remote learning catalog will ensure people who may have more restriction on their availability can achieve their academic goals. I think that is critically important to creating a more just and equitable society.”

Options

• “Offer more classes that have long waitlists. It’s frustrating to see that there’s 100 English 1A classes but only like 5 Chemistry classes when nearly every STEM major needs it.”

Affordability 

• “I think you are reaching rural students and busy adult students who have kids or can’t afford to commute (hello, skyrocketing gas prices).”

Consistency in the Online Experience 

• “This is a very personal note, but in the online space, every teacher formats the main links to assignments differently. While I haven’t had this issue in the past, some of the inconsistent layouts get me lost. I think some consistency of where the modules link is would be helpful for people like me.”
• “Training on making online classes more personable and engaging to keep Sierra at the forefront”

Return on Your Educational Investment

• “I am a student senator, longtime student/employee/volunteer in a lot of the programs. In the CTE programs, we are looking to get an education and go to work. If I could have a phrase, it would be ‘Focus on the Future.’”
• “Helping them get practice in their academic field before they graduate, so that they already have a clearer vision of what they are going to do in the future.”

First Year Experiences

• “I think there should be more outreach to students in their first year of how important a college education is.”

Over the summer, the Education Master Plan taskforce will integrate students’ feedback—along with the feedback of faculty, staff, and community members—into a new 10-year Educational Master Plan. In the fall, we’ll share the draft document with the Associated Students of Sierra College, the Board of Trustees, and other groups to make sure we’re prioritizing the programming and support that will help students succeed into the future. View the current Educational Master Plan.