Student Experience Survey, Fall 2020

We sent a survey about the Libraries’ spaces, website, and services to students in October 2020.

Overview

Questions

Our survey aimed to gather user feedback about both in-person and virtual interactions with the Libraries in Fall 2020. The survey asked users about their:

  • Use of the Libraries spaces, services, and collections (both in-person and virtual). 
  • Experiences with and utilization of the Libraries website.
  • Strategies for navigating and finding information on the Libraries website.

Additional questions asked respondents about their perceptions of specific pages and features on the Libraries website.

Findings

  • All respondent groups, minus first-year and sophomore students, said that they have increased their use of the Libraries website since the pandemic began in Spring 2020. However, some students in all groups report using the Libraries website less frequently than before the pandemic.
  • Over half of respondents who answered optional questions about the Libraries’ resources indicated that spaces (quiet study rooms, individual study rooms, Graduate Commons, etc.) were the most helpful resource they used in Fall 2020. 
  • When asked how the Libraries could improve, many respondents suggested things that are currently on hold due to the Libraries’ pandemic response. These included group study spaces and overnight hours.
  • A majority of respondents said that they have used the global (main) menu to navigate the Libraries website. Participants also reported using the search bar on the Libraries website or Google.
  • Respondents who borrowed technology from the Libraries in Fall 2020 had very positive feedback about technology lending. Comments included “Very easy and would do it again” and “Amazing and very helpful.”
  • The Libraries use some terminology that was confusing for a number of respondents, including “circulating media” (DVDs and CDs that can be borrowed and taken home).
  • Less than 10% of respondents identified pages currently known as “Course Guides” as “guides” when asked to name the page themselves.

Recommendations & Changes

  • Consider adding contextual information to confusing terms when they appear on web pages (such as “TRLN Direct,” “circulating media,” and others).
  • Consider changing “Course Guide” to another title.

How We Did It

We sent a 19-question survey about the Libraries’ services and spaces to 385 NC State students who had expressed interest in participating in user research during the Fall 2020 semester. Out of 385 students who received it, 77 completed the survey. We offered the incentive of a Grubhub food order for 5 randomly selected respondents. Additionally, respondents were given the option of opting in to a follow-up interview that would be based on their survey responses. We chose six survey respondents for follow-up interviews, which were also conducted in October 2020. Read the Student Experience Interview, Fall 2020 report. 

Team