As we look ahead to a recovery period, I am writing to share recent feedback and data that gives our college high marks from students, graduates and employers.
Both the provincial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the results of the Niagara College Program Experience Survey (PES) have generated positive results, and provided valuable insight into what we’re doing well, and where we can focus our efforts moving forward.
After a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of the 2019-20 Key Performance Indicators (KPI) were recently released province-wide. The 2019-2020 KPI data once again shows that Niagara College graduates get jobs, and employers are very satisfied with the skills and knowledge that they bring to the workplace. The results include:
- 81% of Niagara College graduates said they were satisfied with their experience at the college;
- 89 % of recent graduates were employed within six months of graduation;
- more than 87% of employers indicated they were happy with the Niagara College graduate they had hired.
The provincially mandated KPIs were introduced in 1998 and the student satisfaction survey was discontinued after 2018-2019, as the province transitioned to the Strategic Mandate Agreement 2020-2025 (SMA 3) agreements. The data gathered from the yearly KPI surveys now support SMA 3 reporting and continues to be used for internal program review, program planning, funding proposals and student recruitment. You can view Niagara College’s SMA 3 agreement here.
With the discontinuation of the KPI Student Satisfaction Survey, NC introduced a Program Experience Survey in October 2020, to help us gather data and important feedback from students in three areas of program quality – essential employability skills, vocational learning outcomes, and course electives. The surveys were administered in Fall 2020 and Winter 2021; the results reflect positively on our academic programs, while also identifying areas for improvement and growth:
- 90% of respondents were satisfied with the knowledge and skills they are learning for future careers;
- 94% of respondents said that their programs are helping them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
- almost 90% felt that program faculty and staff support their success;
- 88% of respondents felt that their program helped them develop diversity skills;
- 83% were satisfied with the quality of applied and/or work integrated learning;
- 86% were happy with the connection of theory to applied and hands-on aspects of their learning experience.
You can find additional results and information about the Program Experience Survey here.
Looking back, the 2019-20 year seems like a lifetime ago. Since then, the world has faced enormous challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and we’ve had to shift our program and service delivery. The rich data and insights gathered through the existing KPI process and the recent Program Experience Survey continue to be valuable to us as we adapt and improve our in-person and virtual offerings. The positive results are a testament to the commitment and dedication of all employees, and our shared focus on our students’ experience and success.
Results for the 2020-21 KPIs are expected to be released later this summer.
I encourage you to review the 2019-20 KPI results, which are available online. If you have questions regarding the survey, please contact Katerina Gonzalez, director, Planning and Institutional Research at [email protected]
