Ontario College Student Experience Survey (OCSES): FAQs

The Ontario College Student Experience Survey (OCSES) measures key aspects of the student experience. It provides students with an opportunity to give feedback about your program and Niagara College. It is not an evaluation of a specific course, subject, or teacher. Participating colleges use survey data for continuous improvement and system-level benchmarking. Students are invited by email to complete the online survey every year — please see the “Eligibility to Participate” section below. The survey is conducted by the Planning and Institutional Research (PaIR) department on behalf of Niagara College and in collaboration with the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS).

If you have questions about the OCSES, please email [email protected].

Purpose of the Survey

Your opinions are important. The information you share helps inform planning and continuous improvements in academic programs and college services for current and future students.

This year, Niagara College is also excited to be developing its first Indigenous Education Strategy (IES). As part of this initiative, we’re inviting students to share their valuable input through the optional IES Survey at the end of the OCSES. The IES Survey plays a key role in the strategy’s development, with student feedback helping to advance reconciliation, foster Indigenization, and strengthen connections.

The survey period is January 29, 2025 until February 19, 2025.

Eligibility to Participate

In the winter term, students who are enrolled in a regular postsecondary credential program and have completed at least one term of their current program will be invited by email to fill out the survey online.

The survey link you will be provided is unique to you. Please do not share it with others.

You can expect an invitation email from:
Niagara College <[email protected]>

Who’s Listening

  • Fiona Allan
    Fiona Allan
    Vice President, Academic
  • Dr. Chris McGrath
    Dr. Chris McGrath
    Vice President, Students

Directors, Deans, Associate Deans, and Program and College Services Staff
all take a keen interest in your feedback about your College experience.

What Participation Involves

Participation in one or both of the online OCSES and IES Surveys is completely voluntary. Your responses are confidential. Only combined results will be reported. Participating in the survey(s) will not impact your status at Niagara College.

On average, the OCSES survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It will include questions on your college experiences in four areas:

  • teaching and learning quality;
  • program-related knowledge and skills;
  • work-integrated learning; and
  • student services and resources.

It will also ask a few demographic questions including previous education and your main goal of education.

For information on the Indigenous Education Strategy (IES) Survey, please visit the IES Survey FAQs.

Confidentiality and Uses

All responses are confidential. Responses will be reported in aggregate, except for comments which will be anonymized but otherwise reported as submitted. The information obtained from this study will be strictly used for college purposes.

These surveys are being conducted by Niagara College’s Planning and Institutional Research in collaboration with the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS).

All data will be securely stored by OCAS, SurveyMonkey, and Niagara College. For more information, please see:

Anonymized data may be shared with other Niagara College departments for additional analysis. The privacy and confidentiality of provided information will be protected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990.

Data Ownership & Consent: All survey data and responses are the property of Niagara College, which reserves the right to use, analyze, and disseminate the information in line with privacy laws and institutional policies. By participating in this survey, respondents consent to the college’s use and sharing of their responses under these guidelines. Occasionally, anonymized and redacted data may be shared with Niagara College students for educational purposes, such as course-based projects, ensuring strict confidentiality and privacy.

Commitment to OCAP Principles in Research: At Planning & Institutional Research, we are dedicated to respecting the principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP®) in all research involving First Nations peoples. Additionally, we strive to collaborate with Indigenous communities to ensure our research practices are ethical, respectful, and beneficial to all parties involved.

Survey Questions

View the Ontario College Student Experience Survey Instrument

Survey Incentives

Student Survey Respondents – OCSES

To show our appreciation for you taking the time to complete the survey, we invite survey respondents to participate in the incentive e-gift card program:

  • All participants can enter a draw for a chance to win one of 100 $15 EverythingCard e-gift cards.

To be eligible to participate in the incentive e-gift card program described above, please complete the survey and submit your NC student email address (only one entry per person please) to have the opportunity to enter into the random draw for a chance to win the survey prizes.

Niagara College will make one attempt to send a digital gift card to the provided NC student email address via a third-party distributor. Niagara College is not responsible for lost, stolen, or misdirected gift cards. The winner(s) is solely responsible for any and all taxes associated with prize receipt and use.

Please note that the survey team is not responsible for any incomplete, failed, or delayed transmission of your submission due to technical, internet, software, or any other issues.

Those who submit their NC student email address after completing the survey, within the active dates of the survey, will be eligible for a chance to win a prize as described above.

Academic Programs

A friendly competition! Niagara region programs will have the chance to track their survey response rates and vie for the title of “Most Responsive Area” for a chance at one of three $100 cash prizes:

  • The top three performing programs in terms of survey response rates, one from each of the small, medium, and large program categories, will win a prize.
  • Each of the winning programs will receive $100 in cash, which can be used to support fun activities/food/treats etc. for its students.

Winning programs will be contacted via their Deans/ADs on/after Monday, February 24, 2025.

Eligibility Time Frame for Survey Incentives

Eligibility for the incentive opens at 12:30 PM E.S.T on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 and closes at 11:59 PM E.S.T on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.

Prize Notification

If you are receiving a prize, we will send a message to your NC student email address on Monday, February 24, 2025. To keep things smooth, please do not email to check on prize status. Only those who have won a prize will be contacted.

NC partners with EverythingCard, a trusted third-party vendor, for efficient e-gift card distribution. Emails from [email protected] are legitimate and a part of our distribution process. To ensure you receive your e-gift card promptly, check your Junk/Spam folder and read the email carefully for important details on redemption.

Student Survey Respondents – Indigenous Education Strategy (IES) Survey: Please visit the IES Survey FAQs.

Thank you for participating. Remember, your feedback matters!

Accessibility

In compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), OCAS is providing a fully accessible online survey using SurveyMonkey, compatible with current screen readers and assistive technologies. Students may use assistive technologies/devices at their disposal to complete this survey.

Niagara Region Campuses

Should you require alternative accessible options to complete the survey, please email the Health, Wellness and Accessibility Services (HWAS) Reception Desk [email protected].

Alternative Delivery Options

Students requiring alternative delivery options to complete the survey may:

  • Have the assistance of an aid or an assistant to complete the survey (i.e. reader, scribe, etc.);
  • Schedule to have the survey read or scribed online through the test centre;
  • Schedule a telephone survey.

If you have a disability and would like to access alternative delivery options for completing the survey, please contact the Test Centre:

Welland Campus [email protected]

Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake [email protected]

Background

The Ontario College Student Experience Survey was developed through the collective efforts of Ontario’s publicly-funded colleges, starting with a steering committee formed in 2020. In addition, working groups were tasked with developing the various components of the survey, setting the parameters for survey administration, and recommending a survey administrator. The Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) was subsequently chosen to create and distribute the online survey using SurveyMonkey.

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