Re: Writing Center surveys

[hawthorn@badlands.nodak.edu (Joan Hawthorne)]

Julie -

We just completed a survey on our WC, although we did it a little
differently.  The WC is part of a larger University Writing Program which
includes a major faculty development arm.  We have a university-wide
committee that helps set policy, etc. for that program, and I asked each
member of the committee to distribute the survey in one course.  My goal was
to get a cross-campus assortment of responses, and that's how it worked out.
There were no surprises in the data, but I think it's important to elicit
student input even when you aren't anticipating major discoveries.  The
questions from our survey are as follows.

1.  How long have you been at UND?

2.  What is your major?

3.  Have you ever used the UND Writing Center?

QUESTIONS 4-8 ARE FOR STUDENTS WHO _HAVE_ USED THE WRITING CENTER.
4.  How often have you used the Writing Center?

5.  Was your session in the Writing Center or elsewhere?

6.  Why did you use the Writing Center?

7.  When you used the Writing Center, what did you expect would happen?
What actually did happen?

8.  Would you use the Writing Center again?  Why or why not?

QUESTIONS 9-10 ARE FOR STUDENTS WHO _HAVE NOT_ USED THE WRITING CENTER.
9.  Why haven't you used Writing Center services?

10. Under what circumstances (an unusual or challenging assignment, the need
to write an essay of application to grad school, an instructor urges you to
go, an instructor offers a small number of bonus points for students who go,
etc.) would you be likely to use the Writing Center?

QUESTION 11 IS FOR _EVERYONE_.
11.  Other comments?  

Joan Hawthorne
Univ. of North Dakota