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Student Satisfaction

See how learners rate their Capella experience

On-line learners may have different needs, expectations, and priorities than more traditional students. At Capella, we strive to understand and meet those needs, priorities and expectations. One way we do that is to measure learner satisfaction using standardized surveys. These surveys allow us to evaluate Capella's performance and to compare it to other similar institutions.

• Noel-Levitz Priorities Survey for Online Learners (PSOL)
• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

Priorities Survey for Online Learners

The Noel-Levitz Priorities Survey for Online Learners (PSOL) is designed specifically for online learners. It asks learners to rate their satisfaction with several aspects of their experiences in online learning. In December 2010, all Capella learners were invited to participate. The respondents represent all the degree levels (bachelors, masters, and doctoral) and fields of study.

On the PSOL, students respond to "expectation statements" (e.g., "online course registration is convenient") to rate how important each expectation is to them and how satisfied they are that Capella meets each expectation. A 1-to-7 scale, with 7 being the highest, is used for each response. The graphs below show how Capella compares to the PSOL national benchmark, which includes 90,000 learner responses from almost 90 different institutions. In each you can see the average ratings for:

• All Capella respondents
• Capella respondents at each degree level
• Other PSOL respondents

The graphs on the right compare responses on scales that reflect how an institution is perceived and how the institution performs on 4 categories of service: Institutional Perceptions, Academic Services, Instructional Services, Enrollment Services, Student Services. The graphs on the left compare ratings on 3 individual satisfaction questions.

National Survey of Student Engagement

Each year Capella participates in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). In 2010, all Capella undergraduate students that were the equivalent of first-year or senior level students were invited to participate.

Results reported here are from students at the senior-year level. Capella's results are compared to the survey's the national sample results, which represent over 195,000 senior learners from 563 different institutions.

Survey details

NSSE obtains information from hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide about undergraduate student participation in programs and activities and their interactions with faculty and other students. The results provide a picture of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college The first graph shows 5 benchmark categories containing related survey items. Each benchmark is expressed as a 100-point scale. The numbers reported here reflect a weighted score based on that 100-point scale. Scrolling over each benchmark category will bring up a box that includes a definition of the benchmark and the individual items included in it.

The second set of graphs shows some individual items that were selected by Transparency by Design as being particularly meaningful to on-line institutions.

The NSSE comparison group includes on-line, blended, and campus-based institutions.