Julia Sand/Winonan

Winona State University’s Assessment day is not a “day off;” it is a day for survey feedback about what our campus is doing well and ways we can improve, said Database Director Ed Callahan.

Winona State’s yearly day dedicated for students to participate in randomized surveys, Assessment Day, will be held on Feb. 20.

In order to allow students to focus on surveys, all classes before 3:30 p.m. are cancelled, except labs and classes held once a week.

Callahan, who coordinates the surveys and results, said he doesn’t like to consider it a day off, but having the day off acknowledges that taking these surveys is important.

One of the biggest goals, Callahan said, is to determine where Winona State is already succeeding and where we need to make improvements.

When surveys are completed, database directors are able to see statistics regarding how campus is doing.

“If we get a good picture of what students feel is going well, and what they feel isn’t going well, we view that as constructive criticism,” Callahan said.

Students will be notified on Wednesday to follow a link bringing them to the surveys they are asked to take; on average there will be three to six surveys per student – a process different than that of three years ago when all students were getting all surveys.

When surveys bombarded students, they often lost interest after filling out so many.

“Quality of results are better when we ask students to fill out less surveys,” Callahan said.

Surveys are not anonymous, but they are confidential; privacy of results is taken very seriously, Callahan said.

Students are not required to take these surveys, but it is encouraged.

“No one thinks we are perfect, this is a good way to help us keep getting closer to perfect,” Callahan said.

This year 39 surveys will be administered from many departments around campus including advising, counseling and wellness, KQAL, parking services, and many more.

Information and technology also participates in using these surveys to know how satisfied or unsatisfied students are with technology programs on campus.

Ken Janz, associate vice president of information technology services, said the feedback from Assessment Day surveys is one-third of the data IT services use to make decisions.

In 2012 wireless satisfaction decreased from 92 percent to 88 percent, whereas the three years prior were all increases.

Janz said that was the year no money was put into the wireless program. It was both a “wake up call” and a “call to action” to keep improving it each year.

Janz mirrored Callahan by saying Assessment Day isn’t a day off; it’s a day for students to take surveys so departments like IT can actually use students’ feedback; it is so important, though, that students do get the day off of classes.

“We constantly use Assessment Day so we know where to pinpoint our time,” said Janz.

First-year students and seniors will also be invited to complete the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). This survey held every two years will show how students interact with the University even outside of the classroom and is able to be compared with other universities.

Helping to improve the University is the primary incentive of the surveys; however, prizes are also awarded to students who participate.

Those who complete surveys by the end of the first day will be entered in a drawing for a 32 GB iPad Mini.

Students who complete all surveys by Spring Break (midnight of March 15) will be entered into a drawing for one of two additional 32 GB iPad Minis. Those who complete the NSSE survey will also be entered to win one of two 16 GB iPads.

Contact Julia at [email protected]