Thought Exchange 2022 Report
In light of the pandemic, a need for increased student outreach and feedback became a growing concern from both the faculty and student groups. As we transitioned to a virtual setting, we recognized the importance of checking in on student satisfaction, wellness and insight. For this reason, in the fall of 2020, ASUS and then faculty collaborated on a Thought Exchange to be released to better understand the needs of students. A large portion of the feedback spoke of the challenge students were experiencing with the virtual semester, a lack of engagement and their own wellness.
As we returned to school in the Fall of 2021, there was a clear need to follow-up and connect with students again as they transitioned into a new period. Given the virtual schooling that took place at the beginning of 2022 and the return to campus in March of 2022, there was a growing need to follow-up with students and assess how that feedback and the concerns expressed had evolved.
For this reason, ASUS collaborated again with Wendy Craig to gain their feedback and assess the status of the student experience. The process included comparing the questions and important themes gained in the previous Thought Exchange in order to create a strong foundation for comparative data. The Thought Exchange was emailed out to a representative sample of undergraduate students, shared among the ASUS community and funneled through our own social media networks. It was then open for 14 days where students' feedback was shared, and thoughts were rated. These themes were then synthesized by artificial intelligence to assess patterns and unity within the feedback shared.
