How to Increase Student Satisfaction

College students are the driving force behind our nation’s progress across nearly every industry. Outdated teaching techniques and campus amenities create a subpar learning environment. High student satisfaction encourages deeper learning and ultimately better prepares the student for their field of study once they graduate. Take advantage of the new technology in the market and integrate it into your university’s teaching methods and campus amenities to ensure your students have a successful college experience and your staff is being utilized efficiently.

Learning Environment

The most effective way to improve your college campus and increase student learning is to upgrade your campus libraries, community spaces, classrooms, and amenities. The key to student success is to make navigating your college as easy as possible, allowing the student to let go of unnecessary distractions like figuring out where to grab a quick bite to eat between classes or how to pick up a textbook they just ordered online.
While some factors affecting student satisfaction are difficult to address, here are a few changes you can make to your college campus that facilitate quality learning and success:

Sticky Campus

Transform your campus to promote a collaborative learning experience.  Introduce new kinds of furniture, like large couches and communal study tables, that encourage group work. Traditional libraries have similar setups but are meant for individual learning, enforcing rigid noise restrictions and often limiting eating and drinking within the space. Help your students feel comfortable in their learning environment by giving them the option of individual learning, like a library or standalone desks, as well as rooms dedicated to collaborative learning.
The only thing students at colleges and universities should have to worry about is completing the task at hand, not the apple in their bag that they can’t eat or if their group discussion is distracting the person studying across the room. By making these educational changes, you’ll transform your college into a “sticky campus,” a spot where students will want to spend their time even if they have no classes to attend.

Accessible Eateries

Give your students access to good, healthy food. Dining halls and campus restaurants are used by the entire student body at some point in their academic career. Offer a wide range of dining options that cater to your diverse student body including undergraduate students, graduate students, and international students. Nothing improves student satisfaction like chowing down on their favorite meal and moving on to the library café where there’s free WiFi and an endless supply of coffee just a few steps away.

Update Amenities

One of the most commonly neglected amenities on a college campus is the mailroom. College students order more items online than almost any other demographic, from clothing to electronics to textbooks. Even modern mailrooms built within the last twenty years may not have the capacity to withstand the daily flood of packages to dorm rooms and office buildings alike. Invest in parcel lockers to eliminate the pressure of processing, sorting, and distributing this overwhelming stream of packages. Improvements to your University’s Mail Services with parcel university lockers is beneficial for increasing both faculty and student satisfaction.  
Your students will be happier knowing that their valuables are safe in a monitored locker, they can access their package whenever it’s convenient for them, and if their goods are temperature-sensitive (hello, home-cooked meal from mom!) they can store them safely in a refrigerated locker.

Immersive Technology

Perhaps you’ve already made physical renovations to your campus and you’d like to know how to increase student satisfaction and academic achievement even further. Try renovating your teaching methods with immersive technology. Higher education learning has never been more hands-on, allowing our students to apply what they’ve been taught rather than cram for a test the day before and forget everything they know as soon as they hand in the exam.
Give your students the tools they need to succeed by integrating innovative technology into the classroom. What’s more satisfying than having everything you need to get an A in a class?

Virtual Reality

All students have their preferred style of learning, be it absorbing material through a lecture or working through problem sets. What if you could offer your student every style of learning through one consolidated system? Virtual reality is still a very new technology, but classrooms are using it to provide students with hands-on experiences to deepen their understanding of the material and ultimately ease the learning process.

Virtual Science Labs

Science programs have much to benefit from technology integration. Virtual science labs bring experimentation and exploration right to the student. Chemistry students, for example, can conduct experiments from the comfort of their home by mixing chemicals in a computer program and learn about the reaction without risking an explosion. Virtual science labs give students access to their field of study from anywhere in the world.

Digital Course Material

Students often feel pressured to attend class even at the risk of their mental or physical health. Consider integrating video recording into your teaching style for those students who can’t make it to class because they’re sick or have a job interview they can’t afford to miss. Your student body will be more satisfied knowing that in case of an emergency, they can watch a live-stream of class or access a recording of the lecture when they get the chance to.  

Tech and Student Satisfaction

Satisfaction is a key factor in producing successful students. Easy changes like refreshing the layout of your communal spaces, installing a safe place to receive packages, and publishing lectures online will immediately increase student satisfaction at your college. Elevate your campus by implementing these changes. Integrate these ideas into your college today to create a better learning environment for years to come.
Sources:
https://www.parcelpending.com/markets/university-parcel-lockers/
https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/sep/11/how-can-universities-ensure-their-students-are-satisfied
https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-Colleges-Can-Cultivate/243123
https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2018/01/11/7-Ed-Tech-Trends-to-Watch-in-2018.aspx?Page=6