Results of the autumn 2024 student survey

Xamk is versatile, good, nice, inspiring, high-quality, and excellent.

Students who started their studies at Xamk last autumn are satisfied with their studies, according to the results of the arrival survey conducted in November and December 2024.

According to the feedback, students feel their studies have started well, and cooperation within study groups and with the staff has been very smooth.  According to students, Xamk’s teaching is of high quality, and student tutoring has been very successful. Students find Learn to be a very important communication forum. Bachelor’s degree students also consider Tuudo important to their studies. They see Xamk as an international higher education institution that offers attractive study opportunities. Master’s degree students’ willingness to recommend their degree programmes is at a high level.

While students feel that the new location of Xamk’s Kotka campus is better than before, they do not consider the campus cities especially appealing.

The results are very good overall, remaining at the same level as those from autumn 2023. The median response was mainly 4, i.e., somewhat good, or 5, i.e., very good. There was only one statement, concerning the attractiveness of the campus city, with a slightly lower median response of 3, i.e., neither good nor bad.

STARTING OF STUDIES

Studies have mainly started well

Of bachelor’s degree students, 79% responded that the statement “I feel that my studies have started well” reflects their opinion very well or somewhat well. The open-ended feedback (265 responses) also supported this statement: “My studies have started well. I have enjoyed my courses, and my teachers are competent!” The percentage of master’s degree students who felt their studies had started well was 84. In their open-ended responses, master’s degree students expressed gratitude to their teachers, in particular. Their studies had started well, and the starting information events and orientation days had been clear and useful. Students felt welcome.

Students also raised some areas that require further development, specifically regarding the clarity and timeliness of communication and the flow of information. They felt that the instructions and practices concerning their study platforms, Lux, Learn, and Peppi would need to be more consistent. Many students found the recognition of competence (RC) process to be arduous. Students also wished for more support and guidance from their teachers. The open-ended responses also contained feedback on the amount and organisation of group work.

STUDY GUIDANCE AND PROGRESS

Cooperation with study groups and staff is very smooth

Cooperation with the staff has been smooth for students, with 88% of bachelor’s degree students responding “very well” or “somewhat well” to this statement, the same number as in autumn 2023. Master’s degree students were even more satisfied with staff cooperation, as 95% of them responded “very well” or “somewhat well,” four percentage points higher than in autumn 2023.

As for the statement, “Cooperation within my study group has been smooth,” 86% of bachelor’s degree students responded “very well” or “somewhat well,” which is a couple of percentage points higher than the autumn before. Master’s degree students’ percentage for this was 87.

The responses to the statement “My personal study plan (PSP) has helped me to plan my studies” varied largely between different degree programmes. A total of 138 bachelor’s degree students provided open-ended feedback related to study guidance or study progress. They wished for more clarity, instructions, and flexibility.  Recognition of competence (RC) was also mentioned in the open-ended feedback, with students finding it difficult and hoping for better instructions. The feedback on study guidance was varied; many felt that the study guidance was sufficient and of high quality, but some wished for more support, especially regarding personal study plans and study planning. Students mainly felt that the quality of teaching was good. “Study guidance has been smooth, and my studies are progressing as planned.” 

Of master’s degree students, 41 commented on study guidance, most of whom stated that they were satisfied with how their studies had started and felt they were able to receive guidance when needed. Students considered the support and community spirit of their group to be important and the contact teaching days to be useful.   “Our teachers are true experts, and the help and peer support from the group have been excellent. My group has been fantastic!” 

TUTORING

Student tutoring has been helpful in starting studies

Of bachelor’s degree students, 35% had utilised tutoring. Regarding the statement “Student tutoring has helped me,” 83% of respondents responded “very well” or “somewhat well.” Students provided much positive feedback regarding tutors. Tutoring was considered valuable, helpful, kind, and proactive. Based on their feedback, students did not identify any specific areas for improvement in tutoring. “It’s really nice to have tutors, as it’s easy to ask them about anything you might need help with or tips for.”

COMMUNICATION FORUMS

Learn was considered a very important communication forum. Of bachelor’s degree students, 96% responded that Learn is a very or somewhat important communication forum in their studies, while the number for master’s degree students was 94%.

Tuudo was also considered especially important by 82% of bachelor’s degree students. However, the perceived importance of Tuudo varied between degree programmes, and master’s degree students rated Tuudo as less important than bachelor’s degree students, i.e., 59%.

The importance of the student intranet Lux also varied widely between degree programmes. Other communication forums considered important were email, Teams, Peppi, and Whatsapp. 

According to the open feedback, students still felt there were too many communication channels: “I was surprised how many different platforms we have in use. I think this is something that could be simplified by combining some of the sites.”

BRAND

While the new location of the Kotka campus was considered better than before, the campus cities in general were not considered very appealing.

Regarding the statement “Xamk offers attractive study opportunities,” 83% of bachelor’s degree students and 86% of master’s degree students responded that this reflected their opinion “very well” or “somewhat well.”

As for the statement “Xamk offers possibilities for internationalisation,” 72% of bachelor’s degree students responded “very well” or “somewhat well.” However, this statement received many “I cannot say” responses (15%), with significant variation in responses between degree programmes. Many master’s degree students also responded with “I cannot say” (31%), whereas the percentage of master’s degree students agreeing with the statement was 50.

To the statement “Xamk offers a high standard of teaching,” 82% of bachelor’s degree students and 84% of master’s degree students responded “very well” or “somewhat well.”

Master’s degree students were satisfied with the information available on Xamk’s website, with 87% of them responding “very well” or “somewhat well” to the statement “Xamk’s website offers useful information about different study opportunities and applying.” The number for bachelor’s degree students was 77%.

Bachelor’s degree students were more satisfied with the location of their campus; 70% responded “very well” or “somewhat well” to the statement “The campus is in a convenient location,” whereas in autumn 2023, this number was 61%.  Degree programmes on the Kotka and Savonlinna campuses, in particular, scored higher than before here. 

As in previous years, the statement that received the lowest rating in the entire survey was “The campus city is appealing.” The median response for this statement from both bachelor’s and master’s degree students was 3. This statement also had the most variation between degree programmes.      

Master’s degree students in particular would recommend their degree programme

The statement that received the lowest rating among bachelor’s degree students (median response 3, i.e., neither poorly nor well) was “The campus city is appealing”, even if it was slightly higher than before. The differences between different degree programmes were also vast here, and this statement also received the most “somewhat poorly” and “very poorly” responses in the survey, a total of 15%, which, however, has decreased by four percentage points from last spring.

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) indicates how willing students are to recommend their degree programmes to others. In this survey, the NPS was calculated based on the question, “How likely is it that you would recommend your degree programme to a friend or acquaintance?” A Net Promoter Score of over 50 is considered high.

The NPS for bachelor’s degree students was 26, which was good. The NPS for master’s degree students was 53, which was high, and for open study path students, it was 41.

Bachelor’s degree students who would recommend their degree programmes stated the following reasons: Xamk offers high-quality education and teaching, their studies are up-to-date, the support services are efficient, and studying at Xamk is practical and flexible. “Studying here is versatile and interesting. Our study environment functions well and is inspiring. The teaching is of high quality.”

Master’s degree students would recommend their degree programmes because they consider them very versatile, up-to-date, and practical, with high-quality studies that can be completed alongside work. Students were also thankful for online studies. The quality of education was considered high, and studies were considered sufficiently challenging. Students feel that their teachers are competent and that the study atmosphere is positive. They also consider their learning environments effective. “Teaching is of high quality here, and I can easily balance my studies with my work.”

Reasons why open study path students would recommend their studies can be seen in comments such as the following: “The study opportunities are versatile, meaning that everyone can find something to their liking, which is why I rated it a 10.”

Those who would not recommend their degree programmes did not always provide reasons for their decision, although some mentioned difficulties in starting their studies and practical problems.

According to bachelor’s degree students, adjectives that best describe Xamk are versatile, good, nice, inspiring, high-quality, and excellent.

According to master’s degree students, the adjective that best describes Xamk is versatile. Other adjectives mentioned were modern, flexible, interesting, high-quality, fresh, developing, humane, and innovative.

Arrival survey in brief

The arrival survey responses were collected during November and December from degree students who began their studies in autumn 2024. A total of 1,160 students responded to the survey.

The survey collects information about

• starting of studies;
• study guidance and progress;
• student tutoring;
• communication forums related to studies;
• likelihood to recommend;
• Xamk’s brand.

All degree students and open study path students respond to the arrival survey during their first semester. The survey is conducted anonymously. 

The response options were: 5 = very well, 4 = somewhat well, 3 = neither poorly nor well, 2 = somewhat poorly, 1 = very poorly, and, finally, ‘I cannot say’, which was not taken into account when calculating the mean responses.