Student and graduate satisfaction rates up more than two per cent

April 14, 2011

Oshawa, Ont. – Durham College students and graduates are increasingly satisfied with their overall educational experience while graduates continue to find jobs according to the recent provincial government Key Performance Indicator (KPI) survey results of Ontario colleges.

The results show 83.2 per cent of Durham College students found employment within six months of graduation in 2010, an increase of 0.4 of a percentage point over 2009’s results. The college’s graduate satisfaction rate of 76.3 per cent, which measures the percentage of graduates who believe that their college experience helped them achieve their goals after graduation, showed an increase of 2.1 percentage points compared to 2009.

In addition, the student satisfaction rate was up with 72.5 per cent of current students indicating their fulfillment with a wide variety of issues including quality of faculty, facilities and support services. The college also placed in the provincial top 10 for graduation rate with 66.8 per cent, a figure that measures the percentage of students who successfully complete their college program.

“I am very pleased with this year’s results considering all of the construction and other changes that have been occurring on campus,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “Durham College is working hard to provide an exceptional student experience. We recently opened our state-of-the-art Student Services building and have introduced a whole new process to serve our students better.

“At the same time we are upgrading and revitalizing a large portion of our existing campuses, including classrooms, laboratories and student study areas. All of these changes complement the dedication and commitment of our faculty who continue to provide quality learning experiences for our students, day in and day out.”

In addition to the completion of the new Student Services building, extensive renovations and construction took place across both campuses during this academic year, including major upgrades to the college’s Gordon Willey building at the Oshawa campus. The Whitby campus also featured massive improvements to the campus’ main building, and the addition of the 20,000-square-foot expanded shop area which is nearing completion and will be part of Phase 2 of the three-phase expansion.

Since 1998, the KPI surveys have been mandated annually by the provincial government and require colleges to collect and report performance data in the areas of graduate satisfaction, student satisfaction, employer satisfaction, graduate employment and graduation rate.

Two capstone questions, which are used in determining the Student Satisfaction rate, demonstrated favourable results for Durham College. When asked whether their program is giving them the knowledge and skills that will be useful in their career, 86.3 per cent of students indicated they were very satisfied, while 76.5 per cent said they were very satisfied with the overall quality of the learning experiences in their program.

To view the complete KPI results, please visit the Colleges Ontario website.

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About Durham College
At Durham College, the student experience comes first. In September 2010, the college welcomed more than 30,000 students to campus including more than 7,500 full-time post-secondary students as well as part-time, Second Career and continuing education students; apprentices; and online learners. The college offers a wide range of market-driven programs in a number of different disciplines including business, information technology, energy, media, art, design, general arts and sciences, skilled trades, justice, emergency services and health care, enabling them to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market.

A three-phase expansion of the college’s Whitby campus is currently underway. Phase 1 opened in September 2009 and Phase 2, nearing completion, is creating expanded shop space for several building trades and will also feature two homes where students will learn about sustainable construction and building. Phase 3 will be a building focused on food, hospitality and tourism. In addition, a new Student Services building opened at the Oshawa campus in January 2011.

For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000.

Media contact for Durham College:
Michelle Roebuck
Communications officer
Durham College
905.721.2000 ext. 2197
michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca

 

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