📢 UTHSC ITS — Communications Preferences & User Suggestions Dashboard

Channel Preferences · Service & Software Requests · Survey Improvement Feedback

📊 Overview — Communications Preferences & Suggestions

196 Respondents · 6 Channels · 3-Point Scale
ℹ️ Scale Note: This section uses a 3-point preference scale — Do Not Prefer = 1 · Somewhat Prefer = 2 · Strongly Prefer = 3. Weighted averages are out of 3.0. Blanks are excluded from calculations. "Strongly Prefer %" serves as the positive satisfaction metric. "Do Not Prefer %" is the dissatisfaction metric.
2.27
Highest Avg Score
Daily Digest (out of 3.0)
44.94%
Top "Strongly Prefer" %
Daily Digest
40.14%
Top "Do Not Prefer" %
Dean/Director ⚠️

✅ Key Insights

  • Many respondents reported no additional service needs: A large number of comments said there were no additional software, hardware, or service requests, suggesting current ITS offerings are meeting baseline needs for many users.
  • AI and premium software access is the strongest request cluster: Respondents requested Claude, Copilot Pro, Canva Pro, NotebookLM, more current AI versions in the UT AI Hub, and related integrations — indicating growing demand for higher-capability AI tools.
  • Content-creation, documentation, and communication tools are in demand: Several comments requested Canva, Scribe, Grammarly, Camtasia, Audiate, Trello, and password-management capabilities for training content, course materials, and administrative communication.
  • Positive comments were common: Several respondents thanked ITS directly or said current service is already good. Others said the survey was good as-is, straightforward, thorough, or did not need changes.
  • 43 respondents believe they already have the information they need: This suggests that some existing communications and awareness efforts are effective for a meaningful portion of the audience.

⚠️ Areas of Concern

  • Survey length and complexity are the clearest repeated improvement opportunities: The most common feedback about the survey itself was that it is too long and should be shortened or simplified. Respondents also asked for better definitions, clearer response options, a Not Applicable option, and more intuitive rating mechanics.
  • Survey usability issues may affect data quality: Several comments noted possible confusion around star ratings, lack of ability to clear accidental selections, ambiguous terminology, and the need for better visual formatting — practical design issues that could influence response quality.
  • Respondents want visible follow-through on the survey results: Some comments recommended sharing survey results and follow-up actions through a town hall or similar communication channel, wanting evidence that feedback is being reviewed and acted upon.
  • Some comments point to service-model needs, not just software procurement: One notable request was the ability to hire or access support for redesigning an existing course rather than requiring faculty to learn a new design platform themselves — suggesting service support or instructional design assistance is needed.
  • Specialized academic and research platforms remain important: Respondents requested ExamSoft-related tools, Research Rabbit, Open Evidence, DocuSign, and electronic clinical trial management software — specific workflow needs that go beyond standard office productivity.

📡 Weighted Average Score by Channel (out of 3.0)

✅ Strongly Prefer % vs ⛔ Do Not Prefer % — All Channels

💻 Group 1 — Direct Digital Communication Channels

Daily Digest · ITS Website · ITS Newsletter · TechConnect Portal
What this group measures: ITS-controlled digital channels that push content directly to users or provide on-demand information access. These 4 channels consistently outperform indirect channels — all scoring above 2.10 out of 3.0 — and collectively represent the preferred mode of ITS communication.
2.27
Daily Digest
🥇 Highest avg
2.26
ITS Newsletter
🥈 Close second
2.20
ITS Website
🥉 Third
2.10
TechConnect Portal
4th in group
44.94%
Top Strongly Prefer %
Daily Digest
22.73%
Highest Do Not Prefer %
TechConnect Portal

📊 Preference Distribution — Do Not / Somewhat / Strongly Prefer (Response Counts)

📊 Strongly Prefer vs Do Not Prefer — Response Counts

✅ Daily Digest and ITS Newsletter tie at ~44.7–45.0% "Strongly Prefer" — the two most-desired channels. TechConnect Portal has the highest "Do Not Prefer" rate within this group (22.73%), suggesting room to improve awareness or ease-of-use perceptions.

📋 Group 2 — Indirect / Passive Communication Channels

Digital Signs/Posters · Dean/Director/Business Manager
What this group measures: Passive visual displays (digital signage) and hierarchical communication routed through administrative intermediaries. Both channels rank at the bottom overall, with significantly higher rejection rates than all direct digital channels.
1.98
Digital Signs/Posters
Avg (out of 3.0)
1.76
Dean/Director
⚠️ Lowest overall
40.14%
Do Not Prefer %
Dean/Director — highest rejection
16.33%
Strongly Prefer %
Dean/Director — lowest desire

📊 Preference Distribution — Do Not / Somewhat / Strongly Prefer (Response Counts)

📊 Strongly Prefer vs Do Not Prefer — Response Counts

⚠️ Key Finding: Dean/Director/Business Manager channel has the highest "Do Not Prefer" rate (40.14%) AND lowest "Strongly Prefer" rate (16.33%) of all 6 channels. Administrative intermediary communication is the least preferred method — ITS should minimize reliance on this channel for time-sensitive or critical communications.

🏆 Overall Rankings — All 6 Communication Channels

Ranked by Weighted Average Score (out of 3.0)

✅ Strongly Prefer % vs ⛔ Do Not Prefer % — Ranked

✅ Clear Pattern: All 4 Digital channels rank above both Indirect channels — a clean separation. Daily Digest and ITS Newsletter are statistically tied for 1st (~2.26–2.27 avg, ~44.7–45.0% Strongly Prefer). The gap between #4 TechConnect (2.10) and #5 Digital Signs (1.98) represents the Digital vs. Indirect divide.

🛠️ Service, Software & Hardware Requests

Open-Response Thematic Analysis
ℹ️ Analysis Note: Open-text responses were coded thematically. Counts represent approximate mention frequency across all responses. "Satisfied/No Request" responses are equally significant — indicating baseline contentment with current offerings.
🤖 AI & Productivity Tools
12
mentions — most requested category
Claude / Claude.aiCanva Pro Scribe (enterprise)Otter GrammarlyNotebookLM Research RabbitGemini Pro versions of current toolsAI Hub upgrades
✅ Satisfied / No Request
12
responses — equally common
NoneN/A Nothing at this timeWell done Good as is
🏥 Clinical & Specialized Software
5
mentions
ExamSoft EnterpriseExamSCORE ExamNowDocuSign Clinical Trial Mgmt SWOpen Evidence
🤝 Collaboration & Productivity Tools
4
mentions
TrelloTechSmith Camtasia AudiateCopilot Pro Spark Email
🎓 Learning & Course Design
3
mentions
Course redesign assistance Smart learning videos Alt. learning style tools
🌐 Infrastructure & Access
3
mentions
Guest Wi-Fi Better chatbot Phone (hardware) iCloud access on campus Wi-Fi

💬 Notable Verbatim Requests

"Would be nice to have Otter, Claude and Canva Pro paid for... I think there are also other things our department could use more ITS assistance in."
"I would LOVE an enterprise account to Scribe. The paid version allows us to redact personal information and capture the entire screen versus just our browser. This is especially useful when creating instructions for less technologically literate employees."
"In UT AI Hub, it would be better to have the recent versions of all AI softwares."
"UTHSC needs a guest wifi that employees and students can easily access when needed."
"Pro versions of current tools. Claude Code and Cowork. Research Rabbit, or others for research based applications. Tools specific to alternative learning styles."
"I would really like to have integration with Spark email reader and Claude.ai."
"I would like to be able to hire someone to redo a course or online course... I don't have the bandwidth to learn a design program. All the content is there but I can't learn a new program. That would be super helpful."

📝 Survey Improvement Feedback

Open-Response Thematic Analysis — "What can ITS do to improve this survey for next year?"
ℹ️ Analysis Note: Responses were coded into 7 themes. Two dominant themes emerged in near-equal frequency: "Make it shorter" and "Positive / Keep as is" — suggesting a divided audience of engaged critics and satisfied users. Specific usability and clarity suggestions provide actionable design improvements.

📋 Feedback Theme Summary

⚠️ Make it shorter / too long
10 responses · 23.3%
✅ Positive / Keep as is / Great job
10 responses · 23.3%
— No suggestions / N/A
8 responses · 18.6%
🔧 Clarify questions / Add N/A / Formatting
7 responses · 16.3%
🤖 Expand AI coverage / focus
3 responses · 7.0%
📢 Share results / Hold townhall
2 responses · 4.7%
💬 Other / Miscellaneous
3 responses · 7.0%

⚠️ Constructive Feedback — Notable Comments

"It's way too long. I know there is a lot of information we'd like to gather, but I feel that the results are going to skew heavily towards negative responses because people who are upset/angry are more likely to take the time to complete a survey of this length."
"I could have used a 'Not Applicable' option for some of the questions."
"Place the ratings on a separate line from the beginning text... At first glance, it made it seem like 1 was the higher rating, which could skew the accuracy of your results."
"Provide definitions for some of the terms/categories."
"When entering Likert scale ratings, there is no way to clear the stars on an option should you accidentally click on them."
"When showing links to other web pages, those should open in a separate window to facilitate navigation between the page & the survey."
"Some of the questions/options use terms that have unclear/nebulous meaning that can be misinterpreted depending on the perspective of the respondent."

✅ Positive & Forward-Looking Feedback

"This survey covered all areas. Thank you."
"I LIKE THIS SURVEY AS IS"
"Don't have any suggestions for improving, as it was easy and straightforward."
"Hold a townhall to share the results, and the corresponding actions to be taken."
"More on specific AI platforms to identify which ones UT folks are using most. That would allow you to identify which ones to offer and/or highlight features already available in UT AI platforms."
"Expand on AI as its implementation and application in the workspace grows."
"Just continue to be responsive to requests of the personnel."
⚠️ Top 3 Actionable Improvements for Next Year's Survey: (1) Shorten the survey — add conditional logic to skip irrelevant sections per respondent role. (2) Add "Not Applicable" options to all Likert-scale questions. (3) Clarify rating scale direction — make clear that 5 = best at point of entry, and allow star ratings to be cleared.
UTHSC ITS Communications Preferences & User Suggestions Dashboard  ·  196 Respondents  ·  6 Channels · 2 Groups  ·  v3
Jul 21, 2026