Take Fall 2021 Pulse Survey #2

October 27, 2021

Dear Berkeley undergraduate student,

We invite you to take the second Pulse Survey of the term. These confidential, one-minute pulse surveys capture your feedback so we can better support you. Complete Fall 2021 Pulse Survey #2 for a chance to win a $100 gift card of your choice.

Fall 2021 Pulse Survey #2 is now open
This Pulse Survey asks about your November travel plans, thoughts on student housing, Wi-Fi performance, COVID safety measures and messaging, and overall well-being. A link to the Pulse Survey is below and appears as a task in CalCentral. These surveys are confidential and results will be displayed only in aggregate. The survey closes on November 10, 2021.

Take Fall 2021 Pulse Survey #2

Results from Fall 2021 Pulse Survey #1
The results of the first student pulse survey of the fall semester are now available. Some highlights:

  • 36% of undergraduates and 29% of graduate students report wanting more in-person co-curricular services (51% and 60%, respectively, report the mixture of in-person and remote services is about right and 12% report wanting more remote services). Many of our most highly-used services (including Cal Student CentralHousingRecSports, the libraries and more) are open for in-person services, and we will use this feedback to resume even more in-person services.
  • 80% of undergraduate and 36% of graduate students are taking a mixture of in-person and remote classes this semester with the majority reporting it is due to the class being larger than 200 people (73% of undergraduates) and/or because the class they wanted was only offered via remote instruction (62% of graduate students). The campus has announced plans for all in-person instruction for spring semester. For the small group of students who prefer virtual learning, they can search the Academic Guide for online and web-based courses.
  • Internet quality on campus has been a challenge for 41% of graduate and 62% of undergraduate students, while 21% of graduate and 25% of undergraduate students report internet quality challenges at home. Information Services & Technology (IST) recognizes that the ongoing issues with our Wi-Fi network since the beginning of fall semester are having a negative impact on instruction and learning, and have been working hard to resolve them as quickly as possible. The Wi-Fi issues have a number of underlying causes, making resolving the problem complex. We are cautiously optimistic the permanent fix provided by the vendor and implemented this week will resolve many remaining issues. Free and low-cost off-campus Wi-Fi options are available.

Survey Drawing Winners
The first set of students to win $100 gift cards are:

  • Coco Ma, Computer Science and Statistics (Undergraduate Student)
  • Olivia Liu, Sociology and Education (Undergraduate Student)
  • Andi Liu, Letters & Science (Undergraduate Student)
  • Ryan Hunt, Philosophy (Undergraduate Student)
  • Elizabeth Boxer, Public Health (Graduate Student)
  • Brendan Henrique, Education (Graduate Student)

If you have any questions or problems with the Pulse Survey, please contact ucbsurveys@berkeley.edu.

Thank you,

Oliver M. O’Reilly
Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education 

Lisa García Bedolla
Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division

Stephen C. Sutton
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs


This message was sent to all UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students.