Alumni Survey

Dear Student of the University of Piraeus,

Within the framework of the course “Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Business Administration” of the Department of Business Administration at the University of Piraeus, taught by Professor Sotirios Bersimis, an online survey titled “Academic Life and Progress of Studies at the University of Piraeus” is being conducted. The research is under the auspices of the Department of Business Administration and the Rectorate of the University.

The primary objective of this online survey is to investigate and record the factors that influence the academic life of active students at the University of Piraeus. More specifically, it aims to outline the student profile as well as the factors that may positively or negatively impact the progress of their studies.

A secondary objective of the research is to utilize its findings to create a new student support service during their academic journey. This service will aim to address and mitigate, as much as possible, issues that may act as deterrents to the timely completion of studies.

This research is based on a questionnaire that includes categories of questions designed to explore and map the factors affecting the academic life of students at the University of Piraeus.

The questions included in this questionnaire have been used in similar studies by various universities worldwide. The structure of the questionnaire is as follows:

• Key Enrollment & Studies Data: This section of the questionnaire aims to identify the basic introductory information of the respondent, whether an active student or an alumnus, such as the Department of the University they attend or have graduated from, year of admission/graduation, method of university admission, overall experience with University services, etc.

• Personal Information and Family Environment: This section aims to record the family status of the respondent (family size, number of children in the family), general demographic data, and the educational background of the parents.

• Financial and Family Status (during your studies): This section aims to detect any intra-family factors that may influence academic performance, such as the marital status of parents during the student’s studies, financial status, etc.

• Personal Health: According to studies and findings, an individual’s personal health during their studies can significantly affect student performance. Chronic illnesses can pose obstacles to a student’s academic life.

• Educational Background and Performance History: Another section examined when exploring the student’s academic journey is the school years, particularly High School, as well as the individual’s performance history during that period. Other elements examined here include extracurricular activities and special interests that shape the individual’s academic profile.

• Student Housing and Employment: In an urban center, where commuting times are long, student housing plays a leading role. The distance from the individual’s residence to the University and the means of transportation used (private vehicle, public transport, etc.) are some of the elements examined in this section, which decisively affect the individual’s interest and attitude towards their studies. Concurrently, employment during studies is also examined in this section, as a substantial number of students work parallel to their studies.

• Personality Traits: Finally, we could not omit examining the personality traits of the individual. Studies have shown that there are dominant characteristics which, once identified, can provide an estimate of the individual’s tendency toward a better academic path.

Your participation is extremely valuable, and the data collected will be anonymous and strictly confidential. Furthermore, the collected data will not be cross-referenced with any other registry of the University of Piraeus, nor will it update any registry in any way. All responses will be used exclusively for research purposes by the University of Piraeus. Your participation is voluntary and, at the same time, highly significant. For any clarifications regarding matters concerning the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you may contact dpo@unipi.gr.

If you are a student of the University of Piraeus, you can complete the questionnaire here: University of Piraeus Student Questionnaire.

Completing the questionnaire takes approximately 10 minutes. For any clarifications, you can contact us via email at: quest@unipi.gr

We invite you to participate in this research, which is of great importance to the University of Piraeus, and we warmly thank you in advance for your participation and contribution to our study.

Sincerely,

The students participating in the research on behalf of the research team: Georgios Vasilas, Emmanouil-Eleftherios Katsoulakis, Aikaterini Papamatthaiaki, Anastasios-Dimitrios Kallitsaris, Nikoleta Tirsina

The Course Instructor,

Professor S. Bersimis