| SURVEYS: Survey of Graduates |
ASSESSMENT PLAN
Revised 97-98
In Spring 1998 the department discontinued the previous, locally developed survey of
graduating psychology majors and replaced it with a more comprehensive survey developed by
the Educational Testing Service (ETS). This allows for the comparison of student ratings
of departmental services to national norms. Representative items deal with student
perceptions of; the degree of academic challenge posed by the department, the support
students receive from one another, student-faculty communication, faculty interest in
student welfare, scholarly and professional competence of the faculty, quality of teaching
methods, and the helpfulness of critical feedback from faculty. The survey of graduates
conducted Spring 1993 included some questions which address the issue of student
achievement. Revised 95-96
A survey of our graduates with a Teaching Endorsement in Psychology was distributed. This
instrument assessed students perceptions of their learning. Graduates were asked to rate
themselves with a five-point scale on 43 abilities and knowledge areas in General
Psychology. A sample item is: "Understand the use of statistics in forming a
conclusion from a research study." Results only recently began to come in, therefore,
there is little to report at this time. Meanwhile, another survey is under construction to
assess how other Psychology Departments prepare students to teach Psychology at the high
school level. This information would be used in conjunction with the survey of Teaching
Endorsement graduates to improve the quality of our training in this area. |
2000-2001
ASSESSMENT
The survey contains about 100 items, and for ease of presentation only the scale scores
are reported below. All data are coded on a scale of 1-4.
| Scale |
Comparitive
data from
ETS |
Our Students
1998
(n=44) |
Our Students
1998
(n=52) |
| Environment for
Learning |
3.07 |
3.13 |
3.29 |
| Scholarly
Excellence |
3.06 |
3.20 |
3.44 |
| Quality of
Teaching |
2.98 |
2.98 |
3.25 |
| Faculty Concern
for Students |
2.98 |
3.07 |
3.29 |
| Curriculum |
2.57 |
2.76 |
3.04 |
| Departmental
Procedures |
2.74 |
2.68 |
2.99 |
| Available
Resources |
2.64 |
2.94 |
3.16 |
| Student
Satisfaction |
3.26 |
3.22 |
3.45 |
| Internships and Field
Experiences |
3.11 |
2.84 |
3.58 |
| Resource
Accessibility |
2.59 |
2.62 |
2.94 |
In 1998, UNK Psychology was above the
mean on 6/10 areas assessed. In 2001, UNK Psychology was above the mean in all 10 areas.
Notably, the 1998 deficiency in the area of internships and field experiences disappeared
and, in fact, this area appeared to ba a clear strength in the 2001 data. This is probably
due to improvements made in the clinical field experience in response to the 1998
findings. Specifically, more structure in the field experience was provided in terms of a
handbook and written assignments.
The departmental Assessment Committee will meet during the Fall 2001 semester to discuss
how to interpret and use the findings from the 2001 ETS Survey. |
1999-2000 ASSESSMENT
|
1998-99 ASSESSMENT
The survey contains about 100 items, and for ease of presentation only the scale scores
are reported below. All data are coded on a scale of 1-4.
| Scale |
|
Comparative
data from
ETS |
|
Our
Students |
| Environment for Learning |
|
3.07 |
|
3.13 |
| Scholarly Excellence |
|
3.06 |
|
3.20 |
| Quality of Teaching |
|
2.98 |
|
2.98 |
| Faculty Concern for Students |
|
2.98 |
|
3.07 |
| Curriculum |
|
2.57 |
|
2.76 |
| Departmental Procedures |
|
2.74 |
|
2.68 |
| Available Resources |
|
2.64 |
|
2.94 |
| Student Satisfaction |
|
3.26 |
|
3.22 |
| Internships and Field Experiences |
|
3.11 |
|
2.84 |
| Resource Accessibility |
|
2.59 |
|
2.62 |
In Fall, 1999 the departmental Assessment
Committee met to discuss how to interpret and use the findings of the ACAT (Area
Concentration Achievement Test) and the PAQ (Program Assessment Questionnaire). The least
effective aspect of the program, from the student's point of view, is the internship/field
experience component. To address this, next semester we will gather data on which
internships and field experiences each student participated in. |
1997-98 ASSESSMENT
To contain costs, Spring and Fall results will be submitted in one batch to ETS for
processing. Therefore, no results are yet available. |
1996-97 ASSESSMENT
At this point, 78 interviews have been conducted with graduating seniors since the Fall 93
semester. The mean age of our graduates is 24. The following is a summary of the relevant,
quantifiable results of this survey. All numbers represent student ratings on a 7-point
scale (1-7) for each of the areas listed.
| Satisfaction with your
degree |
5.67 |
| Quality of instruction in
Psychology |
5.45 |
| Satisfaction with course
offerings |
5.26 |
| Psychology Department
compared to other departments |
5.70 |
| Satisfaction with advising |
4.80 |
| Preparation for
post-graduate plans |
5.21 |
The relatively low rating
of our advising is being addressed through an "overhaul" of the advising system.
Since 1994, our department has offered "tiered" advising, that is, each advisor
saw only students of a given class level (e.g., freshmen). Consequently, students changed
advisors upon each change in class level. Anecdotal and survey feedback from students
indicated that they generally prefer to work with one advisor over their undergraduate
careers. Therefore, effective Spring 1997, we have assigned a permanent advisor in the
Freshman year and are continuing to monitor student satisfaction. |
1995-96 ASSESSMENT
Forty-six surveys have been administered to graduating seniors since the Fall 93 semester.
The mean age of our graduates is 24. The following is a summary of the relevant,
quantifiable results of this survey. All numbers represent student ratings on a 7-point
scale (1-7) for each of the areas listed.
| Satisfaction with your
degree |
|
| Quality of instruction in
Psychology |
5.46 |
| Satisfaction with course
offerings |
5.30 |
| Psychology Department
compared to other departments |
5.61 |
| Satisfaction with advising |
4.50 |
| Preparation for
post-graduate plans |
5.17 |
The relatively low rating
of our advising is being addressed through an "overhaul" of the advising system.
Since 1994, our department has offered "tiered" advising, that is, each advisor
saw only students of a given class level (e.g., freshmen). Consequently, students changed
advisors upon each change in class level. Anecdotal and survey feedback from students
indicated that they generally prefer to work with one advisor over their undergraduate
careers. Therefore, effective Spring 1997, we will assign a permanent advisor in the
Freshman year and continue to monitor student satisfaction. |
1994-95 ASSESSMENT
At this point, 23 surveys have been administered to graduating seniors over the Fall 93,
Spring 94 and Fall 94 semesters. The mean age of our graduates is 26. The following is a
summary of the quantifiable results of this survey. All numbers represent student ratings
on a 7-point scale (1-7, with seven being the most positive) for each of the areas listed.
| Satisfaction with your degree |
5.70 |
| Quality of instruction in Psychology |
5.20 |
| Satisfaction with course offerings |
5.36 |
| Psychology Department compared to other
departments |
5.35 |
| Satisfaction with advising |
4.77 |
| Preparation for post-graduate plans |
5.08 |
A survey of our alumni
will go out in January 1996. From this we will acquire retrospective data on many of these
same areas as assessed with the Graduate Survey, in addition to the degree of satisfaction
and success our majors have experienced in their careers. |
1993-94 ASSESSMENT
The preliminary results are meager (only 9 surveys administered). The most consistent
feedback from students thus far is that they sought more training and experience in
applied psychology and human services. The department is considering a comprehensive major
for those students who are focused on these areas. Two students complained that their
advisors were not "accessible." A new edition of the departmental advising
handbook is nearing completion which will address the advising relationship and a new
tiered advising system is being implemented. We will continue to administer the survey
every semester, along with the Comprehensive Exam. |
| SURVEYS: Survey of Alumni |
ASSESSMENT PLAN
It is intended that a periodic survey of alumni will provide retrospective data on many of
the same areas assessed by the survey of graduates. In addition, the degree of
satisfaction and success our majors are experiencing in their careers and/or graduate
study will be assessed. |
2000-2001 ASSESSMENTNo new data. The department will mail out
standardized ETS surveys that parallel the student surveys during Fall 2001. |
| 1999-2000 ASSESSMENT |
1998-99 ASSESSMENT
No new data. |
1997-98
ASSESSMENT
There was no new data for 1997-98. |
1996-97 ASSESSMENT
A second formal survey of our alumni was distributed in June 1996. From this we are
continuing to acquire retrospective data on many of the same areas assessed using the exit
interview, as well as on the degree of satisfaction and success our majors have
experienced in their careers. The mean age of the respondents was 28 and 83% of them were
female. The dates of graduation of the respondents ranged from 1992-1995. The following is
a summary of the relevant, quantifiable results of this survey. All numbers represent
student ratings on a 7-point scale (1-7) for each of the areas listed.
| Satisfaction with your
degree |
5.68 |
| Quality of instruction in
Psychology |
5.41 |
| Satisfaction with course
offerings |
5.17 |
| Psychology Department
compared to other departments |
5.10 |
| Satisfaction with advising |
4.18 |
| Preparation for
post-graduate plans |
4.61 |
Psychology majors complete
a similar survey just prior to graduation and those results can be found under 1996-97 Survey of Graduates. |
1995-96 ASSESSMENT
A survey of our alumni went out in June 1996. From this we are acquiring retrospective
data on many of the same areas assessed with the Graduate Survey, as well as on the degree
of satisfaction and success our majors have experienced in their careers. The mean age of
the respondents was 28 and 83% of them were female. The dates of graduation ranged from
1992-1995. The following is a summary of the relevant, quantifiable results of this
survey. All numbers represent student ratings on a 7-point scale (1-7) for each of the
areas listed.
| Satisfaction with your degree |
5.68 |
| Quality of instruction in Psychology |
5.41 |
| Satisfaction with course offerings |
5.17 |
| Psychology Department compared to other
departments |
5.10 |
| Satisfaction with advising |
4.18 |
| Preparation for post-graduate plans |
4.61 |
|
