University of Alabama

Graduating Senior Survey: 2005-06 Graduates Graduating Senior Survey 2005-2006 Report Compiled by Jon Charles Acker, Ph.D., Coordinator of Student Assessment Office of Institutional Research and Assessment The University of Alabama ii Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………. 1 Data Collection and Respondent Characteristics ………………………………….. 3 Omnibus Survey Results …………………………………………………………………. 5 Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………………. 103 Colleges and Schools College of Arts and Sciences ……………………………………………………………. 105 Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration …………… 149 College of Communication and Information Sciences ………………………….. 183 College of Education ……………………………………………………………………… 213 College of Engineering …………………………………………………………………… 237 College of Human Environmental Sciences ………………………………………… 259 Capstone College of Nursing …………………………………………………………… 283 School of Social Work …………………………………………………………………….. 305 iii iv INTRODUCTION his is the fifth year that the Graduating Senior Survey has been administered at the University. The instrument covers a wide variety of T topics. First, information about the general knowledge, skills, personal development and professional growth of the students is questioned. Second, perceptions regarding major and core courses, faculty, instruction, advising, facilities, campus services and opportunities, and the overall intellectual environment at UA are requested. Third, extracurricular information about participation in clubs and organizations, and one’s work status throughout college is sought. Lastly, the students’ job search and post-graduation plans, as well as their geographic employment preferences are queried. There is also ample opportunity to expand upon a response with open- ended questions. The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) is responsible for the administration, tabulation, and dissemination of the results. While the data disseminated after the first administration in May 2002 has proven to be quite valuable and insightful to many on campus there remains a concern about the response rate. The response rate for the initial May 2002 administration was 39%. The response rate since then, however, has dropped substantially to the current 22.5% for the 2005-06 academic year. OIRA continues to try and get the colleges, and even the departments and programs, more involved in encouraging their soon-to-be graduates to complete the instrument. 1 2 DATA COLLECTION & RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS ata were collected using web-based submission. The SIS/Data Resources office sent an email to students that had applied for D graduation in each term. This email described the survey, asked for their participation, and provided a link to take them directly to the survey. In total, 627 graduating undergraduate students completed the survey out of a total of 2,792 that graduated, for a 22.5% response rate. After the academic year ended, SIS/Data Resources Survey Responses by Graduation Term provided demographic and Survey Grad Response academic information on all N Total Rate undergraduate graduates. Summer Term 102 594 17.2% The 627 respondents were Fall Term 146 793 18.4% broken down into various Spring Term 379 1,405 27.0% 627 2,792 22.5% demographic and academic categories for comparison Grad. Total = Number of total graduates with all 2,792 undergraduate graduates. This was done to discern how representative the respondents were to the entire graduating population. These categories included sex, ethnicity, major college, first major, final GPA groupings, and entrance exam groupings (see next page). 3 Respondent and Overall Demographic and Academic Comparison Sex N R% All% Higher Ed. GPA N R% All% Males 232 37.0 45.1 >3.500 178 28.4 24.5 Females 395 63.0 54.8 3.000 – 3.499 216 34.4 32.3 627 2.500 – 2.999 172 27.4 29.2 Ethnicity 2.000 – 2.499 61 9.7 14.1 White 548 87.4 84.3 627 African-American 67 10.7 12.5 ACT Composite Score Non-Resident Aliens 0 0.0 0.9 >30 44 7.0 4.7 Asian-American 5 0.8 0.9 25 – 29 156 24.9 20.5 Hispanic 4 0.6 1.0 20 – 24 204 32.5 33.7 Native-American 3 0.5 0.4 <20 77 12.3 14.2 627 No Score 146 23.3 26.9 627 Major College N R% All% Major* N R% All% A&S 179 28.5 27.7 Telecomm. & Film 20 3.2 2.7 C&BA 155 24.7 28.7 Elementary Education 20 3.2 3.2 C&IS 85 13.6 12.0 Criminal Justice 18 2.9 2.5 Education 43 6.9 7.2 History 15 2.4 2.0 Engineering 52 8.3 7.3 Healthcare Mgmt. in CBA 15 2.4 2.0 HES 63 10.0 12.2 English 15 2.4 2.5 Nursing 43 6.9 3.8 Civil Engineering 14 2.2 1.5 Social Work 7 1.1 1.1 Political Science 11 1.8 2.3 627 Mechanical Engineering 11 1.8 1.6 Major* Chemistry 11 1.8 0.8 Nursing 40 6.4 3.4 Biology 11 1.8 2.5 Marketing 35 5.6 5.4 Interior Design 10 1.6 1.6 Psychology 32 5.1 4.2 Human Dev & Fam. Stud. 10 1.6 1.9 Management 32 5.1 5.6 Communicative Disorders 10 1.6 1.1 Finance 31 4.9 7.4 Interdisciplinary 8 1.3 1.0 Public Relations 28 4.5 4.4 General Studies in HES 8 1.3 2.0 Accounting 28 4.5 4.8 Electrical Engineering 8 1.3 1.5 Advertising 26 4.1 3.3 Chemical Engineering 8 1.3 0.9 Art 8 1.3 1.3 Other Majors 144 23.0 25.9 627 Note: N = Number of Respondents, R% = Percent of Respondents, All% = Percent for All Graduates * Major is defined as “First Major” Comparisons between the various demographic and academic categories revealed some peculiarities. Among the demographic categories the persistent bias towards female respondents continued. There were little differences among the racial/ethnic categories or by major college, other than C&BA being slightly underrepresented and Nursing being overrepresented. Academically, students that scored highly on the ACT composite and those that received a high GPA were overrepresented among the respondents. 4 OMNIBUS SURVEY RESULTS he results of the survey T are provided at two levels in this report. First, the omnibus results for all 627 respondents are given. Second, a breakdown of the data is provided for each of the eight academic colleges and schools at UA. Results broken down by department or major will be done only as requested. The survey is reproduced in the text below. Percentages of structured responses are reported in tables, while students’ remarks to open-ended questions are listed and highlighted in red italic text. An ID number is provided each student to allow comparisons and context among their open-ended responses. For example, all open-ended responses for each number are given by the same graduating student. The number of respondents (N) for each structured item and those providing open-ended comments is given as well. Question 1: Student Identification Students were asked to provide their student ID. This was done to ensure that only graduating seniors were analyzed, and to be able to link to data in the student information system. The University celebrated its 175th anniversay in 2006. 5 6 Question 2: General Knowledge, Skills, Personal Development To what extent do you think your education at UA contributed to your knowledge, skills, and/or personal development in each of the following areas? Percent Very Some- Very Not at Don’t N Much what Little All Know Writing skills [625] [42.2] [46.7] [ 8.3] [ 2.6] [ 0.2] Listening skills [624] [33.8] [54.5] [ 9.0] [ 2.4] [ 0.3] Comprehension skills (written information) [622] [45.8] [46.6] [ 6.3] [ 1.0] [ 0.3] Mathematical skills [625] [23.8] [39.4] [25.8] [10.1] [ 1.0] Scientific methods of inquiry [622] [33.9] [40.2] [18.3] [ 5.9] [ 1.6] Analytic skills [624] [57.7] [34.9] [ 5.9] [ 1.0] [ 0.5] Computer skills [625] [49.8] [37.3] [ 8.8] [ 4.0] [ 0.2] Public speaking skills [627] [43.7] [38.4] [12.6] [ 5.1] [ 0.2] Information gathering skills [624] [60.3] [35.1] [ 3.5] [ 1.1] [ 0.0] Function as part of a team [625] [55.0] [34.4] [ 8.6] [ 1.8] [ 0.2] Work with people of diverse backgrounds [627] [50.2] [35.4] [10.0] [ 4.0] [ 0.3] Recognize and acting on ethical principals [624] [41.5] [41.3] [12.0] [ 3.4] [ 1.8] Appreciate racial equality [627] [34.0] [35.4] [20.1] [ 8.3] [ 2.2] Appreciate gender equality [626] [34.8] [36.6] [17.6] [ 8.5] [ 2.6] 7 Question 3: Department and Department Faculty Please assess your department and its faculty members for each of the following: Percent N Frequently Seldom Occasionally Never Did you conduct or assist in a research project in your major? [626] [31.6] [31.8] [15.3] [21.2] Did you assist faculty or staff in your major in providing service to the community or state? [622] [18.0] [21.4] [20.4] [40.2] In solving actual problems, did you apply concepts you have learned in your major courses? [625] [57.9] [31.8] [ 8.0] [ 2.2] Did courses in your major provide opportunities for you to express your ideas in writing? [625] [52.5] [35.2] [10.1] [ 2.2] Did courses in your major provide opportunities for you to express your ideas orally? [626] [52.4] [35.6] [10.4] [ 1.6] Did at least one faculty member in your major express a special interest in your academic progress? [624] [52.4] [29.5] [12.2] [ 5.9] Did at least one faculty member in your major express a special interest in your career development? [624] [52.7] [26.6] [12.3] [ 8.3] Were you unable to enroll in a required course in your major because all sections were filled? [623] [ 9.6] [18.8] [21.3] [50.2] Did faculty in your major encourage you to be an actively involved learner? [624] [53.2] [32.5] [11.2] [ 3.0] Did faculty in your major give you prompt feedback? [619] [57.2] [34.7] [ 6.3] [ 1.8] Did faculty in your major care about your academic success? [621] [61.7] [27.1] [ 9.2] [ 2.1] 8 Question 4: Major Courses, Faculty, Instruction,

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