Southeastern Association for Community College Research 2008 Conference

1. Southeastern Association for Community College Research 2008 Conference Using Technology to Efficiently and Effectively Gather Information from Recent Alumni and Employers August 2008

2. Alumni and Employer Surveys Presenters • Dr. James Coraggio, Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness • Maggie Tymms, Assessment Coordinator for Academic Programs Southeastern Association for Community College Research

3. SPC Background • SPC, established in 1927, is the oldest 2-year college in Florida • First Community College in Florida to offer 4 year degrees (2002) • 9 Campuses throughout the county • 2007-08 FTE: 16,086 (LD), 1,338 (UD) • Opening Spring 2008 headcount: 25,754 • Annual 2007-08 enrollment: 62,200 Southeastern Association for Community College Research

4. Institutional Effectiveness “Closing the Loop” “Institutional Effectiveness is the integrated, systematic, explicit, and documented processes of measuringperformanceagainst the SPC mission for purposes of continuousimprovement of academic programs, administrative services, and educational services offered by the college.” Southeastern Association for Community College Research

5. Performance Improvement • From Compliance to Performance Improvement Southeastern Association for Community College Research

6. Agenda • Student Assessment Points • Purpose of Follow-up Surveys • Alumni/Employer Survey Process • Dissemination of Survey Results and Reports Southeastern Association for Community College Research

7. Student Assessment Points Students surveyed multiple times Southeastern Association for Community College Research

8. Purpose of Follow-up Surveys Recent Alumni Survey was designed to: • Gain insight into alumni’s perceptions of the quality of general education and career preparation • Determine the current activities of former students such as employment information and educational status Southeastern Association for Community College Research

9. Purpose of Follow-up Surveys Employer Survey was designed to: • Gain insight into an employer’s perceptions of hired SPC graduates in the areas of key general education competencies and foundational skills • Provide the employee’s major job responsibilities and wage information, as well as employer’s willingness to hire another SPC graduate • Identify employer’s willingness to support various college activities Southeastern Association for Community College Research

10. Purpose of Follow-up Surveys State Requirements • Survey data are also collected for state required annual Placement & Follow-up Report (FETPIP: Florida Education Training Placement Information Program) and supplemental information to meet workforce criteria Southeastern Association for Community College Research

11. Alumni/Employer Survey Process Previous model • Labor intensive • Manually tabulated paper surveys • Telephone interviews conducted using overtime hours Southeastern Association for Community College Research

12. Alumni/Employer Survey Process Issues with previous model • Costly survey process • Declining college budget • Increasing demand for accountability • Outdated contact information • Students over-surveyed • Declining response rates • Conducted in isolation Southeastern Association for Community College Research

13. Alumni/Employer Survey Process Goals of new survey process • Improve data collection process • Enhance quality of survey forms • Include program specific information • Increase response rates Southeastern Association for Community College Research

14. A. Improve Data Collection Process Data Collection Process • Eliminated telephone calls • Automated the process (email merge) • Employ online survey submission (Zoomerang) • Obtain accurate email addresses • Use multiple points of contact Southeastern Association for Community College Research

15. A. Improve Data Collection Process Survey Schedule • Recent Alumni Survey • Graduates surveyed six months after the end of session (Three times per year) • Employer Survey • Employer of graduates surveyed at the end of academic year (Once per year) Southeastern Association for Community College Research

16. A. Improve Data Collection Process First email Second email Third email 2 weeks 2 weeks 2 weeks Multiple Points of Contact 2 weeks First mailing Second mailing Southeastern Association for Community College Research

17. B. Enhance Quality Of Survey Forms Improved Survey Forms • Better “look and feel” of survey format • Developed scannable paper forms • Use online branching models to reduce survey length • Design items to gather only pertinent data Southeastern Association for Community College Research

18. Online Survey: Email and Form Southeastern Association for Community College Research

19. Paper Survey: Letter and Form Southeastern Association for Community College Research

20. C. Include Program Specific Information Program specific information • Meet with PDs • Discuss requirements for program accreditation and timelines • Include their necessary program specific items Southeastern Association for Community College Research

21. D. Increase Response Rates Create awareness and convey importance • Involve program faculty in the process • Request faculty assistance to inform students • Include a flyer with graduation materials • Coordinate with programs that hand-carry surveys to local employers Southeastern Association for Community College Research

22. Response Rates • Summer 07 Southeastern Association for Community College Research

23. Response Rates • Fall 07 Southeastern Association for Community College Research

24. Response Rates Southeastern Association for Community College Research

25. Response Rates Southeastern Association for Community College Research

26. Response Rates - Employer Recent Alumni Surveys Sent Is a 44% Employer Response Rate Good? COE Responses Without Permission Employer Surveys Sent Other Responses With Permission Responses Southeastern Association for Community College Research

27. Disseminating Information • College wide access to reports • http://www.spcollege.edu/Central/Surveys/SurveyList.htm • Program Specific Reports • Published on the Educational Outcomes website • http://it.spcollege.edu/edoutcomes Southeastern Association for Community College Research

28. Disseminating Information Southeastern Association for Community College Research

29. Disseminating Information Southeastern Association for Community College Research

30. Disseminating Information Southeastern Association for Community College Research

31. Program Specific Reports Southeastern Association for Community College Research

32. SPC IE Website Southeastern Association for Community College Research

33. Lessons Learned • Do not expect that students remember their ID# • Administer the survey soon after the end of the session (six months) • Use multiple points of contact (two weeks) • Find the most recent contact information • Make students aware of the importance of the survey process (survey announcements) Southeastern Association for Community College Research

34. Lessons Learned • Partner with programs to acquire up-to-date information • Provide updates to college data systems (PeopleSoft, Alumni Foundation) • Monitor results and make changes as necessary • More accurate data (quicker turn around of results) with automated processes Southeastern Association for Community College Research

35. Future Direction • Ultimate goal is to provide Provosts (Deans) and Program Directors ‘timely’, ‘relevant’ ‘accurate’, and ‘interpretable’ information regarding their programs and their performance outcomes • Multi-measure ‘Dashboard’ style reports (Business Intelligence/Performance Measurement) Southeastern Association for Community College Research

36. Questions/Next Steps Southeastern Association for Community College Research

37. Southeastern Association for Community College Research 2008 Conference Using Technology to Efficiently and Effectively Gather Information from Recent Alumni and Employers August 2008