Alumni Survey Grant – Communication Arts – Julie Allee

This project was developed to send surveys to all Alumni of Communication Arts for which we currently have contact information.  We also sent a post-encounter survey to those majors graduating between Fall 2007 and Spring 2008.  We had 22 Alumni surveys and 5 recent graduate surveys returned.  While this seems to be a small number, it is actually above average for mailed survey return rates. 

From the Alumni surveys, we found that the majority of the students surveyed felt that their degrees had helped them in their careers, that most use the knowledge gained from their education here nearly every day, that the majority were pleased with the quality of their education, and that the majority would recommend Indiana University South Bend to prospective Communication Arts students.  In addition, several alumni felt that more real-life application of the information in classes (such as through internships) should be mandated.  Several alumni also commented on the lack of classes in the area of computer use, layout and design, and graphic arts for journalism students.

The information gained from our alumni allows us to see where the degrees we offer need to be modified.  Although little has changed at the moment in regards to the suggestions of the alumni, the modification of the degrees which was approved last year has yet to be commented on.  These survey results will be used for comparison in the future to determine whether the changes we have made have addressed the issues raised by alumni.
After completing the alumni survey using the grant we were given, we have a list of contact information that we know is correct (from those who completed the survey) and which includes email addresses.  We also know which addresses were incorrect (from those returned to sender).  Though this may seem trivial, it provides us with a starting point so that we are not sending alumni surveys to the wrong address in the future.  It may also be possible to send further surveys to those who completed the current one via email, saving money and time.

According to the Communication Arts Assessment plan, the surveys will continue to be sent out every two years to recent graduates and every five years to all alumni.  When Communication Arts gains access to an area webpage, it is my hopes that the information we gain, as well as invitations for future surveys will be posted there.  Currently, the information gained is shared with the department in the form of conversations and analysis of the data between the faculty at meetings, as well as posted on the School of the Arts

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