ALUMNI PLEASED WITH RESULTS OF THEIR BALL STATE EDUCATION
MUNCIE, Ind. - The overwhelming majority of recent Ball State University graduates strongly believe their college education prepared them for life in the modern workforce.
Survey responses were obtained from nearly 1,000 alumni who received bachelor's degrees during 1996-97. About 97 percent indicated that their Ball State experience prepared them very well or satisfactorily in the areas of intellectual or personal growth.
Nine out of 10 said they were very well or satisfactorily prepared for a career and for further education, the survey report shows.
"The survey is one of the ways the university can identify alumni perceptions of learning at Ball State," said Catherine Palomba, director of Institutional Research and Academic Assessment. "It also provides us with information about employment, further education and other departmental experiences."
The survey was completed in the summer and fall of 1999. The response rate was 41 percent. Respondents were similar to all graduates but had slightly higher Ball State grade point averages and SAT test scores.
According to the survey:
*Almost all of alumni respondents (96 percent) held positive or very positive attitudes toward the university.
*About 86 percent expressed satisfaction with the department of their major. At least 88 percent were satisfied with the professional expertise and teaching ability of their department's faculty.
*Approximately 88 percent of alumni were employed full-time and 14 percent were pursuing graduate degrees. About 90 percent of employed alumni were satisfied with their jobs.
*At least 96 percent of employed alumni were using computer or writing skills on the job, and 92 percent were using quantitative skills.
*About half of all respondents indicated they were "very well" prepared with respect to skills such as problem solving, analyzing and evaluating ideas, critical thinking, planning and organizing, and working cooperatively. Preparation ratings for these skills were higher than in previous years.
The report, written by assistant director Brian Pickerill, may be accessed on the World Wide Web by clicking the "Assessment Reports" link at web.bsu.edu/IRAA.
The Office of Institutional Research and Academic Assessment has conducted opinion surveys of freshmen, seniors and alumni each year since 1992. The American Productivity and Quality Center recently named Ball State a "Best Practice Institution for Assessing Learning Outcomes."
(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about this story contact Catherine Palomba at [email protected] or (765) 285-1337. For more stories visit the Ball State University News Center at www.bsu.edu/news on the World Wide Web.)
Marc Ransford
6/5/00
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