North Carolina State University
2009 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey
College Comparisons of Undergraduate Educational Goals

This document reports survey data on college differences in respondents' assessment of educational goals held by NC State. Survey results for all respondents are provided in "2009 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey: All Respondents." For information about the survey and analysis methods, see "2009 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey: Introduction, Methods, and Student Demographic Profile."

Undergraduate Educational Goals: Importance | Satisfaction | Impact of Undergraduate Education
Skills/Perspectives: Current Importance | Development
Teaching and Learning Technologies

Q NC State's Undergraduate Educational Goals

Importance for an Undergraduate Education

	Mean Rating (based on a scale of 5="Very Important," 4="Important," 3="Moderately Important," 2="Limited Importance," 1="Not Important")
	NCSU	CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
Preparing for a career	4.74	4.77	4.91	4.75	4.86	4.64	4.80	4.87	4.73	4.63
Understanding my own abilities and interests	4.73	4.78	4.72	4.79	4.77	4.62	4.72	4.79	4.83	4.67
Ability to critically analyze/evaluate idea/information	4.67	4.68	4.61	4.70	4.61	4.63	4.67	4.67	4.71	4.78
Recognizing and acting upon ethical principles	4.60	4.67	4.76	4.70	4.60	4.46	4.62	4.64	4.39	4.49
Ability to use technologies/search strategies to access info	4.57	4.67	4.83	4.57	4.43	4.49	4.60	4.57	4.52	4.56
Ability to construct clear, precise, and accurate arguments	4.56	4.53	4.35	4.63	4.55	4.55	4.51	4.56	4.48	4.64
Valuing learning as a lifelong process	4.56	4.63	4.75	4.62	4.52	4.43	4.56	4.55	4.55	4.48
Ability to collect relevant data	4.52	4.59	4.39	4.50	4.56	4.48	4.53	4.57	4.45	4.53
Having tolerance for different points of view	4.45	4.49	4.70	4.64	4.35	4.18	4.54	4.52	4.51	4.38
Ability to understand current literature in my field	4.38	4.57	4.49	4.48	4.39	4.16	4.40	4.22	4.15	4.29
Developing and sustaining an active and healthy lifestyle	4.35	4.46	4.35	4.40	4.40	4.17	4.45	4.38	4.26	4.25
Understanding basic concepts in a broad range of disciplines	4.35	4.42	4.47	4.39	4.17	4.29	4.38	4.34	4.28	4.23
Understanding issues and problems facing the world	4.29	4.37	4.37	4.53	4.15	3.90	4.46	4.43	4.46	4.18
Understanding diverse cultures/values	4.17	4.22	4.49	4.49	4.03	3.70	4.32	4.34	4.20	4.03
Understanding how science/technology influence society/everyday life	4.10	4.31	4.46	4.15	3.98	3.86	4.00	4.10	4.26	4.23
Ability to formulate/test hypotheses	4.06	4.25	4.01	3.89	4.03	4.15	3.83	4.16	3.80	4.33
Being involved in public and community affairs	4.04	4.25	4.11	4.33	4.02	3.50	4.11	4.16	4.09	3.96
Understanding the present as it relates to history	4.01	4.02	4.11	4.33	4.06	3.63	4.12	3.87	4.37	3.65
Understanding commonality of human problems through global perspective	4.00	4.11	4.20	4.30	3.82	3.51	4.09	4.21	4.26	3.94
Acquiring an awareness of new scientific knowledge/discoveries	3.94	4.39	4.18	3.77	3.83	3.89	3.59	4.12	3.72	4.18
Appreciating the humanities (e.g., literature, philosophy, religion, history, etc.)	3.84	3.76	4.00	4.32	3.64	3.47	3.78	3.74	4.12	3.54
Understanding issues associated with gender inequality	3.83	3.88	4.11	4.22	3.75	3.29	3.93	3.94	3.91	3.75
Understanding issues associated with racial inequality	3.82	3.85	4.20	4.25	3.70	3.25	3.93	3.88	3.86	3.74
Appreciating the arts (e.g., music, art, theater, etc.)	3.72	3.68	3.93	4.06	3.55	3.35	3.64	3.79	4.58	3.58
Applying social science methods to understand human behavior	3.70	3.74	4.01	4.09	3.58	3.25	3.70	3.65	3.77	3.50

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Satisfaction that Education Met Each Goal

	Mean Rating (based on a scale of 5="Very Satisfied," 4="Somewhat Satisfied," 3="Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied," 2="Somewhat Dissatisfied," 1="Very Dissatisfied")
	NCSU	CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
Ability to collect relevant data	4.36	4.44	4.34	4.38	4.38	4.28	4.36	4.55	3.95	4.34
Ability to use technologies/search strategies to access info	4.36	4.49	4.54	4.31	4.35	4.27	4.36	4.57	4.15	4.35
Understanding basic concepts in a broad range of disciplines	4.36	4.42	4.49	4.40	4.32	4.26	4.42	4.28	4.22	4.33
Ability to critically analyze/evaluate idea/information	4.34	4.35	4.45	4.43	4.36	4.24	4.29	4.47	4.28	4.34
Having tolerance for different points of view	4.25	4.30	4.34	4.31	4.27	4.09	4.32	4.35	4.22	4.23
Recognizing and acting upon ethical principles	4.25	4.28	4.27	4.34	4.28	4.11	4.33	4.32	3.98	4.11
Valuing learning as a lifelong process	4.24	4.38	4.38	4.26	4.21	4.12	4.22	4.29	4.12	4.23
Ability to construct clear, precise, and accurate arguments	4.19	4.18	4.44	4.37	4.16	4.04	4.11	4.22	3.91	4.20
Ability to formulate/test hypotheses	4.17	4.33	4.31	4.11	4.18	4.15	4.05	4.39	3.75	4.28
Ability to understand current literature in my field	4.13	4.24	4.28	4.32	4.26	3.83	4.13	4.35	3.92	3.88
Understanding diverse cultures/values	4.13	4.15	4.30	4.29	4.08	3.91	4.18	4.29	4.08	4.11
Understanding how science/technology influence society/everyday life	4.10	4.28	4.39	4.07	4.08	3.96	4.04	4.29	3.86	4.16
Understanding my own abilities and interests	4.07	4.22	4.28	4.12	4.11	3.88	4.05	4.27	4.00	3.96
Appreciating the humanities (e.g., literature, philosophy, religion, history, etc.)	3.99	3.96	4.00	4.32	3.75	3.78	3.89	3.95	4.08	3.85
Understanding the present as it relates to history	3.95	3.96	4.04	4.17	3.93	3.76	3.90	3.90	3.82	3.83
Acquiring an awareness of new scientific knowledge/discoveries	3.93	4.19	4.27	3.87	3.97	3.76	3.82	4.25	3.64	4.01
Understanding commonality of human problems through global perspective	3.92	4.02	4.06	4.09	3.89	3.64	3.93	4.08	3.89	3.81
Understanding issues and problems facing the world	3.92	3.98	4.04	4.10	4.00	3.65	3.96	3.99	3.65	3.88
Applying social science methods to understand human behavior	3.91	3.98	4.07	4.20	3.79	3.64	3.89	3.71	3.65	3.78
Understanding issues associated with racial inequality	3.90	3.91	4.00	4.14	3.95	3.65	3.96	3.95	3.60	3.81
Understanding issues associated with gender inequality	3.89	3.89	3.97	4.13	3.97	3.62	3.96	3.95	3.47	3.86
Developing and sustaining an active and healthy lifestyle	3.87	3.99	3.89	3.86	4.08	3.78	3.90	3.82	3.52	3.87
Being involved in public and community affairs	3.85	3.99	3.94	3.91	4.05	3.59	3.92	4.10	3.48	3.82
Preparing for a career	3.85	4.02	4.27	3.61	4.00	3.86	3.97	4.37	3.32	3.60
Appreciating the arts (e.g., music, art, theater, etc.)	3.81	3.82	3.77	3.98	3.65	3.61	3.70	3.97	4.51	3.78

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Q Impact of Undergraduate Education

	Mean Rating (based on a scale of 5="Agree," 4="Tend to Agree," 3="Neither Agree nor Disagree," 2="Tend to Disagree," 1="Disagree")
	NCSU	CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
NC State experiences helped ability to acccess/use info in profession	4.40	4.51	4.59	4.33	4.46	4.35	4.39	4.65	4.33	4.28
NC State experiences/courses encouraged creative/innovative thinking	4.34	4.35	4.49	4.44	4.33	4.20	4.24	4.57	4.78	4.14
NC State education prepared me to be competitive with grads from other institutions	4.33	4.47	4.35	4.20	4.37	4.38	4.34	4.49	4.13	4.16
NC State foreign language courses helped me gain appreciation for other cultures	3.85	3.97	4.00	3.87	3.48	3.71	3.90	3.77	3.97	3.77
NC State physical educ course(s) positively influenced current exercise/health	3.63	3.69	3.52	3.56	3.85	3.57	3.75	3.53	3.57	3.69

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Q Skills/perspectives gained through courses/experiences

Current Importance

	Mean Rating (based on a scale of 5="Very Important," 4="Important," 3="Moderately Important," 2="Limited Importance," 1="Not Important")
	NCSU	CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
Skills/perspectives gained through research/internship/co-op/student teaching	3.68	3.96	4.15	3.59	3.86	3.59	3.33	3.90	3.55	3.81
Skills/perspectives gained through community service/service learning	3.02	3.30	3.21	3.22	3.23	2.49	3.11	3.15	3.19	2.82
Foreign language skills	2.45	2.67	2.27	2.68	2.45	2.05	2.59	2.41	2.33	2.22
Skills/perspectives gained through study abroad experience	2.21	2.22	1.90	2.35	2.10	1.95	2.28	2.62	3.35	2.07

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Skill Development

	Mean Rating (based on a scale of 5="Excellent," 4="Good," 3="Average," 2="Fair," 1="Poor")
	NCSU	CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
Skills/perspectives gained through study abroad experience	4.11	4.14	3.82	4.26	4.00	3.96	3.99	4.37	4.22	4.03
Skills/perspectives gained through research/internship/co-op/student teaching	4.01	4.13	4.19	3.99	4.06	4.00	3.82	4.11	3.82	3.94
Skills/perspectives gained through community service/service learning	3.84	3.94	3.75	3.90	4.13	3.65	3.86	3.87	3.33	3.71
Foreign language skills	2.82	2.74	2.62	2.93	2.42	2.64	3.11	2.76	2.79	2.83

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Teaching and Learning Technologies

Q Impact of Teaching and Learning Technologies at NC State

	Mean rating (based on a scale of 4="A great deal," 3="Some," 2="A little," 1="Not at all")
	NCSU	CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
Improved ability to use info from internet, books, journals, etc.	3.53	3.67	3.49	3.60	3.55	3.40	3.45	3.53	3.45	3.51
Improved ability to use skills/technogies of field	3.44	3.53	3.53	3.38	3.41	3.41	3.37	3.53	3.65	3.45
Improved ability to answer questions in field	3.42	3.55	3.40	3.38	3.43	3.37	3.33	3.65	3.30	3.36
Improved ability to solve problems in field	3.39	3.46	3.36	3.31	3.38	3.45	3.30	3.55	3.42	3.39
Improved ability to use methods/rsrch in field	3.28	3.42	3.36	3.29	3.29	3.21	3.14	3.42	3.14	3.25

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Q Distance education or online courses taken while at NC State

NC State distance educ/online courses taken while undergraduate	NCSU	College/School
		CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
None	56.0%	58.9%	59.5%	53.6%	46.7%	62.2%	40.9%	61.0%	73.5%	56.7%
1	16.0%	14.0%	5.4%	16.4%	19.0%	16.1%	17.9%	20.8%	8.8%	21.7%
2-3	21.6%	22.2%	24.3%	22.1%	29.2%	15.6%	31.6%	16.9%	14.7%	19.2%
4-6	4.9%	3.9%	6.8%	5.6%	4.4%	4.6%	7.9%	1.3%	1.5%	2.5%
7-10	0.9%	1.0%	1.4%	1.3%	0.7%	0.5%	1.0%	.	1.5%	.
More than 10	0.6%	.	2.7%	0.9%	.	0.9%	0.7%	.	.	.
Total (N)	2,583	508	74	675	137	633	291	77	68	120

Q Satisfaction with distance education or online courses

Satisfaction with variety of distance educ/online courses offered by NC State	NCSU	College/School
		CALS	CED	CHASS	CNR	COE	COM	COT	Design	PAMS
Mean Rating	3.90	4.03	4.03	3.85	3.89	3.85	3.97	3.38	3.59	3.91
5: Very satisfied	30.6%	38.5%	41.4%	31.5%	29.2%	24.0%	31.5%	11.5%	11.8%	31.9%
4: Somewhat satisfied	43.0%	37.9%	34.5%	40.7%	41.7%	50.2%	47.3%	38.5%	47.1%	38.3%
3: Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	14.3%	14.4%	10.3%	11.9%	19.4%	15.4%	10.3%	30.8%	29.4%	19.1%
2: Somewhat dissatisfied	9.7%	6.2%	13.8%	13.6%	8.3%	7.7%	8.5%	15.4%	11.8%	10.6%
1: Very dissatisfied	2.3%	3.1%	.	2.4%	1.4%	2.7%	2.4%	3.8%	.	.
Total (N)	1,067	195	29	295	72	221	165	26	17	47

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For more information on the 2009 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey contact:
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu

Posted: May, 2009

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