North Carolina State University
2009 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey
This document lists survey questions and response options for the 2009 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey. To view results for an individual question, click on the question number.
Section A: Professional Preparation
This first section asks about a range of skills related to professional
development. In the first column, please indicate
how well you were prepared in each area through your program
of study at NC State (Scale: Excellent, Good, Average, Fair, Poor). In the second column, indicate
how important the area is to you in your current profession,
including graduate/professional school (Scale: Very Important, Important, Moderately Important, Limited Importance, Not Important).
If you are not currently employed or in school, simply indicate how important these
skills are to you now in general.
b.
Conducting work activities in an
ethical manner
c.
Resourcefulness
d.
Confidence in your ability to perform
well
e.
Ability to learn independently
f.
Ability to grow on the job
g.
Willingness to accept new responsibilities
h.
Ability to adapt to changing circumstances
i.
Leadership and management skills
These next few
questions ask you about skills you might have gained through various courses
or experiences you had as an undergraduate. In the first column
, indicate how important such skills are to you now
in your job, in school, or simply in general (Scale: Very Important, Important, Moderately Important, Limited Importance, Not Important). In the second
column, rate the skills you developed as a result of the
experience (if you did not have a particular experience or develop the skill,
select "Not Applicable") (Scale: Excellent, Good, Average, Fair, Poor, Not Applicable).
10.
Skills/perspectives gained through research,
internship, co-op, or student teaching experience
11.
Skills/perspectives gained through a study abroad
experience
12.
Skills/perspectives gained through a community
service or service-learning
project
Section B: Goals of Undergraduate Education
The following are educational goals held by NC State. In the
first column, please indicate how
important you think these goals should be for an undergraduate education (Scale: Very Important, Important, Moderately Important, Limited Importance, Not Important).
In the second column, please indicate
how satisfied you are
that your undergraduate education at NC State met each goal (Scale: Very Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Neither Satisfied nor
Dissatisfied, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied).
1. Understanding the basic
concepts in a broad range of disciplines
2. Ability
to use information technologies and search strategies to access information
in my field of study
26. To what extent did
the various teaching and learning technologies
that you used at NC State help your ability to (Scale: A great deal, Some, A little, Not at all):
a. Answer questions in
your field of study
b. Solve problems in your
field of study
c. Use the methods of
research in your field of study to gain new knowledge
d. Use information
available from sources such as internet, books, journals, etc.
e. Use the skills and
technologies of your field to complete a major project/assignment
27. How many NC State distance
education or online courses did you take
while you were an undergraduate at NC State?
None
(mark your response and skip to
question 29 )
1
2 - 3
4 - 6
7 - 10
more than 10
28. How satisfied were you with
the variety of distance
education or online courses offered by NC State?
Very Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
No Opinion
29. While an undergraduate did you ever
participate in a study
abroad program, either through NC State or another institution?
30. Was your study abroad program(s) for:
(Mark all that apply)
Summer/short term
One semester
Two semesters or longer
31. To what extent did your
study abroad experience (Scale: A great deal, Some, A little, Not at all):
a. Help improve your problem
solving skills
(e.g., thinking creatively, finding relevant information and ideas from
multiple sources, etc.)
b. Have a positive impact
on your work attitudes and skills
(e.g., ability to adjust to new job demands, ability to work with people from
diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, etc.)
c. Help you better
understand problems and issues facing the
world.
32. If you answered "No" to question
30: Please indicate which of the following
are reasons why you never participated in a study abroad program as an
undergraduate: (Mark all that apply)
Too expensive
Not enough "free" time in curriculum
Employment obligations
Personal/family obligations
Concerns about safety
Uncomfortable with the idea of living abroad
Not interested in available programs
Other (please specify)
ALL ANSWER:
Please indicate the
extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following
statements (Scale: Agree, Tend to Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Tend to Disagree, Disagree).
33. Through my experiences at NC State,
I know how to access and use the
information I need in my professional life.
34. My undergraduate experiences and
courses at NC State encouraged me to think
creatively and innovatively.
35. My education at NC State has
prepared me to be competitive with graduates
from other institutions.
36. My physical education activity
course(s) at NC State had a positive influence
on my current exercise/health habits.
If you had
foreign language courses at NC State, please answer item 37. If not, skip
to question 38. 37. Foreign language courses at NC
State helped me gain an appreciation for other cultures.
38. I routinely keep up with current
events in the news
(e.g., through news programs, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, etc.).
39. I read for leisure on a regular basis
(excluding reading to keep up with current events).
40. How often do you typically
engage in physical exercise?
Never
About once per month
Two or three times per month
About once per week
Two or three times per week
More than three times per week
41. How often in the past year have you
volunteered your time
to a non-profit group, charity, community group, or similar organization?
Never
A few times
About once per month
Two or three times per month
At least once per week
Section C: Further Education
1. Are you currently enrolled in a degree-granting
program in
graduate/professional school? (please read all options before
marking the most appropriate response)
Yes - am currently enrolled
(mark your response and continue with item
#2)
No - was enrolled and already completed
a degree (mark your response then skip to item
#3)
No - was enrolled at one time
but withdrew before completing any degree (mark your response
then skip to item #3)
No - have applied and been
accepted but have not (yet) enrolled (mark
your response then skip to item #3)
No - have applied but have not been accepted
(mark your response then skip to item
#6)
No - have never applied to
graduate/professional schoool (mark
your response then skip to item #6)
2. As defined by your institution,
what is your current enrollment status?
Full-time
Part-time
Do not know
3. If you
have ever been accepted, are currently enrolled, or have
already completed a graduate/professional degree, please provide us with
information about your program of study. If you've attended more than one
school or been in more than one program, please use the most recent.
4. How well prepared were you for
graduate/professional school?
Excellent preparation
Good preparation
Average preparation
Fair preparation
Poor preparation
5. While in graduate/professional school
did you receive any scholarships,
honors, awards, or assistantships? (Mark all that apply, then
skip to item
7)
Scholarship
Honor/Award
Teaching Assistantship
Research Assistantship
Other Assistantship (not teaching or research)
6. If you are not
currently enrolled or have not already
completed a graduate/professional degree, what is your level of interest
in continuing your education through graduate/professional school?
High interest
Moderate interest
Low interest
Not interested at all
7.Since receiving
your undergraduate degree,
have you taken any continuing education, professional development, or lifelong
education classes/workshops/seminars, either on a campus or through distance
education?
8. To what extent has this course(s) had
an impact on your professional career?
Very significant impact
Somewhat significant impact
Limited impact
No impact at all
9. To what extent has this course(s) had an
impact on your personal goals or life enrichment?
Very significant impact
Somewhat significant impact
Limited impact
No impact at all
10. Did you enroll in any of the credit or
noncredit courses through
NC State's McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education (either
on or off-campus)?
Yes
No
Don't know
11. How likely is it that you would consider
enrolling in a continuing
education, professional development, or lifelong education course (either
through the McKimmon Center or elsewhere) within the next five years?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Not at all likely
Section D: Employment
1. Which of the following best describes
your primary activity
during the year after completion of your undergraduate degree?
(Mark all that apply)
Worked full-time
Worked part-time
Military Service
Homemaker
Attended graduate/professional school full-time
Attended graduate/professional school part-time
Travel
Other (please specify)
2. How long did it take you to get your
first full-time permanent
job after completing your undergraduate degree?
Continued in job had before completing degree
Accepted position prior to or upon graduation
1-6 months
7-12 months
Over 1 year
Have looked for but not yet obtained a full-time permanent job
(mark your response then skip to item #7)
Have not looked for a full-time permanent
job (mark
your response then skip to item #7)
3. Was your first full-time permanent
position related to your
undergraduate academic major? If not, was this by choice?
Yes, directly related
Yes, somewhat related
No, not related (by choice)
No, not related (not by choice)
4. How well prepared were you by
NC State for your first full-time
permanent position?
Excellent preparation
Good preparation
Average preparation
Fair preparation
Poor preparation
5. Within what general range
was your starting salary at your
first full-time permanent job? (Remember, all
information will
remain confidential.)
Under $20,000
$50,000 - $54,999
$20,000 - $24,999
$55,000 - $59,999
$25,000 - $29,999
$60,000 - $64,999
$30,000 - $34,999
$65,000 - $69,999
$35,000 - $39,999
$70,000 - $74,999
$40,000 - $44,999
$75,000 or over
$45,000 - $49,999
6. Which of the following were
instrumental in helping you to locate
and/or get your first full-time
permanent job? (Mark all that apply)
NC State Career Center
NC State Alumni Association Career Services (e.g., online
career center, directory)
Applied for job via an NC State University career
services job listing (e.g., ePack)
Employer found your resume via an NC State University
career services database (e.g., ePack)
On-campus interviewing or Career Fair
(please specify which
Career Fair)
Technician or other NC State publication
NC State co-op experience
Internship
Previous experience with company
Personal connection(s) within the company
Faculty member or job listing found in an NC State
department
Professional society (members, newspaper, publication,
etc.)
8. If you are currently employed,
please provide us with information
about your job. (Remember, your name will not be connected
with your responses.)
a.
b.
Which of the following best describes the type of place you work? (select one)
Self-Employed
Academic
Private, for profit business or organization
Private, not for profit business or organization
Federal, state, or local government
c.
d.
e. Within what general
range is your current salary per year?
Under $20,000
$50,000 - $54,999
$20,000 - $24,999
$55,000 - $59,999
$25,000 - $29,999
$60,000 - $64,999
$30,000 - $34,999
$65,000 - $69,999
$35,000 - $39,999
$70,000 - $74,999
$40,000 - $44,999
$75,000 or over
$45,000 - $49,999
9. Is your current position related
to your undergraduate academic
major? If not, was this by choice?
Yes, directly related
Yes, somewhat related
No, not related (by choice)
No, not related (not by choice)
10. How well prepared were you by NC State
for your current position?
Excellent preparation
Good preparation
Average preparation
Fair preparation
Poor preparation
Section E: Involvement while at NC State
1. In which of the following work-related
experiences did you
participate while at NC State? (Mark all that apply)
Cooperative Education Program
Internship
Practicum
Student teaching
Research with faculty
Residence advisor
Summer employment or part-time job in major
2. If you participated in any of the
above work-related experiences,
was that experience(s) helpful in securing
your current position of employment?
Yes
No
Not applicable
3. In which of the following school-related groups (clubs, organizations,
programs) were you involved in while at NC State as an undergraduate student?
(Mark all that apply)
Academic scholarship program (Caldwell, Park, etc.)
GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered) student group
Honor/Professional fraternity/sorority
Intramural/Recreational sports, club teams
Minority student groups
Organizations/Clubs related to your major
Political/Issue groups
Religious groups
Residence Hall Council, IRC
ROTC
Service group/organization
Social fraternity/sorority
Student Government
Student Media/Publications
Union Activities Board groups
University Honors Program
University Scholars Program
Varsity athletic teams
Visual/Performing arts/music groups
Section F: Alumni Services
1. Are you a member of the NC State
Alumni Association?
Yes
No
2. Regardless of whether
or not you are a member, to what extent do you
(or would you) value the following NC State Alumni Association services (Scale: A lot, Some, A little, Not at all)?
a. University or alumni speakers in your area
b. Career planning assistance and job postings
c. Subscription to NC State alumni magazine
d. Invitations to NC State alumni events in your area
e. NC State alumni reunions
f. Opportunities to connect with the NC State Alumni
Network
g. Online directory of NC State alumni
Section G: Conclusions
1. All things considered, how
would you evaluate the overall undergraduate
education you received at NC State?
Very Strong
Strong
Weak
Very Weak
2. Would you recommend NC State to a friend
considering college?
b. would you still choose the
same major field of study?
Yes
No
Not Sure
Finally, please tell us
in your own words about your experiences at NC State, and what you think could be
done to improve the University. After removing personally identifying information,
your comments will be grouped with those expressing similar concerns and shared with
the relevant units on campus so they can appreciate their successes and learn from
their mistakes. However, in asking you to share your comments
we must also inform
you that our promise to maintain your confidentiality does not apply where the
university has a legal duty to act on the information you provide, such as reports of
criminal activity or unlawful harassment.
4. What two recommendations would you
make to the Chancellor for ways to improve
undergraduate experiences at NC State?
a.
b.
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
