Assessment Survey   1 

Running head: ASSESSMENT SURVEY

Designing a Survey for Assessment of Swarthmore College Graduates

Henry C. Alphin Jr.

Drexel University

08/09/2009
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Institution

Mission

Swarthmore College “celebrates the life of the mind” (Swarthmore, 2009). At

Swarthmore, learning is more than knowledge obtained and applied; it is growth as a lifelong

endeavor of leadership and ethical practices. Students are taught to be successful and committed

to the common good while maintaining genuine relationships and imparting values that will

influence future generations. Positive influence and ethical intelligence are not only taught, but

they are also lived.

Student Learning Goals

At Swarthmore College, students form lifelong bonds both socially and intellectually. It

is from this very foundation that the student learning goals are created and can be applied. There

are six core student learning goals in three strategic categories; each is strongly interconnected

with the others:

Intellectual

 Students will routinely engage in critical thinking and analysis efforts, and

then take these new abilities to the next level and become independent learners and

thinkers. Students will embark from Swarthmore as self-directed goal-seekers with

independent thoughts.

 Students will be able to communicate their thoughts with precise writing

skills, effective public speaking skills, and an ability to interact with individuals from

differing social, cultural, and economic classes.

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Knowledge

 Students will gain an advanced wisdom of their specific discipline, and

will engage faculty in a manner that establishes a relationship of a shared pursuit of

knowledge within the disciple. Students are expected to go above and beyond course-

specific learning and experience the breadth of the discipline.

 Students will obtain a core competence in liberal arts that will begin a

pursuit of lifelong learning. It is expected that students will select varied courses in order

to seek to understand cultures and philosophies that they currently do not.

Values

 Students will engage in community service and a shared commitment to

become responsible, politically aware citizens. Students are not only expected to become

intellectuals within their discipline, but they will become socially responsible adults who

engage their community in positive manners of service and leadership.

 Students will build relationships with each other, faculty, and the entire

Swarthmore College community in a manner that lays a foundation for future

relationships. In developing a sense of integrity and an ethical manner of existence,

students will continue to build relationships upon embarking from Swarthmore and know

that the foundation began with the Swarthmore experience.

Survey Instrument

Timing and Methodology

The survey instrument will be conducted as an exit interview upon graduation. The

instrument will be a requirement of graduation, and thus upon completion of all academic

requirements, the student will be e-mailed a link that produces a web-based survey. If students
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do not reply to the third e-mail request, then a paper form will be mailed to their home address.

The Registrar’s Office will be the intermediary between the Office of Institutional Research and

the student. Surveys that are mailed to the student will have a return address of the Registrar’s

Office, and paper copies will be available in the same office for students to complete in-person.

As students complete the survey – either on the web, by returning the survey to the Registrar’s

Office, or in person – the potential hold will be lifted from their account. Upon completing the

survey on the web, an automated system will be in place in order to lift the hold, and a manual

removal will be possible via the Registrar’s Office access into the student’s record.

The survey will consist of thirty questions. It will consist of a mixed format, and

questions will range from gauging student alignment with mission statements to program- and

office-specific content, as well as an open-ended section to allow students the space to provide

any additional thoughts.

Analysis

The data will be analyzed on a general college level and a program level. As there is an

inherent interdisciplinary approach at Swarthmore, the core of the survey will be focused on the

general college level. Comparisons will be made internally between majors, as well as externally

between other small liberal arts colleges. The National Survey of Student Engagement provides a

solid foundation of questions from which we will be able to compare the results of our study to

that of national trends, and then down to small liberal arts colleges. From this stage, we can sort

the data according to race, gender, GPA, level of student engagement, and similar demographic

and academic measures.

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In expecting to provide students with an experience that is not entirely comparable to

other institutions, much of the analytical focus will be on finding ways to improve our current

methods and strategies.

This survey instrument will be used as a starting point for 5- and 10-year alumni surveys

that will be mailed to graduates, as we wish to understand not only how well graduates are

performing in employment, society, and their respective communities, but how graduates

perceive Swarthmore College upon a sufficient period of time in order to reflect upon and

analyze their experience as seasoned adults.

The information obtained from this survey will be shared with the President, Provost, and

Board of Trustees. Next, a more concise report will be shared with the faculty committee, to be

followed up by an e-mailed report to the entire faculty and administrators. The Office of

Institutional Research will provide highlights of the information on its website, and if enough

positive information is obtained, then a brochure may be mailed to alumni, community and

business leaders, publishers of admissions guides, and other members both influenced by, and

influential to, the Swarthmore College community.

This is a reflective assessment, and we will use the information obtained to reevaluate the

structure and strategy of the university. However, it is understood that while students are the

customers of colleges and universities, we need additional feedback from faculty, employers, the

community, and other stakeholders involved with Swarthmore College. This survey will lead to

an initial set of reports that will set the stage for later survey instruments in order to provide

information on diverse levels. In working with faculty, we will be able to provide accurate

assessments of where the college stands and the direction that it needs to take. Although

Swarthmore College is one of the finest institutions in the United States, we seek to make it even
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better; we can do this through quality assessment and an open mind to making effective changes

based upon the results of the assessments.

It is imperative that the information be used as a starting point to begin training faculty

and administration in deficient areas, and to also push students harder in areas that graduates feel

they missed out on. The data will be continuously updated by new rounds of graduate students,

and with each group of survey responses, benchmarks can be set and assessment begun.

Maintaining the reliability and validity of the survey will be the duty of the Office of Institutional

Research, and the Registrar’s Office will continue to provide a front-line mechanism for students

to interact with.
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References

National Survey of Student Engagement, (2009). NSSE 2009 U.S. English paper version.

Retrieved August 9, 2009, from the National Survey of Student Engagement Web site:

http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/nsse09_color_sample.pdf

Suskie, L. (2004). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide. Bolton, MA: Anker

Publishing Company, Inc.

Suskie, L. (1996). Questionnaire survey research: What works (2nd ed.). Tallahassee, FL:

Association for Institutional Research.

Swarthmore College, (2009). About Swarthmore. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from the

Swarthmore College Web site: http://www.swarthmore.edu/x18.xml

University of San Diego, (2008). Undergraduate Learning Goals Task Force: Knowledge,

process, values and education (Draft). Retrieved August 8, 2009, from the University of

San Diego Undergraduate Goals Web site:

http://www.sandiego.edu/core/PDFs/UG%20Goals%20Draft9.pdf
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Swarthmore College
Undergraduate Exit Survey

1. Was Swarthmore College your first choice in furthering your education?

Yes
Second choice
Third choice
No, it was not a top choice.

2. Did you begin your college education at Swarthmore?

Yes, I started here
No, I transferred

3. Which of the following types of colleges have you attended?

Vocational or technical school
Community or junior college
4-year college other than Swarthmore
None
Other

4. Please provide your major at Swarthmore College.

5. What is your sex?

Male
Female

6. What is your age?

18-24
25-34
35-50
50+
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7. Are you an international student or foreign national?

Yes
No

8. What is your racial or ethnic identification?

American Indian or other Native American
Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander
Black or African American
White (non-Hispanic)
Mexican or Mexican American
Puerto Rican
Other Hispanic or Latino
Multiracial
Other
I prefer to not respond

9. What is your cumulative GPA?

3.8-4.0+
3.5-3.79
3.0-3.49
2.5-2.99

10. How satisfied are you with your overall experience at Swarthmore?
Very Satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Indifferent
Somewhat unsatisfied
Very unsatisfied

11. How would you evaluate the quality of education offered at Swarthmore?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
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12. How would you evaluate the quality of education offered by your program at
Swarthmore?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor

13. Overall, how interested are faculty in engaging students and making the
material accessible?
Very interested
Somewhat interested
Indifferent
Somewhat disinterested
Not interested

14. How interested are faculty in your major in engaging students and making the
material accessible?
Very interested
Somewhat interested
Indifferent
Somewhat disinterested
Not interested

15. How would you rate the advising that you have received from your program?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
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16. How satisfied are you with each of the following offices?
Very Somewhat Somewhat Very
Satisfied satisfied Indifferent unsatisfied unsatisfied
Residential Living
Facilities (maintainance,
recycling efforts)
Student Life / Student
Activities
Career Development
Dining Services
Information Technology
Services
Public Safety
Registrar's Office
Student Accounts Office

17. If you could begin you college career again, would you still choose
Swarthmore?
Definitely yes
Probably yes
Probably no
Definitely no

18. How satisfied are you with the Financial Aid services offered by the College?
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Indifferent
Somewhat unsatisfied
Very unsatisfied

19. How would you rate your relationships with other students?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
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20. How would you rate your relationships with faculty members?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor

21. How would you rate the overall personality and demeanor of support staff?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor

22. How socially active were you in the following areas?

Very Somewhat Not very
active active active Inactive
Joining a fraternity or
sorority
Becoming a student
athlete
Playing recreational sports
Becoming involved in
student organizations

23. Upon reading the following learning goal, please state whether you feel that
Swarthmore provided an environment conducive to achieving this goal:

Students will routinely engage in critical thinking and analysis efforts, and then
take these new abilities to the next level and become independent learners and
thinkers. Students will embark from Swarthmore as self-directed goal-seekers
with independent thoughts.
I completed this goal because of my relationship with Swarthmore College
I completed this goal without much assistance from Swarthmore College
I did not complete this goal.
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24. Upon reading the following learning goal, please state whether you feel that
Swarthmore provided an environment conducive to achieving this goal:

Students will be able to communicate their thoughts with precise writing skills,
effective public speaking skills, and an ability to interact with individuals from
differing social, cultural, and economic classes.
I completed this goal because of my relationship with Swarthmore College
I completed this goal without much assistance from Swarthmore College
I did not complete this goal.

25. Upon reading the following learning goal, please state whether you feel that
Swarthmore provided an environment conducive to achieving this goal:

Students will gain an advanced wisdom of their specific discipline, and will
engage faculty in a manner that establishes a relationship of a shared pursuit of
knowledge within the disciple. Students are expected to go above and beyond
course-specific learning and experience the breadth of the discipline.
I completed this goal because of my relationship with Swarthmore College
I completed this goal without much assistance from Swarthmore College
I did not complete this goal.

26. Upon reading the following learning goal, please state whether you feel that
Swarthmore provided an environment conducive to achieving this goal:

Students will obtain a core competence in liberal arts that will begin a pursuit of
lifelong learning. It is expected that students will select varied courses in order
to seek to understand cultures and philosophies that they currently do not.
I completed this goal because of my relationship with Swarthmore College
I completed this goal without much assistance from Swarthmore College
I did not complete this goal.

27. Upon reading the following learning goal, please state whether you feel that
Swarthmore provided an environment conducive to achieving this goal:

Students will engage in community service and a shared commitment to

become responsible, politically aware citizens. Students are not only expected
to become intellectuals within their discipline, but they will become socially
responsible adults who engage their community in positive manners of service
and leadership.
I completed this goal because of my relationship with Swarthmore College
I completed this goal without much assistance from Swarthmore College
I did not complete this goal.
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28. Upon reading the following learning goal, please state whether you feel that
Swarthmore provided an environment conducive to achieving this goal:

Students will build relationships with each other, faculty, and the entire
Swarthmore College community in a manner that lays a foundation for future
relationships. In developing a sense of integrity and an ethical manner of
existence, students will continue to build relationships upon embarking from
Swarthmore and know that the foundation began with the Swarthmore
experience.
I completed this goal because of my relationship with Swarthmore College
I completed this goal without much assistance from Swarthmore College
I did not complete this goal.

29. How confident are you regarding your entrance into the labor force or graduate
studies because of your preparation at Swarthmore?
Very confident
Somewhat confident
Unsure
Not very confident
Very unconfident

30. Please provide any additional comments. We welcome your input. Thank you!