FINAL REPORT

June 11, 2008

 

 

 

North Carolina State University

Department of Adult and Higher Education

 

Spring 2008 Current Student Survey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Whelchel, Ph.D.

Assistant Director for Survey Research

University Planning and Analysis

North Carolina State University

Nancy_whelchel@ncsu.edu

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

During the spring of 2008, the Department of Adult and Higher Education (AHE) at NC State University conducted a survey of both current students and alumni. The survey asked respondents to provide a candid assessment of the department, its academic programs, and the impact of the department on the careers of the students. This effort was designed to use in comparisons with results from previous surveys, and to facilitate an in-depth self-assessment as the department undergoes its periodic graduate program review.

This report provides detailed results from the AHE Current Student Survey. Tables of results are presented for all questions, with responses broken down by degree level within each separate program (Adult Education, Higher Education Administration, and Training and Development). Verbatim responses from open-end questions are included in the Appendices.

 

Survey Methodology and Response Rates

 

Survey Administration

The survey was administered online, using Qualtrics survey software. The online procedures assured that only those in the survey population could access the survey, and that those in the population could only submit one survey. If necessary, respondents could submit a partial survey, then return to complete it at a later time.

Survey participants were initially directed to a common URL on the NC State website. From that page they were required to enter in their unique ID (typically their NC State Unity ID). After successfully entering their ID participants were redirected to the appropriate survey (student or alumni) on the NC State account at Qualtrics.

 

Survey Announcements

On March 14, 2008 all students in the population with a known mailing address were mailed a letter, on AHE letterhead signed by the head of the department, explaining the purpose of the survey, and inviting them to participate in it.[1] The letter included the URL for the online survey, and provided the recipient with his/her unique ID to log in to it. All students with a valid email address were emailed a similar message on March 18. Follow-up email reminders were sent to non-respondents on March 27, and again on April 3. (See Appendix A for examples of all correspondence.) The online survey closed on April 7.

 

Questionnaires

The AHE Student Survey questionnaire consisted of a total of 22 closed-end questions (several of which included multiple items), and 13 open-end questions. The online questionnaire, however, was designed so that respondents were appropriately skipped over questions that were not relevant; as such, most respondents did not need to answer all possible questions. The survey took, on average, less than 15 minutes for respondents to complete.

The closed-end questions asked for background information on the students’ status in the department (e.g., when and why they enrolled, their admission status, major course of study, etc.), their course-taking behavior (e.g., typical number of credits enrolled for per semester, distance education courses), and frequency of interaction with AHE faculty. A number of closed-end questions were geared toward obtaining detailed information about employment experiences (e.g., employment status, job title, type of organization, professional responsibilities, and salary), both when initially entering the program and currently. The survey also included a series of closed-end questions to get at satisfaction with the AHE program, and its impact on students’ professional lives. The questionnaire also asked respondents to provide detailed information on their professional activities and accomplishments. Finally, students were asked to comment on the influence of AHE on their professional career, the greatest obstacles they face in getting their degree, and for suggestions for improving the program. See Appendix B for a copy of the questionnaire.

 

Response Rates (Table 1)

            The overall response rate for the Department was 62.2%, with 158 of the 254 eligible students submitting the online survey. Response rates by program, and by degree level within program, were fairly consistent, ranging from a high of 69.2% for Master’s students in Higher Education Administration (HED), to a low of 54.4% for Master’s students in Training & Development (TDZ).

Table 1 also provides the ‘margin of error’ or sampling error, for the overall results for each survey. The margin or error is a statistical measure indicating the range of values that contains the true population value in (in this case) 95 out of 100 possible random samples of the population. For example, the margin of error for the entire AHE department is +/-2.9, which means when looking at the results the reader should keep in mind that the ‘real’ result could be 2.9 percentage points higher or lower than the figure reported in the table. Because the margin of error gets larger as the population size and/or number of respondents gets smaller, even seemingly large differences between groups in their responses might not be statistically significant.

 

Table 1: Response Rates; Overall and by Department and Degree Level

	Population N	Respondents N	Response Rate %	Margin of Error (+/-)
AHE	254	158	62.2%	2.9
Adult Education	110	71	64.6%	4.1
Master’s	25	15	60.0%	10.1
Doctoral	85	56	65.9%	4.5
Higher Education Administration	87	56	64.4%	4.7
Master’s	39	27	69.2%	5.8
Doctoral	48	29	60.4%	7.2
Training & Development	57	31	54.4%	8.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analyses

            The data were analyzed using SAS version 9.1.3. Frequencies were generated for each variable, while means and standard deviations were calculated for the 19 items that were measured on a four-point Likert scale. Appropriate cross-tabulations were generated to identify patterns in the responses. Comments from questions asking respondents to provide responses in their own words were not analyzed, but are listed in the Appendices, as written. The program and degree level of the respondent is included with each individual comment.

 

 

Demographic Profile

 

Academic Year Enrolled (Table 2):

            A plurality of student respondents (27.1%) first enrolled in the Department in the current academic year (AY07-08), and another 21.9% enrolled in AY06-07. Thus, almost half of respondents had been in the Department less than two full years at the time of the survey. About 30 percent had been in the department three or four years, with 16.1% first enrolling in AY05-06, and 13.5% in AY04-05. The remainder of the respondents (21.4%) first enrolled in the program at least 4 years prior to the survey, with 3 respondents reporting that they had first enrolled 10 or more years ago.

 

Table 2: Year and Semester First Enrolled

	Summer N   N	Fall N	Spring N	Total %
AY92-93	.	.	1	0.6
AY93-94	.	1	.	0.6
AY94-95	.	.	.
AY95-96	.	.	.	0.0
AY96-97	.	1	.	0.0
AY97-98	.	.	.	0.6
AY98-99	.	2	.	1.0
AY99-00	.	5	1	3.9
AY00-01	.	2	1	1.9
AY01-02	.	3	.	1.9
AY02-03	.	6	.	3.9
AY03-04	.	9	1	6.5
AY04-05	2	15	4	13.5
AY05-06	.	12	13	16.1
AY06-07	3	24	7	21.9
AY07-08	3	31	8	27.1
Total	8	111	36	100.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Admission Status (Table 3):

            Respondents were asked to indicate if they had been admitted as a ‘post-baccalaureate student” (PBS), fully admitted to the Raleigh campus, fully-admitted to the Charlotte program, admitted to the online TDZ program, or admitted on a conditional basis. Almost half of students in the department (46%) indicated that they had been ‘fully-admitted’ to the Raleigh campus. Master’s students in both HED (78%) and ADE (69%), and Doctoral students in HED (66%) were especially likely to have been fully admitted to the Raleigh campus compared to the other possible admissions statuses.

            Almost one-fourth of all respondents in the department (23%) were admitted as PBS students. ADE and HED had similar numbers of doctoral respondents indicating they were PBS admits (30% and 28%, respectively).

            Eighty-three percent of the TDZ respondents said they had been admitted to the Online T&D program.

 

Table 3: Admission Status; Overall and by Program and Degree Level

Admission Status	Adult Education				Higher Education Administration				Training & Development		Total
	Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
PBS	3	19	16	30	4	15	8	28	4	13	35	23
Conditional	1	6	2	4	2	7	2	7	.	.	7	5
Fully-admitted (Raleigh)	11	69	20	38	21	78	19	66	1	3	72	46
Fully-admitted (Charlotte)	.	.	12	23	.	.	.	.	.	.	12	8
Online T&D program	1	6	3	6	.	.	.	.	25	83	29	19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary Reason for Enrolling in Program (Table 4):

            Overall, the majority of respondents in AHE (62%) reported that the primary reason they had enrolled in the program was to “advance in the career field I was in when I entered the program.” Doctoral students in ADE (76%) and HED (69%) were notably more likely than Master’s students in these departments (56% and 22%, respectively) to cite this as their primary reason for enrolling. About two-thirds (67%) of the Master’s students in TDZ said they enrolled in order to advance in their current career, while 23% said they had enrolled in the program in order to “transition to a different professional area.” HED Master’s students were much more likely than those in other programs to say they had enrolled in the program in order to “begin a new career.”

 

Table 4: Primary Reason Entered Program; Overall and by Program and Academic Level

Primary Reason Entered Program	Adult Education				Higher Education Administration				Training & Development		Total
	Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Begin career	2	13	1	2	15	56	2	7	1	3	21	13
Advance in current career	9	56	41	76	6	22	20	69	20	67	96	62
Transition to different professional area	3	19	9	17	5	19	7	24	7	23	31	20
Other	2	13	3	6	1	4	.	.	2	7	8	5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Typical Enrollment Status (Table 5):

            In a typical semester, AHE students overall are most likely to be taking six credit hours (43%). However, the number of credits students take vary by program and degree level. In ADE, Master’s students are fairly evenly divided between taking, on average, three, six, and nine credit hours per semester (38%, 25%, and 38%, respectively). In contrast, a majority of ADE Doctoral students take six credits per semester, with relatively few (9%) taking nine credit hours. The majority of HED Master’s students (81%) take nine credit hours, while almost half of the Doctoral students (48%) take only three credit hours, with the remainder fairly evenly split between taking six and nine credit hours. Almost no TDZ Master’s students enroll for more than six credit hours, but rather take either six (53%) or three (43%) credit hours per semester.

 

Table 5: Typical Credit Hours per Semester; Overall and by Program and Degree Level

Typical Number of Credits Enrolled per Semester	Adult Education				Higher Education Administration				Training & Development		Total
	Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Three	6	38	11	21	1	4	14	48	13	43	45	29
Six	4	25	37	70	2	7	7	24	16	53	66	43
Nine	6	38	5	9	22	81	8	28	1	3	42	27
Twelve	.	.	.	.	2	7	.	.	.	.	2	1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distance Education (Table 6):

            Survey respondents were asked whether they had ever taken an AHE online course, a video course, or a course through some other distance education format (e.g., teleconference). (The list of ‘other’ types of DE course taken is found in Appendix C.) Overall, AHE students are most likely to have taken an online course (69%), with far fewer students reporting having taken a video course (13%), or a course using some other distance education format (10%). Students in ADE and TDZ are notably more likely than those in HED to enroll in distance education courses.

Virtually all of the respondents in the ADE Master’s program, and 97% of those in the TDZ Master’s program, reported having taken an online course. A large percentage of ADE Doctoral students (74%) also reported taking an online course. Although still reported by one-third or more respondents, those in HED were notably less likely to have taken on online course.

Between 14% and 19% of respondents in ADE (regardless of degree level), the TDZ Master’s program, and the HED Doctoral program had taken a video course. Doctoral students in ADE were, for the most part, the only ones to report having taken a course through some other distance education format (22%).

 

Table 6: Distance Education; Overall and by Program and Degree Level

DE Courses	Adult Education				Higher Education Administration				Training & Development		Total
	Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Online	16	100	40	74	12	44	10	34	29	97	107	69
Video	3	19	8	15	.	.	4	14	5	17	20	13
Other	1	6	12	22	.	.	2	7	.	.	15	10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Financial Support Positions (Table 7):

            Overall, relatively few AHE student respondents indicated that they hold a student support position, such as a Graduate Assistantship, Fellowship, or campus job. The vast majority of such positions are held by HED students, with 78% of the Master’s students, and 21% of the Doctoral students having a Graduate Assistantship. (The location of campus jobs is listed in Appendix D.)

 

Table 7: Student Financial Support Positions; Overall and by Program and Academic Level

 

Position	Adult Education				Higher Education Administration				Training & Development		Total
	Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Graduate Assistantship	2	13	2	4	21	78	6	21	.	.	31	20
Fellowship	.	.	1	2	.	.	.	.	.	.	1	1
Campus job	1	6	3	6	2	7	.	.	1	3	7	4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employment Experience

 

           Respondents were asked a series of questions about their employment when they first entered the program, and the same series of questions about their current employment. Specifically, they were asked whether they work(ed) full- or part-time, the type of organization in which they work(ed), their job title, their professional responsibilities, and their salary.

 

Adult Education (Tables 8 and 8b):

            Three-fourths or more of both Master’s and Doctoral students in ADE report being employed full-time, both when they first entered the program and currently. For the most part, the ADE students are not changing jobs after enrolling in school. One-fourth of those in the Doctoral program said they were working in a different organization now than when they first entered the program, as did only one Master’s student. Currently, both Master’s and Doctoral ADE students are most likely to be working at a 4-year college or university (36% and 34%, respectively), followed by a community college or 2-year institution (21% and 28%, respectively) than any other type of organization. ADE Doctoral students, however, are more likely than Master’s students to be working in a range of organizations, such as ‘business/industry,’ ‘healthcare,’ and ‘extension service.’ Master’s students, in comparison, are more likely than Doctoral students to report working in some ‘other’ type of organization.

            About half of the Doctoral students, compared to just 2 of the Master’s students, report having a different job title now than when they first enrolled in the program. For a complete list of job titles see Appendix E.           

            Similarly, half of the Doctoral students and just 2 of the Master’s students report having different job responsibilities now than they had when they first entered the program. Doctoral students also appear to have a wider range of responsibilities than do Master’s students. In their current position, while at least 25% of the Doctoral students each report having responsibility for the individual activities asked about, they are most likely to have responsibility for ‘instruction/training’ (59%), followed by ‘program design’ (51%), and ‘administration’ (43%). Master’s students are also most likely to have responsibility for ‘instruction/training’ (50%), but are much less likely than Doctoral students to have responsibility for any of the other activities asked about.

            Current salaries for ADE Master’s students are slightly lower than when they first enrolled in the program. An equal percentage of ADE Master’s students report having a current annual pre-tax income of $20,000 or less (46%) and between $40,000 and $65,000 (46%). In comparison, for the most part salaries for Doctoral students increased since first enrolling in the program. About half of the Doctoral students reported earning more than $50,000 per year when they first enrolled in the program, while three-fourths report such earnings now.

 

Table 8: Employment Profile; ADE by Degree Level

ADE: Employment When Entered Program & Current	Masters				Doctoral
	When Entered		Current		When Entered		Current
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Employment Status
Full-time (40 hrs +)	12	75	13	81	47	87	43	80
Part-time (20-39 hrs)	.	.	1	6	4	7	6	11
Part-time (< 20 hrs)	.	.	.	.	.	.	2	4
Not employed	4	25	2	13	3	6	3	6
Organization
Community College / 2 yr	3	25	3	21	18	35	14	28
University / 4 yr	4	33	5	36	12	24	17	34
Nonprofit	.	.	.	.	2	4	1	2
Healthcare	.	.	.	.	3	6	3	6
Extension Service	.	.	.	.	3	6	2	4
Business / Industry	.	.	.	.	5	10	6	12
Government	2	17	1	7	2	4	2	4
Self-Employed	1	8	1	7	1	2	1	2
Other	2	17	4	29	5	10	4	8
Professional Responsibilities*
Administration	5	42	4	29	22	44	22	43
Instruction / Training	9	75	7	50	35	69	30	59
Program design	3	25	3	21	22	43	26	51
Program coordinator	3	25	3	21	22	43	17	33
Consultation	1	8	1	7	10	20	13	26
Other	2	17	3	21	5	10	12	24
Annual Before-Tax Income
$20,000 or less	3	30	6	46	1	2	5	10
$20,001-$30,000	.	.	.	.	2	4	1	2
$30,001-$40,000	2	20	1	8	6	12	1	2
$40,001-$50,000	3	30	4	31	14	28	6	12
$50,001-$65,000	2	20	2	15	14	28	20	40
$65,001-$80,000	.	.	.	.	7	14	7	14
$80,001 or more	.	.	.	.	6	12	10	20
* Respondent could indicate more than one type of responsibility

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 8b: Change in Employment Since First Entered Program; ADE by Degree Level

 

	Adult Education
Total # and % of students whose current employment experience is different now than it was when they first entered program	Master’s		Doctoral
	N	%	N	%
In a different organization now than when first entered program	1	8	12	25
Has a different job title now than when first entered program	2	17	23	48
Have different responsibilities now than when entered program	2	17	23	50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higher Education Administration (Tables 9 and 9b):

            The employment status of entering HED Master’s students is evenly divided between full-time, part-time, and not employed. In comparison, the current employment status of these students shifts notably to part-time, with fewer respondents reporting either working full-time or being non-employed. About two-thirds of HED Doctoral students report being employed full-time when entering the program, with a similar number saying they are currently employed full-time.

            Almost 40% of HED students who were employed when they entered the program report that they are now working in a different organization. However, the vast majority of HED students, both Master’s and Doctoral, report working in a 4-year college or university, both at the time they enrolled in the program and currently.

            Almost two-thirds of the HED Doctoral students report having a different job title now than when they first enrolled in the program, as do more than one-fourth of the Master’s students. For a complete list of job titles, see Appendix E.

            Three-fourths of the HED Doctoral students report having different job responsibilities now than when they first enrolled in the program. For the most part, however, it appears that these respondents have taken on additional responsibilities rather than moving completely out of one area and in to another. Doctoral students are now, as they were when they first enrolled, most likely to be in ‘administration,’ with 77% of respondents saying this is currently one of their responsibilities. About one-third of the Doctoral students are currently responsible for ‘instruction/training,’ and ‘program coordination,’ the next most common areas of responsibilities for this group.

Less than half of the HED Master’s students (44%) say their responsibilities have changed since entering the program. Similar to Doctoral students, they are most likely to be in ‘administration’ (64%). Looking at current responsibilities, this is followed by ‘program design,’ ‘program coordination,’ and ‘instruction/training.’ Unlike Doctoral students, Master’s students appear to move into new areas of responsibility after enrolling in the program, with growth being particularly noteworthy with respect to ‘program design’ and ‘consultation.’

No student enrolled in the Master’s program in HED reported having an annual pre-tax income of above $40,000, with two-thirds saying their current salary is $20,000 or less. Although as reported above, more Master’s students in HED are employed currently than when they first enrolled in the program, they are more likely to be working part-time than full-time, which presumably accounts for the lowering of salaries compared to when they first enrolled. HED Doctoral students fair better with respect to income, with almost three-fourths saying their current income is above $40,000, and 20% earning more than $65,000 per year. Unlike Master’s students, the current salaries of Doctoral students overall is notably higher than when they first enrolled in the program.

 

Table 9: Employment Profile; HED by Degree Level

HED: Employment When Entered Program & Current	Masters				Doctoral
	When Entered		Current		When Entered		Current
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Employment Status
Full-time (40 hrs +)	10	37	6	22	19	66	20	69
Part-time (20-39 hrs)	7	26	16	59	3	10	6	21
Part-time (< 20 hrs)	1	4	3	11	3	10	.	.
Not employed	9	33	2	7	4	14	3	10
Organization
Community College / 2 yr	.	.	.	.	4	16	4	15
University / 4 yr	17	85	23	96	19	76	21	81
Nonprofit	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Healthcare	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Extension Service	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Business / Industry	1	5	.	.	.	.	.	.
Government	1	5	.	.	.	.	.	.
Self-Employed	.	.	.	.	1	4	.	.
Other	1	5	1	4	1	4	1	4
Professional Responsibilities*
Administration	12	67	16	64	17	68	20	77
Instruction / Training	6	33	9	36	7	28	9	35
Program design	5	28	12	48	4	16	7	27
Program coordinator	7	39	11	44	9	36	10	38
Consultation	2	11	6	24	.	.	2	8
Other	2	11	4	16	4	16	5	19
Annual Before-Tax Income
$20,000 or less	9	50	16	67	3	12	5	20
$20,001-$30,000	4	22	4	17	2	8	.	.
$30,001-$40,000	5	28	4	17	7	28	2	8
$40,001-$50,000	.	.	.	.	5	20	3	12
$50,001-$65,000	.	.	.	.	6	24	10	40
$65,001-$80,000	.	.	.	.	2	8	2	8
$80,001 or more	.	.	.	.	.	.	3	12
* Respondent could indicate more than one type of responsibility

 

 

Table 9b: Change in Employment Since First Entered Program; HED by Degree Level

 

	Higher Education Administration
Total # and % of students whose current employment experience is different now than it was when they first entered program	Master’s		Doctoral
	N	%	N	%
In a different organization now than when first entered program	7	39	8	35
Has a different job title now than when first entered program	5	28	15	62
Have different responsibilities now than when entered program	8	44	17	62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Training and Development (Tables 10 and 10b):

            The employment status of TDZ students remained consistent from the time they enrolled, with about 80% reporting fulltime employment both when they entered the program and currently. However, one-fourth of the TDZ students said that they are currently working in a different organization than they were when they first enrolled. These overall changes appear to be lateral moves, with no real growth or decline evident in any one particular type of organization. TDZ students are most likely to be working in ‘business / industry’ (43%). The remaining employees are fairly evenly distributed between the other types of organizations asked about.

            TDZ students are more likely to report having a different job title now than when they first enrolled (43%) than to say they are in a different type of organization. For a complete list of initial and current job titles see Appendix E.

            Similarly, 39% of TDZ students say their job responsibilities have changed since first entering the program. In their current positions, TDZ students are most likely to be responsible for ‘instruction/training’ (79%), followed by ‘program coordination’ (57%), and ‘program design’ (50%). It is important to note that these latter two areas are the areas that appear to have experienced the most overall growth between when first enrolling in the program and currently.

            TDZ students report notably higher incomes than do Master’s students in ADE and HED, with 50% earning more than $50,000 per year, and another 21% earning $40,001 to $50,000. And, unlike Master’s students in other AHE programs, TDZ students overall reported that their current income is higher than it was when they first enrolled in the program.

 

Table 10: Employment Profile; TDZ by Degree Level

TDZ: Employment When Entered Program & Current	Masters
	When Entered		Current
	N	%	N	%
Employment Status
Full-time (40 hrs +)	24	80	25	83
Part-time (20-39 hrs)	4	13	3	10
Part-time (< 20 hrs)	1	3	.	.
Not employed	1	3	2	7
Organization
Community College / 2 yr	3	10	3	11
University / 4 yr	2	7	2	7
Nonprofit	2	7	2	7
Healthcare	3	10	2	7
Extension Service	.	.	.	.
Business / Industry	11	38	12	43
Government	4	14	4	14
Self-Employed	3	10	3	11
Other	1	3	.	.
Professional Responsibilities
Administration	11	38	11	39
Instruction / Training	20	69	22	79
Program design	12	41	14	50
Program coordinator	17	59	16	57
Consultation	7	24	9	32
Other	6	21	7	25
Annual Before-Tax Income
$20,000 or less	2	7	1	4
$20,001-$30,000	2	7	1	4
$30,001-$40,000	5	17	4	14
$40,001-$50,000	7	24	6	21
$50,001-$65,000	7	24	11	39
$65,001-$80,000	2	7	2	7
$80,001 or more	4	14	3	11
* Respondent could indicate more than one type of responsibility

 

 

 

 

Table 10b: Change in Employment Since First Entered Program; TDZ by Degree Level

 

	Training & Development
Total # and % of students whose current employment experience is different now than it was when they first entered program	Master’s
	N	%
In a different organization now than when first entered program	7	25
Have a different job title now than when first entered program	12	43
Have different responsibilities now than when entered program	11	39

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Activities (Table 11)

 

            In the survey students were queried about their professional activities and achievements. Specifically, they were asked to list their presentations, publications, awards, leadership roles in professional organizations, any workshops they had facilitated, and any programs they had developed or implemented. See Appendix F for the complete list of responses, reported separately for each program by type of activity.

            Respondents were also asked whether or not they had made a presentation or co-authored an article with an NC State faculty member. Doctoral students in ADE were most likely to have done so, with one-fourth of them saying they had co-authored an article with an NC State faculty member, and 15% saying they had made a presentation with an NC State faculty member. Doctoral students in HED appear to have such experiences only rarely. Master’s students in the department, regardless of the program, almost never reported working with faculty on presentations or publications.

            Students were specifically asked about their participation in an NC State colloquium or poster session. While again essentially no Master’s students had presented at these events, about one-fourth of the Doctoral students in both AHE and HED had done so.

 

Professional Activities	Adult Education				Higher Education Administration				Training & Development		Total
	Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Made presentation w/ NCSU faculty at conference	.	.	8	15	.	.	3	10	2	7	13	8
Co-authored an article w/ an NCSU faculty member	.	.	14	26	1	4	3	10	2	7	20	13
Presented at NCSU colloquium or poster session	.	.	13	24	.	.	8	28	1	3	22	14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 11: Professional Activities; Overall and by Program and Degree Level

Interaction with Faculty (Table 12)

 

Survey participants were asked how frequently they had contact with their primary advisor and with their advisory committee members. A large majority of AHE students - - almost 90% - - meet with their advisor at least once per semester. HED students, regardless of degree level, and ADE Doctoral students, have the most frequent contact with their advisors, with about half of each group saying they interact with their advisor at least once per month. ADE Master’s students report having less frequent contact with their advisor, although 80% are still meeting with their advisor at least once per semester. Least likely to be having regular contact with their advisor are TDZ students, with 30% saying that happens less than once per semester.

Interaction with Advisory Committee Members is less common, and, as evidenced by responses, not applicable for a large number of students. Only one-fourth of the Master’s students in ADE and HED gave a substantive response to the question asking about the frequency with which they meet with their committee. TDZ Master’s students were more likely to give a response, but three-fourths of those that did so said they ‘never’ meet with their committee members. Doctoral students were more likely to indicate that the question is relevant, with about 50% of those doing so saying they meet with their committee members at least once per semester.

Students were also asked if they had ever asked an AHE faculty member for a letter of recommendation. Overall about one-fourth of the survey participants indicated they had done so. HED Doctoral students were the most likely to have asked for a letter of recommendation (45%), followed by HED Master’s students (26%) and ADE Doctoral students (22%).

Table 12: Interaction with Faculty; Overall and by Program and Degree Level

Interaction with Faculty	Adult Education				Higher Education Administration				Training & Development		Total
	Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s		Doctoral		Master’s
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Frequency of Contact with Advisor
Never	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	2	1
< Once a semester