EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACCALAUREATE ALUMNI SURVEY, 2003

 

Annually the Office of Research surveys transfer program alumni with at least 30 Oakton credits or an associate’s degree, and who were last enrolled one or three years ago.  In 2003, 517 alumni responded to the survey, which was conducted by telephone during the summer of 2003.  The survey required 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and the College very much appreciates these alumni giving their time to this project.  The 30-credit criterion (about half an associate’s degree program) ensures that the alumni surveyed were sufficiently experienced at Oakton to be fairly knowledgeable about the College.  Survey findings include the following: 

 

Profile of the Population Selected for the Baccalaureate Alumni Survey

·        At the median, baccalaureate program alumni enroll at age 19 and leave at age 24.  Slightly more than half are women.  Two thirds are white and the largest minority group is of Asian or Pacific Island ancestry.

·        At the median, these alumni earned 53 credits at Oakton, with GPAs of 2.75.  Thirteen percent of these alumni completed associate’s degrees at Oakton. 

·        Sixty percent of survey respondents came to Oakton with no prior college enrollment.  Thirty percent had some college elsewhere before coming to Oakton, and another ten percent had already earned a bachelor’s degree before their last enrollment at Oakton.  Students with the bachelor’s degree may have taken most of their Oakton courses before earning that degree, but returned to Oakton for just a course or two afterwards.


Educational Experience at Other Colleges and Universities

·        Of the 517 survey respondents, 383 (72%) report they attended another college or university after Oakton, and 211 (57%) of the transfers say they earned a bachelor’s or associate degree after transfer. 

·        Most alumni transferred to schools in the Chicago area.  Northeastern Illinois University and University of Illinois at Chicago drew 34 percent of the transfers.

·        Of students who did not already have a bachelor’s degree and who transferred, 71 percent who last attended Oakton in 1999-2000 had earned their bachelor’s degree since leaving Oakton, compared to 37 percent of those who last attended in 2001-02.

·        The most popular majors for Oakton alumni are in business, social and behavioral sciences, and education.

·        Respondents who transferred rated the utility of skills learned at Oakton for their courses after transfer.  The percent who said each skill was useful were: speech 67%, writing 66%, problem-solving 56%, teamwork 58%, mathematics 54%, and computer skills 50%.

 

 


Experience at Oakton

·        Respondents who transferred rated the extent to which, while at Oakton, they improved skills in several areas.  The percent who said they improved in each skill was speech 62%, writing 61%, problem-solving 50%, teamwork 52%, mathematics 49%, and computer skills 43%.

·        Respondents evaluated how their Oakton experiences prepared them for new learning situations at school or work.  The percent who said they agreed with each attribute was confident in learning new things, 89%; asking questions and seeking support, 86%; adapting study habits and learning strategies to new situations, 82%; organizing and planning when learning new things, 79%; finding learning enjoyable and personally rewarding, 82%; and realistically assessing strengths and weaknesses, 83%.

·        A higher percentage of students who took Speech 103 at Oakton said they improved their presentation skills at Oakton than the percentage of those who did not take the course (68% vs. 42% rated their improvement a 4 or 5 on the scale).  There was no real difference in how students who had taken composition courses at Oakton rated the extent to which they improved writing skills compared to students who did not take composition at the College.

·        Alumni perceive that, overall, Oakton is living up to its core values of fairness, integrity, responsibility, tolerance and compassion. 


General Assessments

·        Eighty-seven percent of respondents report that had they to do it over, they would again choose to attend Oakton.

·        More than 140 Oakton faculty and staff members received positive comments in response to a question about there being an especially outstanding person, course or event at Oakton.  There were fewer than a dozen negative comments. 

 

The full report is available on the Office of Research website, http://www.oakton.edu/resource/oir/resmenu.html, or call the Office at 847-635-1894.