Assessing the Environment and Outcomes of Four-Year Aviation Programs: Does Program Quality Make a Difference?

Abstract

The higher education literature concerning academic program quality offers differing opinions as to which indicators should determine program quality (Cameron, 1987; Tan, 1992). Recently, greater attention has been focused upon the environment and the outcomes of higher education academic programs (Astin, 1991). The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the highest quality U.S. four-year aviation programs follow current literature trends and emphasize environment and outcome indicators of quality. Students (N=447), faculty (N=167), and alumni (N=577) from high, medium, and low quality four-year aviation programs as determined in Lindseth’s (1996) study, were surveyed using the Educational Testing Service’s Program Self Assessment tool. The instrument measures perceptions of students, faculty, and alumni toward 16 composite characteristics or indicators of academic program quality. Results showed that except for the indicator internship experiences, the emphasis placed on environment and outcome indicators of academic program quality was not significantly different at the highest quality U.S. four-year aviation programs as compared to intermediate and low quality four-year aviation programs.