Doctoral Graduates Evaluate the Relevance of Departmental Learning Objectives To Their Professional Responsibilities

Abstract

This article reports the results of an evaluation study under taken at NCSU to determine if doctoral graduates of the Depart ment of ACCE who perform different professional roles have different perceptions of the relevance of the Department's educa tional objectives. Relevance as used in the study referred to the utility or usefulness of the Department's objectives to the grad uates' professional responsibilities. The graduates' evaluation was obtained from a questionnaire that contained a list of 38 com petencies that were considered representative of the Department's objectives. Percentage distributions, mean scores, and chi-square values were statistical measures used in analyzing the data. The results indicated that professional responsibility was associated with the graduates' evaluation of the relevance of the Depart ment's objectives. Teachers or researchers gave the research objec tive higher ratings of relevance. Program development specialists and administrators emphasized the relevance of an understanding of adult education as a process of social change and the objectives stressing professional skills needed by the practitioner.