Alumni Perspectives Research Articles

Competent and Employed: STEM alumni perspectives on undergraduate research and NACE career-readiness competencies

There have been large increases in the number of STEM graduates in the United States, but the majority of growth in non-healthcare, career opportunities are limited to computer specialists and engineering. Thus, two challenges await STEM students upon graduation: strong competition and employer concerns that applicants lack general competencies and work experience. Universities have responded to employer concerns with initiatives to enhance career readiness by embedding sets of competencies throughout curricula. However, these competencies have not been situated in STEM contexts and are derived largely from surveys of representatives from large companies who are unfamiliar with the job requirements specific to STEM positions. The current study uses a mixed methods approach as a first step to investigate the National Association of Colleges and Employers Career-Readiness Competencies in STEM with alumni who have participated in UREs and are currently employed in STEM careers. We propose that institutions can simultaneously situate skill development in STEM and provide meaningful, work-like experience through undergraduate research experiences (UREs). Findings demonstrate that UREs provide a fertile ground for the integration of career related competencies into undergraduate curricula and suggest institutions should strategically implement career-readiness competencies that reflect the priorities of STEM employers. 
 Keywords: STEM, career readiness, NACE competencies, alumni, undergraduate research experiences, employment

Statistical Data Analysis Skills Needs Among Creative Arts Students

Knowledge of data analysis skills is an important knowledge for every student, especially for those who conduct research scientifically. However, is there a need for systematic statistical data analysis skills in the scope of their study among creative arts students? Therefore, this study examines the need for quantitative data analysis skills among creative arts students in the perspective of Alumni, Academician and Industry. This study interviewed 12 alumni, 13 academicians and 10 representatives from the Creative Arts Industry to analyse their perspective. Qualitative analysis method is used to analyze the results of interviews with former students, academicians and the industry. As result, all sample of informants interviewed agreed that Creative Arts Students need data analysis skill using quantitative method.

Recruitment and retention of world language teacher education majors: Perspectives of teacher candidates and alumni to remedy a global shortage

AbstractUNESCO and the Education Policy Center at American Institutes for Research have reported massive teacher shortages to exist around the globe. In the United States, an estimated 44 states and Washington, D.C. have experienced shortages of qualified world language (WL) teachers for decades. Limited research has addressed the reasons for this shortage and ways to remedy it. Out of concern about reduced enrollments specifically for WL teacher preparation programs, this study investigated recruitment and retention strategies used at two US Midwestern universities. Analysis of questionnaire data from preservice teachers and alumni revealed reasons why candidates chose WL education and persisted in the program. To improve the US WL teacher shortage, WL teachers, teacher educators, preservice teachers, and local, state, and national organizations must understand that they need to develop a symbiotic mutualistic relationship and collaborate more strategically to preserve, promote, and perpetuate WL education for global citizenship.

An Indigenous health elective – Perspectives of pharmacy undergraduate students and alumni

Background and purposeHealth professional programs, including pharmacy, have increased Indigenization efforts through cultural safety learning. The objective of this paper is to describe student and alumni interest, impact, and perceptions for improvement of an undergraduate elective course on Indigenous health. Educational activity and settingA three-credit elective course was developed with an Indigenous advisory committee and a two-phase mixed-methods design incorporating pre- and post-course surveys and interviews for pharmacy students was implemented from 2013 to 2016. In 2019, all previous students enrolled in the course, now alumni and practicing pharmacists were invited to participate in an online survey and follow-up interview. FindingsA total of 87 students and 21 alumni participated. The course appeared to have considerable impact on students' interest in course topics, specifically Canadian history of colonialism and impact on health. The course generated an increased interest in both Indigenous-oriented practicums and future practice setting. Self-perceived efficacy in providing care to Indigenous patients increased post-course and was sustained in alumni. Three major themes emerged: course should be mandatory and/or more widely available to all students, incorporate more experiential learning (such as educational field trips), and understanding of Indigenous history and impact on health care was a key learning outcome. SummaryA lecture-based elective course increased interest in Indigenous health topics, changed current perspectives on Indigenous health needs, and improved self-perceived efficacy in providing care. Students and alumni felt course content should be more widely available and highlighted the importance of increased experiential learning opportunities.

More than Knowledge Transfer? Alumni Perspectives on the Value of Postgraduate Study for International Development

This article considers findings from the ‘More Than Knowledge Transfer’ research project, which was concerned with understanding the personal and professional trajectories of alumni from postgraduate programmes in education and international development. The article reflects on qualitative data to explore four key questions: what alumni value about their postgraduate study; the perceived usefulness of different types of learnings; how these are seen as connected to, or disconnected from, development practice; and how they are shaped by the expectations that students bring with them to the programme and their existing experiences in the international development field. The article suggests a need to problematize assumed dichotomies between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’ or ‘skills’ and ‘criticality’ and instead consider how these relationships may be shaped by students’ own backgrounds and positionalities. It argues that supporting students to engage critically with, and move and build connections between, different spaces of learning and practice is key for engendering and sustaining critical and reflective approaches as they complete their studies and develop their careers in the development sector.

International Students’ and Alumni Perspectives on their Transition to Graduate Level Occupational Therapy Education and Daily Life in the United States

International Students’ and Alumni Perspectives on their Transition to Graduate Level Occupational Therapy Education and Daily Life in the United States

Evaluating the impact of the first 10 years of the Cambridge Masters in Conservation Leadership

AbstractConservation lacks sufficient well-trained leaders who are empowered to catalyse positive change for the natural world. Addressing this need, the University of Cambridge launched a Masters in Conservation Leadership in 2010. The degree includes several features designed to enhance its impact. Firstly, it recruits international, gender-balanced cohorts of mid-career professionals, building leadership capacity in the Global South and providing a rich environment for peer learning. Secondly, teaching includes applied leadership training in topics such as fundraising, leading people and networking, as well as interdisciplinary academic topics. Thirdly, the degree is delivered through the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, a partnership of international NGOs and networks, facilitating extensive practitioner-led and experiential learning. We present details of programme design and evaluate the impact of the Masters after 10 years, using data from course records, student and alumni perspectives, and interviews with key stakeholders. The course has broadly succeeded in its design and recruitment objectives. Self-assessed leadership capabilities, career responsibilities and the overall impact of alumni increased significantly 5 years after graduation. However, specific impacts of alumni in certain areas, such as on their professional colleagues, have been less clear. We conclude by outlining future plans for the Masters in light of growing demands on conservation leaders and the changing landscape of leadership capacity development. These include reforms to course structure and assessment, long-term support to the alumni network and developing a conservation leadership community of practice.

Promoting sustained diabetes management: Identifying challenges and opportunities in developing an alumni peer support component of the YMCA Diabetes Control Program

ObjectiveTo explore the perspectives of coaches and participant alumni of the YMCA Diabetes Control Program (DCP) to inform the development of a peer support component of the DCP for sustained diabetes self-management. MethodsCoaches (n = 2) and alumni (n = 38) participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups regarding their experiences with the DCP and anticipated challenges and strengths of incorporating alumni peer support into the program. Transcripts were analyzed using content analysis to identify topics related to peer support. ResultsSix topics emerged related to strengths and weaknesses of the coach and peer roles, including how those roles influenced motivation and accountability in self-management. Both roles provide encouragement for sustained behavior change, particularly in the face of setbacks. Interest in becoming an alumni peer supporter was strongly related to a sense of reciprocity and potential for mutual benefit, while concerns centered on unclear expectations and a desire for formal training. ConclusionProgram alumni saw value in continued formal contact not only with their coaches, but with fellow peers, as part of their sustained diabetes self-management and anticipated reciprocal benefits. Practice implicationsFindings illustrate opportunities for, and the value of, incorporating alumni peer support into hierarchical coach-led diabetes self-management programs.

Investigating student and alumni perspectives on language learning and career prospects through English medium instruction

ABSTRACT This study examines the phenomenon of English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education through the lens of neoliberalism and linguistic entrepreneurship. Although commonly reported benefits of EMI include improved English proficiency and better job opportunities, there is a lack of research critically examining the relationship between EMI and these presumed benefits. Through the lens of linguistic entrepreneurship, this study compares engineering students’ perceptions of the linguistic and professional benefits of EMI before, during, and after study in Turkey. Employing a mixed-methods design, data were collected from prospective, current, and former students via questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. The findings revealed significant differences between groups regarding perceptions of learning and professional outcomes. This paper demonstrates how students’ perceptions of EMI are shaped by the ideals of linguistic entrepreneurship and suggests that the professional benefits of EMI may be more nuanced than assumed, with implications for EMI pedagogy and policy in higher education.

Criminal Justice Student and Alumni Perspectives on Advising

The importance of effective advising has been well-documented, though little research has examined the relationship between advising experiences and alumni satisfaction with their education. This study examines current Criminal Justice student and alumni perspectives on advising experiences. Qualitative data were collected via an online survey and analyzed using the principles of grounded theory. While both groups report high levels of satisfaction with their education, they expressed dissatisfaction with their advising experiences. Students and alumni anticipated guidance with planning their academic and career futures, and wanted advisors to be generally supportive of, and available, to them. The findings suggest that faculty advisors must consider both the short- and long-term needs of their students, particularly in Criminal Justice.

Substance Abuse Disorder in Nursing: Evaluation and Recommendation for Regulatory Monitoring Program Performance Measures and Enhancement.

Outcome measures for individual states' nursing professional alternative-to-discipline (ATD) programs have historically ceased beyond successful fulfillment of active program monitoring, leaving a gap in affirmation of sustained postprogram efficacy. The project objective challenges the absence of profession-specific postmonitoring practice, affording qualitative evaluation of the program's impact to professional nursing. The pilot study's 8-week process improvement PICO(T) seeks validation of incorporating postprogram monitoring to validate program efficacy, conceptualizing framework guidelines established by the Federation of State Physician Health Programs' Performance Enhancement Review. Study efforts encompass identified needs assessment, current practice through outcome recommendations, and access of developed online mixed-methods appraisal with an emphasis on qualitative analysis, questioning the alumni's state of sobriety, perspective related to program participation, workforce contribution to professional practice, and intent to remain in nursing. The proposed alumni graduate status between 2 and 5 years from program completion resulted in an 11% response rate: 90% reported zero relapse since program completion; greater than 50%, willingness to participate as ATD or peer mentors; 90%, nursing licensure in good standing; and 66%, intent to remain working in profession over the next 5 years. Limitations constitute sample size, inception groundwork, and project constraints. Findings offer insight from alumni perspective, validation of literary support, and organizational interest for implementation. Contributions to nursing practice embody care of the caregiver ideology and offer future collaboration with ATD programs at state, national, and global levels to support sustained recovery of professionals affected with substance use disorder.

Outcomes of International Service Learning (ISL): Alumni Perspectives

Outcomes of International Service Learning (ISL): Alumni Perspectives

The Impact of Basic Data Literacy Skills on Work-Related Empowerment: The Alumni Perspective

The purpose of this research is to measure the impact of data literacy on psychological empowerment in workplace for newly employed graduates. Since data play an increasingly important role in our lives, including the work environment, it incites research on whether data literacy skills, those related to collecting, processing, analyzing, and effectively communicating information retrieved from data models have a significant role in the psychological empowerment of alumni in the labor market. Statistical analysis methods were used to measure the correlation between indicators of data literacy and the psychological empowerment of alumni in their work. Competencies in using data models affect the self-efficacy of newly employed alumni at the workplace, mostly in terms of data-driven communication. The findings were discussed in the context of the increasing significance of the data librarian role as a possible method of supporting students and alumni via librarians who are now more involved in creating the educational outcomes of a given college or university.

Analysing the context-specific relevance of competencies – sport management alumni perspectives

ABSTRACT Research question Recent studies on occupational fields show that different competencies are considered important in different work environments. However, with regard to sport management, there is a lack of knowledge about how context matters in terms of required competencies. This study examines how specific patterns of competencies are associated with sport management alumni’s occupational context. Research methods 142 alumni of a bachelor and master programme in sport management who already have entered professional life participated in an online survey which comprised questions on the relevance of skills/abilities related to four competency dimensions and on the occupational context. Probit models were employed to analyse the association of context factors and the job-related relevance of competencies. Results and findings Results suggest that ‘context’ plays a role in the sport managers’ assessment of the relevance of most competencies. For example, working in a private not-for-profit organisation is associated with rating ‘load capacity’, ‘negotiating skills’, and ‘assertiveness’ as relevant competencies, but ‘use of scientific methods’ and ‘scientific writing’ are considered less relevant. Furthermore, the work tasks ‘budgeting’ ‘coaching’, and ‘data analysis’ are associated with the most specific patterns of competency. Implications Organisation and communication skills contribute to general employability of graduates. Beyond that, and due to occupation-specific competency requirements, contextual frameworks of employment and the characteristics of work-related situations need to be considered, for example in teaching-learning processes.

The Relationship Between Experiential Learning and Career Outcomes for Alumni of International Development Studies Programs in Canada

In this paper, we explore the relationship between experiential learning and career outcomes for international development studies (IDS) graduates from the perspective of program alumni, by presenting the results of a national survey completed by 1,901 IDS alumni across Canada. Employing study data, we answer the following research questions: (1) What do IDS alumni consider important experiential learning opportunities? and (2) What is the perceived relationship between experiential learning and career outcomes? We argue that documenting IDS graduate perspectives on the relationship between experiential learning and career paths can inform current program opportunities and highlight the relationship between work-integrated learning and career success in this field.

Service-learning cohorts as critical communities

ABSTRACTExamining alumni perspectives from three multi-term service-learning programs, this study highlights the dimensions of the cohort experience that alumni credit as critical to their learning and development, namely building relationships among diverse perspectives, teaching and learning from one another, and sharing a commitment to social justice. We employ a theory of “critical community” to illustrate how service-learning cohorts can serve as critical communities for pursuing social change.

The Relationship Between Experiential Learning and Career Outcomes for Alumni of International Development Studies Programs in Canada

In this paper, we explore the relationship between experiential learning and career outcomes for international development studies (IDS) graduates from the perspective of program alumni, by presenting the results of a national survey completed by 1,901 IDS alumni across Canada. Employing study data, we answer the following research questions: (1) What do IDS alumni consider important experiential learning opportunities? and (2) What is the perceived relationship between experiential learning and career outcomes? We argue that documenting IDS graduate perspectives on the relationship between experiential learning and career paths can inform current program opportunities and highlight the relationship between work-integrated learning and career success in this field.

Alumni perspectives on a boarding school outdoor education programme

ABSTRACTExperiences of outdoor education are believed to have significant impacts on participants, but research on the lasting influences of extended programmes is limited. Gordonstoun School, an independent residential school founded by Kurt Hahn in 1934, provides a rich legacy of outdoor education against which to explore any enduring outcomes. Drawing on data from an online survey (n = 1174) and focus group interviews (n = 50) with alumni from Gordonstoun, this research characterises the defining features of their out-of-classroom learning and investigates the long-term influences of this ‘broader curriculum’. Out-of-classroom learning is seen to have had an overwhelmingly positive impact on former pupils, with expeditions cited as the most influential experience. The expectation that all students engage in a range of challenging situations and the importance of authentic opportunities for responsibility are identified as two particularly critical elements which have lasting influences on students. These findings have strong articulation with existing research and can be used to inform effective programme design.

Alumni Perspective on their Undergraduate Engineering Leadership Experience and Important Career Skills

Engineering leadership is increasingly recognized as an essential attribute for engineers as they enter the dynamic and complex modern workplace. Increasingly, undergraduate institutions are offering leadership development to their engineering students. The question then follows, as these student leaders graduate and go into their career, did their student leadership experiences help to equip them to be successful in their career? This paper presents the results from a thematic analysis of twelve interviews with alumni student leaders. The results showed that the most influential factors of student leadership were: humility, empathy, and curiosity.

Promoting Self-Responsibility: Learning from Australian Maritime Engineering Student and Alumni in Developing Employability Competencies

The concept of Global Maritime Fulcrum has changed the national strategy to redevelop Indonesian maritime power, including the strategy of Indonesian Higher Education Institutions in preparing their graduates to enter the labour market. Learners as the centre of the competency development process should proactively take self-responsibility (SR) by participating in competency-enhancing activities to possess not only technical skills but also competencies related to knowledge, attitudes and non-technical skills. The purpose of this paper was to describe the concept of self-responsibility from the perspective of student and alumni of Australian Maritime Engineering Schools in their process to develop employability competency. Data were collected from 1056 participants through a web-based self-report questionnaire. The quantitative analyses have suggested that the participants highly appreciated the importance of SR. By internalized their extrinsic motivations into positive behaviours, students with a high level of SR tend to an effective capacity for managing their personal competency development. In addition, a self-responsible learner also has developed self-awareness of his/her contribution to the development process. Therefore, the SR practice that appears to be best developed in development environments that could help learners to possess a series of competencies that they will confront in their real-life situation. This study has the potential to enrich the development of maritime engineering education in Indonesia by suggesting that Indonesian students need to modify their cognitive structure and develop the capability to reconstruct their development environment.