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Assessment: More than Program Quality
Marlene E. Burkhardt, Clarence Yeung

Last modified: 2015-04-18

Abstract


This research examines senior and alumni survey responses to determine what contributes to perceived satisfaction with a business education. It is hypothesized that alumni will be overwhelmingly positive about their educational experience particularly if they held an internship prior to graduation. Likewise, seniors who have held an internship will also be more positive than those who did not. It is also hypothesized that self-driven individuals are also more likely to perceive their education as positive. Data was collected from 35 seniors (57% response rate) and 287 alumni (19% response rate) in order to assess a business department at a small liberal arts college. Overall results indicate that while the majority of students and alumni were willing to "do it all again" their attitudes were not simply a function of the program but also affected by whether or not they held an internship.  Seniors who reported being self-driven were also more likely to be happy with their education. The results of this research will be used to improve the program and provide future research opportunities for students.

Keywords


Assessment; business; education