Assessment Matters: An Update on a Couple of Recent Surveys

The Office of Research Planning and Assessment is continually gathering data to inform the planning, development, and implementation of programs that improve Meredith students’ learning and living experiences. The Graduate Alumni Survey and the Success Coaching & the First Semester Experience survey, administered this past fall and early spring, respectively, were two such surveys that focused attention on specific campus populations. 

The Graduate Alumni Survey questionnaire was designed to assess graduate alumni’s satisfaction with their Meredith education and to learn about their post-graduate accomplishments. This survey’s findings will be used to update Meredith’s current graduate programs and ensure that course offerings continue to closely align with students’ professional needs.

Of the 63 graduate alumni who responded to the survey, 32% had completed the Master of Education degree, 27% were graduates of the Master of Science in Nutrition program, 24% were Master of Arts in Teaching alumni, and 16% had graduated from the Master of Business Administration program. The alumni who responded to the survey had graduated between 2011 and 2021. 

Overall, alumni reported considerable satisfaction with the quality of their Meredith graduate program, with 92% saying they were satisfied or very satisfied. In addition, alumni indicated that they appreciated the following aspects of their Meredith experience.

• 97% were satisfied or very satisfied with their advisors’ knowledge of their program requirements. 
• 95% were satisfied or very satisfied with the availability of core courses required to graduate.
• 95% were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of instruction in a majority of their courses.
• 93% were satisfied or very satisfied with the relevance and value of courses offered. 
• 96% agreed or strongly agreed that they would attend a Meredith graduate program again
• 95% agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend Meredith to a prospective graduate student
• 98% agreed or strongly agreed that their Meredith graduate program prepared them to pursue the next stage of their professional or academic career.

The Success Coaching and the First Semester Experience Survey was implemented this spring and was designed to gauge the impact of success coaching on incoming students’ transition to Meredith last fall. 326 first-year students were invited to participate in the survey, and 81 (25%) responses were recorded. First-year students reported on their experiences meeting with a success coach and described the impact this particular form of advising had on their first few months at Meredith.

Of the students who had met with their assigned success coach:

• 89% strongly agreed that they valued having someone to coach them with questions or concerns.
• 84% strongly agreed that they felt their success coach cared about them as a person. 
• 82% strongly agreed that their success coach listened to them carefully.

An overwhelming number (88%) of students who contacted a success coach said they discussed information about courses and registration. Close to half that number of students said they asked their success coaches questions about seeking help with course content (46%) and locating campus resources (44%). More than half the students (54%) who were assigned coaches and met with them 2-3 times during the semester. 

Describing her reaction to discovering the success coaching program at Meredith, one student said, “My initial reaction was a wave of relief knowing that if I ever feel truly lost about what to do or where to go next, there is someone I can meet with who will help me figure things out.”

If you have any questions about these surveys or any other assessment-related matter, please contact Dianne Raubenheimer (raubenhe@meredith.edu) or Dilnavaz Mirza Sharma (sharmadi@meredith.edu) in the Office of Research, Planning, and Assessment.