MA in Counseling. University of San Diego Exit Survey Results

Transcription

1 MA in Counseling with a specialization in School Counseling School of Leadership and Education Sciences University of San Diego 2015 Exit Survey Results This report was prepared by the USD-SOLES Office of Accreditation & Assessment on September 30, 2015

2 Exit Survey Overview Executive Summary The School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) - Office of Accreditation and Assessment administers the Exit Survey to graduating students at the University of San Diego (USD) annually. The Exit Survey affords students the opportunity to reflect on their program experiences and to provide valuable feedback utilized for program review. This report is specific to the results for the MA in Counseling with a specialization in School Counseling (referred to as the School Counseling Program) for the years 2015, with 2014 and 2013 data provided for comparison purposes. Rating Scale Three different five-point rating scales were used in this survey. The goal is to have mean response ratings in the four to five range for each item. The rating scales used are: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neutral (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1) Extremely Well (5), Fairly Well (4), Moderately (3), Poorly (2), Not At All (1) Very Satisfied (5), Satisfied (4), Neutral (3), Dissatisfied (2), Very Dissatisfied (1) Response Rate Table 1 shows the percent of USD-School Counseling graduating students who responded to the Exit Survey for the last three years. The three year trend ( ) in response rates are 59%, 83%, and 68% respectively. Table 1 Exit Survey Response Rates for School Counseling Graduating Students Program Completion Year Total Number of School Counseling Graduates* Total Number of School Counseling Respondents Exit Survey Response Rate % % % *Note: Refers to the number of graduates for which correct addresses were obtained. This document was prepared by the USD-SOLES Office of Accreditation and Assessment on September 30, Page 1

3 Summary of Findings Graduating students were asked to rate aspects of the School Counseling Program in nine areas. The 2015 Cronbach s alpha values were as follows: faculty (.93); advisors (.84); intellectual climate (.81); program support and communication (.89); university support (.71); program course content (.88); enhanced knowledge, skills, and counseling standards (.92); practicum experience (.85); and the overall program (.88), suggesting relatively high internal consistency of survey item responses. (Note that a reliability coefficient of.70 or higher is considered acceptable in most social science research situations.) All of the 2015, 2014, and 2013 mean ratings were in the desired four to five range (using a 5 point scale). Figure 1 shows the comparison of 2015 means, with 2014 and 2013 means. These ratings indicate high levels of student satisfaction with the MA School Counseling Program at the University of San Diego. *Rating Scale 1: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Neutral (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1) ^Rating Scale 2: Extremely Well (5), Fairly Well (4), Moderately (3), Poorly (2), Not At All (1) + Rating Scale 3: Very Satisfied (5), Satisfied (4), Neutral (3), Dissatisfied (2), Very Dissatisfied (1) This document was prepared by the USD-SOLES Office of Accreditation and Assessment on September 30, Page 2

4 Professional Experiences School Counseling graduates were asked about their professional experiences. Figure 2 shows graduates employment information, professional involvement, and application of knowledge and skills gained. FIGURE2.EXPERIENCESOFSCHOOLCOUNSELING STUDENTS(N=15) Applyknowledgeandskillsgained weeklyordaily BelongtoProfessional Associations/Networks Soughtanewjob/position WorkedDuringProgram 94% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 2015 Graduate Testimonials The practicum, fieldwork and global studies components of the program were phenomenal. I felt completely immersed in the experience, had excellent supervision and guidance, and had ample opportunity to apply theory to practice and gain experience. These were the things that initially drew me to USD's school counseling program, and I was not disappointed with the way the University helped to place each of us at sites that met our personal and professional goals. My professors added a healthy balance of academic support and counseling support. This program has a way of bringing out our personal issues and makes us understand them and work through them. It's helpful to have an entire class of future counselors and a counselor educator to lean on for support. More so, studying abroad in Jamaica really took me out of my element and furthered my knowledge of multicultural and career counseling. There's this notion in counseling of leaning into discomfort and this program helped me do that because I had the knowledge and skills to do so. This document was prepared by the USD-SOLES Office of Accreditation and Assessment on September 30, Page 3

5 Factors Most Important to Overall Satisfaction with the School Counseling Program When 2015 School Counseling graduating students were asked which factors were most important in their overall satisfaction with the School Counseling Program, they cited faculty, advisors, knowledge and skills, international experience, course size, fieldwork experience, coursework, and action research as contributing to their overall satisfaction. Graduating students comments regarding overall satisfaction are shown in Table A10 in the Appendix. Student Suggestions for Improving the School Counseling Program When 2015 School Counseling graduating students were asked for suggestions for improving the School Counseling Program, they listed: more preparation regarding action research, discounted tuition, more stress on leadership and opportunities to collaborate with faculty, better coordination and consistency between advisors/faculty, adjusting faculty responsibilities, better communication between faculty and students, more support between clinical and school programs, and more in depth study of existing topics: Professional Orientation and Law and Ethics in Counseling (COUN507) and Applied Techniques in School Settings (COUN537). Graduating students comments are shown in Table A11 in the Appendix. When 2015 School Counseling graduating students were asked to share what particular skills, areas or topics not covered but should be in the School Counseling Program, they listed: college advising skills, foster youth counseling skills, family counseling, development of school counseling programs, classroom management, special education (working with students with disabilities), and popular school information systems (e.g. Powerschool, Naviance, etc.). Graduating students comments are shown in Table A12 in the Appendix. Fulfillment of Program Mission Exit survey data from School Counseling graduating students serve as evidence of program mission fulfillment. Mission Statement: To create a supportive and collaborative learning environment for students from diverse backgrounds and cultures to acquire knowledge, attitudes, and skills essential in the practice of counseling. To help students become exemplary in applying essential counseling knowledge and skills in a variety of settings with individuals from diverse backgrounds. To promote, model, and develop our students to become leaders and advocates for ethical practice of counseling. This document was prepared by the USD-SOLES Office of Accreditation and Assessment on September 30, Page 4