The Outcomes Survey

DESCRIPTION

The Outcomes Survey is an online tool for gathering employment and graduate school admissions data from new college graduates based upon prevailing national demands and standards.

Graduates can be surveyed regarding the following topics:

1. First destination occupation and graduate school admissions outcomes
2. Engagement in career exploration and job search activities
3. Experiential education’s role in securing their first destination occupation
4. Satisfaction with their first destination occupation
5. Motivation for pursuing a college degree and occupation
6. Custom questions: each institution will have the opportunity to create and ask a set of up to 10 questions unique to that institution

FEATURES

Survey Options

Real-time "First Destinations" SurveyAvailable now

Retroactive "First Destinations" Survey*Available now

(outcomes data on alumni two or more years post-graduation)

Nationally Standardized Question Set

Career OutcomesRequired

Engagement in SearchIncluded (optional)

Experiential EducationIncluded (optional)

Satisfication with First DestinationIncluded (optional)

Career MotivationsIncluded (optional)

Campus-specific Questions

Custom QuestionsIncluded (optional)

Reporting Standards & Requirements

White House College ScorecardAddresses anticipated standards

Student Right to Know Before You Go ActAddresses anticipated standards

U.S. Department of Education: Gainful EmploymentAddresses anticipated standards

National Association of Colleges and EmployersExceeds standards

MBA Career Services and Employers AllianceMeets standards

U.S. News & World ReportMeets standards

Bloomberg/Business WeekMeets standards

Standard Reporting Intervals, including:

At Graduation (college-level data)Included

At Three Months (college-level data)Included

At Six Months (college-level and national data)Included

At One Year (college-level and national dataIncluded)

Data Management & Security

Secure FTPs for Data UploadsIncluded

Secure SSL-based Access for Students and AdministratorsIncluded

Real-time Raw Data Downloads in CSV and SPSSIncluded

Database Filtering ToolsIncluded

Mass Email and Analytics ToolsIncluded

Reporting Options

Response RateIncluded

NACE Knowledge RateIncluded

Real-time and Snapshot Presentation-ready ReportsIncluded

Continuous Access to Data and ReportsIncluded

Survey Research Standards

Best Practice Informed Consent StatementIncluded

Vetted by Multiple Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)Included

Data Collection Options

Graduate Self-Reported DataStandard

Administrator-Entered Data (Individual Response)Included

Alumni Contact Information

Real-time UpdatesIncluded

Survey Campaign Management Resources

Automated Email CampaignsIncluded

Customizable Email TemplatesIncluded

Email AnalyticsIncluded

Response Incentives/PrizesIncluded

Automated Survey Resend ToolsIncluded

Targeted Mass Email Follow up ToolsIncluded

Multiple AdministratorsIncluded

* Retroactive and alumni surveys are not subject to the same standardized reporting intervals and, depending on time of launch, may not address specific reporting requirements.

RATIONALE

Institutional accountability for college student outcomes is a top priority from the kitchen table all the way up to the White House. Students and their parents are scrutinizing the return on investment in higher education and are seeking data to inform their decision-making related to admissions acceptance and major selection. Efforts are underway at the US Department of Education to tie financial aid eligibility to “gainful employment” outcomes. The White House College Scorecard, the Rubio-Wyden-Warner Student Right to Know Before You Go Act and the DOE’s Title IV Federal Student Aid Programs – Gainful Employment in a Recognized Profession Proposed Rule clearly illustrate that all colleges and universities must prepare to respond to demands for outcomes data. The Outcomes Survey has been designed to deliver outcomes data in a manner that meets the institutional needs of US colleges and universities while creating a national standard for first destination outcomes data-gathering.

METHODOLOGY

Outcomes data is collected primarily via an online survey, administered to all graduates immediately prior to graduation and updated at multiple intervals after graduation for a period of up to one year. Graduates are prompted to update their contact information and enter or update employment/occupational status and graduate school admissions outcomes data that has changed since their last submission.

Graduates respond via desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device.

The average response rate using the online survey is 52% (Spring 2014). Response rates as high as 100% can be achieved when institutions fully engage with The Outcomes Survey® and its response generation tools and resources.  Data collection can be further enhanced using administrator entry tools for recording secondary source data.