Do student evaluations match alumni expectations?

Abstract

Purpose

This research study seeks to identify what graduating students and alumni perceive to be of most value in courses, and in turn the relationship of those perceptions with the information in evaluations conducted by students at the conclusion of courses.

Design/methodology/approach

The project involves empirical research utilizing standard student course evaluation data, and rigorous matching alumni survey data. A focus group, as well as prior academic research, informs the design.

Findings

There are several key conclusions from this study comparing student and alumni perceptions of course satisfaction. Consistent with end‐of‐program survey and focus group observations, career relevance clearly grows with time in importance for determining course satisfaction. Career relevance is not a statistically significant factor for course satisfaction using end‐of‐course student survey responses, but grows to a statistically significant determinant utilizing alumni survey data, larger than both the extent of learning and instructor performance; moreover, instructor performance appears to become less important.

Research limitations/implications

While survey responses for individuals as both students and alumni cannot be linked in this study, the high response rate of alumni and the pooling of data suggest results are robust.

Practical implications

If instructors want students, once they become alumni, to be satisfied with their course experience, they need to teach material which will be truly useful in their careers, even if students do not fully appreciate it during class. And if university presidents want satisfied alumni, they need to ensure their school's curriculum includes material that may be applied in the real world, and that the measures of teaching effectiveness utilized for compensation purposes do not stress too highly traditional measures of student satisfaction.

Social implications

Educators can provide students with a more long‐term satisfying educational experience by ensuring curriculum includes practical material that is truly relevant for careers.

Originality/value

Student evaluations have been commonly used in determining the success of a course, and the effectiveness of their instructors. However, there has only been limited analysis of student evaluations as a measure of what matters most – the benefit to the student once they graduate and move into the working world. Empirical results based on student and alumni survey data identify differences in perceptions between students and alumni, and suggest key recommendations for both instructors and university administrators.

Citation

Guevara, C. and Stewart, S. (2011), "Do student evaluations match alumni expectations?", Managerial Finance, Vol. 37 No. 7, pp. 610-623. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074351111140252