PhD Completion Project Strategies For Success Z 9600 Mtg Sm09Rutledge

Ph.D.Completion

ProjectStrategies

forSuccess:

ExitSurveysand

ExitInterviews

JanetC.Rutledge,Ph.D.

WendyY.Carter,Ph.D.

UniversityofMaryland

BaltimoreCounty

AboutUMBC

z

zResearchUniversity

ResearchUniversity

z

z43yearsold

43yearsold

z

zSuburbanCampusnearBWIAirport

SuburbanCampusnearBWIAirport

z

z$90Mingrantsandcontracts

$90Mingrantsandcontracts

z

zStronginscience,technology,mathematics,and

Stronginscience,technology,mathematics,and

engineering(STEM)

z

z12,300students

12,300students

z

z9,600undergraduate

9,600undergraduate

z

z2,700graduate(750Ph.D.students)

2,700graduate(750Ph.D.students)

Ph.D.CompletionProject

z

zResearchPartner:PhasesI&II.

ResearchPartner:PhasesI&II.

z

zAll24Ph.D.programsparticipatingin

All24Ph.D.programsparticipatingin

interventioninitiatives.

z

zFullyintegratedwithourAGEPproject.

FullyintegratedwithourAGEPproject.

z

zLongversionofexitsurveyputonlinefromthe

Longversionofexitsurveyputonlinefromthe

beginningusingRemarkSoftware.Approx.17

minutestocompletesurvey.

z

zInitiallygaveoptionofpaperoronlineversionof

Initiallygaveoptionofpaperoronlineversionof

survey.Nowonlineonly(12/08).

GraduatingStudents:

InitialStrategyandResults

z

zSentletterwithpaperexitsurveyto

Sentletterwithpaperexitsurveyto

graduatingstudentsexplainingsurveyand

askingthemtocompleteandreturn.Gave

linktoonlineversionandinstructionsfor

accessing.

z

zSentreminderemailwithlinktoonline

Sentreminderemailwithlinktoonline

version.

z

zAchievedsurveycompletionrateof21%.

Achievedsurveycompletionrateof21%.

GraduatingStudents:

CurrentStrategyandResults

z

zLinkedcompletionofthissurveywithSurveyofEarned

LinkedcompletionofthissurveywithSurveyofEarned

Doctoratesthroughsingleletteraskinggraduatesto

completethem.

z

zCompletionofSEDisnowrequiredforgraduation

CompletionofSEDisnowrequiredforgraduation

howeverbothsurveysareongraduationchecklist.

Reminderssentout2weeksbeforefinaldeadline.

z

zWebsitewasmademoreuser

Websitewasmademoreuser‐

‐friendlywithbothsurveys

friendlywithbothsurveys

listedtogether.

z

zNow85%completePh.D.CompletionProjectexitsurvey

Now85%completePh.D.CompletionProjectexitsurvey

(100%completeSED).

Non

Non‐

‐Completers:

Completers:

InitialStrategyandResults

z

zStudentsareaskedtocompleteawithdrawal

Studentsareaskedtocompleteawithdrawal

formbutmostsimplyleavewithoutinforming

theGraduateSchool.

z

zWehavefoundthatthedepartmentwasaware

Wehavefoundthatthedepartmentwasaware

ofthestudent

ofthestudent’

’splansinmostcases.

splansinmostcases.

z

zExitsurveyandletterwasmailedandemailed

Exitsurveyandletterwasmailedandemailed

toallstudentswhosubmittedwithdrawal

formandthosewhohadnotregisteredfor2

consecutivesemesters.

z

zAchievedsurveycompletionrateof5%.

Achievedsurveycompletionrateof5%.

Non

Non‐

‐Completers:

Completers:

CurrentStrategyandResults

z

zPh.D.CompletionProjectCoordinatorcontactsall

Ph.D.CompletionProjectCoordinatorcontactsall

studentsbyphonetoseeiftheyarewillingto

participateina10

participateina10‐

‐minuteexitinterview.

minuteexitinterview.

z

zIftheysay

Iftheysay“

“no

no”

”sheaskswhenwouldbeabetter

sheaskswhenwouldbeabetter

time.

z

zMost(87%)

Most(87%) ultimatelyagreetoaninterview.

ultimatelyagreetoaninterview.

z

zAfterinterviewiscompletedsheasksiftheyare

Afterinterviewiscompletedsheasksiftheyare

willingtocompletetheonlinesurvey.

z

zSurveycompletionratesincreasedto18%of

Surveycompletionratesincreasedto18%of

non

non‐

‐completers.

completers.

PhoneExitInterviews

Data:Non

Data:Non‐

‐Completers

Completers

z

z31participants:

31participants:

z

zEntrancedatesspanfrom1998

Entrancedatesspanfrom1998‐

‐2007

2007

z

zAveragetimetodeparture

Averagetimetodeparture–

–2years

2years

z

zAverageGPA:3.07

AverageGPA:3.07

z

zNinedepartments

Ninedepartments

z

zFull

Full‐

‐andpart

andpart‐

‐timestudents

timestudents

z

z4refusedtocompletesurvey.

4refusedtocompletesurvey.

z

z34%ofthosewhosaidyesultimately

34%ofthosewhosaidyesultimately

completedsurvey.

WhatDidWeLearnFromExit

Interviews?

z

zDepartingstudentsreallydowanttoexpress

Departingstudentsreallydowanttoexpress

theirviewsabouttheirexperiences.

1.

1. Balancingschoolwithotherissues

Balancingschoolwithotherissues

2.

2. Leaveearlywithoutseekingadvice

Leaveearlywithoutseekingadvice

(despitehavinganadvisor)

3.

3. Somenofutureplanswhileothersattend

Somenofutureplanswhileothersattend

graduateschoolelsewhere

z

zCangathersomeinformationevenfrom

Cangathersomeinformationevenfrom

thosewhowillnotcompletethesurvey.

WhatDidWeLearnFrom

Process?

z

zIncorporatingexitsurveyintodegree

Incorporatingexitsurveyintodegree

clearanceprocessenhancedresponseratefor

completers.

z

zDoingexitinterviewswithnon

Doingexitinterviewswithnon‐

‐completers

completers

BEFOREaskingthemtocompleteexitsurvey

increasedresponserate.

WhatDidWeLearnOverall?

z

zPh.D.CompletionProjecthelpedus

Ph.D.CompletionProjecthelpedus

understandthetypesofreportinganddata

analysisneeded.Thiswasusedin

implementationofPeopleSoftStudent

Administrationsystem.

z

zHelpedusimproveourwebsiteand

Helpedusimproveourwebsiteand

communicationwithstudentsandgraduate

programfaculty/staffonwithdrawalprocess

ConclusionsandFutureActivities

z

zWhileourparticipationrateshaveincreased

Whileourparticipationrateshaveincreased

fornon

fornon‐

‐completerswestillneedtodomore.

completerswestillneedtodomore.

z

zUsePeopleSofttoidentifystudentswhodonot

UsePeopleSofttoidentifystudentswhodonot

registerfor2consecutivesemestersinaddition

tousingwithdrawalforms.

z

zWorkwithdepartmentstoidentifynon

Workwithdepartmentstoidentifynon‐

‐

completersbydoingbetterauditofthoseon

LeaveofAbsencestatus.

z

zMorestreamlinedauditofprogressions

Morestreamlinedauditofprogressions

milestonesshouldhelpreduceattritionby

identifyingpossiblenon

identifyingpossiblenon‐

‐completerssooner.

completerssooner.

ConclusionsandFutureActivities

(cont.)

z

zWeunderstandthatthosewhowere

Weunderstandthatthosewhowere“

“askedto

askedto

leave

leave”

”maybelessinclinedtosharetheir

maybelessinclinedtosharetheir

experiences.

z

zSurveyanalysisoncewehavelargerN.

SurveyanalysisoncewehavelargerN.

z

zMoreempiricalanalysis(SurvivalAnalysis).

Moreempiricalanalysis(SurvivalAnalysis).

PhD Completion Project Strategies For Success Z 9600 Mtg Sm09Rutledge

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