SENIOR ASSESSMENT SURVEY

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Knowledge and skill goals for this undergraduate degree program are recorded in the most recent CU-Boulder catalog. .

Seniors who have majored in psychology are asked prior to graduation to complete a survey to assess their evaluation of the Psychology Undergraduate Degree Program. These graduating seniors are asked about their satisfaction with:

The content and scope of the Psychology curriculum
The quality of the faculty
The quality of the academic advising offered by the Department
The classroom and laboratory settings and equipment
The opportunities for learning outside the classroom
Their current knowledge and skill levels acquired as a Psychology major

Here are the survey results from Spring 2000:

SENIOR ASSESSMENT SURVEY

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER

DEPARTMENTAL EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE

The following is a summary of items from the senior assessment survey in the Spring of 2000. The bolded number follwing each question indicates the number of students responding to that item. The number in parenthesis following each option indicatesthe percentage of students indicating that response. If percentages do not add up to 100%, it is because some students responded in a manner that was not amenable to coding.

Student Information:

1. How old are you? (N=295)

a. 40 or older (0%)

b. 30-39 (1.7%)

c. 25-29 (7.5%)

d. 20-24 (90.2%)

e. 19 or younger (.7%)

2. What is your gender? (N=295)

a. Male (19.7%)

b. Female (80.3%)

3. What is your ethnic background? (N=295)

a. White - Northern European or Eastern European Ancestry (87.8%)

b. Native American (.3%)

c. Other (Please go to question 4) (11.9%)

If you answered c. to question 3, choose one (or more) of the following that best describes your ethnicity.

(N=75)

a. African or African-American (13.3%)

b. Asian or Asian-American (25.3%)

c. Hispanic/Latino (25.3%)

d. Multi-racial (20%)

e. Other non-white ethnicity (16%)

5. If you had another major (other than Open Option), which of the following best describes this major?

(N=156)

a. Engineering (3.2%)

b. Business (7.7%)

c. Fine arts or Humanities (21.2%)

d. Social Science other than Psychology (i.e. Sociology, Political Science, etc.) (32.1%)

e. Natural or Physical Sciences (35.9%)

6. Which of the following best describes your major area of interest within the field of psychology?

(N=292)

a. Biological (Behavioral Neuroscience/Genetics) (21.6%)

b. Clinical/Counseling (43.8%)

c. Cognitive (16.4%)

d. Developmental (8.2%)

e. Social/Personality (9.9%)

7. Which of the following best applies? (N=295)

a. I have applied to a graduate program and have been accepted. (5.4%)

b. I have applied to a graduate program and have yet to be accepted. (3.4%)

c. I plan to apply to a graduate program within the next year. (30.5%)

d. I plan to apply to a graduate program sometime in the future. (44.1%)

e. I do not plan to apply to a graduate program. (16.6%)

8. If you plan to attend graduate school, which of the following degree programs do you plan to complete?

(N=252)

M.A. in the field of Psychology or closely related field (i.e., M.A. in Social Work/Counseling)

(32.9%)

b. M.A. in a field not closely related to Psychology (10.3%)

c. Ph.D. or Psy.D. in Psychology (22.2%)

d. Teaching (8.7%)

e. Professional Degree (law, medicine, business) (25.8%)

9. Which of the following best describes your plans after graduation? (N=295)

a. I am immediately going to graduate school. (12.2%)

b. I am looking for employment. (45.1%)

c. I have already obtained employment in an area related to Psychology. (7.8%)

d. I have already obtained employment in an area unrelated to Psychology. (13.6%)

e. Other (21.4%)

10. If you have already obtained employment, what is your starting salary? (N=111)

a. $15,000 or less (30.6%)

b. $15,001 - 20,000 (22.5%)

c. $20,001 - 28,000 (22.5%)

d. $28,001 - 40,000 (17.1%)

e. $40,001 or more (7.2%)

11. Did you take part in any of the following volunteer activities (mark all that apply)? (N=169)

a. Volunteer activities related to Psychology (37.9%)

b. Volunteer activities related to other professional plans (i.e. for medical or law school) (17.8%)

c. Volunteer activities related to clubs, honor societies, or fraternities/sororities (20.1%)

d. Other volunteer activities (23.7%)

12. What is your GPA in Psychology? (N=293)

a. 2.00 - 2.50 (6.8%)

b. 2.51 - 3.00 (22.9%)

c. 3.01 - 3.50 (34.5%)

d. 3.51 - 4.00 (35.8%)

13. What is your overall GPA? (N=293)

a. 2.00 - 2.50 (8.5%)

b. 2.51 - 3.00 (29.4%)

c. 3.01 - 3.50 (43%)

d . 3.51 - 4.00 (19.1)

Evaluation of the Psychology Major: General Comments.

14. In general, how satisfied are you with the Department of Psychology? (N=295)

a. very satisfied (28.1%)

b. somewhat satisfied (52.5%)

c. neutral (12.5%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (6.1%)

e. very dissatisfied (.7%)

15. In general, how satisfied are you with the staff of the Department of Psychology? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (35.4%)

b. somewhat satisfied (50.7%)

c. neutral (8.5%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (4.4%)

e. very dissatisfied (1%)

16. In general, how satisfied are you with the advising in the Department of Psychology? (N=295)

a. very satisfied (56.3%)

b. somewhat satisfied (22%)

c. neutral (9.2%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (8.5%)

e. very dissatisfied (4.1%)

Evaluation of the Psychology Major: The Curriculum and Advising

17. How well informed were you about the content and scope of the psychology major before you decided to declare psychology as your major? (N=294)

a. very well informed (17%)

b. somewhat informed (43.9%)

c. neutral (18%)

d. somewhat uninformed (15.3%)

e. very uninformed (5.8%)

18. How satisfied are you with the content of the curriculum for a major in Psychology? (N=295)

a. very satisfied (22.4%)

b. somewhat satisfied (54.2%)

c. neutral (13.6%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (8.5%)

e. very dissatisfied (1.4%)

19. How satisfied are you with the written information about major requirements provided by the Dept. of Psychology? (N=295)

a. very satisfied (44.4%)

b. somewhat satisfied (30.2%)

c. neutral (19.7%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (4.1%)

e. very dissatisfied (1.7%)

20. How satisfied are you with the willingness and knowledge of the staff academic advisors in providing advising about the major requirements for a degree in Psychology? (N=295)

a. very satisfied (52.5%)

b. somewhat satisfied (26.4%)

c. neutral (13.2%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (5.1%)

e. very dissatisfied (2.7%)

21. How satisfied are you with the willingness and knowledge of faculty in providing advising about career and academic goals? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (18.4%)

b. somewhat satisfied (28.9%)

c. neutral (37.4%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (13.6%)

e. very dissatisfied (1.7%)

22. How satisfied are you with the willingness and knowledge of the staff academic advisors in providing advising about career and academic goals? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (21.4%)

b. somewhat satisfied (27.2%)

c. neutral (35%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (12.2%)

e. very dissatisfied (4.1%)

23. Which of the following was most helpful in guiding you through the psychology major? (N=282)

a. a faculty member (17.7%)

b. a psychology staff advisor (53.5%)

c. a psychology mentor (3.2%)

d. a graduate student (2.8%)

e. a friend (another undergraduate psychology major) (22.7%)

Evaluation of the Psychology Major Course Offerings.

How satisfied were you with the General Psychology course offered at the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder?

(N=294)

a. I was very satisfied with the General Psychology course. (40.1%)

b. I was somewhat satisfied with the General Psychology course. (23.1%)

c. I was somewhat dissatisfied with the General Psychology course. (7.1%)

d. I was very dissatisfied with the General Psychology course. (6.1%)

e. I did not take General Psychology on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado. (23.5%)

25. In general, how satisfied were you with the class size in your lower division (1000 & 2000 level) psychology courses? (N=294)

a. course enrollments were much too large (34%)

b. course enrollments were just about right (28.5%)

c. some courses were much too large, but most were just about right (28.5%)

d. most courses were much too large, but some were just about right (8.9%)

26. In general, how satisfied were you with the class size in your upper division (3000 & 4000 level) psychology courses? (N=295)

a. course enrollments were much too large (5.4%)

b. course enrollments were just about right (76.3%)

c. some courses were much too large, but most were just about right (16.3%)

d. most courses were much too large, but some were just about right (2%)

27. In general, how satisfied were you with the level of difficulty of lower division (1000 & 2000 level) psychology courses? (N=290)

a. courses were too easy (13.1%)

b. courses were just about right - challenging, but not draining (79%)

c. courses were too difficult (6.9%)

28. In general, how satisfied were you with the level of difficulty of upper division (3000 & 4000 level) psychology courses? (N=294)

a. courses were too easy (7.8%)

b. courses were just about right - challenging, but not draining (84.7%)

c. courses were too difficult (7.5%)

29. In general, the courses I took in the Department of Psychology: (N=294)

required much less work than courses I took outside the Department of Psychology.

(7.5%)

required somewhat less work than courses I took outside the Department of Psychology.

(24.1%)

required about the same amount of work as courses I took outside the Department of Psychology.

(40.5%)

required somewhat more work than courses I took outside the Department of Psychology.

(24.8%)

e. required much more work than courses I took outside the Department of Psychology.

(3.1%)

30. In general, how satisfied were you with the availability of courses required for the psychology major within the psychology department. (N=294)

a. very satisfied (27.9%)

b. somewhat satisfied (35.7%)

c. neutral (16.7%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (17.3%)

e. very dissatisfied (2.4%)

In general, how satisfied were you with the availability of elective courses within the Department of Psychology?

(N=294)

a. very satisfied (22.1%)

b. somewhat satisfied (37.4%)

c. neutral (19.7%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (17%)

e. very dissatisfied (3.7%)

32. In general, how satisfied were you with the quality of the required textbooks within the Dept. of Psychology?

(N=295)

a. very satisfied (16.9%)

b. somewhat satisfied (47.5%)

c. neutral (21.7%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (12.2%)

e. very dissatisfied (1.7%)

33. In general, how satisfied were you with the relevance and fairness of the evaluation procedures used to assign grades within the Department of Psychology? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (32.7%)

b. somewhat satisfied (40.5%)

c. neutral (18.7%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (7.1%)

e. very dissatisfied (1%)

34. In general, how satisfied were you with the physical settings of psychology classes (comfort of classrooms, acoustics, availability of video monitors, etc.)? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (28.9%)

b. somewhat satisfied (39.5%)

c. neutral (15.6%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (14.6%)

e. very dissatisfied (1.4%)

35. In general, how satisfied were you with the equipment available to students taking laboratory classes in the Dept. of Psychology? (N=291)

a. very satisfied (24.7%)

b. somewhat satisfied (36.4%)

c. neutral (28.2%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (8.9%)

e. very dissatisfied (1.7%)

36. In general, how satisfied were you with the availability of computer resources necessary for the completion of assignments? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (31.3%)

b. somewhat satisfied (29.6%)

c. neutral (21.1%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (15%)

e. very dissatisfied (3.1%)

37. In general, how satisfied are you that the courses you took in the Department of Psychology have prepared you with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue graduate study? (N=293)

a. very satisfied (16.4%)

b. somewhat satisfied (47.1%)

c. neutral (23.9%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (10.2%)

e. very dissatisfied (2.4%)

38. In general, how satisfied are you that the courses you took in the Department of Psychology have prepared you with the skills and knowledge necessary for occupational success? (N=293)

a. very satisfied (16%)

b. somewhat satisfied (40.6%)

c. neutral (25.6%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (12.3%)

e. very dissatisfied (5.5%)

39. In general, how satisfied are you that the courses you took in the Department of Psychology have prepared you with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a professional degree (e.g. law or medicine)?

(N=290)

a. very satisfied (12.1%)

b. somewhat satisfied (33.1%)

c. neutral (38.6%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (12.8%)

e. very dissatisfied (3.4%)

In general, how satisfied were you with the quality of the course offerings within the Department of Psychology?

(N=294)

a. very satisfied (28.9%)

b. somewhat satisfied (51.7%)

c. neutral (13.3%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (4.8%)

e. very dissatisfied (1.4%)

41. In general, how satisfied are you that your major requirements provided you with a comprehensive understanding of the field of psychology? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (31.6%)

b. somewhat satisfied (49.3%)

c. neutral (10.9%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (7.1%)

e. very dissatisfied (1%)

Evaluation of the Psychology Major: Opportunities for Learning Outside the Classroom.

42. Does the Department of Psychology publicize opportunities for volunteer opportunities related to the Psychology major? (N=295)

a. Yes (68.8%)

b. No (15.5%)

c. Don't know (15.9%)

43. Is there adequate opportunity to gain research experience in the Department of Psychology? (N=295)

a. Yes (57.3%)

b. No (24.1%)

c. Don't know (18.6%)

44. Does the Department of Psychology publicize sources of financial aid for undergraduate research? (N=295)

a. Yes (15.9%)

b. No (30.5%)

c. Don't know (53.6%)

45. Is there adequate opportunity to participate in activities that provide practical experience in areas related to the field of psychology (e.g. independent study; internships; teaching opportunities; peer mentoring)? (N=295)

a. Yes (56.9%)

b. No (22.0%)

c. Don't know (21.0%)

46. Is there adequate classroom discussion of the practical applications of psychology? (N=295)

a. Yes (48.5%)

b. No (46.1%)

c. Don't know (5.4%)

47. Do the Psychology Club and Psi Chi offer sufficient opportunities for learning outside the

classroom (e.g. speakers; panel discussions)? (N=295)

a. Yes (39.7%)

b. No (6.8%)

c. Don't know (53.6%)

48. Do the Psychology Club and Psi Chi offer sufficient opportunities for meeting other psychology students with similar interests and career goals? (N=294)

a. Yes (33%)

b. No (6.8%)

c. Don't know (60.2%)

49. Do you belong to either the Psychology Club or to Psi Chi? (N=295)

a. Yes (26.1%)

b. No (73.6%)

Evaluation of the Psychology Major: Content Areas and Skills. Please indicate how satisfied you are with the level of the emphasis of the following context areas or skills in the current psychology curriculum.

50. Scientific report writing: (N=292)

a. satisfied as is (51.0%)

b. greater emphasis needed (44.9%)

c. less emphasis needed (4.1%)

51. Non-scientific writing skills: (N=294)

a. satisfied as is (69.4%)

b. greater emphasis needed (28.6%)

c. less emphasis needed (2%)

52. Critical thinking skills: (N=292)

a. satisfied as is (64.7%)

b. greater emphasis needed (34.2%)

c. less emphasis needed (1%)

53. Statistics: (N=293)

a. satisfied as is (74.4%)

b. greater emphasis needed (19.5%)

c. less emphasis needed (6.1%)

54. Research design & experimental methodology: (N=293)

a. satisfied as is (58%)

b. greater emphasis needed (34.8%)

c. less emphasis needed (7.2%)

55. Biological psychology: (N=294)

a. satisfied as is (71.8%)

b. greater emphasis needed (20.7%)

c. less emphasis needed (7.5%)

56. Clinical or counseling psychology: (N=293)

a. satisfied as is (48.5%)

b. greater emphasis needed (48.8%)

c. less emphasis needed (2.7%)

57. Cognitive psychology: (N=293)

a. satisfied as is (78.5%)

b. greater emphasis needed (13.3%)

c. less emphasis needed (8.2%)

58. Social psychology: (N=294)

a. satisfied as is (69%)

b. greater emphasis needed (26.9%)

c. less emphasis needed (4.1%)

59. Developmental Psychology: (N=293)

a. satisfied as is (68.9%)

b. greater emphasis needed (29.4%)

c. less emphasis needed (1.7%)

60. Application of psychological principles to practical and social problems: (N=294)

a. satisfied as is (41.5%)

b. greater emphasis needed (56.5%)

c. less emphasis needed (2.0%)

Evaluation of the Psychology Major: Your Current Skill Level

61. How satisfied are you with your ability to solve practical problems by applying concepts and methods acquired as a Psychology major? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (32.3%)

b. somewhat satisfied (49.3%)

c. neutral (10.9%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (6.8%)

e. very dissatisfied (0.7%)

62. How satisfied are you with your ability to evaluate research using concepts and methods acquired as a Psychology major? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (33%)

b. somewhat satisfied (44.9%)

c. neutral (12.6%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (9.2%)

e. very dissatisfied (.3%)

63. How satisfied are you with your ability to explain concepts related to the field of Psychology? (N=292)

a. very satisfied (40.1%)

b. somewhat satisfied (49.7%)

c. neutral (8.2%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (1.4%)

e. very dissatisfied (0.7%)

64. In general, how satisfied are you with the preparation you received from the Dept. of Psychology for life after college? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (24.8%)

b. somewhat satisfied (43.5%)

c. neutral (15.6%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (13.6%)

e. very dissatisfied (2.4%)

Evaluation of the Psychology Major: The Faculty

65. In general, how satisfied are you with the expertise & knowledge of the psychology faculty? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (52.7%)

b. somewhat satisfied (37.4%)

c. neutral (6.1%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (3.7%)

e. very dissatisfied (0.0%)

66. In general, how satisfied are you with the quality of teaching in the Department of Psychology? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (40.8%)

b. somewhat satisfied (46.9%)

c. neutral (7.5%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (4.4%)

e. very dissatisfied (0.3%)

67. In general, how satisfied are you with the concern of faculty for individual students? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (27.9%)

b. somewhat satisfied (34.7%)

c. neutral (19.7%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (12.6%)

e. very dissatisfied (5.1%)

68. In general, how satisfied are you with the availability of faculty outside the classroom? (N=294)

a. very satisfied (34%)

b. somewhat satisfied (35.4%)

c. neutral (21.8%)

d. somewhat dissatisfied (6.8%)

e. very dissatisfied (2%)

69. How often do you attend faculty office hours? (N=293)

a. frequently (9.6%)

b. occasionally (55.3%)

c. rarely (32.1%)

d. never (2.7%)

70. How often do you attend office hours of the Graduate Teaching Assistants? (N=294)

a. frequently (6.8%)

b. occasionally (34.4%)

c. rarely (38.4%)

d. never (20.1%)

71. Does the Department of Psychology offer as much opportunity as you would like for undergraduates to interact informally with faculty members? (N=295)

a. Yes (34.6%)

b. No (52.5%)

c. Don't know (12.5%)