The Effect of Institutional Programming on Career Preparation &

Institutional Satisfaction in the Academic Career of the Adult Learner

Presented By Lori Crawford, Nikki Stinnette, Sally Pérez-Ramos, and Sarah

Nelson

1. Zikic and Saks: Participation in career relevant activities =

career preparation 2. Graham and Gisi:

Engagement in learning activities & institutional satisfaction = successful learning outcomes

3. Hardin: Being an adult learner = overcoming obstacles

4. Senter and Senter: Adult learners lack sense of community due to

familial obligations, careers, etc.

Literature Review

1.) Do adult learners/nontraditional students feel the need for participation with Career

Services in order to prepare for employment after graduation?

2.) How does participation in institutional programming for adult learners/nontraditional students effect their institutional satisfaction?

Research Questions

Survey sent to New College Undergraduate Students enrolled in Summer 2013 courses

Survey included 22 questions Utilized Likert scale composed of multiple choice and

open-ended questions Students sent online survey by academic advisors Students were notified survey was

(a) Anonymous (b) Would take 10-15 minutes (c) Had a deadline of 2 weeks to complete the survey

Students were offered no compensation for participation

43 responses were received

Method Behind the Madness

AGE RANGE: 33% stated they fell between ages 40 – 49 28% stated they fell between ages 31 – 39 28% stated they fell between ages 50 – 60 7% stated they were 60 years or higher 5% were between 24 – 30 years old

MARITAL STATUS: 74% of the respondents identified themselves as married or within a domestic partnership 14% stated they single, had never been married 11% stated they were either divorced or separated

FAMILY 74% of the respondents stated they were parents

EMPLOYMENT 32% of the students stated they were currently employed A combined 14% stated they were out of work and/or within a career transition

ENROLLMENT 86% were part time students 38% were current students within the School of Business and Management 33% were current students within the School of Behavior and Social Science 24% were current students within the School of Humanities

95% of the respondents were female

The Participants

RQ1: “Do adult learners/nontraditional students feel the need for participation with Career Services in order to prepare for

employment after graduation?” 71% had never utilized the Office of Career Services 38% said their reason for never utilizing Career Services was because they

didn’t have time Other reasons for nothing coming to visit Career Services:

Unknown location Unaware of resources offered Office was not open late enough Already employed

12% of students stated they had utilized Career Services They found the office useful for its one-on-one career advisement with a career

counselor Appreciated the job seeking assistance, internship assistance, and resume reviews Additionally students also notated they visited the office because they were

required to do so for a class. Notated their transferrable skill set enhanced their capability of being able to

heightening their communication skills during the interview process and learning how to better promote themselves to grasping the concept of goal setting during the career planning process

Results

RQ2: “How does the participation of adult learners/nontraditional students effect their institutional satisfaction?”

68% of students would participate in a NC student organization“I would like to be able to afford to take more hours a semester. I would also like to more

informed about what goes on regarding events and things on campus. I feel like because I go to night school, I never know what is going on at St. Edward's.”

 “More social activities to unite adult students would be welcomed.” 78% of the students confirmed complete satisfaction with their professors

on campus“Every person I have been in contact with is outstanding in how they treat me. I don't

think I would have gotten that with a larger University. My advisors and Professors take an interest in my goals and I feel they are there to assist me when I need them. Great job!”“Professors being more opened minded to parents’ with children when deducting points

for late work.”“Provide out of the classroom learning opportunities/requirements for class work.”

“There needs to be more flexibility regarding actual classroom attendance. Also, I recently had an experience with a professor who told me that "I was slow" in front of the entire class. I am 50 years old, competent, I serve as the Executive Director of a medium size

non-profit in town, and I am far from "slow". You might want to make sure your professors understand who are paying their salaries, and how much each student is paying for

something they could get at another one of several universities/colleges in central Texas. It was beyond rude and quite frankly unacceptable.”

Results

1. Sample recent graduates using a focus group2. Follow up to online survey3. Asked more questions about other institutional

programming4. Quantitative approach may have been better5. Encourage participation from NAU students6. Utilizing different survey method for NAU7. Snowball sampling might have been more effective

with NAU

Discussions & Moving Forward