Student Interviews
Instrument 3: Exit Interview
Project: A Comprehensive Reshaping of the College
Chemistry Experience
Juniata College
Funding Source: NSF: Course and Curriculum Development (DUE)
Purpose: To completely restructure the
material traditionally covered in the first 3 years of college
chemistry curricula
Administered To: Graduating chemistry students
Topics Covered:
- Course Evaluation: areas for program improvement,
comparisons, exemplary areas, expectations, importance,
instructor, pace, rigor, satisfaction
- Impact on Outcomes: career interests, course
enrollment, external factors that affect impact,
extracurricular activities, practical use, student
attitudes
- Plans & Expectations (Student): career interests,
education plans
- Background Characteristics & Activities (Student):
academic performance, education, honors, prior
coursework, purpose for participation
Format/Length: 42 questions, 30 closed-ended
5-point Likert scale ranging from "not at all" to
"greatly", 12 open-ended, and an additional 14 demographic
questions
EXIT INTERVIEW
To the Student: In an attempt to gain useful information
about how we are serving your needs, the chemistry department
is scheduling exit interviews for all graduating chemists
on Monday, May 4. Please sign up for an interview on Dr. Reingold's
door. Please fill out this sheet and bring it with you to
the interview.
Name_________________________________ Graduation
Year__________
Background: High School (town)________________________ GPA________
Years of high school:
Chemistry_____ Physics______ Calculus______ Algebra______ Trig_______
Juniata POE Title_____________________ GPA_____ ACS
Accredited?____
Prizes_________________________________________________
How did you spend your summers? Useful to career? Useful
to self?
Freshman/Soph
Soph/Jun
Jun/Sen
Immediate Future plans:
- Grad School Applications: Indicate destination
- Where accepted:
- Where rejected:
- Job Applications: Indicate destination
- Where accepted:
- Where rejected:
- Other:
During the interview we will be asking questions about the
following subjects. We provide you with this preview to give
you the opportunity to think about the questions if you are
so inclined.
Why are you in chemistry? Who or what influenced your choice?
Evaluate our courses in terms of their importance to your
development. Evaluate the extracurricular activities (departmental
and other) in terms of their importance to your development
(consider independently level of participation and level of
usefulness). What are your current career plans? Have your
career plans changed since coming to Juniata? If so, what
contributed to the change? What aspects of your chemistry
training at Juniata did you find most helpful in your job/grad
school search? What shortcomings did you discover in your
chemistry studies at Juniata in your job/grad school search?
How have courses outside the sciences influenced your view
of chemistry? How have your chemistry courses influenced your
view of the world outside the sciences? Have any of the faculty
or staff had a significant impact on you? In what ways? The
chem faculty each year spend a significant amount of time
trying to improve the curriculum. In your opinion, what should
they focus on next? To what extent have your expectations
of the chem dept at JC been met?
Interviewer: Please collect the cover sheet from the student
and attach it to this form. Then try to set them at ease and
encourage thoughtful, honest responses.
"Please answer these questions as honestly as you can. The
department is not fishing for praise, they want to know how
to improve, so they must know your real opinions about what
is good and what is bad. Please relax and have a constructive
conversation with me."
- Why are you in chemistry?
Who or what influenced your choice?
- Evaluate the following courses in terms of their importance
to your development. How have they contributed to your overall
knowledge? 4 = greatly, 0 = not at all. Probe for comments.
| Grade |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Didn't take |
| |
(Org) Chem Conc |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Chem/Bio Lab |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Environmental Chem |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Environmental Analysis |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Analytical |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
(Bio) Inorganic |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Synthesis Lab |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Org Rxns |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
P Chem |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Chem Meas I |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Chem Meas II
(PChem Lab) |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Biochem I
(BMB I) |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Biochem II
(BMB III) |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Interp Spec |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Adv Inorganic |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Adv Org |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Quantum |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Special Topic
(Specify) |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
| |
Research |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
x
|
- Evaluate the following extracurricular activities in terms
of their importance to your development. Consider independently
level of participation (P) and value to you (V).
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Seminars |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
Chem Club |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
NCUR |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
ISC |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
Tutoring |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
Summer research |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
Research during the year |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
Chem Van |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
TA'ing |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
Job in department |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
| |
Other |
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
- What are your current career plans? Have your career plans
changed since coming to Juniata? If so, what contributed
to the change?
- What aspects of your chemistry training at Juniata did
you find most helpful in your job/grad school search? (After
they answer, consider prompts such as the following to expand
on their answer: Were employers/grad schools impressed by
your research activities, by particular courses, by some
aspect of how certain courses were taught?)
- What shortcomings did you discover in your chemistry studies
at Juniata? (Prompts: needed more math, particular courses,
more emphasis on certain subjects in courses)
- How have courses outside the sciences influenced your
view of chemistry? (Which ones?)
- How have your chemistry courses influenced your view of
the world outside the sciences? (Which?)
- Have any of the faculty or staff had a significant impact
on you? In what ways? (Prompts: Classroom? Interpersonal?
Extracurricular?)
- The chem faculty each year spend a significant amount
of time trying to improve the curriculum. In your opinion,
what should they focus on next? (Prompts: more summer research,
expanded role of chem club, overhaul of P Chem, change upper
level offerings, etc.)
- How do you feel about the level of difficulty and time
commitment associated with a chemistry major, as compared
to your non-chemistry peers?
- To what extent have your expectations of the chem dept
at JC been met? If you had it to do over again, what would
you do differently?
- Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
|
 |
