submitted by simmonst@augsburg.edu
My name is Tori Simmons, and I’m an Urban Studies Senior. My research project attempts to understand how support services provided by Augsburg University benefit seniors as they prepare for their lives after graduation. The research question seeks an answer to the definition of success, from the perspective of students and the staff that are supporting them. This research justifies the entry level positions that college graduates should be able to attain based on the skills that employers, from my research, are saying that graduates do not have.
There’s a gap between graduate employability and career preparedness. This research will help locate where that gap lies, in an attempt to bridge it, and better prepare Augsburg seniors for employment upon graduation. Previous research studies have evaluated student success from the perspective of students and their relationships with their advisors. Studies have also sought employers to know what they are looking for when hiring for entry level positions at their organization. This research will apply the skills that employers are looking for and evaluate if Augsburg students are employable.
Participants will be asked to read a document of consent to participate and answer up to 22 questions if they are a student or 14 questions if they are a student support service staff member.
Participants will not receive direct benefits because there aren’t any incentives, but they will receive indirect benefits, such as, improving student success and the betterment of student support services at Augsburg University. The potential risks for participating in this study are that it may challenge participants to think deeply about their experiences and may awaken passionate feelings from answering questions pertaining to their experiences.
If you’re interested in participating, then click on the link in the description box below, or email my professor James A Vela-McConnel, Ph.D. at (velamcco@augsburg.edu) with questions.