Deidre Middleton Academic Advisors: Please Participate in This Survey About Supporting Seniors

submitted by simmonst@augsburg.edu

My name is Tori Simmons, and I am 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. My research question seeks an answer to the overarching question about the definition of success, from the perspective of students and the staff that are supporting them. This research justifies the entry level positions graduates should be able to attain based on the skills that employers, from my research, are saying that graduates do not have.

Participants in this survey consist of seniors graduating in May 2023, academic advising staff, and Strommen Center staff members. There’s a gap between graduate employability and career preparedness. This research will help pinpoint where that gap lies, in an attempt to 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, consent to their participation in the study, and then answer questions about themselves and their experiences at Augsburg.

Participants will not receive direct benefits, but they will receive indirect benefits, such as, improving student success and bettering student support services at Augsburg. The potential risks are that the study may challenge participants to think deeply about their experiences and it may awaken some passionate feelings.

If you are interested in participating in the survey 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 any questions.

https://augsburg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b72yRTjj3GqAx9k