Ocotillo Former Student Survey Results (Spring 2001)
1. What was your primary goal for attending the community college(s)? (Select only one answer)
| number of responses = 456 |
| Personal Interest/Self-improvement |
133 | 29% |
| Improve skills for employment |
101 | 22% |
| Certificate |
24 | 5% |
| Associate Degree |
65 | 14% |
| Transferring to a 4-year university |
118 | 26% |
| Other |
15 | 3% |
2. What was your primary area of study while attending the community college? (Mark only one)
| number of responses = 453 |
| Physical Science/Life Science | 17 | 4% |
| Business | 58 | 13% |
| Engineering | 13 | 3% |
| Social Science | 26 | 6% |
| Applied Science/Trade (drafting, culinary, etc.) | 20 | 4% |
| Nursing | 32 | 7% |
| Humanities | 7 | 2% |
| Fine Arts | 30 | 7% |
| Language/Communications | 40 | 9% |
| Computer Systems/Technology | 115 | 25% |
| Health/Physical Fitness | 17 | 4% |
| Other | 78 | 17% |
3. Which of the following types of technology did your instructors use for your classes? Mark all that apply to the courses within your major area and to those courses outside of your major area.
| |
Major
area of
study |
General
Coursework |
| |
number |
number |
| Email | 121 | 146 |
| Informational Web Sites | 118 | 137 |
| Posted Course Information on Web | 79 | 93 |
| Online Discussion/Chat | 30 | 40 |
| Web Management System (e.g., Blackboard, WebCT) | 46 | 44 |
| Software specific to particular course | 138 | 104 |
| Other | 34 | 31 |
4. How helpful was the computer technology used by your instructors in helping you learn at the community college? [scale: 1 (not helpful) to 5 (very helpful)]
| |
Major area of study |
General Coursework |
| |
number |
ave |
number |
ave |
| Email | 209 | 3.46 | 192 | 3.54 |
| Informational Web Sites | 187 | 3.56 | 186 | 3.72 |
| Posted Course Information on Web | 157 | 3.40 | 155 | 3.48 |
| Online Discussion/Chat | 122 | 2.39 | 120 | 2.52 |
| Web Management System (e.g., Blackboard, WebCT) | 131 | 2.84 | 120 | 2.96 |
| Software specific to particular course | 206 | 3.61 | 171 | 3.53 |
| Other | 66 | 2.71 | 81 | 2.93 |
5. To what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements about the community college computer facilities? [scale: 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)]
| |
number |
ave |
| Technical assistants in computer areas were knowledgeable. | 363 | 3.90 |
| Assistants in computer areas were friendly. | 362 | 3.93 |
| Helpdesk employees were helpful. | 354 | 3.90 |
| The computer facility environment was comfortable for learning. | 365 | 4.02 |
| The college provided up-to-date software for us to use. | 361 | 4.02 |
| The computing hardware was current. | 364 | 3.97 |
| The computer facilities were reliable and up-to-date. | 360 | 4.01 |
| The computer faciities were open at times when I wanted to use them. | 357 | 3.88 |
| There are enough computers for students to use. | 363 | 3.82 |
| The computer/technology fees were reasonable. | 364 | 3.86 |
6. What is your current employment situation?
| number of responses = 460 | | Unemployed (go to Question 9) | 59 (13%) |
| Employed in a field related to my college major | 183 (40%) |
| Employed in a field not related to my college major | 169 (37%) |
| Retired | 36 (8%) |
| Other | 13 (3%) |
7. How long have you been employed in a job or jobs using some type of technology?
| number of responses = 386 |
| less than one year | 36 (9%) |
| 1-2 years | 76 (20%) |
| 3-4 years | 71 (18%) |
| 5-6 years | 42 (11%) |
| 7-8 years | 21 (5%) |
| more than 8 years | 140 (36%) |
8. (a) How important is each of the following computer skills for your job? [scale: 1 (not important) to 5 (very important)] (b) How well has your community college education prepared you in using these skills? [scale: 1 (poorly to 5 (very well)] Skip any items that don't apply. For example, skip the item if you were prepared in that skill prior
| |
Importance of job |
College prepared me |
| |
number |
ave |
number |
ave |
| Word processing | 315 | 3.88 | 223 | 3.65 |
| Email communication | 310 | 3.81 | 204 | 3.41 |
| Web/Internet | 306 | 3.63 | 213 | 3.40 |
| Spreadsheet | 295 | 3.25 | 203 | 3.16 |
| Data analysis | 284 | 3.17 | 192 | 3.01 |
| Web page creation/maintenance | 274 | 2.23 | 177 | 2.55 |
| Desktop publishing | 273 | 2.38 | 181 | 2.64 |
| Multimedia presentations | 279 | 2.62 | 178 | 2.73 |
| Computer Graphics | 279 | 2.58 | 176 | 2.57 |
| Computer Programming | 278 | 2.11 | 180 | 2.62 |
| Trouble shooting/Problem solving | 286 | 3.21 | 198 | 2.86 |
| Other/specify | 54 | 2.07 | 48 | 2.69 |
9. If you are currently a student, compare your community college experience to your current college experience. If you are no longer a student, go to Question #10.
| |
number |
ave |
Technical assistants were more friendly at the community college. | 104 | 3.39 |
| Technical assistants were more knowledgeable at the community college. | 104 | 3.20 |
| Technical helpdesk employees were more helpful at the community college. | 106 | 3.40 |
| The computer facility environment was more comfortable for learning at the community college. | 100 | 3.63 |
| There was more up-to-date software at the community college. | 104 | 3.14 |
| The computer hardware was better at the community college. | 102 | 3.16 |
| The computer facilities were more reliable and up-to-date at the community college. | 103 | 3.19 |
| The computer facility hours were more convenient at the community college. | 102 | 3.23 |
| The computer stations were more readily available at the community college. | 106 | 3.27 |
| The computer/technology fees were more reasonable at the community college. | 107 | 3.35 |
10. Where did you use a computer while attending the community college? (Mark all that apply.)
| |
number |
| At the community college | 290 |
| At a community center near the college | 13 |
| At home | 368 |
| At another college or university | 34 |
| At a friend's house | 44 |
| At a public library | 83 |
| At my place of employment | 184 |
| Other | 22 |
11. Indicate your primary college (where you earned the most credits) and your secondary college (where you earned the second-most credits) within the Maricopa Community College system.
| |
Primary |
Secondary |
| | responses = 446 | responses = 208 |
| Chandler-Gilbert | 15 | 13 |
| Estrella Mountain | 9 | 11 |
| GateWay | 20 | 13 |
| Glendale | 91 | 28 |
| Mesa | 96 | 31 |
| Paradise Valley | 24 | 9 |
| Phoenix College | 45 | 36 |
| Rio SaladoCollege | 50 | 38 |
| Scottsdale | 54 | 18 |
| South Mountain | 10 | 5 |
| Maricopa Skill Center | 2 | 0 |
| Other | 30 | 6 |
12. How many credits did you earn at Maricopa Community College(s)?
| number of responses = 452 | | 1-11 credits | 197 (44%) |
| 12-23 credits | 82 (18%) |
| 24-31 credits | 39 (9%) |
| 32-60 credits | 67 (15%) |
| more than 60 credits | 67 (15%) |
13. Indicate the highest academic degree you currently hold.
| number of responses = 461 | | High school diploma or equivalent | 172 (37%) |
| Associate Degree | 88 (19%) |
| Professional Certificate | 25 (5%) |
| Bachelor's Degree | 100 (22%) |
| Master's Degree | 46 (10%) |
| Doctorate | 7 (2%) |
| none of these | 23 (5%) |
14. Please indicate your age category.
| number of responses = 472 | | under 18 | 13 (3%) |
| 18-22 | 80 (17%) |
| 23-25 | 51 (11%) |
| 26-35 | 101 (21%) |
| 36-45 | 91 (19%) |
| 46-55 | 69 (15%) |
| over 55 | 67 (14%) |
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