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© Lee Harvey 2018, 2019, 2024, page updated 8 January, 2024

A novel of twists and surprises

Adapting the Leeds Alumni Survey questionnaire

Several Learning and Teaching Subject Centres are intending to customise the alumni survey questionnaire to meet their own needs. Below are witness statements from the Philosophy and Religious Studies subject centre, and the subject centre for Information and Computer Sciences that indicate 'why' their subject communities are looking to use an alumni survey, and 'how' they are adapting the questionnaire to meet their own needs.

Witness statements

...Philosophy and Religious Studies (PRS) graduates actually do well in the workplace but the subject is widely perceived as a non-vocational and thus high-risk discipline choice from an employability perspective. Since PRS university departments are typically small and have limited resources to devote to supporting students on careers-related matters they often have limited access to discipline-specific careers/alumni information. To meet this subject community need, the PRS Subject Centre is aiming to adapt the ESECT alumni survey tool for use by PRS departments.

...PRS Subject Centre knows that the survey instrument will need to be short and simple to use, and will need to take account of the characteristic skills profiles of PRS graduates...if the survey is not focused on their subject, PRS departments won't use it!....

...by adapting the survey to our own needs, we're aiming to equip PRS departments with up-to-date, subject-specific and evidence-based information about the employability skills engendered through PRS degree study. Thus departments should be able to enhance the articulation and communication of PRS employability to (current and prospective) students. Through the survey, departments will get feedback on the skills and successes of their graduates, and be able to use this to feedback into their own learning and teaching practices....