Mt. Greylock Regional School District

Alumni Survey regarding Senior Project – 2009

The 2008-2009 school marked the fifth year that the senior project was a graduation requirement at Mount Greylock Regional High School.  To begin measuring the effectiveness of the project, a survey of alumni from the classes of 2005 and 2006 was developed.  The survey consisted of a series of statements and asked to participants to answer to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the opportunity for a written comment at the end.  With the help of alumni, the survey was posted on Facebook and over several weeks 38 responses were received.  The number of participants is limited and should be noted when reading the results.  The survey, however, should be seen as a successful first step in starting to gather information regarding senior project and considering revisions that would strengthen the project as a culminating assessment for all seniors.

Alumni were given a series of statements and asked to answer to what extent they agreed or disagreed.  Below is a summary of the responses collected and quotes provided by the alumni in the comment portion of the survey. 

Topics of interest- 

When asked if the project allowed for exploration in an area of interest that as a student they would not have been exposed to in the classroom, 74% agreed or strongly agreed. The topic does allow students to explore an area of interest and may keep seniors engaged in learning. 

Essential Question-

Only 52% of respondents agreed that the development of an essential question provided direction to the project.  Several respondents wrote that connecting the essential question to future plans could strengthen the interest in the project.

·       “I think that the students should be told that this could be of use for their future when choosing a topic and essential question.”

·       “Don’t focus so much on the question.  Focus on what a certain student finds interesting.”

Mentor-

When asked if working with a mentor was valuable, 58% agreed or strongly agreed but 19% strongly disagreed which is very high given the limited number of responses.  These responses appear dependent on the success of the individual mentor relationship. 

Satisfaction with the amount of contact with a mentor was closely connected as 62% agreed or strongly agreed but 19% disagreed.  Again these responses appear related to the individual’s experience with a mentor. 

·       “Enforcing stronger mentor/student interaction is definitely necessary for the mentor aspect to be beneficial.”

·       “The hours of observation/field work were helpful, and similar to college internships, I don’t think a mentor was necessary.”

·       “Mentor should be optional because for me and most of my friends it was much more a hindrance than a help.”

Written Portion-

When asked if writing a paper was meaningful, only 45% agreed or strongly agreed.  Respondents appeared unclear about what purpose the paper served in the process.

·       “I feel that instead of a paper that to me was a lot of fluff a series of questions or some sort of other presentation or discussion based forum could be conducted where one could “reflect”.”

·       “What I would suggest is to restructure the paper/presentation so that it is less structured and gives more room for creativity.”

Problem Solving-

When asked if the project improved their problem solving skills only 29% agreed or strongly agreed.  In reviewing the survey, this question was slanted toward a negative response as respondents rarely credit outside factors for self improvement.  In the future, the question should be revised or removed completely as it does not offer suggestion for improvement.   

Oral Presentation-

77% of respondents said they felt prepared to present their findings to the committee. This strong agreement is connected to the most structured part of the project as seniors are told specific points to cover, timeframe and even how to dress.

The oral presentation improved public speaking skills with 63% agreeing or strongly agreeing. A high response in the positive again connected to expectations and the fact that the high school provides a limited number of opportunities for public speaking in front of teachers and peers.

Conclusion-

The idea of a student selected topic of interest is strongly supported as it allows the student to explore a topic with which they are not familiar.  The developing of an essential question, establishing an effective relationship with a mentor and writing a meaningful reflection need to be revisited so that students understand the expectation and the reason for these steps in the process.  The oral presentation benefits from clear expectations but could be reviewed to insure the integrity of the information that students are presenting.  In addition, alumni offered some suggestions for improvement.

1.    Strengthening the incentives for students doing their best, including establishing firm deadlines and grading the project. 

2.    Focusing on outstanding senior projects when presenting the project to Juniors could emphasize the value of the project. 

3.    Maintaining a list of mentors available in the community may help students be more open to topics they had not considered.

4.    Consider options to the senior project including internships and leadership positions.

5.    Reduce class time for seniors to allow more time for senior project.

Special thanks to Chris Winters and Molly Magavern for their assistance in constructing the survey, collecting the data and interpreting the data.

Respectfully submitted – Tim Payne

View survey results (pdf)