Assessment and Institutional Research

 

Senior Survey: Class of 2005

Overview:

Calvin College is constantly engaged in attempting to measure the effects of a Calvin education. As part of that process, we would like to invite you to participate in an exercise in which you reflect on your Calvin experience. You were chosen to be part of a random sample of Calvin students who began college in 2001. The survey consists of writing a few short reflective essays based on what you wrote for Prelude in 2001.

Aside from benefitting the College's curriculum assessment efforts, this survey project also presents you with the opportunity to ask "What was I thinking?" as you will have the opportunity to read your first Calvin assignment. In the event that intrinsic motivation is not a strong enough bait, we would like to provide you $20 (payable upon successful participation in this project) as a token of our appreciation for your effort. This project should take about an hour or two of your time. You do not need to complete this survey before graduation, although we will need all essays in hand before the end of May 2005.

Whether or not you are willing to participate, please send an email as soon as possible to psytsema@calvin.edu to let us know. It is very important to us that we receive responses from a good cross-section of Calvin students so we very much hope that you will agree to participate. It is also very important that you respond to us even if you are not willing or able to participate this spring; if you are unable, we need to select other students to participate.

That Was Then:

In your Prelude class four years ago, you wrote an essay to answer the following question:

"Describe what you hope the shape of your life will be at age thirty-five. Include aspects of your life such as where you come from, your involvement with your family, your jobs, your access to and use of money, your participation in church, your involvement in your neighborhood, and your experience in school."

We would now like you to revisit that essay and reflect a bit on your Calvin experience. This exercise will require you to write three short essays over the next two weeks.

This is Now:

Essay #1: Without looking at what you wrote four years ago, answer the Prelude question again. Please type your response. As a guideline, we expect that 2-3 pages would be appropriate. When you complete this essay, email it to seniorsurveys@calvin.edu. When we receive your first essay, we will send you a copy of the essay that you wrote four years ago (perhaps you also saved a copy).

Essay #2: After reading your original (2001) essay, write an essay describing how your ideas have changed and how they have stayed the same. (1-2 typed pages)

Essay #3: The final step of this exercise is to reflect on your Calvin experience both inside and outside of the classroom. What things in your Calvin experience most contributed to the growth and change in your ideas from 2001 to 2005? (2-3 typed pages)

Please submit your essays to seniorsurveys@calvin.edu as email attachments. After submitting the three essays, you may pick up your $20 honorarium from Paul Sytsema in SC 324.

Epilogue:

For the purposes of our study, your essays will be read by several people. However, we will separate your name from your essays so that the readers will not know who wrote them. Furthermore, we will not disseminate any identifying personal information from your essays.

We may quote from your essays in reports about this project but not in any way could identify any student participants. So we encourage you to respond honestly and freely.

If you have any questions about the survey, or the outcomes, please call Paul Sytsema (526-6868) or email us: assessment@calvin.edu.