Systematic Assessment of the Graduate Program in Counseling

XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA Division of Education and Counseling Counseling Department PROGRAM EVALUATION The Counseling program conducts systematic evaluations of its graduates by surveying, graduate alumni, employers of our graduates, internship site supervisors and graduate exit surveys The results of these evaluations are made available for public distribution via this report Programmatic modifications and revisions are made based on the review of the survey results GRADUATE ALUMNI FOLLOW-UP SURVEY Graduates of the Xavier University Master of Arts in counseling who completed the program in the last 13 years completed a survey in spring 2013 Completed evaluations were received from 30 graduates Results are summarized below: Program experiences were rated on a scale where 5=Outstanding, 4=Very Good, 3=Satisfactory, 2=Unsatisfactory, 1=Poor, and NA=Not Applicable On a scale of 1-5 with being the highest CORE COURSES 4.793 Helpfulness of Advisor 4.786 Human Growth and Development 4.793 Please Rate Overall Program 4.767 Foundation & Ethics of the Counseling Profession 4.786 Human Growth and Development 4.767 Group Work in Counseling 4.767 Foundation & Ethics of the Counseling Profession 4.767 Internship 4.767 Group Work in Counseling 4.733 Counseling Techniques 4.767 Internship 4.700 Practicum 4.759 Availability of Advisor 4.667 Social and Cultural Diversity in Counseling (Multicultural Counseling) 4.759 Instruction Quality ‐ Counseling Faculty 4.643 Counseling Theories 4.733 Counseling Techniques 4.615 Specialization Courses 4.724 Effectiveness of Guidance 4.586 Lifestyle and Career Development 4.700 Practicum 4.370 Electives 4.690 Admissions Process 4.367 Summer Course Offerings 4.667 Social and Cultural Diversity in Counseling (Multicultural Counseling) 4.310 Appraisal and Assessment in Counseling 4.643 Counseling Theories 4.036 Research Methodology and Program Evaluation 4.615 Specialization Courses 4.586 Lifestyle and Career Development Mean Q: OVERALL INSTRUCTION 4.586 Faculty Mentoring 4.759 Instruction Quality ‐ Counseling Faculty 4.577 Instruction Quality ‐ Adjunct Faculty 4.552 Quality of Textbooks/Materials Used 4.517 Practice 4.483 Fairness of Grading 4.448 Difficulty Level of Courses 4.423 Usefulness of CPCE 4.423 Leadership/Management Mean Q: ACADEMIC SUPPORT 4.400 Licensure 4.793 Helpfulness of Advisor 4.370 Electives 4.793 Please Rate Overall Program 4.368 Doctoral Work 4.759 Availability of Advisor 4.367 Summer Course Offerings 4.724 Effectiveness of Guidance 4.310 Appraisal and Assessment in Counseling 4.690 Admissions Process 4.308 Report/Professional Writing 4.586 Faculty Mentoring 4.045 Research 4.036 Research Methodology and Program Evaluation Mean Q: How well did the academic program prepare you for: 4.517 Practice 4.423 Leadership/Management 4.400 Licensure 4.368 Doctoral Work 4.308 Report/Professional Writing 4.045 Research The greatest strengths of the program in the overall instruction as reported by alumni were: Faculty Mentoring Instruction Quality ‐ Counseling Faculty Instruction Quality ‐ Adjunct Faculty Areas for improvement were in: Research Methodology and Program Evaluation and Research Rankings Highest to Lowest: Overall and Within Categories Survey to Counseling Graduates 2000-2013 EMPLOYER SURVEY Employers rated how well the graduate students are prepared in the Xavier University Master of Arts in counseling program See results: Highest to lowest rank with being the highest 5.0 4.8 4.4 Respects individual differences of people (race/ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, and exceptionalities) Works well with individuals from varying cultural backgrounds and in diverse settings Ability to develop therapeutic alliance with clients 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.2 Supports the continuing development of self and others Collaborates with peers and others to achieve professional goals Demonstrates knowledge and practice of counseling rules and ethics Exhibits qualities of the professional self Builds a sense of community in the professional environment Demonstrates responsibility for professional behavior both in and out of the professional setting Engages in advocacy in the form of service learning, community service, program development, and volunteerism Exhibits intervention skills Uses technology to enhance productivity and practice Ability to conceptualize cases Demonstrates and model reflective practice to improve student learning and client services Exhibits appropriate communication skills Exhibits knowledge counseling theories Integrates a range of technology to enhance instruction and assessment Utilizes critical thinking and data in making decisions Assesses learning and use results to implement best practices Communicates effectively through the use of oral and written language Exhibits appropriate assessment skills Knowledge and use of appropriate techniques Demonstrates extensive knowledge of the content Investigates current issues in the professional field Strengths of the program that employers reported included the graduate’s ability to: Respects individual differences of people (race/ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, and exceptionalities) and Works well with individuals from varying cultural backgrounds and in diverse settings Weaknesses or limitations and suggestions for improvement included helping students to: Exhibits appropriate assessment skills Demonstrate knowledge and use of appropriate techniques Demonstrates extensive knowledge of the content Investigates current issues in the professional field SITE SUPERVISOR EVALUATIONS Site supervisors are asked for their feedback in order for the program faculty to make program modifications based on the results Evaluations have been completed by site supervisors of all students in practicum and internship II during spring 2013 Supervision sites: school 12 Clinical Mental Health Supervisors rated how well the Xavier University counseling program prepared the intern for experience in the following areas, using a Rating Scale: = Excellent/Totally agree = Good/Somewhat agree = Fair/Neutral = Poor/Disagree N/A = Not Applicable The results are below Total Average = 3.723 Highest to lowest rank with being the highest 3.905 Intern maintained privacy of clients 3.905 Intern was receptive in supervision 3.905 Intern dressed in a professionally appropriate manner 3.762 Intern developed positive relationships with other staff members 3.858 Intern demonstrated a desire to learn from overall field experience 3.857 Intern was reliable and punctual 3.810 Intern functioned in an ethical manner 3.810 Intern was open to professional learning in supervision 3.810 Intern was open to personal growth in supervision 3.762 Intern developed positive relationships with other staff members 3.619 Intern established appropriate professional relationships with clients 3.571 Intern demonstrated culturally appropriate knowledge and skills 3.524 Intern was able to function effectively without close oversight 3.524 Intern has achieved a professional and personal growth level expected for current accumulated time and experience as an intern 3.476 Intern demonstrated professional knowledge of counseling 3.476 Intern demonstrated professional counseling skills Site supervisors reported the greatest strengths of the program were: Protecting the privacy of clients The professionalism of the interns GRADUATE EXIT SURVEY As part of the graduation application, students are required to complete an exit survey In Spring 2014, Eleven of thirteen students completed the survey, Four (4) school counseling and seven (7) clinical mental health counseling The results were as follows: Criteria: 90% 90% 100% 100% 82% 82% 82% 82% 90% 10 E 10 E 11 E 11 E 9E 9E 9E 9E 10 E Excellent AA AA AA AA AA AA AA Above Average Average Below Average Faculty implemented curriculum that exemplified equity and diversity Faculty implemented curriculum that included methods and strategies for applying technology Faculty motivated all students to become lifelong learners Faculty used appropriate oral and written communication skills Faculty evaluated and used data effectively to assess the needs of students Faculty were available for advising The program included content that will be relevant in my career The program included texts and other resources that were useful The field/clinical/practicum experiences were meaningful Comments: Strongest areas : practicum/internship All areas posting of job employment internship, career counseling, expertise of faculty Weakest areas: None The beginning of the program No real help in finding employment Lack of job postings Recommendations for program improvement: Offer crisis and grief earlier in the program More hands on experiences More faculty with different teaching styles General Comments: An excellent program and an asset to the community More on-line courses Best counseling program in the city It was a great program I fell prepared for the workplace Add more faculty so students hear about diverse experiences Liked the small classes The counseling program faculty are grateful for the time and effort that our students and partners have taken to complete the surveys  ... Intern demonstrated professional counseling skills Site supervisors reported the greatest strengths of the program were: Protecting the privacy of clients The professionalism of the interns GRADUATE. .. Weakest areas: None The beginning of the program No real help in finding employment Lack of job postings Recommendations for program improvement: Offer crisis and grief earlier in the program More hands... Availability of Advisor 4.667 Social and Cultural Diversity in Counseling (Multicultural Counseling) 4.759 Instruction Quality ‐ Counseling Faculty 4.643 Counseling Theories 4.733 Counseling Techniques