Final Case Study

Jeannie Dimico

COMM 564 Spring 2015

Washington State University

Final Survey Case 2

Table of Contents

Question #1- Overview Page 3

Question #2- Focus Groups Page 5

Sampling and Recruitment Procedures Page 5

Moderator’s Guide Page 7

Method Results Page 12

Question #3- Survey Page 13

Cover Letter Page 13

Survey Page 14

Pre-test Results Page 17

Method Results Page 18

Question #4- Experiment Page 19

Experiment Page 19

Method Results Page 20

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Question #1- Overview

The first research study is the focus group method. The sampling will consist of alumni

from various companies in the Pacific Northwest that have a high concentration of WSU CEA

alumni. In using participants from various companies, the focus group can be held in a central

location but can reach a large population. The focus groups will focus primarily on alumni

relations and website interaction. The responses will provide insight to what will attract alumni

to the website as well as their level of current involvement in alumni relations. In understanding

these factors, we can develop a website that will accommodate the needs of the alumni. We can

also determine what events and activities that will entice alumni to get involved with the alumni

relations program.

The second research study is the survey questionnaire. The sampling will consist of a

probability based sample of current alumni. The survey will focus on demographics and interest

level of current alumni. The results of the questionnaire will give insight to donation trends and

interest in future alumni events. We can determine what demographics are not currently donating

money and their lack of involvement, and then we can focus on strengthening alumni relations

with these participants.

The third research study is an experiment. The pre-test/post-test experiment will consist

of alumni who have never donated to WSU or CEA. The independent variable will consist of a

comprehensive donation packet explaining how monetary donations will be used by WSU CEA.

In performing this experiment, we can determine if the observation “recent grads are willing to

give to organizations they believe in if they understand what they are supporting and how

organizations will use their money” is true or false. In discovering this information, we can

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develop a better marketing plan if necessary. This is information that can also be used on the

website for donation recruitment.

Question #2- Focus Groups

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Sampling and Recruitment Procedures

The procedure of securing a viable focus group sampling of Western State University, College of

Engineering and Architecture alumni will be complex due to the diversity of the alumni

population. It has been found that a majority of the alumni population remains in the Pacific

Northwest and many of them work at the same companies. This seems to be a great niche to

corner for a focus group. In order to gain participation, I would contact each company to see if

they would be interested in sending out invitations to participate in the research study. If the

request is granted, I would send the invitation to the companies to distribute to the employees

who are WSU CEA alumni. Once the invitations were completed and returned, I would separate

them into groups to form a viable focus group of 8-12 participants based on age, job and

company. I would then contact each potential participant to set up and confirm participation in

the study, adjusting the groups as necessary to ensure there are no conflicts. Ideally, I would like

a minimum of 2 participants from each company but I know that some companies will refuse

participation therefore increasing the participation in other companies. However, the focus

groups may not be productive if the participants already know each other because of personal

dynamics or power roles within the companies. It would be extremely important to make sure the

groups are properly created with this information in mind.

I would set up as many focus groups as time and participation would allow with a maximum of 3

focus groups per day. The focus groups would be conducted on a weekend and at various times

to ensure maximum participation. I would allow time for 3 focus groups per day with the

schedule as follows: focus group one at 9-11am, focus group two at 1-3pm, and focus group

three at 5-7pm. I am allowing 2 hours per session to include set up, paperwork, and the

question/answer portion. Participants will be instructed to eat before their scheduled time but

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light food and beverages would be provided at each session. A two hour break between sessions

has also been included to allow the research conductors a break and time to make adjustments as

necessary. The focus groups would be conducted at a neutral location such as a hotel conference

room or at the university to ensure the participants were comfortable in their environment and

willing to participate.

Moderator’s Guide

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1) Participants come to location (to be determined) and are welcomed by the moderator. The

moderator will then lead the participant to the room where the focus group session will be

conducted. Food and beverages will be offered while the participant is completing consent forms

and questionnaires.

2) Moderator welcomes participants and introduces the project

Moderator: Hello, my name is XXX. Thank you for agreeing to participate in the focus group

today. We are going to ask for your opinions about Western State University, College of

Engineering and Architecture (CEA) alumni relations. We would like to discuss what it means to

be an alumnus and what we can do to improve relations with current and future alumni. We

would also like to have you view the CEA website, then discuss your opinions about it and what

about it seems most effective and interesting.

GUIDELINES: Before we begin, I want to go over a few guidelines that will help us cover all

the questions I have:

I encourage you to share your opinions, whether they are positive or negative about your view of

any of the topics that come up. There is no right or wrong answers. Your name will not be used

in any of the reports based on the information we discuss today. I hope that you will feel

comfortable speaking your mind regarding the topics we discuss today.

Recording:

Our discussion will be recorded (audio only) for transcription purposes. It also allows me to

focus on you and your responses to the questions. My colleague will be taking notes in case there

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is a problem with the recording. Also, because of the recording it is very important that only one

person speaks at a time.

Before we begin, do you have any questions? (Answer questions)

I want you to feel comfortable talking to me and in front of the group, so I’ll ask you a question

or two when you introduce yourself.

Group Discussion:

Moderator’s assistant records the discussion

1. Please introduce yourself, tell us what year you graduated from WSU and your major.

Additionally, tell us something you like to do in your free time. I’ll start, you know my name is

XXX, I graduated from XXX in XXXX, and I am a XXX at Western State University. In my

free time, I like to XXX. (Relate to the participants if possible, for example if they like to read,

ask them what kind of books, etc.)

To begin our discussion, I’d like to find out what you think about Western State University in

general. (These questions are to relax the participants and get them into the college mindset)

Did you enjoy attending WSU?

What was your favorite thing about WSU?

What was your least favorite thing about WSU?

2. Try to remember your time attending the College of Engineering and Architecture.

Do you remember what classes you took? (what the classes were about)

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What makes you remember those classes? (give an idea of what attracts them to classes:

content, professors, etc.)

Did you have a favorite class? (probe why: content, professors)

Did you have a least favorite class? (probe why: content, professors)

3. Are you familiar with the current CEA programs?

If yes, probe and see what they know and how they know.

Alumni Relations

Moderator: As you know we are helping the CEA evaluate the effectiveness of its alumni

relations program. These next questions will focus only on your experience as an alumnus, not as

a student.

1. How often do you receive alumni communication from CEA? Is this too much, or not enough?

What kind of communication? (introduce concept of e-zines and get feedback)

2. Do you participate in alumni activities? (find out which ones, discuss what activities are

available, how often do they participate, do they enjoy it)

Are there any activities you would like to see added? (make suggestions based on their

answers)

3. What are your expectations of an alumni relations program?

4. Why do you think alumni relations are important?

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5. Do you donate money to WSU or CEA? (probe: money is important to supporting alumni

programs)

6. How can the alumni relations program help you?

Website exploration

Moderator: We are also helping WSU, specifically CEA evaluate the effectiveness of its website.

We will give you a few minutes to view the website individually then we will discuss your

opinions. We are especially interested in what you like and don’t like about the website. You are

welcome to jot down any notes while viewing the website to help you remember what you saw.

1. How many of you have visited the website before today?

2. What did you like the most about the website? (color, layout, ease of use, content)

3. What did you like least about the website? (color, layout, ease of use, content)

4. What is your favorite feature of the website?

What draws your attention? How does it attract your attention?

5. Now that we know which feature is your favorite, which is your least favorite?

What specifically do you not like about the website?

6. Do you feel the website is a useful tool for alumni?

7. What would your perfect website look like? (information, graphics, etc.)

We are almost done with our discussion but I would like to make sure you have had a chance to

tell us everything you think someone who is involved with creating the CEA website should

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know. Also, we want to know what is important in strengthening alumni relations between CEA

and current and future alumni.

Summary and Conclusion

Moderator briefly summarizes the themes and responses for the participants: Does it seem like I

have captured what you have told me today? Do you have anything else to add?

Moderator thanks participants, distributes goodie bag with t-shirts and other compensation and

escorts them from the room.

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Results

The focus group research method is considered casual or informal. The results of focus groups

can often be misinterpreted and suffer significant flaws. They also have no numerical

measurement, only subjective interpretations that offer little projectability. The sample size does

not accurately represent the population therefore making the results unreliable and inaccurate.

The limitations of this focus group are sample size, participant availability, and geographic

location. Even with its limitations, the results of the focus groups can be used to create a survey

or experiment that can be used to gain valid and reliable information.

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Question #3- Survey

Cover Letter

May 1, 2015

Dear Alumni,

Your decision to pursue your degree was an important one, though not an easy one. We, at the College of Engineering and Architecture at Western State University, commend you on your accomplishments. As an educational institution, we strive to provide support and to empower our students; past, present, and future. We invite you to participate in a survey that will help us determine how to better fulfill the needs of current and future alumni. Your participation in the survey is completely voluntary, but as an alumnus of the program your feedback will have a great impact on the future of alumni relations. The personalized WSU address labels are yours to keep as a gift from the alumni association. However, upon completing and returning your survey in the postage paid envelope, we will send you an additional personalized WSU gift for participating in the survey.

Completion of the survey implies consent. Please note that all of your information will be kept confidential and used for research purposes only. Western State University will not sell, publish, or distribute your personal information. If you choose to sign up for our mailing list, your information will only be used for WSU alumni purposes.

I want to personally thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your responses are valuable to us and we appreciate your support. If you have any questions concerning the survey, please contact me directly at jeannie.dimico@westernsu.edu. If you would like to learn more about what the College of Engineering and Architecture is doing for students and alumni, please visit us online at www.westernsu.edu/cea.

Sincerely,

Jeannie DimicoJeannie Dimico Alumni Relations Western State University Western, Washington 90109

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Questionnaire

Western State University

College of Engineering and Architecture

Alumni Survey

1. What is your age?

o Under 25o 26-35o 36-45o 46-55o 55+

2. What is your gender?

o Maleo Femaleo Prefer not to answer

3. What is your marital status?

o Singleo In a Relationshipo Marriedo Divorcedo Widowed

4. What is your employment status?

o Employed for wageso Self-employedo Out of work and looking for worko Out of work but not currently looking for worko Studento Retiredo Unable to work/Disabled

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5. What is your total household income?

o $0- $25,000o $25,001- $50,000o $50,001- $75,000o $75,001-$100,000o Over $100,000o Prefer not to answer

6. When was the last time you visited the WSU College of Engineering and Architecture website?

o Within the last weeko Within the last montho Within the last six monthso Within the last yearo Never

7. When was the last time you received communication from the WSU College of Engineering and Architecture (aside from this survey)?

o Within the last weeko Within the last montho Within the last six monthso Within the last yearo Never

8. How would you like to receive WSU College of Engineering and Architecture alumni information?

o Mailo Phoneo Emailo Social Mediao No contact

9. Would you be interested in participating in any of the following alumni activities? (Please mark all that apply)

o Socialso Guest Speakers

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o Fundraiserso Receiving Newsletterso Open Houseo Job Fairs/Placement Programso Mentor Programso Luncheons/Dinnerso Special occasions (Homecoming, Founders Day, etc.)o Other outings (philanthropies, holiday receptions, etc.)

10. Have you ever made a monetary donation to the WSU College of Engineering and Architecture?

o Yeso No

11. How much was your total monetary donation to the WSU College of Engineering and Architecture in the last year?

o $0-$20o $21-$49o $50-$99o $100- $999o $1000 or moreo None

12. Have you ever made a non-monetary donation such as volunteering time or services to the WSU College of Engineering and Architecture?

o Yeso No

13. How important is alumni relations to you?

o Very unimportanto Unimportanto Neither unimportant nor importanto Importanto Very important

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Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will be very useful in strengthening relations between the WSU College of Engineering and Architecture and alumni. Please return the survey in the postage-paid envelope provided by July 1, 2015 to receive your personalized WSU gift.

Pre-Test Results

I sent the cover letter and survey to 10 friends who were college graduates. I received 7

of the surveys back with feedback. The participants were pleased with the design of the survey as

well as the questions asked. It took no more than 5 minutes for the participants to complete the

survey. They did not feel they were being pressured to answer, merely just giving feedback

which was my intent. When I designed the questionnaire, I didn’t want to be obvious that I was

seeking financial/donation information as money can be a sensitive subject. The majority of the

feedback I received was grammatical corrections rather than design corrections. There were a

couple of participants who offered suggestions about response scales, however I felt that the

scales were appropriate for the question and the information I was trying to obtain. I only made 2

corrections to response scales per their feedback; #4- I added unable to work/disabled as a

response and #11-I changed the amounts to accommodate donations larger than $1000. However,

I made several grammatical corrections to ensure the questions were clear and easy to understand

on both the cover letter and questionnaire.

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Method Results

The sample size is based on the current alumni data base where a probability based

sample was generated. If this sample accurately represents the population the results will be high

in external validity. The internal validity is determined if the researchers believe if they have

asked the right questions to receive the information they need. The reliability of the survey is

determined if the results are similar or repeated every time. Also, probability based sampling can

produce accurate results with a high confidence level. The results can also be reliable but not

accurate. The results are dependent on participants taking and returning the surveys. The surveys

can get lost in the mail, participants forget to mail them back, wrong addresses, or they just

ignore them altogether. This could be a major limitation to the research method as it will affect

the population sample.

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Experiment

After reading the observations of donation trends, this statement made me think about my

own willingness to donate to my alma mater. I think this is a smart observation and I would like

to focus on it for my experiment.

The potential to cultivate young, recent graduates (those under 35 years of age) as donors potentially provides a lifetime of relationship building and donations that grow proportionally over time. Research indicates recent grads are willing to give to organizations they believe in if they understand what they are supporting and how organizations will use their money.

The design of the experiment will be a pre-test/post-test design with a control group. The

pre-test will consist of surveying alumni about their donation behavior. The post-test sample will

be randomly selected alumni that have never donated to WSU or CEA. One half of the

participants will be sent a flyer inviting them to support alumni relations with a monetary

donation and a brochure that explains what and how the donations will be used to support alumni

relations. The other half of the participants will only be sent a donation form. The independent

variable is the flyer and brochure. The dependent variable is the donation behavior of the

participants.

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Method Results

This experiment is high in internal validity but only if the attitudes of the treatment group

reflect change and the control group does not. If the attitudes are identical then I would not be

able to determine causation and the study would lack validity. Furthermore, the sample is not

completely representative of the population so the results may lack external validity or

generalizability. This is a limitation in getting accurate information but it could be reliable. The

results of the experiment could prove useful in determining if the flyer and brochure are useful

tools in donation recruitment.