Using SNAAP Data for Positive Change

3 Million StoriesMarch 8-9, 2013

Sally Gaskill, DirectorAmber D. Lambert, Research Analyst

Angie L. Miller, Research Analyst

Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana UniversityBloomington

snaap.indiana.edusnaap@indiana.edu

812-856-5824

Session OutlineSNAAP Basics

Resources

Ways to Use SNAAP Data– on campus and in the community

Group Discussion

Introduction to SNAAP

SNAAP MissionWe investigate the educational

experiences and career paths of arts graduates nationally

Provide the findings to educators, policy makers, and philanthropic organizations

To improve arts training, inform cultural policy, and support artists

Leadership PartnersIndiana University Center for

Postsecondary Research

Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt

National Advisory Board

Generous start-up fundingSurdna Foundation (leadership gift)

Houston EndowmentBarr Foundation (Boston)Cleveland FoundationEducational Foundation of America

National Endowment for the Arts (4 consecutive grants)

SNAAP Basics: Who is surveyed?Participants drawn from..

Arts high schoolsIndependent arts colleges, arts schools or departments in comprehensive colleges & universities

All arts alumni, all years (since 2011)2008-2010: surveyed selected cohorts

Increasing Numbers…

2011 Administration36,000 respondents66 institutions

2012 Administration33,000 respondents70 institutions

Combining 2011 and 2012 respondents to create SNAAP Database with 69,000 respondents

Questionnaire Topics

1. Formal education and degrees

2. Institutional experience and satisfaction

3. Postgraduate resources for artists

4. Career

5. Arts engagement

6. Income and debt

7. Demographics

Participating institutions receive...Institutional Reports: Customized,

ConfidentialSeparate reports for undergraduate and

graduate alumniBoth quantitative and qualitative dataNew report on “Recent Grads”Comparative data with other schools

Complete data file of responses

Workshops/webinars on how to use data

Resources

Aggregate Reports

Aggregate Report (detail)

Annual Reports

Annual Report (detail)

SNAAP Special Reports

SNAAP Special Reports (detail)

SNAAP DataBriefs

Available at: http://snaap.indiana.edu/snaapshot

Using the Data

Using the data ...Sharing on campus

Alumni and donor outreach

Recruitment

Assessment and curricular change

Strategic planning

Advocacy and public policy

Sharing on Campus

Assessment Brief #62 October 12, 2011

Miami University Assessment

Using Feedback from Miami Alumni to Improve Educational Effectiveness

Surveying Alumni Miami students are frequently surveyed throughout their college experiences. However, assessing the long-term impact of students’ Miami education can also require reaching out to students after they graduate. Feedback from alumni, who are now using the skills they developed at Miami, can greatly improve educational effectiveness. The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) survey gathers information about fine arts alumni to better understand the relationship between arts education and arts-related occupations. The SNAAP participants from Miami University consisted of 220 undergraduate fine arts alumni who graduated in the following years: 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005-2009. The survey included questions about institutional experiences and career choices. To capture institutional experiences, the survey prompted alumni to report their overall satisfaction with their education as well as their satisfaction with specific areas (e.g., academic advising, freedom to take risks). In the career section, alumni reported their current and previous occupations, their satisfaction with these jobs, and their current level of fine arts engagement. To explore the intersection between institutional experience and careers, the survey asked alumni about the skills and competencies they developed at Miami University as well as which skills were most important in their current job. By reviewing these results, faculty and staff can better understand how students’ experiences at Miami prepare them for their career. Key Findings Fine arts alumni were satisfied with their

experiences at Miami University; 94% of undergraduate arts alumni rated their overall experience as good or excellent.

Arts alumni were especially satisfied with their sense of belonging at Miami and with their instructors.

Respondents were least satisfied with opportunities to network with alumni and others, advice about further education, career advising, and work experience.

The vast majority of respondents reported developing critical and creative thinking skills while at Miami and found these skills important in their future careers.

Fine arts alumni were less likely to report that Miami helped them to develop business and technological skills related to their field.

Student Satisfaction

Recommendations The SNAAP survey highlights the importance of gathering alumni feedback. Such feedback is a valuable resource for assessing educational impact and improving educational effectiveness across the university. The SNAAP survey helps faculty and staff in fine arts by identifying the following:

Common occupations and post-secondary degrees among graduates

Skills and competencies that students will frequently use in their careers

Levels of student satisfaction with various aspects of their Miami experience

These results can help the division improve retention and graduation rates and better prepare students for their future careers.

If you have comments or questions, please contact the Center for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and University Assessment at celt@muohio.edu or 513-529-9266. Previous Briefs are available online at: http://www.units.muohio.edu/celt/assessment/briefs/.

2012 SNAAP Results

Sarah B. CunninghamExecutive Director of Research

Alumni and Donor Outreach

Recruitment

Assessment and Curricular Change

Using SNAAP for Curricular Assessment and Change

Using SNAAP for Curricular Assessment (cont.)Most important skills:

1. Creative thinking and problem solving2. Listening and revising3. Interpersonal relations and working collaboratively4. Broad knowledge and education5. Critical thinking and analysis of arguments and

informationRecommend that faculty:

Incorporate open-ended projects (top skill #1) and group projects (top skill #3)

Require analysis of theories or reviews/critiques (top skill #5) and provide opportunities for feedback and revision (top skill #2)

Ensure curricula include a firm knowledge foundation in a wide variety of areas (top skill #4)

Using SNAAP for Curricular Assessment (cont.)

Using SNAAP for Curricular Assessment (cont.)Identify strengths:

What skills have the highest % of alumni reporting the institution helped them develop “very much” or “quite a bit”?

Identify areas for improvement: What skills have the highest % of alumni

reporting the institution helped them develop “very little” or “not at all”?

Peer group information provides context: Do other institutions have similar strengths

and weaknesses?

Examples From 2011 Aggregate Findings

Artistic technique Financial and business management skills

Entrepreneurial skills0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

77% 81%

71%

90%

22%26%

"Very" or "Somewhat Important" to profession or work lifeInstitution contributed "Very much" or "Some" to development of skill

Using SNAAP for Curricular Assessment (cont.)Alumni receive strong training in learning

artistic techniques

Discrepancies between those who say a skill is important for their work and those who say the institution helped them develop that skill suggest some improvements that could be made, such as:Requiring business and financial classes, or

incorporating these elements into existing courses Include classes looking at the “nontraditional”

career paths of arts graduates

Using SNAAP for Program Assessment

Using SNAAP for Program Assessment (cont.)Programs and services with low satisfaction

may need to be revised

Career advising had 59% report either “very dissatisfied” or “somewhat dissatisfied”

Additional resources could be devoted to developing new components of career advising such as:Alumni career panel presentationsRésumé or portfolio building sessionsNetworking opportunities for graduating students

Strategic Planning

Strategic PlanningProvides an overview to make decisions

about the future direction of the school

Reinforces leadership by documenting success

Proof that you are involved in analyzing effectiveness of your institution

Advocacy and Policy

Advocacy and PolicyIn your local community

With state and other public sector funders

With donors

Institutional Location & CareersIn the first 5 years after leaving your institution, did you take up residency in

the town/city where it is located to pursue you career?

HS Undergrad Grad0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

12%

36% 40%

Source: snaap.indiana.edu/pdf/2012/2012_Annual_Report.pdf

Discussion

Some discussion questions...What are other ways of using

SNAAP data for positive change?

What obstacles might you might face in using SNAAP data?

How might SNAAP data benefit your institution?

Strategic National Arts Alumni Project

Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research

Sally Gaskill, Director812-856-5824gaskill@indiana.edu snaap.indiana.edu