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The AWP Director's Handbook A Compendium of Guidelines and Information
for Directors of Creative Writing Programs A Publication of The Association of Writers & Writing Programs 2008
Sample Exit Survey [Note: AWP recommends that programs conduct annual surveys of outgoing students. AWP supplies this form only as an example to help a program devise its own exit survey of graduates. Each program should improve upon this survey as its faculty members and administrators see fit. To provide the best comparative data, the form must remain the same, year after year, to chart the program’s progress clearly. In other words, the program should make sure that its first exit survey form contains all the areas that will help the Program Director, department chair, and deans administer to the program over the next five years. The program should give special attention to the general areas targeted for improvement by the university’s strategic plan, and develop survey questions that address those areas of special interest to the university’s leadership. The surveys should be sent to graduated students with a return envelope including postage.] Please help us better serve our current and future students. Please take the time to answer these questions and to speak your mind. 1.What type of student were you? (Please check one.) a. full-time student b. part-time student 2. Please rank numerically the importance of each reason why you chose the MFA program. (Circle the appropriate number.) a. the general reputation of the university b. financial support (0) not important (1) somewhat important c. the quality of the program’s faculty (0) not important (1) somewhat important d. the quality of the Department of English (0) not important (1) somewhat important e. curriculum (0) not important (1) somewhat important f. the location (0) not important (1) somewhat important g. the recommendation of a friend (0) not important (1) somewhat important h. the recommendation of a former teacher (0) not important (1) somewhat important i. the recommendation of a graduate of the program (0) not important (1) somewhat important j. other—please describe: (0) not important (1) somewhat important
3. What is your most important career goal? (Please check only one.) To become?— a professional freelance writer a journalist 4. What is your secondary career goal? (Please choose only one.) To become?— a professional freelance writer a journalist
5. How do you feel about the length of time it took you to earn your degree? too long too brief appropriate length Please comment:
6. Did you ever have difficulty enrolling in your preferred classes? often sometimes never If so, which courses were difficult to get into?
7. Please comment on what you think is the most appropriate size for graduate classes. How many students? Why?
8. How could the department have helped you better to achieve your educational objectives?
9. The amount or quality of which of the following would have improved your experience at the university? (please check all that apply): Library books
10. What was the most valuable part of your overall academic experience in the MFA program? Explain.
11. What was the least valuable? Explain.
12. List any courses or subject areas you think should be added to the program and explain why.
13. List any courses or subject areas that you think should be dropped and explain why.
14. Which course did you find most valuable? Why?
15. Which course did you find the least valuable? Why?
16. Please rate the quality of instruction within the Creative Writing Department. (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
17. Please rate the quality of instruction within the English Department. (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate 1) somewhat inadequate
18. Did you find instructors to be accessible and helpful? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) no, not at all (1) sometimes
19. Did you find grading standards to be fair and consistent? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) no, not at all (1) sometimes
20. In what ways was the program different from what you expected it to be?
21. Would you recommend the MFA program to others? Please rate how highly you would recommend it overall. (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) terrible, not at all (1) poorly
22. What do you consider to be the major strengths and weaknesses of the MFA program?
23. Upon entering the program, how did you view your own background as a reader and critic of literature? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
24. Now that you are leaving the program, has your background in literature improved? (0) no, not at all (1) slight improvement
25. Now that you are leaving the program, how do you view your own background as a reader and critic of literature? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
26. Upon entering the program, how did you view your own skills as a writer? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
27. Now that you are leaving the program, have your own skills as a writer improved? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) no, not at all (1) slight improvement
28. Now that you are leaving the program, how do you view your own skills as a writer? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
29. Please rate the quality of your own educational experience in the MFA program. (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
30. If you served as a teaching assistant, please rate your experience. How would you rank the training the program provided? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
31. How would you rank the advising you received from the faculty on your thesis work? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
32. How would you rank the advising you received from the faculty to help you prepare for a life-long career as a writer? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
33. Will you be seeking an academic job? If you answered yes, how would you rank the advising you received from the faculty to help you prepare to compete in the academic job market? (Circle the appropriate number.) (0) completely inadequate (1) somewhat inadequate
Please feel free to write additional comments in the space provided below, and use the reverse side of this page, if necessary. Thank you for your help. |
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Members of AWP are invited to read the Associatiation of Writers & Writing Programs Strategic Plan 2000 - 2010. This document details the goals, objectives, and strategies that the association will pursue throughout this decade. The complete Strategic Plan is available as a downloadable file in Portable Document Format (PDF). If you are a member of AWP, the AWP Board of Directors encourages you to send your comments on the Strategic Plan. Write to services@awpwriter.org or to any board or staff member of AWP. |
