Submitted Fall, 2004
Surveys were sent to all international studies majors during the first week of the Fall semester 2004. 8 surveys were returned from the 15 that were sent out. The survey was designed to seek attitudes and to look at the program objectives 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8. The survey reports the following. Each item represents and addresses one of the eight goals of the program. Although the survey was designed to address goals 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 it also looks at goal 4.
- The majority of the students are not aware of the job possibilities for students who major in international studies.
- Globalization is a concept about which students have a good idea. They agree that they have learned about globalization in courses and that it is a positive thing.
- Students recognize the interrelatedness of culture and how cultures interact.
- When it comes to relationships, students are comfortable around people of other cultures and go out of their way to learn about new things. However, when asked if they have close friends who are foreign, students range all over the scale.
- Students are not sure about cultural bias and are not able to see it in either in local or national press. Bias is hard to recognize and is an advanced skill.
- All strongly agreed that travel was important.
- In second language use, students reported no discomfort in speaking it and see no consequences in correction. Interesting.
- Three questions were added about the International Studies program. The results were expected.
- Students think that the worlds opinion about the U.S. has changed over the past two years. This reinforces what I thought but never asked.
One interesting aspect of this survey is that of the 8 who returned it, 7 are freshmen. One would expect that since this is there first semester at UNK, the answers to the questions would probably be based on knowledge that the students brought with them.
Knowledge
| Objective 1 - |
Students in survey did not know what jobs that were available for international studies majors. This information needs to be disseminated in a handout early in the students' career and later in the last year of studies. |
| Objective 2 - |
Students have a working knowledge of culture. Meets objective. |
Skills
| Objective 3 - |
Students have learned about a global society and are unaware of the wide range of definitions of the term globalism and what it implies. Meets objective. |
| Objective 4 - |
Student are comfortable with the term interrelatedness. Meets objectives. |
| Objective 5 - |
This objective is not addressed in the survey. The survey does ask students to rate their own skills measuring comfort of speaking a second language. Self-assessment helps to find out students self identified cultural closeness. |
| Objective 6 - |
Bias is something students are not able to recognize very well. A review of the required courses needs to be conducted to see where bias is addressed. More data needs to be collected and analyzed before changes are made. |
Values
| Objective 7 - |
Students report that they are curious about learning about other cultures. Meets objective. |
| Objective 8 - |
Students report themselves to be tolerant and accepting of peoples of different cultures. Meets objective. |
Survey Results