Graduate surveys conducted every 2-3 years can provide valuable input for institutional and program quality assurance. Survey results can be used to improve marketing, partnerships with employers, student life, curriculum, teaching methods, and connections to the labor market. Proper implementation requires defining targets and data needs, developing the survey, ensuring data protection, statistical analysis of results, and using results in quality reports and processes.

1. How to integrate graduate survey
results into QA
Stefan Humpl
Alexandra Fabrykowska
3s
TRACKING LEARNING AND CAREER
PATHS OF VET GRADUATES TO
IMPROVE QUALITY OF VET PROVISION

2. Background Info - Disclaimer
• The following slides are based on real experiences
working within an educational institution in Austria
• Terms valuing specific items of Graduate Tracking do
go back to these experiences and may not be
relevant for all educational institutions
 The presentation is an example of making use of
Graduate Tracking in a specific case

3. Introduction
Educational Institutions should conduct graduate
surveys every 2-3 years for the graduates of all
study programmes.
Various topics are possible:
- Satisfaction with study programme including
feedback to curriculum and its delivery,
satisfaction with institution as such
- Employment: Transition from education to
employment, current employment situation
- Further education: What and why

4. Internal QA topics involved
• Institutional development
– Marketing
– Partnerships
– Student Life
– Feedback Culture
• Development of study programme
– Curriculum development
– Delivery of curriculum (didactics, form of exams)
– Teaching staff involved
– Contact to labour market

5. Quality Processes
• Institutional Evaluation
– Accreditation Body visits every 5-7 years
– Total Quality Management throughout the whole
institution with ongoing quality cycles
– Alumni Network
• Study Programme Evaluation
– Teaching and learning processes
– Form and timing of exams and assessment
– Student Feedback Culture
– Contacts to labour market

6. Roles of Graduates
• Former Students – they are able to give an overall
feedback to their study programme for the time they
studied there
• Employees – they are able to provide information on
recent labour market conditions and how their study
programmes influenced their career
• Agents between work and education – they do know
aspects from both worlds, therefore their feedback is
relevant

7. Input from Graduates to…
… Marketing:
• Employment rates and career examples – often
showing also non-linear careers
• Positive feedback to study programmes and
institution
• Some graduates act as “role models” and recent
partners

8. Input from Graduates to…
… Partnerships:
• Graduates are asked, if their employers would act as
partners (low feedback, but if it is highly relevant)
• Graduates in highly relevant companies for the field
of employment are invited to take place in
curriculum development meetings
• Some graduates are asked to act as teachers in the
future

9. Input from Graduates to…
… Student Life:
• Graduates can say what they liked / did not like /
were missing at the institution. This can be taken for
institutional reforms (e.g. cafeteria, rooms for
informal meetings, feedback culture as a whole…)
• Some positive aspects from graduates’ remembers
are taken for marketing purposes

10. Input from Graduates to…
… Feedback Culture:
• Results from graduate surveys are taken seriously in
all institutional bodies and study programme working
groups. High respect for feedback improved feedback
culture from the institution also against students
• Graduates do not fear specific persons any more –
they tend to be more clear in their feedback
• Graduates do know usually about the whole study
programme and not only one course – their feedback
is more reflected

11. Input from Graduates to…
… Curriculum Development:
• If graduates state specific courses as useless or badly delivered, this
is reflected in curriculum development
• Graduates’ further education is reflected in curriculum
development
• Recent labour market requirements are reflected in the curriculum
• Even bipolar feedback is reflected in the curriculum (e.g. by
developing courses that can be selected)
 IMPORTANT: This has to be done in a whole process of curriculum
development, otherwise it reflects only pieces of a whole puzzle
 IMPORTANT: Feedback must be reflected by a wider group

12. Input from Graduates to…
… Delivery of Curriculum:
• Most feedback to curriculum is not about content, but on how
content was delivered – didactics, forms of teaching and learning
etc.
• Sometimes feedback is given to exams and assessment procedures
different to student feedback
• Study programme leader is responsible to provide feedback to all
teaching staff and to discuss possible changes
• Requires a highly developed feedback culture among teaching staff
 IMPORTANT: Requires relevant feedback mechanisms (regular
feedback talks between programme leader and teachers)!
 IMPORTANT: Compare with changes within the last years, maybe
feedback comes to a situation, which is not the case anymore!

13. Input from Graduates to…
… Teaching Staff Involved:
• In very specific cases teaching staff was changed (but
never ONLY because of graduates feedback)
• Graduates have the chance to name other relevant
experts for specific fields

14. Input from Graduates to…
… Contact to Labour Market:
• Graduates know about their own internships and
how they may be assessed from the perspective of
being employed now
• Graduates can be contacted for internships for recent
students
• Graduates can be asked to act as teachers and
mentors
• Establishing partnerships with the study programme

15. Quality Processes
• Institutional Evaluation
– Accreditation Body visits every 5-7 years
– Total Quality Management throughout the whole
institution with ongoing quality cycles
– Alumni Network
• Study Programme Evaluation
– Teaching and learning processes
– Form and timing of exams and assessment
– Student Feedback Culture
– Contacts to labour market

16. Possible main steps to implement GT
1. Define target population and sampling
2. Which data do you want to survey and how?
3. Develop a questionnaire
4. Data protection arrangements
5. Contact, follow-up procedures, and statistical analysis
6. Data collection and monitor/influence survey
participation
7. Focus groups? In-depth interviews?
8. Organisation specific reports