Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
Graduating Student Survey Report 2016-2017
The Graduating Student Survey is sent to all students when they apply for graduation. The following results were collected from students between May 10, 2016 and May 15, 2017.
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Palm Beach State College Graduating Student Survey
The Graduating Student Survey was conducted using the software package Qualtrics®. A total of 897 students responded
between May 10, 2016 and May 15, 2017. Basic results follow; descriptive statistical data are available from the office of
Institutional Research and Effectiveness.
Q1 - Have you attended Palm Beach State primarily as a: # Answer Reponses %
1 Full-time student 559 65%
2 Part-time student 305 35%
Total 864 100%
Q2 - On which campus have you taken most of your classes? # Answer Reponses %
1 Lake Worth 461 53%
2 Palm Beach Gardens 176 20%
3 Boca Raton 145 17%
4 Belle Glade 42 5%
5 Took most of my classes on-line 43 5%
Total 867 100%
Q3 - Have you attended classes primarily as a: # Answer Reponses %
1 Day student 518 60%
2 Evening student 236 27%
3 Weekend student 1 0%
4 Distance/Online learning student 110 13%
Total 865 100%
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Q4 - Please indicate the degree or certificate with which you are graduating:
# Answer Reponses %
1 A.A. degree 588 68%
2 A.S. degree 127 15%
3 Certificate (ATC, ATD, EPI, PSAV Cert., College Credit Cert.) 57 7%
4 Bachelor's degree 95 11%
Total 867 100%
Q4a - Please indicate your bachelor's degree concentration* # Answer Reponses %
1 Entrepreneurship - Supervision and Management 3 4%
2 General Management - Supervision and Management 38 47%
3 Health Management - Supervision and Management 17 21%
4 Project Management - Supervision and Management 3 4%
5 Database Administration - Information Management 2 2%
6 Project Management - Information Management 2 2%
7 Security & Network Assurance - Information Management 3 4%
8 Nursing 13 16%
Total 81 100%
*This question was added to the survey during the year.
Q5 - During the time you have been enrolled at Palm Beach State, have you been:
# Answer Reponses %
1 Employed full-time 448 54%
2 Employed part-time 295 35%
3 Homemaker, not employed outside the home 20 2%
4 Not employed and seeking employment 28 3%
5 Not employed and not seeking employment 45 5%
Total 836 100%
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Q6 - If you have been employed while attending Palm Beach State, has your job been
related to your curriculum at the College? # Answer Reponses %
1 Yes, directly related 151 18%
2 Yes, somewhat related 221 27%
3 No, not related 388 47%
4 Not employed while attending Palm Beach State 71 9%
Total 831 100%
Q7 - Have you received financial aid or scholarships while attending Palm Beach State? # Answer Reponses %
1 Yes 589 71%
2 No 242 29%
Total 831 100%
Q8 - What has been your primary goal in attending Palm Beach State? # Answer Reponses %
1 To obtain occupational/technical training that would improve present/future employment
43 5%
2 To obtain an occupational/technical (A.S.) degree or certificate 120 14%
3 To obtain an associate degree (A.A.) in order to transfer to a four-year college/university
506 61%
4 To enroll in courses that would satisfy specialized/personal interests 2 0%
5 To obtain a bachelor degree 151 18%
6 Other (please specify) 10 1%
Total 832 100%
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Q9 - Please indicate the most important reasons why you selected Palm Beach State. (Check
all that apply.)
# Answer Reponses %
1 Affordable tuition 654 78%
2 Guaranteed admission for high school graduates 172 21%
3 Close to home 606 72%
4 Good academic reputation 330 39%
5 Availability of financial aid 282 34%
6 Offered courses/curriculum of interest 328 39%
7 Small classes/individual attention 302 36%
8 Only program offered locally in my area of interest 54 6%
9 Availability of evening/weekend courses 258 31%
10 Availability of online courses 264 32%
Q10 - If Palm Beach State had not been available, would you have been able to continue your
education elsewhere? # Answer Reponses %
1 Yes 648 78%
2 No 181 22%
Total 829 100%
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Q11 - Please indicate the primary reason why you would not have been able to continue
your education elsewhere: # Answer Reponses %
1 Only Palm Beach State offered my program 10 6%
2 Only able to attend college within commuting distance of my home 37 22%
3 Tuition and fees at other colleges were more than I could afford 84 49%
4 Only Palm Beach State offered courses online or at times that fit with my family and work responsibilities
24 14% 5 Was not accepted for admission into other colleges 7 4%
6 Other (please specify) 8 5%
Total 170 100%
Q12 - After graduating from Palm Beach State, what are your plans for the future?
# Answer Reponses %
1 Obtain a four-year degree at another school 352 46%
2 Continue at Palm Beach State in another degree program (e.g., B.A.S.) 176 23%
3 Obtain a graduate degree at another school 92 12%
4 Work full-time and/or part-time 88 11%
5 Not sure 40 5%
6 Other (please specify) 18 2%
Total 766 100%
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Q13 - INSTRUCTION AT PALM BEACH STATE: Please rate on a 5-point scale (where 5= Excellent and 1= Poor) how you feel about the following items related to instruction at Palm Beach State College. If you are unsure of your opinion, select "Don't Know."
# Question Excellent (5) 4 3 2 Poor (1) Don't Know
Total Responses Mean
1 Overall quality of instruction 53% 37% 9% 0% 0% 1% 760 4.43
2 Individual attention from professors 52% 34% 12% 1% 0% 0% 758 4.37
3 Instructor availability 53% 32% 11% 1% 1% 1% 758 4.38
4 Course advisement from faculty members 47% 30% 14% 4% 3% 2% 754 4.18
5 Content of courses in major curriculum 52% 33% 11% 2% 1% 1% 757 4.36
6 Average class size 64% 28% 6% 1% 0% 1% 759 4.57
7 Quality of curriculum in providing job-related skills and knowledge 54% 30% 12% 2% 1% 2% 758 4.37
8 Quality of curriculum in preparing for further education 58% 30% 10% 1% 1% 1% 759 4.44
9 Fairness of grading and testing practices 54% 34% 11% 1% 1% 0% 757 4.39
10 Availability of courses in the sequence you need them 51% 31% 13% 2% 2% 1% 758 4.29
Note: Means were calculated excluding “Don’t Know” responses.
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Q14 - SERVICES AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS: Please rate on a 5-point scale (where 5= Excellent and 1= Poor) how you feel about the following services and resources available to students at Palm Beach State College. If you have never used a particular service, select "Didn't use".
# Question Excellent
(5) 4 3 2 Poor (1) Didn't Use
Total Responses
1 Academic Advising 374 172 108 47 29 32 762
2 Personal Guidance and Counseling 327 139 94 34 28 136 758
3 Financial Aid Services 383 143 76 29 21 109 761
4 Admissions 428 193 84 23 11 17 756
5 Registration Process 439 198 76 15 11 15 754
6 Assistance over the phone 303 145 118 42 42 105 755
7 PantherWeb Services 495 180 62 12 0 10 759
8 Palm Beach State College Website 486 196 60 9 1 6 758
9 Testing Services 385 180 70 15 5 102 757
10 Lab Facilities (biology, chemistry, math, etc.) 392 154 59 6 3 142 756
11 Library 448 162 63 11 5 66 755
12 Career planning and counseling 323 129 80 25 10 188 755
13 Student Activities (clubs, events, etc.) 312 128 64 13 2 236 755
14 Cafeteria 298 139 104 31 36 147 755
15 Student Learning Centers (e.g. Math Lab, Reading Lab, SI) 410 147 57 14 8 116 752
16 Disability Support Services 252 94 32 8 3 366 755
17 Athletics 238 84 46 16 3 367 754
18 Theater 263 98 48 9 2 330 750
19 Wellness Center 292 110 46 7 3 291 749
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Q14 - SERVICES AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS: Please rate on a 5-point scale (where 5= Excellent and 1= Poor) how you feel about the following services and resources available to students at Palm Beach State College. Percent and means of responses when students who didn't use each service are excluded from total.
# Question Excellent
(5) 4 3 2 Poor (1) Total
Responses Mean
1 Academic Advising 51% 24% 15% 6% 4% 730 4.12
2 Personal Guidance and Counseling 53% 22% 15% 5% 5% 622 4.13
3 Financial Aid Services 59% 22% 12% 4% 3% 652 4.29
4 Admissions 58% 26% 11% 3% 1% 739 4.36
5 Registration Process 59% 27% 10% 2% 1% 739 4.41 6 Assistance over the phone 47% 22% 18% 6% 6% 650 3.96
7 PantherWeb Services 66% 24% 8% 2% 0% 749 4.55
8 Palm Beach State College Website 65% 26% 8% 1% 0% 752 4.54
9 Testing Services 59% 27% 11% 2% 1% 655 4.41
10 Lab Facilities (biology, chemistry, math, etc.) 64% 25% 10% 1% 0% 614 4.51
11 Library 65% 24% 9% 2% 1% 689 4.51
12 Career planning and counseling 57% 23% 14% 4% 2% 567 4.29
13 Student Activities (clubs, events, etc.) 60% 25% 12% 3% 0% 519 4.42
14 Cafeteria 49% 23% 17% 5% 6% 608 4.04
15 Student Learning Centers (e.g. Math Lab, Reading Lab, SI) 64% 23% 9% 2% 1% 636 4.47
16 Disability Support Services 65% 24% 8% 2% 1% 389 4.50
17 Athletics 61% 22% 12% 4% 1% 387 4.39
18 Theater 63% 23% 11% 2% 0% 420 4.45
19 Wellness Center 64% 24% 10% 2% 1% 458 4.49
Note: Means were calculated excluding “Didn’t Use” responses.
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Q15 - What means of communication have you used to contact Palm Beach State faculty or staff? Please rank-order them by selecting a "1" for the one you used the most often, a "2" for the one you used second-most often, and so on.
# Question 1 2 3 4 5 Total
Responses Mean
1 Phone 117 20% 133 23% 231 40% 59 10% 38 7% 578 2.60
2 Email 249 41% 192 32% 87 14% 45 7% 30 5% 603 2.03
3 In Person 254 40% 181 29% 110 17% 38 6% 47 7% 630 2.12
4 Live Chat 26 5% 51 10% 62 13% 244 50% 108 22% 491 3.73
5 U.S. Mail 42 8% 22 4% 32 6% 101 19% 323 62% 520 4.23
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Q16 - PREPARATION: Please rate on a 5-point scale (where "5"= Very Much and "1"= Very Little) how you feel Palm Beach State helped you increase your achievement on the following learning outcomes. If you are unsure of your opinion, select "Don't Know."
# Question Very
Much (5) 4 3 2 Very
Little (1) Don't Know
Total Responses Mean
1 COMMUNICATIONS (Develop effective communication skills for a variety of audiences) 431 194 80 8 7 15 735 4.44
2
CRITICAL THINKING (Engage in purposeful reasoning to reach sound conclusions) 416 214 74 8 2 22 736 4.45
3 ETHICS (Demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions based on ethical principles and reasoning) 407 196 79 13 7 30 732 4.40
4 GLOBAL AWARENESS (Exhibit a sense of social, cultural and global responsibility) 376 199 95 16 13 35 734 4.30
5 HUMANITIES (Demonstrate an awareness of and an ability to effectively analyze creative works) 394 206 86 12 5 29 732 4.38
6 INFORMATION LITERACY (Demonstrate the ability to find, evaluate, organize and use information) 409 199 78 10 6 26 728 4.42
7 MATHEMATICS (Demonstrate an understanding of mathematical concepts to solve real-world problems) 388 192 93 13 8 37 731 4.35
8
NATURAL SCIENCES (Demonstrate comprehension of fundamental concepts, principles or processes about the natural world) 379 197 95 11 3 44 729 4.37
9
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Understand and apply sociological, cultural, political, psychological, historical and economic principles to a global environment) 407 200 75 12 3 33 730 4.43
Note: Means were calculated excluding “Don’t Know” responses.
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Q17 - YOUR EXPERIENCE. The College is trying to create a welcoming and supportive environment. The following are characteristics of such an environment. Please rate on a 5-point scale (where 5= Excellent and 1= Poor) how you feel about the following aspects of your experience at Palm Beach State College. If you are unsure of your opinion for a particular area, please select "Don't Know".
# Question Excellent
(5) 4 3 2 Poor (1)
Don't Know
Total Responses Mean
1 Opportunity to meet and interact with other students 423 189 85 7 7 29 740 4.43
2 Availability of faculty outside of class 364 211 97 18 9 37 736 4.29
3 General helpfulness of faculty 408 202 92 13 6 15 736 4.38
4 General helpfulness of other college employees 385 195 101 12 7 35 735 4.34
5 Adequacy of study spaces 420 178 84 13 8 36 739 4.41
6 Adequacy of comfortable places to rest and relax between classes 387 176 84 25 16 46 734 4.30
7 Cleanliness and attractiveness of campus 421 199 82 10 8 20 740 4.41
8 Sense of comfort with institutional cultural diversity 452 192 64 6 4 22 740 4.51
9 Sense of personal and property safety on campus 421 196 82 14 6 21 740 4.41
10 Sense of being respected and valued as an individual 438 212 62 9 5 13 739 4.47
Note: Means were calculated excluding “Don’t Know” responses.
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Q18 - What is your overall impression of Palm Beach State?
# Answer Reponses %
1 Excellent 406 53%
2 Good 317 41%
3 Fair 40 5%
4 Poor 2 0%
Total 765 100%
Q19 - Would you recommend Palm Beach State to your friends? # Answer Reponses %
1 Definitely 593 78%
2 Probably 140 18%
3 Might or might not 23 3%
4 Probably not 5 1%
5 Definitely not 2 0%
Total 763 100%
Q20 - How many years have you attended Palm Beach State? # Answer Reponses %
2 Less than 1 year 10 1%
3 1 year, but less than 2 years 69 9%
4 2 years, but less than 3 years 299 39%
5 3 years, but less than 5 years 258 34%
6 5 years or more 132 17%
Total 768 100%
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Q21 - What is your gender? # Answer Reponses %
1 Male 204 27%
2 Female 551 73%
Total 755 100%
Q22 - What is your age? # Answer Reponses %
1 Under 20 47 6%
2 20 - 21 169 22%
3 22 - 24 153 20%
4 25 - 29 169 22%
5 30 - 39 131 17%
6 40 or older 96 13% Total 765 100%
Q23 - What is your racial/ethnic background? # Answer Reponses %
1 Asian or Pacific Islander 15 2%
2 Black or African American 279 36%
3 Hispanic or Latino 195 25%
4 American Indian or Alaskan Native 1 0%
5 White 254 33%
6 Other (please specify) 22 3%
Total 766 100%
