Preparing for Academic Careers Program Alumni Survey

Abstract

The Preparing for Academic Careers program at George Mason University from 2011-2021 was designed for doctoral and master of fine arts students who were in the last year or two of their degree program and were seeking academic career paths after graduation. Primary goals of the program included: increasing graduate student knowledge of the Academy and academic career paths (e.g., types and general organization of academic institutions, the variety of academic career paths within institutions, what life as a faculty member is like, strategies for transitioning from a student to a faculty role); increasing graduate student pedagogical knowledge and skills articulating their teaching philosophy and pedagogical approaches; and increasing graduate student communication skills and knowledge of the general academic job application and selection process (e.g., strategies standing out in the academic job market). The primary output of the program was the production of an academic job application portfolio (cover letter, CV, teaching philosophy statement, research statement, sample course syllabi). This document consists of a three-part 32-item Preparing for Academic Careers program alumni survey instrument that was designed to assess the long-term impacts of program participation on program alumni and their career paths. Part 1 assesses impact, with questions developed out of the author's multi-year iterative design of the program's annual program evaluation survey and retrospective interview methodologies. Part 2 collects participant demographic data. Part 3 collects participant contact information. This instrument can be used to examine and evaluate graduate student professional development programs and their long-term impact.