Developing a Student Survey to Facilitate Transition Program Intake

Submitted by Rebecca Eller on Wed, 09/04/2013 - 12:33
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Hello, Everyone. 

Our organization is in the process of developing a 3-5 item survey in order to determine which of our students may best benefit from participating in a “transitions track” course of studies.  For our current purposes, the Transitions program is intended to prepare students to move into a first or new job, advance in his/her chosen field or enroll in post-secondary education.  Some of our students are unable to work because of social and/or cognitive differences or because entering employment will discontinue vital benefits they currently receive.  We do not want to place additional demands on these students by enrolling them in courses that don’t fit their needs.  The survey needs to be accessible to students at varying levels of literacy or, in some cases, to be given verbally. A major concern we have is privacy and sensitivity to our students.  We are trying to find a way to ask questions that are sensitive, but will elicit responses that will allow us to infer whether or not a student could get a job if s/he wanted to do so.

 

Has anyone developed a similar survey?  Are there any items you can recommend we include?

 

Thanks,

Rebecca

Comments

Hi Rebecca-

Our agency will be launching a pilot for the integration of entry-level employability skills with academic instruction. Since we are focusing on generic employability skills (or soft skills) all students can benefit since the majoirty of skills are applicable to participation not only in work but in most of life's functions and interactions. By contexualizing instruction for the workplace students will have opportunities to develop, or hone good communication, critical thinking and collaboration skills. Since we also have adopted the CCRS we plan to initially focus on Speaking and Listening standards,then expand to all content areas.

For your purposes I would imagine the questions would be around the students' goals, both short and long term. Asking their reasons for entering your program would help to guide them to thinking about goals. Next, perhaps ask what they plan for themselves or their family in the next few years and possibly more importantly, what they feel your organization could do to help make those plans a reality. Another question could be what obstacles may prevent them from reaching their goals- to identify the services they may need to be sucessful.

I am very interested in learning more about your "transition track" course of studies. Is there a link I could visit?

Sharon

 

Hi Sharon- I love your work to integrate career-related content in academics and align the content with common core. Are you using the work that comes out of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) - US Department of Labor. They produced really terrific resources on soft skills for employment - with an emphasis on students/employees with disabiltiies http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/

In education, transition planning addresses many of those questions you suggested. When I teach graduate level students - I ask them to develop a personal career plan - which also addresses these same questions....encouraging them to include the technical or "hard skills" and the soft skills they need to master and attain particular goals.

 

Do you use any templates/plans in your work that can be shared?

Thanks for your comments!

I love learning from all of you.

Judy Shanley

Easter Seals

 

 

 

Hi Sharon...the VA dept of education, and youth transition professionals developed a set of materials regardign the empowerment and engagement of students in career decision-making. The materials are I am Determined...  http://www.imdetermined.org/ - the materials and context for this work is usually K12 - transition programs - but, perhaps some of this could be adapted to fit the needs of adult learners. Judy

 

email..jshanley@easterseals.com

 

Thank you!