Class: Independent Research (Spring 2023)
Collaborators: Funding: Nancy J. Smith Grant Goal:
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During the Spring 2023 semester, 5 Psychological Science majors worked together to propose a department infrastructure designed to facilitate connections between current Psychological Science students and alumni from our department. In order to do this, the students:
- Spoke with representatives from relevant BSU departments/units about resources related to alumni and student career development (e.g., the Alumni Center, Career Center, Director of CSH Student Success and Retention)
- Developed a survey and collected data from current students about their interest in/views about alumni mentorship (along with other relevant topics that came up during the semester, such as student feelings of social belonging in the department)
- Conducted analyses in SPSS using syntax
- Determined the system to store alumni contact information and recruited interested alumni (BSU Cardinals Connect and LinkedIn group)
- Researched best mentorship practices
- Engaged in discussions about the pros and cons of different approaches
In their data analysis, the students found that many PSYS majors saw value in connecting with BSU PSYS alumni, but varied in their preferred methods for doing so. The students used the information they collected throughout the semester to create recommendations for the department.
At the end of the semester, the students presented their work at the BSU Psychological Science Department Symposium and at a department faculty meeting. Their final proposal included recommendations:
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