Kenna Reiter Elps431 Final Project Final

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Running head: CREATING CONNECTIONS
Creating Connections: An Evaluation of the LUConnect Career Mentoring Program
Natalie Kenna and Laura Reiter
Loyola University Chicago

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CREATING CONNECTIONS
Table of Contents
Program Context 3
Department Overview.3
Program Description.. 4
Program History. 6
Program Purpose 7
Program Stakeholders 8
Reason for Assessment.. 8
Logic Model... 9
Assessment Approach.. 12
Quantitative Methods....... 14
Survey Population.... 14
Sampling Strategy 14
Research Design15
Survey Instruments16
Survey Administration. 18
Statistical Analysis....... 19
Presentation Plan.. 21
Qualitative Methods. 22
Qualitative Approach Rationale... 22
Focus Group Participant Selection.. 23
Focus Group Protocol Instrument 23
Focus Group Implementation Procedures 24
Qualitative Analysis. 25
Presentation of Data. 28
Limitations28
Budget. 29
Timeline and Next Steps.. 30
References 32
Appendices35
Appendix A: Logic Model35
Appendix B: LUConnect Survey. 37
Appendix C: General Student Survey.. 44
Appendix D: Survey Construct Map and Item Matrix. 49
Appendix E: Consent to Participate in LUConnect Focus Group.58
Appendix F: LUConnect Focus Group Participant Demographics.. 60
Appendix G: Focus Group Interview Protocol for LUConnect Student Mentee
Experience61
Appendix H: Note-taking Sheets for Focus Groups 64
Appendix I: Focus Group Email Invitations 76
Appendix J: Timeline for Evaluation of LUConnect Program.79
Appendix K: Budget for Evaluation of LUConnect Program. 80
Appendix L: PowerPoint Presentation..81
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Program Context
Founded in 1870 as St. Ignatius College, Loyola University Chicago (Loyola) is one of
the largest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States (At a Glance, 2016). Loyola educates
more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 11 schools and colleges across five
Chicagoland and three international campuses (At a Glance, 2016). The universitys diverse
community includes students, faculty, staff, community partners, and more than 150,000 alumni
(At a Glance, 2016). Loyolas mission to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through
learning, justice, and faith is guided by the promise to prepare people for extraordinary lives
(About Loyola, n.d.). The Career Centers at Loyola contribute to the university mission by
assisting students and alumni with career-related needs through a variety of programs and
services, including advising, career fairs, workshops, courses, and job shadowing (About Us,
n.d.). One way the Career Centers facilitate career exploration is through a mentoring program
based around a virtual community, called LUConnect, which allows students and alumni to
connect, interact, and learn from one another.
Department Overview
Loyola has several Career Centers that serve students and alumni: the Career
Development Center (CDC), Business Career Services at the Quinlan School of Business (BCS),
Career Services at the School of Law, and the Center for Experiential Learning (Career Centers,
n.d.). Though each Career Center works with a unique population, there is overlap in the
services provided and students/alumni reached (Career Centers, n.d.). The CDC specifically
serves students and alumni from the following schools and departments: College of Arts and
Sciences, Engineering Science Program, Graduate School, Institute of Environmental
Sustainability, Institute for Paralegal Studies, Institute for Pastoral Studies, Pre-Health
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Professions, School of Education, School of Nursing, School of Continuing and Professional
Studies, School of Social Work, and School of Communication (Career Centers, n.d.). Situated
within the Academic Affairs division at Loyola, the CDC has 25 staff members, including a
director, career advisors, employer relations professionals, graduate students, career peers, and
an office coordinator (Staff Directory, n.d.). The director of the CDC has worked in the
department since 2008 and began work on the LUConnect program when she moved into the
director role in 2014 (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26, 2016). Three CDC
staff members support the LUConnect program directly: the director of the CDC, a career
counselor, and a part-time graduate assistant (K. Jackson, personal communication, September
26, 2016).
Program Description
LUConnect is both a career exploration program and an online platform managed and
supported by CDC staff. The LUConnect platform is a new, international career connection
website that utilizes a self-matching process (LUConnect, n.d.). Alumni who can commit to
being actively engaged in the program are encouraged to sign up to become LUConnect mentors,
or Champions. Once alumni successfully pass through the vetting process they set up online
profiles within the LUConnect platform. Champion profiles feature rich dataphotos, video,
degree information, career history, fun factsand are tagged with keywords to assist with search
discoverability. Students or recent graduates in need of career assistance, known as Mentees,
search the Champion directory, choose a Champion, and request a session. The LUConnect
program is unique in that it allows Mentees and Champions to define the type (e.g. email, phone,
video chat), frequency (e.g. one time or ongoing), and nature of their interactions (e.g.
networking, informational interviewing, mentoring, career advice; LUConnect, n.d.). Because

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interactions vary based on the needs of the individuals, the cycle of the program is ongoing and
the format is flexible and fluid. In essence, no two Mentee experiences with LUConnect will be
the same. LUConnect has few formal processes built in to the program. Mentees and
Champions are given resources and guidelines for connecting in the form of How-To guides and
FAQ pages on the LUConnect site (Frequently Asked Questions, n.d.). CDC staff are available
to Mentees and Champions if further assistance is requested; otherwise, Mentees and Champions
manage the process on their own (Frequently Asked Questions, n.d.).
LUConnect is open to all students and alumni in the Loyola community. Officially
launched in early 2016, LUConnect has more than 800 registered users; of those, a third are
Mentees and two thirds are Champions (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26,
2016). The LUConnect community includes users from almost every college or school, and is
relatively diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, and gender (K. Jackson, personal
communication, September 26, 2016).
The LUConnect program is funded out of the CDCs central operating budget (K.
Jackson, personal communication, September 26, 2016). Because the program is conducted
through an online platform and does not include physical resources or formal, in-person
gatherings hosted by the CDC, most of the financial resources for LUConnect go toward staff
time. CDC staff dedicated to LUConnect continuously manage and maintain the program. The
director of the CDC oversees program execution, assists Career Center partners with LUConnect
roll out, collaborates with partners across the university, supervises LUConnect staff, and
manages the relationship with the alumnus who gifted the software. A career counselor supports
the director and provides guidance to LUConnect users in need of extra career exploration
assistance. A graduate student vets Champion applications, tracks LUConnect connections, and
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facilitates Mentee-Champion relationships as needed. The CDC staff also works with partners
across the University, including alumni relations staff, faculty members, and student services
staff to recruit participants, encourage platform utilization, track conversations, and facilitate
relationships to ensure program success (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26,
2016).
Program History
Prior to LUConnect, Loyola had attempted to launch similar programs but did not
successfully generate enough support, interest, or momentum (K. Jackson, personal
communication, September 26, 2016). The current director of the CDC successfully launched a
large career mentoring and networking program, called Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK),
when she was an associate director in the Career Center at DePaul University (K. Jackson,
personal communication, September 26, 2016). She identified the need for a campus-wide
career exploration and mentoring program at Loyola when she assumed the CDC director role in
2014 (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26, 2016). As she began conversations
with various stakeholders, an alumnus approached Loyola with the gift of mentoring software
that he created (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26, 2016). The alumnus was
looking for an office where the software would be embraced, built-out, and launched; the CDC
became that home and LUConnect was conceived (K. Jackson, personal communication,
September 26, 2016).
The software that powers LUConnect was gifted to Loyola in perpetuity, saving the
university thousands of dollars annually (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26,
2016). The LUConnect program is intended for ongoing use across the university; there is no
plan to terminate the program (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26, 2016).
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However, as more users join the platform, CDC staff and university stakeholders will need to
consider increasing staff time and resources to successfully manage the program and ensure
quality Mentee-Champion relationships.
Program Purpose
The LUConnect program exists to offer a reliable way for students and alumni to connect
for mentoring related to career exploration (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26,
2016). Turner & Lapan (2013) indicate mentoring helps students broaden their awareness of
various types of occupations, including the job tasks, attitudes, and supports needed to work
successfully in that occupation (p. 541). Through LUConnect, Mentees have an opportunity to
meet with Champions to learn about possible career paths and the skills needed to succeed in a
given career. In addition to career and educational guidance, mentors can offer emotional
support, which can be especially beneficial for women planning to enter male-dominated fields
like science, engineering, and math (Kenny & Medvide, 2013; Liang, Spencer, Brogan, &
Corral, 2008). LUConnect allows Mentees to search for and select Champions, which may
increase the likelihood of a positive, emotionally supportive mentoring experience. For example,
a female Mentee pursuing a math degree can contact a female Champion in a related field. In
that situation a female Champion may provide valuable information about working in a male-
dominated field, emotional support, and the general career guidance all Champions offer. In
essence, LUConnect provides Mentees with a safe place to explore career options and practice
networking skills.
The LUConnect program serves many constituents throughout the campus community.
Alumni of all ages have a structured, meaningful way to contribute to Loyola. Faculty and staff
have a place to direct students who need assistance with career readiness and alumni who want to
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give back. Alumni relations staff have a program that appeals to all alumni, from any program,
in any part of the world. The program was built to operate in a way that meets people where
they are in terms of geography, technology access, and interests. It connects to the CDCs
mission of educating, counseling and empowering students and alumni through the self-identity
and career exploration process, and ultimately ties to Loyolas promise to prepare people to lead
extraordinary lives (LUConnect, n.d.).
Short-term learning outcomes for Mentees who use LUConnect include ability to identify
possible career paths related to major, ability to identify possible career paths that satisfy
personal values, and ability to identify the components of a successful professional interview
experience. Long-term outcomes include choosing a career path, securing employment in the
chosen career path, and experiencing career satisfaction.
Program Stakeholders
The LUConnect program serves stakeholders throughout the university community. The
primary stakeholders are the users of the LUConnect platform: Mentees (students and recent
graduates) and Champions (alumni). Loyola faculty and staff that refer students and alumni to
the program are also key stakeholders. This includes alumni relations professionals, student
services staff, and administrative leaders, including deans and division directors. A third set of
stakeholders includes the Career Center staff who manage the implementation of LUConnect,
including the CDC staff dedicated to LUConnect. Finally, the alumnus who gifted the
LUConnect software to Loyola is a stakeholder. His generous gift to Loyola eliminates
technology fees for the program, but it comes with oversight and hands-on direction that
influences the execution of the program.
Reason for Assessment

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The LUConnect program serves multiple groups of stakeholders, however, this
assessment will focus on Mentees experience with LUConnect. Specifically, the assessment
will examine how well the program assists Mentees with career exploration. As the LUConnect
program nears one year since implementation, CDC staff do not have a formal assessment
process in place. It is important to assess and improve LUConnect program performance as
platform usage increases and traction across the university takes hold. Our formative assessment
will evaluate the processes and outcomes of the LUConnect program to improve its ability to
deliver career exploration assistance to Mentees.
Logic Model
With the need to serve current students as they trouble-shoot career possibilities and the
desire to connect alumni with the institution, LUConnect provides a platform for these two
groups to comingle. The investment of resources on the part of Loyola is minimal, especially
considering the donation of the software program used as the basis for these interactions. As
noted in the Logic Model (Appendix A), there are dedicated staff and supporting staff who feed
students and alumni into the system, although the current model is still so new that there are
relatively few current students using the LUConnect platform (K. Jackson, personal
communication, September 26, 2016).
The logic model serves as a visual representation of the relationships between the
planned inputs or resources and activities and the intended outputs, outcomes and impacts (W. K.
Kellogg Foundation, 2004). The Logic Model for this assessment of LUConnect (Appendix A)
starts with an overview the situation that is driving the need for program evaluation. In the case
of LUConnect, it is such a new program that an assessment is needed to find out if and how the
program is working. In LUConnect, as in any program, the inputs move beyond the financial to
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include the people who contribute to program operation and success (W. K. Kellogg Foundation,
2004). For LUConnect, that means staff, faculty, students and alumni (Logic Model, Appendix
A).
Program outputs involve activities and participation. Program Activities are what the
program does with the resources (W. K. Kellogg Foundation, 2004, p. 2). The lions share of
program activities take place on the software platform, with staff monitoring and facilitating
conversations between Mentees and Champions (See Logic Model, Appendix A). In order to
sustain the online networking site that connects Mentees with Champions, staff are trained,
activity is monitored, and students are supported by various staff, CDC counselors, and online
resources. The program is designed to directly serve Mentees (current students and recent
graduates) and alumni in the role of Champions.
Program outcomes are divided into three distinct categories: short-term, medium-term
and long-term outcomes. Outcomes are the changes in behavior or knowledge that program
participants gain as a result of participation (W. K. Kellogg Foundation, 2004). The short-term,
immediate outcomes are that the conversations between Mentees and Champions will help
Mentees as they seek to identify future career choices and gain professional interview experience
(See Logic Model, Appendix A). Conversations between students and mentors can help students
establish a professional identity (Shakespeare & Webb, 2008).
Several years out, Mentees will have narrowed their career choices and successfully
navigated interview experiences, while all program participants will experience a stronger sense
of community with Loyola. In light of a challenging job market and an increasing focus on
results, any program that can help students gain insight into their work beyond university is
crucial. Fair or not, many students judge the value of their education on post-college
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employment (Stuart, Rios-Aguilar, & Deil-Amen, 2014) and former Mentees who are gainfully
employed are more likely to reflect positively on their university experience. The alumni who
volunteer will also feel more connected with the university community (Weerts, Cabrera, &
Stanford, 2010).
This entire experience, in turn, should lead to a higher overall percentage of Loyola
graduates who are gainfully employed in a satisfying career of their choosing, positively
impacting university affinity (See Logic Model, Appendix A). One reason Loyola alumni are
referred to LUConnect is so they can maintain a relationship with the university. These alumni
may not be in a position to contribute financially but are able to give of their time and expertise.
Mentees who use and are helped by LUConnect will likely be willing to return to serve as future
Champions, which will build university affinity. Weerts, Cabrera, and Sanford (2010) noted
how important measures beyond financial giving were for building university affinity,
specifically alumni volunteering in ways they feel best serve the community and use their talents.
With that being said, there are certain assumptions and environmental factors that need to
be addressed (See Logic Model, Appendix A). Aside from the expectation that both Mentees
and Champions have access to technology and the skills to use it, a key assumption is that
participants will engage with each other along the guidelines for conduct set by LUConnect.
Since these conversations are not monitored and there is no formal trainingaside from some
informational pamphlets provided through linksusing current students as ambassadors and
alumni as trustworthy mentors may prove to be complicated at times. The assumption that this
will go well relies on the idea that Champions have knowledge they can share with Mentees and
that Mentees will be in turn receptive to their guidance. To maintain this program, it is assumed
that there will be a sufficient number of participants who are actively involved, with more
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students and alumni continually recruited. All this assumes adequate LUConnect staff, program
support, and recurrent funding.
Environmental factors also play a role. While this program (as most others) has
budgetary constraints, the unique relationship between the alumnus who gifted the program
software and the staff who implement its operation requires skilled negotiation and management
on the part of program staff (See Logic Model, Appendix A). Also to be considered is that
participants (both students and alumni) engage with the program at-will (i.e. on their own time
frame) and so any projections about future participation are dependent on the interest and
availability of participants. The many people who engage with this program come with their
own sets of expectations and satisfying so many disparate expectations will prove challenging.
Assessment Approach
Our approach will utilize a combination of processes and outcomes assessment in order
to evaluate whether LUConnect facilitates career exploration for Mentees. The process
assessment evaluates the activities of the program (W. K. Kellogg Foundation, 2004) while an
outcomes assessment seeks to understand how closely the actual outcomes of the program match
the planned outcomes (See Logic Model, Appendix A). Both processes and outcomes
assessments are necessary to understanding the efficacy of the LUConnect program. The ways
in which the program is implemented directly affect the success of short-term results. We need
to understand how Mentees use LUConnect for career exploration (process) and what career
exploration skills they come away with (outcomes) to know if the program helps Mentees with
career exploration. Process assessment will help us understand how Mentees engage with
LUConnect and if additional processes or supports are necessary to facilitate career exploration
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skills. Outcomes assessment will help us understand the career exploration skills and knowledge
Mentees develop while using LUConnect.
The process involves all that goes into connecting Mentees and Champions through the
LUConnect software portal; from initial contact to setting up an account, help from career
counselors, to interactions with Champions (See Logic Model, Appendix A). Without a formal
assessment process currently in place, there is a need to assess the LUConnect program in order
to find out if any of the processes need to be improved and whether participants are actually
learning career exploration as expected.
For the process portion of the assessment we will ask the Mentees to assess the adequacy
of the resources (FAQs and How To PDFs) that are used to facilitate career exploration. We will
also assess the mentoring process itself to determine if the unstructured mentoring process is
conducive to facilitating career exploration. The outcomes portion of the assessment will
investigate the professional interview skills Mentees developed while using the program and how
program involvement influenced Mentee ability to identify career options related to their chosen
major(s) and personal values. With these processes and outcomes in mind, we will have a better
understanding of how LUConnect influences Mentees as they explore career options.
Formative assessments are conducted while a program is operating and serve as a
sounding board in order to modify and improve program activities (Banta & Palomba, 2015).
Since this is such a new program and little to no statistical data are available (K. Jackson,
personal communication, September 26, 2016), we will be conducting a formative assessment
that can establish a baseline for future assessment and provide direction for program
improvements as it grows to include more Mentees and Champions in the coming years. The
strength of this approach is that combining process and outcome assessments will yield a more
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comprehensive view of what is and what is not working. This will be valuable information for
LUConnect staff to have as they move forward with the program and work to increase
participation. The weakness of this approach is that the sample size is likely to be very small and
that there are no data available for us to reference as we begin our evaluation.
Quantitative Methods
Survey Population
There are many different stakeholders and participants in the LUConnect program.
However, the participants who are expected to learn the most from the interactions are the
student Mentees who have had at least one conversation with a Champion. Mentees who are
recent alumni may have an interesting perspective, but their additional career exploration
experience could skew the survey results. Since one of our short-term outcomes is for Mentees
to identify possible career paths related to their major(s) (See Logic Model, Appendix A),
Mentees who are have graduated will most likely be actively job-seeking and therefore focused
on this outcome outside of LUConnect. Their responses to our survey questions might make
LUConnect seem more effective than it really is. We will use a demographic filtering question
to exclude alumni. We will send out the LUConnect Survey (Appendix B) to all Mentees who
are in the system and have a valid email address where they can be reached.
There are currently more than 800 LUConnect users: around 2/3 are alumni and 1/3
students. Most of the students and alumni are connecting to form mentoring relationships about
medical school, which makes sense since many undergraduates at Loyola plan to go to medical
school. The alumni are a racially and ethnically diverse group and represent most of the colleges
and schools within the University (K. Jackson, personal communication, September 26, 2016).
Sampling Strategy
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In order to obtain our survey groups we will conduct census sampling of the general
Loyola undergraduate student population for the General Student Survey (Appendix C) and
census sampling of the LUConnect Mentee population for the LUConnect Survey (Appendix B).
We will use campus records to generate a list of students and identify possible participants
(Banta & Palomba, 2015). Using these records we will compare the list of Mentees against the
Loyola student population and remove the Mentees that appear there. This should help our
response rate since the LUConnect Mentees will only receive one survey. Census sampling will
provide each student member of the Loyola community with a chance to represent their views.
In order to ensure we do not accidentally survey Mentees twice we have employed skip logic at
the beginning of the General Student Survey (Appendix C) to filter out LUConnect users.
The LUConnect Mentee population includes alumni and students who have not
connected with a Champion, however the skip logic questions built into our survey will preclude
their participation while maintaining the integrity of the census sampling of our desired
population. Since there are roughly 250 Mentees in the LUConnect population, an email census
survey is within reason, especially considering the likelihood that not every person will complete
the survey. Web surveys can take advantage of the established HTML and Java script standards
that make it possible for survey designers to create complex questionnaires that can handle skip
patterns and recall information from earlier questions (Newcomer & Triplett, 2010, p. 271).
With census sampling we will not run the risk of over or under representing important
demographics of the population.
Research Design
We will use a cross-sectional assessment design that will take a snapshot of the
LUConnect program at a single point in time since it is our intent to measure short-term
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outcomes. LUConnect is such new program, in many ways still getting off the ground, so it is
best to focus now on short-term outcomes in order to inform program direction. Once the
program has been tweaked and improved using the results of this cross-sectional assessment,
then a longitudinal design will become necessary in order to assess the medium- and long-term
outcomes as the program continues to grow. A cross-sectional study is also more feasible at this
time since it will be more challenging to keep track of Mentees once they become alumni. Given
the difficulty of following up with the same participants in order to conduct a post-program
assessment, a longitudinal study will become more appropriate at a later date with a larger
Mentee pool.
With our cross-sectional design we will conduct two different surveys in order to
compare our study group and with our control group: one survey for the student Mentees using
LUConnect (Appendix B) and one general survey for Loyola undergraduate students (Appendix
C). This is a rigorous comparison group since students using other Career Center services may
experience some redundancy in program outcomes. Surveying this control group will inform us
about the ways in which LUConnect is different from the other programs already available to
students and will ideally make a case for further funding and growth.
Survey Instruments
Given that we aim to compare aspects of LUConnect mentees career exploration with
LUC undergraduate students who have not engaged in this program, we have created two
different survey instruments: the LUConnect Survey (Appendix B) and the General Student
Survey (Appendix C). The LUConnect Survey will be sent out only to the LUConnect Mentee
population while the General Student Survey is for Loyola students not directly involved with
LUConnect. Both surveys employ skip logic at the beginning to filter out students who are not
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within our target groups. This is an additional safeguard since we also removed the duplicates
from our mailing lists.
We will assess how LUConnect facilitates career exploration and the processes that
support this. The LUConnect Survey (Appendix B) asks Mentees about their experience with
LUConnect, career path exploration as it relates to their major(s) and personal values, career path
exploration questions, process questions about the experience of using LUConnect and
interacting with Champions, and student experience with professional interviews. At the end of
the survey we ask more demographic questions such as their involvement with other career
exploration activities, year in school, transfer status, age, gender, racial/ethnic identity, and
current major. All of these demographic variables, but especially knowing if Mentees are
involved in other career exploration activities, provides a context for their answers and will help
us better understand and interpret the data. In addition, we ask participants to provide contact
information if they are willing to participate in a follow-up focus group, which will help us as we
move on to the qualitative portion of our assessment plan. In order to place Mentees in a focus
group, we ask Mentees how many interactions they had with Champions overall and if they have
interacted with the same Champion four or more times. We will then divide Mentees into focus
groups of those who have had four or more interactions with different Champions and those who
have had four or more interactions with the same Champion. This will help us better understand
the impact of the Mentee/Champion relationship on career exploration.
The survey includes 41 questions. Most questions are in the multiple-choice or five-point
Likert scale answer format (strongly disagree to strongly agree), with two questions allowing for
open-ended answers. The survey should take approximately ten minutes to complete, however
allowing for varying reading speeds and the time students may take to contemplate question
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answers, we will give a general estimate of ten to fifteen minutes. This detail (along with any
possible confusion about questions or formatting) will be worked out when we pilot test both
surveys with student workers in the Career Development Center (CDC). Their feedback will
provide us with guidance to make any necessary changes to our surveys before they are rolled
out to our target populations.
The General Student Survey (Appendix C) is a bit shorter than the LUConnect survey
with a total of 20 questions that are either in the multiple-choice format or five-point Likert scale
format. The survey should take about four minutes to complete, but we will give a general
estimate of seven minutes. The General Student Survey begins by asking students if they have
used services offered by the CDC, Business Career Services at the Quinlan School of Business,
Career Services at the School of Law, and the Center for Experiential Leaning but not
LUConnect. If students indicate in question one that they have used LUConnect services, skip
logic is applied and they will not continue with the survey.
Students taking the General Student Survey are asked to answer questions about their
career path exploration as it relates to their major and their personal values, their career path
exploration overall, and questions about their experience with professional interviews. Note that
these are the same question topic areas covered by the LUConnect Survey. The General Student
Survey concludes with an identical list of demographic questions, however we do not ask for
information to follow-up for a focus group since we will not use this population during the
qualitative portion of our assessment.
Survey Administration
Both the LUConnect Survey and the General Student Survey will be administered via the
web. Students will receive an email with a link to the survey. Using a link embedded in an
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email will be the easiest way to track student responses. Kathryn Jackson, the director of the
CDC, is listed as our main contact on both surveys. We will send out the surveys in mid-January,
after the Winter Break holiday. Using the 2017 calendar as an example, classes resume after
Winter Break on Tuesday, January 17th and we will send out a welcome back email on that date
with the details of our survey, letting students know they have until the end of the month
(January 31st) to complete the survey. We will follow up with a reminder about taking the
survey on the following Monday (January 23rd) and with a final reminder on January 30th, one
day before the survey closes (Appendix J).
Two weeks is enough time for students who are interested in participating to take the
survey. It is also easier for people to remember when the survey ends if it coincides with the last
day of the month (in 2017, January the 31st). Beginning in January will allow us enough time to
survey students, analyze the data, and conduct focus groups before the pressure of final exams
begins. Seniors are a key demographic to survey since they may have the most experience using
the LUConnect platform. We structured the timeline so that we can catch seniors before they
begin to experience the side-effects of senioritis and become too preoccupied with graduation.
We do not plan to offer an incentive to survey participants. Since this is a new platform
we believe people will want to provide feedback. Also, our surveys will take at most seven or
fifteen minutes, which is not a prohibitive time length. However, when we conduct our pilot test
we will poll the CDC student workers to get their feedback about the relative importance of an
award from the student perspective.
Statistical Analysis
Our assessment question is: Does LUConnect assist Mentees with career exploration?
Our surveys utilize nominal, ordinal, and ratio measurement scales to measure categorical
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(nominal & ordinal) and continuous variables (ratio). For this quantitative portion of the
assessment we will analyze categorical variables that consist of data that are grouped into
discrete categories: either nominal classifications devoid of any particular order or ordinal
classifications that have a meaningful ranked order (Engberg & Davidson, 2015, p. 6). The
important nominal variables are all demographic variables such as major, race/ethnicity, gender,
one of the process questions, and career activity participation (Appendix D). We can use the
nominal variables of our survey samples to break down and describe our survey participants
based on different demographic markers by creating frequency and percentage counts and
analyzing for univariate outliers that may affect sample statistics (Engberg & Davidson, 2015).
Ordinal variables include all the Likert scale questions, along with student academic level
(Appendix D). Using bivariate statistics to create cross-tabs that compare, for example, year in
school against different Likert scale questions will reveal the relationship between student
academic level and different aspects of career exploration. For categorical variables we can also
use cross-tabs analysis in order to better understand how different variables interact.
The two important ratio (continuous) variables are age and number of Champion
interactions (for LUConnect Mentees, Appendix B). In order to determine whether two ordinal
and ratio variables are related, we can use the Pearson correlation which will allow us to detect
any linear relationships (Johnson & Christensen, 2014). In order to determine the accuracy of
data for Likert-type scales, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software is used to
analyze frequency, mean, and dispersion of continuous variables (Engberg & Davidson, 2015).
There are currently not enough students using the LUConnect platform to guarantee a
strong representation of each demographic group, however since we plan to survey the entire
Loyola student population, this should not be a problem since all student groups within the
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university will have an equal chance of being represented. This will allow us to compare the
results between the two groups using inferential statistics, specifically the t test and ANOVAs.
The t test allows for two-group mean comparisons (Newcomer & Conger, 2010). Since we have
a control group and an experimental group, an independent-samples t test will allow us to
compare the mean scores between these two groups. Statistical analysis may be used to control
for differences in important characteristics that exist between students who are in a treatment
group and those who are not (Banta & Palomba, 2015, p. 89).
Our goal is to understand if the LUConnect program is actually contributing to the overall
mission of the Career Centers at Loyola or if it is simply redundant. Some redundancy is to be
expected, especially since students may be drawn to utilize one platform more than others and
therefore some services would need to be replicated. However, if we discover that LUConnect is
adding nothing new to the Career Centers landscape, then that would be a cause for concern.
Even after conducting careful research and analysis it is important to remember selection
bias. Since the LUConnect students voluntarily participated in the program, they may differ
greatly from another group of students in motivation and interest, even if matched on
demographic characteristics. In practice, it is extremely difficult to control for differences in
motivation and therefore difficult to determine program effects (Banta & Palomba, 2015, p. 89).
Presentation Plan
We will present our findings using tables, charts, and graphs. Frequency counts and
percentages will be presented using horizontal bar graphs. Color coding will make these graphs
easier for audiences to read and understand important facts at a glance. Our cross-tabs analysis
will be presented using tables while the Pearson correlation is presented using a coordinate graph
with an x and y axis. Finally, when we compare the means (t test and ANOVAs) we will
22
produce charts. When presenting data we will make sure significant findings and information
are highlighted or displayed in such a way that it is accessible to our audience.
Qualitative Methods
Qualitative Approach Rationale
In order to personalize the data and better understand aspects of program participants
experience, we have decided to facilitate focus groups. While semi-structured interviews are an
appealing format, allowing for much more personalization and a deeper understanding from one
participant, Adams (2010) notes the time spent on conducting semi-structured interviews is
considerable compared to focus groups. By conducting focus groups we can hear from between
seven to ten people at one time, enhancing our understanding across a range of participants. It
would be possible to conduct that many semi-structured interviews, however ultimately not
feasible considering the resources available to the program and the fact that there are only two
researchers involved.
Our assessment question is to find out if LUConnect contributes to career exploration. In
order to further explore this question we will conduct the qualitative portion of our assessment
after the quantitative survey is complete and we have had about a month to consider and analyze
the data. We will conduct the survey first because the focus groups will help us better
understand the responses of experienced LUConnect users. In our focus groups we will compare
Mentees who have formed a relationship with a single Champion by contacting them four or
more times with Mentees who have spoken with different Champions four or more times. This
will help us understand how these different groups have explored their career options and how
the relationship with a single Champion (compared to the conversations with many different
Champions) contributes to the process. Those Mentees who have communicated with a
23
Champion at least four times can provide us with insights about what is working well and what is
not working for both program process and outcomes goals related to career exploration. Their
insights will help us better understand the impact of the Champion/Mentee relationship on career
exploration since, as Reithmeier (2014) notes, this relationship is an integral part of the
exploration process.
Focus Group Participant Selection
We will select our participants based on their responses to our quantitative survey. We
have two questions at the beginning of our survey that distinguishes these participants (four or
more conversations with different Champions and four or more conversations with a single
Champion). At the end of the survey we ask for people who would be willing to participate in a
focus group to provide their email. Krueger and Casey (2010) suggest using snowball samples
or inviting every nth participant, however with roughly 250 people eligible to take our survey, we
plan to ask every willing participant who meets our criteria to join a focus group. We will send
two invitations and one reminder via email to eligible participants (Appendix I).
Focus Group Protocol Instrument
The focus groups are scheduled to last for two hours, a typical amount of time for adult
groups (Krueger & Casey, 2010). Our overall focus group protocol (Appendix G) begins with a
welcome and introduction followed by framing so participants can better understand focus group
expectations. We then hand out the consent form (Appendix E) and the participant demographic
form (Appendix F). Once participants have completed and returned the forms, we present the
purpose and intent of our focus group and ask participants to introduce themselves to the group.
Following introductions, we begin our series of 12 questions and ten probes (Appendix
G). We start with general experience questions and confirm that our participants fit our criteria
24
for participating in the focus group. This allows all focus group members to recognize the
similarity of their experiences by noting that either that they have had four or more conversations
with one Champion or that they have had four or more conversations with different Champions.
Once we have established this similarity among participants, we ask them to describe the topics
they discussed with Champion(s). For example, did they discuss how career paths related to
their major or personal values, and did the Champion(s) help them better understand the
interview experience. These questions first give participants an opportunity to tell us what they
talked about with Champions that connects to program outcomes before we move on to process
questions. Questions are tiered by level of importance so that if we run short on time we will
have answers to our most pressing questions first.
Questions 7 through 9 (Appendix G) are process questions about ease of use,
preparedness, and the helpfulness of LUConnect resources. The focus group ends with some
final questions about future LUConnect use, what participants might change, and an open-ended
question asking if they have anything else to add. We conclude by thanking participants for their
time and insights.
Before actually conducting our focus groups we will pilot test our questions with Career
Development Center student workers. While these students may not have used LUConnect, we
will ask them to reference experiences they have had with mentors. This group of students could
give us some insight about the efficacy of questions and appropriate pacing for our focus group.
At this time we cannot use LUConnect Mentees because we do not have enough students who fit
our criteria to have the luxury of pilot testing from that group. With more students using the
LUConnect platform, this may be a possibility for future focus groups.
Focus Group Implementation Procedures

25
Natalie Kenna will act as moderator and Laura Reiter will perform assistant moderator
duties such as taking notes and operating recording equipment. Krueger and Casey (2010)
suggest using an assistant moderator, especially if more than one focus group is being conducted
per day. Working together to moderate the groups we will come away with a more
comprehensive perspective that will be helpful as we analyze what we have seen and heard after
the focus groups conclude. Even with two pairs of listening ears, it is important to supplement
our memories with notes and audiotape. We will use the Audio Notetaker application which
allows for notes to be embedded alongside audio recording. It will be helpful to listen back to
what participants actually said for clarification during analysis.
With our survey taking place January 17th through January 31st, 2017, we have the month
of February to process the data before beginning to send out focus group invitations in March
(Appendix I). After considering the challenge presented by student schedules during the school
week, we plan to hold our focus groups on Saturdays in March. As of right now we have asked
participants for Saturday the 18th and Saturday the 25th at either ten oclock in the morning or two
oclock in the afternoon in the Schreiber Center. If we find that after the focus groups are
complete we have more willing participants and continue to hear distinct responses, we can
schedule additional focus groups on April 1st. Since we are asking participants to take time out
of their weekend to meet with us, we will incentivize students with a $50 Amazon.com gift card
for participation.
Qualitative Analysis
Before starting the focus group we will collect demographic data from participants that
will be useful for attribute coding (Rogers & Goodrick, 2010). As we analyze the data from the
focus group, it may be that differences will emerge based on certain demographic data. In order
26
to analyze the qualitative data and discover themes woven throughout the dialogue, we will use a
deductive approach related to the assessment question we are addressing during the focus group
and our gut feelings about the important topics we heard emerge as we listened to the focus
group participants. This approach will be useful as we work on descriptive coding. There are a
number of different approaches to take with descriptive coding, however one useful suggestion
from Rogers and Goodrick (2010) is to create subcategories within categories in order to relate
similar ideas. Once we have completed descriptive coding we will step back and look for overall
patterns and identify relationships between and among cases (Rogers & Goodrick, 2010).
Pattern coding combines all the work we did earlier in attribute and descriptive coding to come
up with an interpretation. We will need to be careful about coming to a conclusion too quickly
and so should look for alternative explanations for patterns before reaching a consensus.
Since we are using deductive reasoning we will create a construct map in the form of a
table that will be useful when presenting our findings. We will base our construct map around
the questions we will ask participants during the focus group. The pre-determined constructs we
plan to examine are process and outcomes related to Mentee career exploration for the
LUConnect program. These help us answer our assessment question, allow us to go more in-
depth with a similar line of questioning posited in the survey, and are key pieces of information
people who run LUConnect need in order to understand and enhance the program. Of course, as
we analyze the transcripts and the codes we will likely need to adjust some aspects of the table,
however it will be a useful starting point as we begin to analyze our data (Banta & Palomba,
2015).
We will use word repetition and pawing to analyze the data. We will not employ
member checking since some of our participants may be too young or not have enough education
27
about survey research to understand the findings and provide appropriate feedback. Also, it is
such a new program that there will likely be organic changes made to LUConnect as it grows and
it may be better to seek feedback from participants after the results of a future assessment. We
will test for inter-rater reliability. Since we will be coding and analyzing the data, we will need
to check that we are in agreement with each other in order to have consistent findings. For our
audience (and ourselves as we analyze the study) it is important to acknowledge our personal
biases that shape our perceptions. Natalie Kenna and Laura Reiter are both White females,
young adults, and from upper middle class backgrounds. Our life experiences and identities may
influence our perceptions about what the data should reveal about the Champion/Mentee
relationship. We might also value certain opinions more highly than others so we will need to be
aware of our personal values and biases in favor of certain participants. While it is impossible to
analyze data without bias, since our identities are very similar, it is important for us to recruit
people with different backgrounds and perspectives to help us with coding and analysis.
Triangulation is a way to check and analyze data (Banta & Palomba, 2015). We will
conduct triangulation analysis by using our survey data, our findings from the focus groups, and
our own observations of participants in focus groups. We will also incorporate research when it
is available and applicable. Using all of these sources, we will cross-check and compare our
results and analysis, circling ever closer to a cohesive generalization that is backed up by data.
Even after triangulation is used, there may be limitations to what we can conclude from using the
qualitative approach. This is due to the fact that we will likely have a limited number of
participants. In order to counter this limitation we have selected an extra day to conduct
additional focus groups as needed. Also, as stated previously, we cannot escape our own biases
and so may come to incorrect conclusions. However, we will plan to work with other
28
researchers during the coding process and to have colleagues with different perspectives look
over and challenge our findings. By using these safety-checks we hope to increase the
trustworthiness of the qualitative data and provide analysis and findings that are useful to
LUConnect as the program moves forward.
Presentation of Data
In order to present our findings we will use the construct map table we created earlier in
the process. This will include some of the most frequently used and most significant codes we
developed along with direct quotes as examples. While incorporating direct quotes from
participants we will need to be careful to protect their anonymity by making sure any identifiable
information is not presented. We will also provide our audience of LUConnect staff and
stakeholders with a written document outlining our findings that lists the most important
conclusions along with quotes from participants. A more detailed report will be provided to the
LUConnect staff who are in charge of making program changes.
Limitations
As with any evaluation there are limitations to consider. Since LUConnect is such a new
program the sample size for our assessment will likely be small, perhaps under-representing
certain demographic groups. There was also no data available for us to reference when planning
this evaluation. We know that LUConnect is a part of the CDC and therefore will likely serve
some overlapping functions, but without access to data it is difficult to know what these might
be. While some redundancy is expected, it may be a challenge for students taking the survey to
accurately recall exactly which career development service most helped them with career
exploration. The students who use LUConnect participate voluntarily therefore they may differ
in level of motivation from the general Loyola student population. Along with the possible
29
student selection bias we are also limited by our own biases. Since Natalie and Laura share
similar identities, we need to be careful when evaluating the data.
Despite all of these limitations assessment is still useful because without evaluating
LUConnect we will have no real idea about what is and is not working to help Mentees with
career exploration. In order to justify the existence of the program, LUConnect will need to
show that it provides a unique and valuable service to Mentees in addition to the other CDC
services. If this assessment is conducted in the future it will be important to recognize and
address these limitations. As the program continues to grow, the small sample size will no
longer be an issue. LUConnect staff who are more closely connected with the program may also
have access to additional data and therefore will have a better idea of where to focus a future
assessment. This data (along with data from other CDC services) could also provide more
insight into where services overlap and which students self-select into using LUConnect. Since
Natalie and Laura will not be conducting this future assessment, the actual evaluators will need
to take into account their own identities and biases and work to ensure they do not skew data
analysis.
Budget
Since we are conducting the LUConnect evaluation within an already established system,
there are many costs that Loyola and the CDC offices can absorb that will not add to our budget
(Appendix K). The CDC offices already have a Survey Monkey membership that we can use
while Loyola already pays for Audio Notetaker, SPSS software, printing costs, and physical
space like computer labs and the rooms in the Schreiber Center where we will conduct our focus
groups. However, we will need to pay the graduate students who help us code and analyze the
data. We estimate we will need grad student assistance for 36 hours. Based on a $15 per hour
30
salary, the cost will be $540. Our largest expense is the incentive gift cards provided to focus
group participants. We estimate around 30 focus group participants and at $50 each, that is a
total of $1,500. In all, our LUConnect assessment is expected to cost $2,040.
Timeline and Next Steps
The timeline for the LUConnect assessment begins in November 2016 when we finalize
and pilot test our surveys and reserve focus group rooms (Appendix J). After the Winter Break
holiday, we send out surveys to Mentees and the general student population on January 17th. Our
survey reminder emails go out on January 23rd and 30th before the survey closes on January 31st.
During the month of February we analyze survey results using SPSS. In March 1st through 15th
we finalize focus group protocol and pilot test with the CDC student workers. Focus group
email invitations are sent out March 1st and 8th. The $50 Amazon gift cards are purchased on
March 15th after we have a confirmed number of focus group participants. Confirmation emails
are sent on March 17th and 24th, the day before focus groups are conducted on March 18th and
25th to remind participants of the date, time, and location. As needed, additional focus groups
may be conducted on April 1st. We will analyze the themes from the focus groups and code the
data during the month of April. In May we will prepare the report and present our findings on
June 15th.
If this assessment plan is chosen for implementation at the request of CDC staff,
assessment should begin in fall (October or November) and finish by early summer (June).
Findings from the assessment, which will include formative recommendations for program
improvement, can then be used to revise the program by the time fall semester begins in late
August. A second round of assessment should be conducted two years from the initial
31
assessment start date to allow enough time for program changes to be implemented and take
effect.
This is a crucial time for assessing LUConnect, given that program participation
continues to increase across Loyola. More users of the LUConnect platform is positive, but not
if the program fails to contribute to its main purpose: facilitating career exploration for Mentees.
This assessment plan can help modify LUConnect so that it achieves the desired outcomes and
continues to succeed for years to come.

32
References
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Newcomer (Eds.), Handbook of practical program evaluation (3rd ed.) (pp. 365-377).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
At a Glance (November, 2016). Retrieved from http://www.luc.edu/ataglance/
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improving assessment in higher education (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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(pp. 122-144). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
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mixed approaches (5th ed), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Kenny, M., & Medvide, M. B. (2013). Relational influences on career development. In S.D.
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Krueger, R.A., & Casey, M.A. (2010). Focus group interviewing. In J.S. Wholey, H.P. Hatry, &
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Liang, B., Spencer, R., Brogan, D., & Corral, M. (2008). Mentoring relationships from early
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Newcomer (Eds.), Handbook of practical program evaluation (3rd ed.) (pp. 262-297).
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Reithmeier, R. A. (2014). Lessons from a red squirrel, mentors, and the pathway to success1.
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Rogers, P.J., & Goodrick, D. (2010). Qualitative data analysis. In J.S. Wholey, H.P. Hatry, &
K.E. Newcomer (Eds.), Handbook of practical program evaluation (3rd ed.) (pp. 429-
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and action: Logic model development guide. Battle Creek, MI.

35
APPENDIX A
Logic Model
OUTPUTS OUTCOMES + IMPACT

SITUATION INPUTS Activities Participation Short Medium Long
What is the What we What we do Who is Short-term Medium- Long-term
issue or need invest reached changes we term changes changes we
driving the Train CDC expect we expect expect
evaluation? LUConnect staff and Mentees
This new career program academic (current
exploration software advisors. students and
program, recent Mentees Mentees will Mentees
LUConnect, Staff: Offer an graduates) will be able narrow their will choose
does not have a -CDC online
to identify possible a career
formal dedicated networking Champions
assessment staff (3) site (alumni) possible career paths path.
process in place. -Career (LUConnect) career paths to only those
It is necessary to Centers for use by related to that fit their
conduct a staff students and their majors and Mentees
formative -Loyola alumni. major(s). personal will secure
assessment of faculty values. employment
the program as -Loyola Monitor, in their
platform usage student track, and chosen
increases and services facilitate Mentees career path.
traction across -Alumni conversations. will be able Mentees will
the university relations to identify be able to
takes hold. We staff Provide online
possible successfully Mentees
seek to resources.
understand if Alumnus career paths navigate a will
and how the who Refer students that will professional experience
LUConnect donated the to career satisfy their interview career
program assists software to counseling as personal experience. satisfaction.
Mentees with the needed. values.
career university
exploration. Recruit
Career Mentees and Mentees Increased Increased
Who is affected exploration Champions sense of affinity for
will be able
by the issue? resource community Loyola.
Current students guides to identify among
Alumni the Loyola
Loyola faculty CDC components students and
and staff budget for of a alumni.
staff time successful
Who is
professional
interested in the
issue? interview
Current students experience.
Alumni
Loyola faculty
and staff
36
ASSUMPTIONS
1. Champions have knowledge and experience they can contribute to Mentees.
2. Mentees will be receptive to guidance provided by champions.
3. All participants are actively engaged in the program.
4. All participants will follow the set guidelines for engagement.
5. Academic and student affairs partners will recruit students.
6. Academic and student affairs partners will recruit champions.
7. Sufficient numbers of Champions are available to match with Mentees.
8. Sufficient numbers of students/recent alumni will participate in the program.
9. Participants have access to technology.
10. Participants are able to utilize the LUConnect platform.
11. Students and alumni have sufficient resources to make engagement meaningful.
12. The CDC has enough staff to support the program, specifically vetting and nurturing the
relationships between Champions and Mentees.
ENVIRONMENT
1. Funding for LUConnect is tied to the overall CDC department operating budget and is
mostly tied to staff time. The software was gifted to Loyola in perpetuity, saving the
University thousands of dollars annually.
2. The LUConnect program software was gifted by an alumnus who is very hands on,
requiring ongoing relationship management.
3. Outside of the cohort programs, the cycle of the program is ongoing and involvement is
discretionary.
4. The program is not on a fixed involvement timeline for participants.
5. Alumni may have competing life priorities that affect how they engage with LUConnect.
6. There are many stakeholders (internally and externally) with different goals and priorities
related to LUConnect.
37
APPENDIX B
LUConnect Survey
Thank you for using LUConnect, Loyola University Chicagos career exploration
program and online community. The Career Centers at Loyola are dedicated to educating,
counseling, and empowering Loyola students and alumni through their self-identity and career
exploration process. We would like feedback on your experience with LUConnect so that we
can improve the LUConnect platform and our career exploration services.
This survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Your responses will be
kept anonymous. We appreciate your insights and feedback!
If you have questions or comments about this survey, please contact Kathryn Jackson,
Director of the Career Development Center, at kjackson9@luc.edu.
To begin, wed like to know about your experiences with LUConnect.
1. I signed up for LUConnect in:

__ Month / __ Year
2. Since I signed up for LUConnect, Ive had interactionsphone calls, Skype meetings, or
in-person meetingswith:
__ 0 Champion
__ 1 Champion
__ 2-3 Champions
__ 4-5 Champions
__ 6+ Champions
Skip logic: If a participant chooses 0 skip to question 32.
3. I have spoken with one Champion more than four times.

__ Yes
__ No
4. If I need career advice, I will contact a LUConnect Champion.

__ Yes
__ No
Next, wed like to ask you about your career path exploration as it relates to your major.
5. Before talking with a Champion(s), I could identify possible career paths related to my
major.
__ Strongly Disagree __ Disagree __ Neutral __ Agree __ Strongly Agree
6. Talking with a Champion(s) helped me identify possible career paths related to my major.
7. I can identify possible career paths related to my major.

38
8. I need more help identifying possible career paths related to my major.

Next, wed like to ask you about your career path exploration as it relates to your personal
values. Values are a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is
important in life. Examples of values include family, wealth, honesty, and power.
9. I can name my personal values.

10. I can explain how my personal values relate to possible career paths for me.
11. Before talking with a Champion(s), I could identify possible career paths that will satisfy
my personal values.
12. Talking with a Champion(s) helped me identify possible career paths that will satisfy my
personal values.
13. I can identify possible career paths that will satisfy my personal values.
14. I need more help identifying possible career paths that will satisfy my personal values.
Next, wed like to ask you about your career path exploration overall.
15. I have narrowed my possible career paths to only those that fit my major(s).
16. I have narrowed my possible career paths to only those that fit my personal values.
17. Talking with a Champion(s) helped me narrow my possible career paths to only those
that fit my major(s).
18. Talking with a Champion(s) helped me narrow my possible career paths to only those
that fit my personal values.
19. I need more help narrowing my possible career paths to only those that fit my major(s).
39
20. I need more help narrowing my possible career paths to only those that fit my personal
values.
Next, wed like to ask you about your experience with professional interviews.
21. The resources listed below are available on the LUConnect website. Please indicate how
helpful the resources were in preparing you to meet with a Champion(s).
Resource Not At All Not Neutral Somewhat Very Not

Helpful Helpful Helpful Helpful Sure
Guide to
Informational
Interviewing
Guide to
Networking
Pinterest
What to
Wear Board
FAQs page
22. Please rate your ability to identify the components of a successful professional interview
before talking with a Champion(s).
__ Not At All Able __ Not Able __ Neutral __ Able __ Fully Able
23. Please rate your ability to identify the components of a successful professional interview
after talking with a Champion(s).
24. Talking with a Champion(s) helped me practice my professional interviewing skills.

25. Talking with a Champion(s) helped me feel more confident in my professional

interviewing skills.
26. I have successfully navigated a professional interview experience.

__ Strongly Disagree __ Disagree __ Neutral __ Agree __ Strongly Agree __ Does Not
Apply
Next, wed like to know about your experiences interacting with a Champion(s).
27. The LUConnect site is easy to navigate.

40
28. There are Champions on LUConnect that work in a field I am interested in.
29. The Champion(s) I contacted had time to meet with me.


30. Thinking about your interactions with a Champion(s), which of the following was helpful
to you? Select all that apply.
__ The Champion(s) answered my career questions
__ The Champion(s) answered questions related to personal life
__ The Champion(s) gave me advice
__ The Champion(s) referred me to individual(s) in their network
__ The Champion(s) reviewed my resume and/or cover letter
__ The Champion(s) let me practice my interview skills
__ The Champion(s) listened to my concerns
__ The Champion(s) recommended resources, like books, magazines, or professional
groups, to assist with my professional development
31. LUConnect allows Champions and Mentees to meet in person or virtually. Please
indicate how helpful the different meeting types were for you.
Meeting Not At All Not Helpful Neutral Somewhat Very Does Not
Type Helpful Helpful Helpful Apply
Phone call
Video call
In person
Skip to question 33.
32. We are interested in LUConnect participants opinions. Could you please tell us more
about the reason(s) you havent had an opportunity to interact with a Champion?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Lastly, wed like to know more about you.
33. I have participated in other career exploration activities on campus, including (select all
that apply):
__ Career counseling through Loyolas Career Centers
__ Career workshops hosted by Loyolas Career Centers
__ Career Fair(s)
__ Other. Please specify __________________________________________________
41
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
34. My year in school:

__ First year
__ Sophomore
__ Junior
__ Senior
__ Masters graduate student
__ Doctoral graduate student
__ Alumni
35. I am a transfer student. I attended another college or university before attending Loyola
University Chicago.
__ Yes
__ No
36. My age is:

__ Under 18 years old
__ 18-24 years old
__ 25-34 years old
__ 35-44 years old
__ 45-54 years old
__ 55-64 years old
__ 65-74 years old
__ 75 years or older
37. I identify my gender as:

__ Woman
__ Man
__ Transwoman
__ Transman
__ Genderqueer
__ Not listed: ________________________________
__ Prefer not to say
38. I identify my racial/ethnic heritage as (select all that apply):

__ Asian
__ American Indian or Alaska Native
__ Black or African American
__ Hispanic, Latinx or Spanish origin
__ Middle Eastern or North African
__ Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
__ White
__ Not listed: ________________________________
42
39. Please select your major(s):

__ Accounting
__ Advertising and Public Relations
__ African Studies and the African Diaspora
__ Anthropology
__ Art History
__ Bioinformatics
__ Biology
__ Biophysics
__ Chemistry or Biochemistry
__ Classical Civilization
__ Communication Networks and Security
__ Communication Studies or Visual Communication
__ Computer Science
__ Criminal Justice & Criminology
__ Dance
__ Economics
__ Education
__ Engineering Science
__ English
__ Entrepreneurship
__ Environmental Studies
__ Exercise Science
__ Film and Digital Media
__ Finance
__ Foreign Language (Spanish, Italian, etc.)
__ Forensic Science
__ Health Systems Management
__ History
__ Human Resource Management
__ Human Services
__ Information Systems
__ Information Technology
__ International Business/Studies
__ Journalism
__ Management
__ Marketing
__ Mathematics
__ Music
__ Neuroscience
__ Nursing
__ Operations Management
__ Philosophy
__ Physics
__ Political Science
43
__ Psychology
__ Religious Studies
__ Social Work
__ Sociology
__ Sport Management
__ Statistics
__ Studio Art
__ Theatre
__ Theology
__ Theoretical Physics and Applied Mathematics
__ Women's Studies and Gender Studies
__ Undeclared or Undecided
__ Not listed: ________________________________
40. We will be hosting focus groups to hear more about Mentees thoughts and experiences
related to LUConnect. Would you be willing to participate in a focus group?
__ Yes
__ No
41. If you are willing to participate, please share your email address so we can contact you
about the focus group details.
___________________________________________
Thank you for taking this survey! We value your feedback.

44
APPENDIX C
General Student Survey
The Career Centers at Loyola are dedicated to educating, counseling, and empowering
Loyola students and alumni through their self-identity and career exploration process. We would
like to understand your experience with career exploration so that we can improve our services to
students like you.
This survey will take approximately seven minutes to complete. Your responses will be
kept anonymous. We appreciate your insights and feedback!
If you have questions or comments about this survey, please contact Kathryn Jackson,
Director of the Career Development Center, at kjackson9@luc.edu.
First, we would like to know about your experience with services offered by the Career
Centers at Loyola University Chicago. This includes services offered by the Career
Development Center, Business Career Services at the Quinlan School of Business, Career
Services at the School of Law, and the Center for Experiential Learning.
1. I have used the following career exploration resources offered by the Career Centers at
Loyola University Chicago:
__ LUConnect
__ Career counseling
__ Career workshop(s)
__ Other. Please specify __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Skip logic: if a participant chooses LUConnect, disqualify.
Next, wed like to ask you about your career path exploration as it relates to your major.
2. I can identify possible career paths related to my major.

3. I need more help identifying possible career paths related to my major.

Next, wed like to ask you about your career path exploration as it relates to your personal
values. Values are a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is
important in life. Examples of values include family, wealth, honesty, and power.
4. I can name my personal values.

5. I can explain how my personal values relate to possible career paths for me.
45
6. I can identify possible career paths that will satisfy my personal values.
7. I need more help identifying possible career paths that will satisfy my personal values.
Next, wed like to ask you about your career path exploration overall.
8. I have narrowed my possible career paths to only those that fit my major(s).
9. I have narrowed my possible career paths to only those that fit my personal values.
10. I need more help narrowing my possible career paths to only those that fit my major(s).
11. I need more help narrowing my possible career paths to only those that fit my personal
values.
Next, wed like to ask you about your experience with professional interviews.
12. Please rate your ability to identify the components of a successful professional interview.
13. Please rate your confidence in your professional interviewing skills.

__ Not At All Confident __ Not Confident __ Neutral __ Confident __ Very
Confident
14. I have successfully navigated a professional interview experience.

__ Strongly Disagree __ Disagree __ Neutral __ Agree __ Strongly Agree __ Does Not
Apply
Lastly, we would like to know more about you.
15. My year in school:

__ First year
__ Sophomore
__ Junior
__ Senior
__ Masters graduate student
__ Doctoral graduate student
__ Alumni
46
16. I am a transfer student. I attended another college or university before attending Loyola
University Chicago.
__ Yes
__ No
17. My age is:

__ Under 18 years old
__ 18-24 years old
__ 25-34 years old
__ 35-44 years old
__ 45-54 years old
__ 55-64 years old
__ 65-74 years old
18. I identify my gender as:

__ Woman
__ Man
__ Transwoman
__ Transman
__ Genderqueer
__ Not listed: ________________________________
19. I identify my racial/ethnic heritage as (select all that apply):

__ Asian
__ Black or African American
__ Hispanic, Latinx or Spanish origin
__ Asian
__ Middle Eastern or North African
__ Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
__ White
__ Not listed: ________________________________
20. Please select your major(s):

__ Accounting
__ Advertising and Public Relations
__ African Studies and the African Diaspora
__ Anthropology
__ Art History
__ Bioinformatics
__ Biology
__ Biophysics
47
__ Chemistry or Biochemistry
__ Classical Civilization
__ Communication Networks and Security
__ Communication Studies or Visual Communication
__ Computer Science
__ Criminal Justice & Criminology
__ Dance
__ Economics
__ Education
__ Engineering Science
__ English
__ Entrepreneurship
__ Environmental Studies
__ Exercise Science
__ Film and Digital Media
__ Finance
__ Foreign Language (Spanish, Italian, etc.)
__ Forensic Science
__ Health Systems Management
__ History
__ Human Resource Management
__ Human Services
__ Information Systems
__ Information Technology
__ International Business/Studies
__ Journalism
__ Management
__ Marketing
__ Mathematics
__ Music
__ Neuroscience
__ Nursing
__ Operations Management
__ Philosophy
__ Physics
__ Political Science
__ Psychology
__ Religious Studies
__ Social Work
__ Sociology
__ Sport Management
__ Statistics
__ Studio Art
__ Theatre
__ Theology
__ Theoretical Physics and Applied Mathematics
48
__ Women's Studies and Gender Studies
__ Undeclared or Undecided
__ Not listed: ________________________________
Thank you for taking this survey! We value your feedback.

49
APPENDIX D
Survey Construct Map and Item Matrix
Logic Model Outcome Q# Question Answer Answer Options

Component Type
General 1 I signed up for Open-ended __ Month / __
LUConnect LUConnect in: Year
information 2 Since I signed up for Radio 0 Champion
LUConnect, I have had button: 1 Champion
interactionsphone Ratio 2-3 Champions
calls, Skype meetings, (continuous) 4-5 Champions
or in-person 6+ Champions
meetingswith:
3 I have spoken with one Radio Yes
Champion more than button: No
four times. Nominal
4 If I need career advice, (categorical)
I will contact a
LUConnect Champion.
Mentees will be STOC 1 5 Before talking with a Radio Strongly Disagree

able to identify Champion(s), I could button: Disagree
possible career identify possible career Ordinal Neutral
paths related to my Likert scale Agree
paths related to
major. Strongly Agree
their major.
STOC 1 6 Talking with a
Champion(s) helped
me identify possible
career paths related to
my major.
STOC 1 7 I can identify possible
my major.
STOC 1 8 I need more help
identifying possible
my major.
Mentees will be STOC 2 9 I can name my Radio Strongly Disagree

able to identify personal values. button: Disagree
possible career STOC 2 10 I can explain how my Ordinal Neutral
paths that will personal values relate Likert scale Agree
to possible career paths Strongly Agree
50
satisfy their for me.
personal values. STOC 2 11 Before talking with a
Champion(s), I could
identify possible career
paths that will satisfy
my personal values.
STOC 2 12 Talking with a
Champion(s) helped
me identify possible
career paths that will
satisfy my personal
values.
STOC 2 13 I can identify possible
satisfy my personal
values.
STOC 2 14 I need more help

identifying possible
satisfy my personal
values.
Mentees will MTOC 1 15 I have narrowed my Radio Strongly Disagree

narrow their possible career paths to button: Disagree
possible career only those that fit my Ordinal Neutral
paths to a select major(s). Likert scale Agree
few in keeping MTOC 1 16 I have narrowed my Strongly Agree
with career possible career paths to
satisfaction only those that fit my
needs and personal values.
professional MTOC 1 17 Talking with a
interests. Champion(s) helped
me narrow my possible
career paths to only
those that fit my
major(s).
MTOC 1 18 Talking with a
Champion(s) helped
me narrow my possible
those that fit my
personal values.
MTOC 1 19 I need more help
narrowing my possible
51
those that fit my
major(s).
MTOC 1 20 I need more help
narrowing my possible
those that fit my
personal values.
Mentees will be STOC 3 21 The resources listed Radio Not At All

able to identify below are available on button: Helpful
the components the LUConnect Ordinal Not Helpful
of a successful website. Please Likert scale Neutral
professional indicate how helpful Somewhat
interview the resources were in Helpful
experience. preparing you to meet Very Helpful
with a Champion(s). Not Sure
- Guide to
Informational
Interviewing
- Guide to
Networking
- Pinterest What
to Wear Board
- FAQs page
STOC 3 22 Please rate your ability Radio Not At All Able
to identify the button: Not Able
components of a Ordinal Neutral
successful professional Likert scale Able
interview before Fully Able
talking with a
Champion(s).
STOC 3 23 Please rate your ability
to identify the
components of a
successful professional
interview after talking
with a Champion(s).
Mentees will be STOC 3 24 Talking with a Radio Strongly Disagree
able to identify Champion(s) helped button: Disagree
the components me practice my Ordinal Neutral
professional Likert scale Agree
of a successful
interviewing skills. Strongly Agree
professional
interview
experience.
52
Mentees will be MTOC 2
able to
successfully
navigate a
professional
interview
experience.
Mentees will be STOC 3 25 Talking with a Radio Strongly Disagree
able to identify Champion(s) helped button: Disagree
the components me feel more confident Ordinal Neutral
in my professional Likert scale Agree
of a successful
interviewing skills. Strongly Agree
professional
interview
experience.
Mentees will be MTOC 2 26 I have successfully Radio Strongly Disagree

able to navigated a button: Disagree
successfully professional interview Ordinal Neutral
navigate a experience. Likert scale Agree
professional Strongly Agree
interview Does Not Apply
experience.
53
Processes (using 27 The LUConnect site is Radio Strongly Disagree
LUConnect; easy to navigate. button: Disagree
interacting with 28 There are Champions Ordinal Neutral
Champions) on LUConnect that Likert scale Agree
work in a field I am Strongly Agree
interested in.
29 The Champion(s) I
contacted had time to
meet with me.
30 Thinking about your Radio The Champion(s)
interactions with a button: answered my
Champion(s), which of Nominal career questions.
the following was (categorical) The Champion(s)
helpful to you? Select answered
all that apply. questions related
to personal life.
The Champion(s)
gave me advice.
The Champion(s)
referred me to
individual(s) in
their network.
The Champion(s)
reviewed my
resume and/or
cover letter.
The Champion(s)
let me practice
my interview
skills.
The Champion(s)
listened to my
concerns.
The Champion(s)
recommended
resources, like
books, magazines,
or professional
groups, to assist
with my
professional
development.
31 LUConnect allows Radio Not At All
Champions and button: Helpful
Mentees to meet in Ordinal Not Helpful
person or virtually. Likert scale Neutral
54
Please indicate how Somewhat
helpful the different Helpful
meeting types were for Very Helpful
you. Does Not Apply
- Phone call
- Video call
- In person
General 32 We are interested in Open-ended

LUConnect LUConnect
information participants opinions.
Could you please tell
us more about the
reason(s) you havent
had an opportunity to
interact with a
Champion?
Demographics 33 I have participated in Radio Career counseling

other career button: through Loyolas
exploration activities Nominal Career Centers.
on campus, including (categorical) Career workshops
(select all that apply): hosted by
Loyolas Career
Centers.
Career Fair(s).
Other. Please
specify.
34 My year in school: Radio First year
button: Sophomore
Ordinal Junior
(categorical) Senior
Masters grad
student
Doctoral grad
student
Alumni
35 I am a transfer student. Radio Yes
I attended another button: No
college or university Nominal
before attending (categorical)
Loyola University
Chicago.
36 My age is: Radio Under 18 years
button: old
55
Ratio 18-24 years old
(continuous) 25-34 years old
35-44 years old
45-54 years old
55-64 years old
65-74 years old
75 years or older
37 I identify my gender Radio Woman
as: button: Man
Nominal Transwoman
(categorical) Transman
Genderqueer
Not listed
Prefer not to say
38 I identify my Radio American Indian
racial/ethnic heritage button: or Alaska Native
as (select all that Nominal Asian
apply): (categorical) Black or African
American
Hispanic, Latinx,
or Spanish origin
Middle Eastern or
North African
Native Hawaiian
or Pacific Islander
White
Not listed
Prefer not to say
39 Please select your Radio Accounting
major(s): button: Advertising and
Nominal Public Relations
(categorical) African Studies
and the African
Diaspora
Anthropology
Art History
Bioinformatics
Biology
Biophysics
Chemistry or
Biochemistry
Classical
Civilization
Communication
Networks and
Security
56
Communication
Studies or Visual
Communication
Computer Science
Criminal Justice
& Criminology
Dance
Economics
Education
Engineering
Science
English
Entrepreneurship
Environmental
Studies
Exercise Science
Film and Digital
Media
Finance
Forensic Science
Foreign Language
(Spanish, Italian,
etc.)
Health Systems
Management
History
Human Resource
Management
Human Services
Information
Systems
Information
Technology
International
Business/Studies
Journalism
Management
Marketing
Mathematics
Music
Neuroscience
Nursing
Operations
Management
Philosophy
Physics
57
Political Science
Psychology
Religious Studies
Social Work
Sociology
Sport
Management
Statistics
Studio Art
Theatre
Theology
Theoretical
Physics and
Applied
Mathematics
Women's Studies
and Gender
Studies
Undeclared or
Undecided
Not listed:
Prefer not to say
40 We will be hosting Radio Yes
focus groups to hear button: No
more about Mentees Nominal
thoughts and (categorical)
experiences related to
LUConnect. Would
you be willing to
participate in a focus
group?
41 If you are willing to Open-ended

participate, please
share your email
address so we can
contact you about the
focus group details.
58
APPENDIX E
Consent to Participate in LUConnect Focus Group
Introduction
You have been invited to participate in a focus group for LUConnect, Loyola University
Chicagos career exploration program. As someone who filled out an online survey about
LUConnect, we are interested in hearing more about your thoughts and experiences related to the
program. Please read this form carefully, as it contains important information about your consent
to participate. If you have any questions, please ask the focus group facilitators.
Purpose
The purpose of the focus group is to gather information related to your experiences with the
LUConnect program and the Champions with whom you interacted.
Procedure
Once you agree to participate, you will be asked a series of questions for approximately two
hours. Please respond honestlythere are no correct or incorrect responses to the questions. We
hope that all participants will respond to all questions, but you are not required to respond to all
questions.
Risks/Benefits
There are limited risks to you in participating in this focus group. Focus group participants will
agree to keep the discussion confidential, but individuals could disregard the agreement and
discuss information outside the focus group space. Benefits to participation may include
increased understanding of your experiences with Champion(s) and how it connects to your
career exploration process.
Confidentiality
Your name will not be used in reporting the results of this focus group. The information that you
choose to share will only be shared with LUConnect program staff. We ask that all participants
respect the confidentiality of fellow participants by not discussing what is shared here outside of
the focus group space. This focus group session will be recorded to assist with program
assessment processes. Recording will occur using an audio recorder and note-taking by a
member of the focus group team. The LUConnect program staff will be authorized to use the
contents of the recording materials for purposes related to the evaluation.
Voluntary Participation
Your participation in this focus group is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw your
participation at any point in time without penalty.
Contacts and Questions

If you have questions about the focus group, please contact Kathryn Jackson at
kjackson9@luc.edu.
Statement of Consent
59
Your signature below indicates you have read and understood the information provided in this
document, have had an opportunity to ask questions, and agree to participate in this focus group.
You will be given a copy of this form to keep for your records.
____________________________________________
Participants Name
____________________________________________
Participants Signature
Date ____________
____________________________________________
Interviewers Name
____________________________________________
Interviewers Signature
Date ______________
60
APPENDIX F
LUConnect Focus Group Participant Demographics
Demographic information is requested for data analysis purposes only.
Date: Time: Place:
Year in School: Age:

__ First year __ Under 18 years old
__ Sophomore __ 18-24 years old
__ Junior __ 25-34 years old
__ Senior __ 35-44 years old
__ Masters graduate student __ 45-54 years old
__ Doctoral graduate student __ 55-64 years old
__ Alumni __ 65-74 years old
Gender: Racial/Ethnic Heritage:

__ Woman __ American Indian or Alaska Native
__ Man __ Asian
__ Transwoman __ Black or African American
__ Transman __ Hispanic, Latinx, or Spanish origin
__ Genderqueer __ Middle Eastern or North African
__ Not listed: ___________________ __ Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
__ Prefer not to say __ White
__ Not listed: __________________________
Major(s): _______________________________________________________________
61
APPENDIX G
Focus Group Interview Protocol for LUConnect Student Mentee Experience
Focus Group Purpose: To evaluate how the LUConnect program assists student Mentees
with career exploration.
Focus Group Topics: To learn more about Mentees experience interacting with
Champions
To determine the topics Mentees discuss with Champions
To assess what Mentees learn from Champions
To evaluate the way Mentees find and engage with Champions
To explore how to improve the LUConnect program for Mentees
Focus Group Script
1. Welcome and Facilitator Introductions

Thank you all for joining us for this focus group. My name is Natalie Kenna and I will be
facilitating the discussion today.
2. Framing
We will spend the next two hours or so talking about your experience using LUConnect
and engaging with Champions as a student Mentee. We would like to hear from all of
you throughout our time together. There are no correct or incorrect answers to the
questions we ask. We hope you will be comfortable responding with honesty and
transparency, but you are not required to answer every question.
3. Recording and Consent Forms
The thoughts you share with us today will be recorded by an audio recorder and through
note-taking by my colleague, Laura Reiter. We do this so that we can be sure to
accurately capture your responses. The information you share will be used to make
improvements to the LUConnect program. Any information shared here today will not be
released to anyone beyond LUConnect program staff. We ask that each of you agree not
to share the information discussed here today outside this room.
This information and more is included in the consent forms we are passing out now.
Please take a few minutes to review the form and sign if you agree to the terms. We are
also passing out a separate demographic form. This information will be kept anonymous.
Does anyone have questions before we begin?
4. Purpose and Intent
The purpose of LUConnect is to assist Mentees with career exploration. We would like to
know about your experiences interacting with Champions and how it helped you a)
identify career paths related to your major, b) identify career paths that fit your personal
values, and c) prepare for professional interview experiences.
5. Participant Introductions
First, lets introduce ourselves to each other. Please tell us your name, pronouns (if you
wish to share), your year in school, and your major(s).
6. Questions
Thank you. Now we will move into the discussion portion of the focus group.
General Experience with Champions

62
First, we would like to know about your interactions with Champions.
These questions allow us to confirm the experience of Mentees by focus group in case
things have changed since the survey was given. It also sets the scene and gets
participants thinking about the interactions they have had before we ask the career
exploration-specific questions.
Question 1: Roughly how many Champions have you interacted with (phone, video call,
email) since you started using LUConnect? Roughly how many conversations have you
had with each Champion?
Probe to confirm all group participants have had a similar number of experiences:
Probe: It sounds like each of you has interacted with many Champions, having
one conversation with each Champion. Has anyone here had a different
experience?
OR
Probe: It sounds like each of you has interacted with a Champion several times.
Has anyone here had a different experience?
Question 2: What has been positive about interacting with a Champion? What has been
negative about interacting with a Champion?
Probe: For what reasons were these interactions positive or negative?
Meeting with Champions Discussion Topics

Now we would like to ask some questions about what you discussed when you met with a
Champion(s). For the purposes of this discussion, a meeting includes a phone call, video
call, or email conversation.
Question 3: What topics did you discuss when you met with a Champion(s)?
Probe: For what reasons were these particular interactions most helpful with your
career exploration?
Question 4: What did you learn about career paths related to your major?
Probe: For what reasons was this helpful?
Question 5: Values are a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of

what is important in life. Examples of values include family, wealth, honesty, and power.
What did you learn about career paths related to your personal values?
Question 6: What did you learn about the components of a successful interview
experience?
Meeting with Champions Process

Question 7: How easy was it for you to find a Champion of interest to contact on
LUConnect?
Probe: What was difficult about trying to find a Champion? What would make it
easier to find a Champion?
63
Question 8: In what ways, if at all, did you prepare for your first meeting with a
Champion?
Probe: Did you have any concerns prior to your first meeting with a Champion?
Question 9: What LUConnect resources were helpful in preparing you to meet with a
Champion?
Probe: What LUConnect resources, if any, were not helpful?
Final Questions
Question 10: Will you use LUConnect in the future?
Probe: Will you use LUConnect to find new Champions? Will you continue
talking to Champions you have been talking to? Would you sign up to be a
Champion in the future?
Question 11: What, if anything, would you change about LUConnect?
Question 12: Is there anything else you wish to share with us before we wrap up our
discussion?
Probe: Is there anything we did not ask you that we should have?
7. Conclusion and Thank You

We appreciate the feedback you shared with us today. The success of the LUConnect
program is connected to your experience as Mentees. It is important to have your input as
we seek to improve the program. Thank you for your time and insights! Please pick up
your $50 Amazon gift card on your way out.
64
APPENDIX H
Note-taking Sheets for Focus Groups

Date:
Location:
Note taker:
While note-taking, please describe affect via behaviors that capture the affect, such as gestures
or facial expressions, elevated tone, or visible emotion.
Participant Name Code and Identifying Features
Question/Prompt Notes
General Experience with Champions
First, we would like to know about your

interactions with Champions.
Roughly how many Champions have you

interacted with (phone, video call, email)
since you started using LUConnect?
Roughly how many conversations have you
had with each Champion?
It sounds like each of you has interacted with

many Champions, having one conversation
with each Champion. Has anyone here had a
different experience?
OR
It sounds like each of you has interacted with
a Champion several times. Has anyone here
had a different experience?
65
What has been positive about interacting with

a Champion? What has been negative about
interacting with a Champion?
For what reasons were these interactions

positive or negative?
66
Meeting with Champions Discussion
Topics
Now we would like to ask some questions

about what you discussed when you met with
a Champion(s). For the purposes of this
discussion, a meeting includes a phone call,
video call, or email conversation.
What topics did you discuss when you met

with a Champion(s)?
For what reasons were these particular

interactions most helpful with your career
exploration?
67
What did you learn about career paths related
to your major?
For what reasons was this helpful?

68
Values are a person's principles or standards
of behavior; one's judgment of what is
important in life. Examples of values include
family, wealth, honesty, and power. What did
you learn about career paths related to your
personal values?

69
What did you learn about the components of a
successful interview experience?

70
Meeting with Champions Process
How easy was it for you to find a Champion

of interest to contact on LUConnect?
What was difficult about trying to find a

Champion? What would make it easier to find
a Champion?
71
In what ways, if at all, did you prepare for
your first meeting with a Champion?
Did you have any concerns prior to your first

meeting with a Champion?
72
What LUConnect resources were helpful in
preparing you to meet with a Champion?
What LUConnect resources, if any, were not

helpful?
73
Final Questions
Will you use LUConnect in the future?
Will you use LUConnect to find new

Champions? Will you continue talking to
Champions you have been talking to? Would
you sign up to be a Champion in the future?
74
What, if anything, would you change about
LUConnect?
75
Is there anything else you wish to share with
us before we wrap up our discussion?
Is there anything we did not ask you that we

should have?
76
APPENDIX I
Focus Group Email Invitations
Email 1: Focus Group Invitation (March 1, 2017)
Hi LUConnect Mentee,
Thank you for completing the LUConnect program survey! When you completed the survey, you
responded that you were interested in participating in our focus group.
The focus group will take about two hours. You will be in a group with about 7-10 other student
Mentees. You will be asked a few questions about your experiences with Champions and
LUConnect. Your responses will help us improve the LUConnect program and you will be given
a $50 Amazon gift card for your time.
The dates we have held for focus groups include:

- March 18, 2017, 10:00 AM
- March 18, 2017, 2:00 PM
- March 25, 2017, 10:00 AM
- March 25, 2017, 2:00 PM
If you are interested in participating, please reply to this email by March 15th and include your:
Name:
Email address:
Preferred dates:
Cell phone number:
We will send you a confirmation email with the time, date, and location.
Thank you for helping to improve the LUConnect program!
Sincerely,
Natalie & Laura

Career Development Center
E: nkenna@luc.edu; lreiter2@luc.edu
Email 2: Focus Group Second Invitation (March 8, 2017)

Hi LUConnect Mentee,
77
When you completed the survey for the LUConnect program, you told us you might be interested
in doing a focus group with our office. The deadline to participate is quickly approaching. Please
reply to this email by March 15th in order to participate.
The focus group will take about two hours. You will be in a group with about 7-10 other student
Mentees. You will be asked a few questions about your experiences with Champions and
LUConnect. Your responses will help us improve the LUConnect program and you will be given
a $50 Amazon gift card for your time.
The dates we have held for focus groups include:

- March 18, 2017, 10:00 AM
- March 18, 2017, 2:00 PM
- March 25, 2017, 10:00 AM
- March 25, 2017, 2:00 PM
If you are interested in participating, please reply and include your:
Name:
Email address:
Preferred dates:
Cell phone number:
We will send you a confirmation email with the time, date, and location.
Thank you for helping to improve the LUConnect program!
Sincerely,
Natalie & Laura

Email 3: Focus Group Reminder (March 17, 2017) OR (March 24, 2017)
Dear [insert name],
You have signed up to participate in our focus group on March 18th or March 25th at 10 am or
2pm in Schreiber Center, Room 210. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on
LUConnect!
If your availability has changed and you can no longer attend, please let us know by replying to
this email. We appreciate advance notice of cancellation so we can adjust our planning and
ensure a good experience for our other focus group members.
78
Thank you and we will see you soon!
Sincerely,
Natalie & Laura

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APPENDIX J
Timeline for Evaluation of LUConnect Program
2016 2017
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June
LUConnect Program active
Finalize surveys 1-11
Pilot test surveys (CDC 14-23
student workers)
Reserve focus group rooms 1
(Campus Reservations)
Email surveys to Mentees & 17
general student population
Email survey reminder 23
Final email survey reminder 30
Close surveys 31
Analyze survey results, 1-28
SPSS entry
Finalize focus group 1-15
protocol; pilot test with
CDC student workers
Send focus group email 1; 8
invitations
Purchase $50 gift cards for 15
focus groups
Send confirmation/reminder 17; 24
emails to focus group
participants
Conduct focus groups 18; 25 1
Analyze themes from focus 1-30
groups; code data
Prepare report 1-31
Present findings 15
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APPENDIX K
Budget for Evaluation of LUConnect Program
Activity Item Cost/Item Quantity Total $

Survey Administration
Survey Monkey membership (through CDC Office) $0 1 $0
Focus Groups
Audio Notetaker $0 1 $0
Printed consent forms $0 30 $0
Printed note-taking sheets $0 3-6 $0
Incentive gift cards $50 30 $1,500
Room reservation $0 1 $0
Statistical Analysis
SPSS software (via Loyola computer labs) $0 N/A $0
Graduate student time to analyze data $15 12 $180
Graduate student time code focus group data $15 24 $360
Report Dissemination
Printed Reports $0 TBD $0
Online Dissemination $0 N/A $0
Total Cost for Program Evaluation $2,040
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APPENDIX L
PowerPoint Presentation
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Kenna Reiter Elps431 Final Project Final

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1

Running head: CREATING CONNECTIONS

Creating Connections: An Evaluation of the LUConnect Career Mentoring Program

Natalie Kenna and Laura Reiter

Loyola University Chicago

connect, interact, and learn from one another.

Sciences, Engineering Science Program, Graduate School, Institute of Environmental

discoverability. Students or recent graduates in need of career assistance, known as Mentees,

networking, informational interviewing, mentoring, career advice; LUConnect, n.d.). Because

manage the process on their own (Frequently Asked Questions, n.d.).

communication, September 26, 2016).

successfully generate enough support, interest, or momentum (K. Jackson, personal

September 26, 2016).

quality Mentee-Champion relationships.

extraordinary lives (LUConnect, n.d.).

chosen career path, and experiencing career satisfaction.

LUConnect software to Loyola is a stakeholder. His generous gift to Loyola eliminates

influences the execution of the program.

Reason for Assessment

process in place. It is important to assess and improve LUConnect program performance as

deliver career exploration assistance to Mentees.

communication, September 26, 2016).

graduates) and alumni in the role of Champions.

establish a professional identity (Shakespeare & Webb, 2008).

informational pamphlets provided through linksusing current students as ambassadors and

support, and recurrent funding.

Mentees develop while using LUConnect.

learning career exploration as expected.

understanding of how LUConnect influences Mentees as they explore career options.

Formative assessments are conducted while a program is operating and serve as a

personal communication, September 26, 2016), we will be conducting a formative assessment

demographics of the population.

from our mailing lists.

the impact of the Mentee/Champion relationship on career exploration.

out to our target populations.

qualitative portion of our assessment.

day before the survey closes (Appendix J).

award from the student perspective.

a control group and an experimental group, an independent-samples t test will allow us to

mission of the Career Centers at Loyola or if it is simply redundant. Some redundancy is to be

demographic characteristics. In practice, it is extremely difficult to control for differences in

are highlighted or displayed in such a way that it is accessible to our audience.

Qualitative Approach Rationale

Our assessment question is to find out if LUConnect contributes to career exploration. In

Focus Group Participant Selection

Focus Group Protocol Instrument

have answers to our most pressing questions first.

Questions 7 through 9 (Appendix G) are process questions about ease of use,

time and insights.

LUConnect platform, this may be a possibility for future focus groups.

Focus Group Implementation Procedures

what participants actually said for clarification during analysis.

LUConnect as the program moves forward.

LUConnect staff who are in charge of making program changes.

similar identities, we need to be careful when evaluating the data.

total of $1,500. In all, our LUConnect assessment is expected to cost $2,040.

Timeline and Next Steps

continues to succeed for years to come.

About Loyola (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.luc.edu/about_loyola.shtml

About Us (n.d.). Retrieved from http://luc.edu/career/about.shtml

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

At a Glance (November, 2016). Retrieved from http://www.luc.edu/ataglance/

Career Centers (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.luc.edu/students/careers/index.shtml