PLA FA17 Survey Results

From the Presidential Leadership Academy’s HONOR 401 Course

Alex McCollom, Stella Murray,

Matt Root, & Adam Rutter
 PowerPoint Outline
Part A: Quantitative Results Part B: Qualitative Results
I. Group Presentations I. Open Ended Questions
II. Discussions
III. Course Content ○ Questions 21, 22
IV. Schedule ○ Question 17
V. Assignments ○ Question 29
VI. Alignment with PLA Outcomes ○ Questions 27, 28
VII. Proposed Changes
○ Proposed Changes

II. Proposed Changes

 Part A: Quantitative Results

I. Group Presentations
II. Discussions
III. Course Content
IV. Schedule
V. Assignments
VI. Alignment with PLA Outcomes
I. Group Presentations
• Less than half of all respondents found the presentations aided in their understanding of the
course material
• Class activities were listed as being the most effective portion of the group presentation
concept, with over 50% of all those polled listing it as its best attribute
• More of a demand for small group debate and discussion of topics than the entire class
listening to one person or team present
Group Presentations (Cont.): Survey Q12
• Commentary on what portions were
most effective:

“Presentations became the same format

week after week, those that switched it up
were awesome”
II. Discussions
• Students generally feel that their peers were
constructively contributing during class
discussions, but those that didn’t felt
strongly about it

“We need to have each week discuss something

major in the world like how President Barron
scheduled the sophomore class. THEN relate it
to the book if need be.”
III. Course Content
● Students were generally alright with the
expectations of what would be covered

● Many struggled to connect issues from

200 years ago to today (about half the
class)
Leadership Takeaways
● A limited quorum/majority felt that the
book gave them new ways to think
about leadership or taught them about
the subject as a whole
● Barely any felt the book challenged
their views on what leadership was to
the point of changing them
● Only 1-2 people felt the course helped
them become a better leader
Leadership & Course Content: Survey Q6, 7
Instructor Engagement: Survey Q18
Commentary on how instructors were
“present and involved” in the course:

“this semester's class was more self taught

and delivered by groups as opposed to the
instructors providing insight and creating a
curriculum”
IV. Schedule
• Most felt the schedule wasn’t that
demanding (less than half devoted more
than 1-2 hours a week)
• Bias in how it’s presented - unclear from
the question if blog writing time was
included in these self-reported figures
V. Assignments
• Students found the assignments to be of a reasonable quantity
• 2/3rds of the class read at least every two weeks
• For the Future: Questions did not capture whether assigned readings were finished or not
Assignments (Cont.): Survey Q5, 32
VI. Alignment with PLA Outcomes
• Alignment to objectives is crystal clear
• the class generally feels that “ethical issues” have been addressed thanks to the structure of the
class
• For the Future: A test question seeing if the respondents understand the goals and objectives
of the PLA as outlined on the program’s website (for control purposes)
Alignment (Cont.): Survey Q2, 4
Part A: Proposed Changes

● Generally, the way group presentations were run wasn’t effective

● Students want their voices heard, and that occurs more often in smaller group discussions
○ However, they prefer their peers not be the ones leading large group discussions
● Disconnect between course content & current issues
○ Students sought analysis of contemporary issues in class - yet 50% struggled to connect the book to the present day
● Book was useful, however it:
○ Had little impact on student views on leadership
○ Did not help them become better leaders
● More professor engagement sought
○ This was likely owing to the number of group presentations during that semester
● Most students spend 1-2 hours a week on this class outside of coursework
○ This is approximately in line with the credit level of course
● Course aligns well with existing PLA objectives
Part A: Proposed Changes (Cont.)

● Fewer Large Group, Student-Led Presentations

● More small group breakout discussions
○ Of both historical and current issues & debates
● Selected Readings from Texts
○ As opposed to “read a 300+ page book”
○ Alternative: Advance warning of 3+ months before class starts with texts made available so all students have the time
to read the book at their own pace beforehand - less of an issue if the courses retain their structure over the semesters
● Professors - stay engaged in large group discussions
○ if you’re in the room, students want to hear your expertise on what’s being discussed
Part B: Qualitative Question
Results
I. Other Themes
○ Questions 21, 22
○ Question 17
○ Question 29
○ Questions 27, 28

II. Conclusion & Proposed Changes

Most Favorite (Q 21) vs. Least Favorite (Q 22)
3 The Book 3

3 Course Structure 10

0 Subject Matter 3

1 Presentations 7

6 Discussions 1

3 Friends/Classmates 0

2 Activities 1
Questions 21, 22 (Cont.): Survey Quotes
Question 21
• Getting to hear the opinions of people outside of my class.
• I genuinely enjoyed reading the book, it was very entertaining and fascinating.
• Discussing interesting topics with PLAers that wasn't necessarily related to the book.

Question 22
• Student led presentations, especially small group discussions. I sometimes got the feeling that the main points of
the book were being stretched too far just so students could talk about something they wanted to talk about, even
if it wasn't related to Washington at all.
• The class often felt repetitive, and like we weren't really learning/doing new things each week (especially during
the presentations)
• Making connections between past and present leaders. The course was also set up in a way that it seemed a more
history-oriented course than a critical thinking course.
Open-Ended: Student Perception of Course
Goal
Q17: What was the goal of this class?

● Most Common Response (83%):

○ Translate Washington’s leadership Experience to modern day issues
○ Analyze Washington’s leadership qualities
● This finding is consistent with course syllabus
● Other Responses:
○ None (3 responses)
○ Test the course’s structure for future PLA classes (1 response)

Finding: The course’s content ensured students understood the purpose of the
material.
Open-Ended: What Students Enjoyed Most
Q29: What did you like best about this course?

● Most Common Responses:

○ Small Group Discussions (26%)
○ Student-Lead Discussions (11%) “I appreciated the chance to actually
○ Diversity of Thought (16%) evaluate leadership styles, which we
● Other Responses: don't do much of in PLA.”
○ The book itself
○ a specific class
○ in-class activities

Finding: Students enjoyed exchanging ideas in a more intimate setting regarding the
topic of the course most enjoyable
Questions 27, 28
What could be done to improve this course? What could be done to improve the
course’s effectiveness?

● Most Common Responses: (Number of mentions)

○ Unclear guidelines (9)
○ Student v. professor presentations (9)
○ Current events (14)
● Other Responses:
○ Dissatisfaction with required readings (4); Lack of class participation and attendance (4)
○ Guest speakers (3), Analysis of George Washington’s leadership skills (2); Personal objectives (1)

Findings: Students felt that there was too much emphasis on reading and presenting
and not enough on current events
Part B: Proposed Changes
● Develop succinct questions for Spring 2018 survey
● A syllabus with stricter guidelines
● Remove group presentations from the syllabus
● Add professor-led presentations to the course schedule
● Compare v. contrast Washington’s leadership to those of current politicians
● (a) Select readings from the textbook and from supplemental sources OR
● (b) Provide students the textbook prior to the beginning of the semester
● Assess the wants of students prior to the beginning of the semester
Overall Fall Survey Conclusion
Part A: Quantitative Results
● Students want their voices heard, and that occurs
more often in smaller group discussions
○ However, they prefer their peers not be the ones
leading large group discussions
● Disconnect between course content & current issues
● Book was useful, but had little impact on student
views on leadership nor helped them become better
leaders
● More professor engagement sought; student
engagement outside of class consistent with 1 credit
course
● Course aligns well with existing PLA objectives
Part B: Qualitative Results
● Students dissatisfied with professor involvement
○ Student-led discussions were popular, but
found to lead to disorganization and less
engagement
○ Students discouraged by time-involvement and
lack of communication in student-professor
relationship
● Contextualize course content more with current
events
● Students hoped course would be more instrumental
in their leadership development
Appendix
Pie Charts …………... 27-31
Group Presentations (Cont.): Survey Q11, 14
Course Content (Cont.): Survey Q1, 3
Schedule (Cont.): Survey Q20, 23
Leadership & Course Content (Cont.): Survey Q6, 9
Alignment (Cont.): Survey Q23, 24