CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

The Center for Collaborative Research (CCR) was organized as a result of a 1988 strategic planning initiative to position the College of Health Professions as a leading college of allied health sciences in the nation.  It responds to a national assessment which identified the importance of developing a strong research base in the allied health and nursing professions.  With the new University reorganization, the Center has continued its traditional activities while taking on a broader role in program evaluation and assessing student satisfaction with selected aspects of University resources.

The Center engages in four major, interrelated efforts:

• facilitate collaborative research and faculty development
• serve as an office of institutional research
• pursue funding opportunities
• conduct the longitudinal study of student and alumni satisfaction

Selected Center activities include:

• Collaboration with the Committee on Research and the Center for Faculty Development to plan and conduct faculty research development programs and mentor individual faculty members
  
  
• Providing technical assistance on faculty grant proposals
  
  
• Providing statistical consultation to faculty and students
  
  
• Conducting the Longitudinal Study and disseminating results both internally and externally
  
  
• Providing data for school and department reports required by accrediting agencies and other external and internal organizations
  
  
• Conducting school and department specific studies
  
  
• Contributing editorial advice to the Journal of Allied Health
  
  

Center Staff

Kevin J. Lyons, PhD, Assistant Vice President for Program Evaluation and Student/Faculty Surveys and Director, 720 Edison, 215.503.8188, kevin.lyons@jefferson.edu

Lisa Marzucco, Project Manager, 723 Edison, 215.503.7954, elissa.marzucco@jefferson.edu

Carolyn Giordano, PhD, Senior Research Analyst, 215.503.8811, carolyn.giordano@jefferson.edu

Anyta Thomas, Data Analyst, 215.503.7957, anyta.thomas@jefferson.edu

Longitudinal Study of Student and Alumni Satisfaction:  A Brief Overview

The Jefferson College of Health Professions established the JCHP Longitudinal Study in 1989 to collect and analyze a wide range of information about its nursing and allied health students and graduates.  Data are gathered from the time individuals apply to Jefferson until 10 years after graduation.  The study is modeled, in part, on the highly regarded Longitudinal Study of Medical Students which is conducted by the Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care, Jefferson Medical College.  With the reorganization of the University in 2009, the Longitudinal Study incorporates information for the School of Population Health and with assessing the satisfaction of the entire student body with the services provided by the University.

The Longitudinal Study, which falls under the auspices of the University Center for Collaborative Research, is designed to serve two major purposes.  First, as a form of institutional research, its findings contribute to the ongoing evaluation and improvement of existing academic and student services in many of the schools and departments in the University.  For example, study findings are used in efforts to enhance the Office of Marketing and Public Relations and the Career Development Center.  The College's academic departments use the results in self-evaluation activities, including accreditation reports (e.g., Middle States, National League for Nursing).

Second, the data represent a resource for investigating broader research questions in allied health and nursing education, especially those related to outcomes such as academic success, career patterns and satisfaction.

Specifically, the Longitudinal Study collects demographic, academic, attitudinal and career-related information about students and alumni, currently in eight professional fields of study (bioscience technologies, couple and family therapy, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, public health, and radiologic sciences). 

During each academic year, the following eight main surveys are conducted:

• New Student Survey
• Matriculant Survey
• Exit  Survey
• Employment Survey
• Alumni Survey - 1 year post graduation
• Alumni Survey - 5 years post graduation
• Alumni Survey - 10 years post graduation
• Employer Survey – 1.5-2 years after-graduation

Periodically, additional surveys are conducted around pertinent research or educational questions.

For more information about the study, please contact Kevin J. Lyons, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President, Program Evaluation and Student/Faculty Surveys, or Lisa Marzucco, Project Manager, Center for Collaborative Research, Thomas Jefferson University, Room 723 Edison Building, 130 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, Ph: 215.503.8188