This survey is designed to collect information on the effectiveness of the bachelors degree program in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at East Tennessee State University, including the appropriateness of the program’s content. The results will be used to review the curriculum for opportunities to better serve current and future students.

We truly appreciate the time you are taking from your busy schedule to help us improve our curriculum.

Before you decide to take this survey, please read, and make sure that you understand and consent to the terms and conditions under which this survey is being conducted. These terms are:

• The survey’s intent (i.e., to assess the program’s effectiveness);
• The (voluntary) nature of your participation;
• Your right to withhold contact information;
• The procedures involved in taking the survey;
• The possible risks and/or benefits of taking the survey; and
• The use that will be made of your responses (including provisions for your confidentiality).

If you wish to learn more about this survey or the uses to which it will be put, you may click here for contact information.

This project is meant to evaluate the outcomes of the bachelors degree program in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at East Tennessee State University. The results will be used to incorporate changes into the existing computer science curriculum in order to better serve current and future students regarding their educational needs.

The respondent can expect to spend five to ten minutes participating in this study.

Participation in this survey is voluntary. The respondent is free to skip specific questions and continue participating or withdraw from participation by closing the browser window or by going to a different web site.

The survey does have entries for personal information such as name and contact information, but this information is entirely optional and may be left blank.

This survey contains approximately 35 questions. The first nine questions address issues regarding departmental resources. These are followed by 20 questions addressing the basic core requirements of a CSCI degree. These questions ask the respondent to rate the importance of certain responsibilities of his or her current employment and how well he or she feels they were prepared for those responsibilities. Depending on the concentration that the respondent selected for their CSCI degree (computer science, information science, or information technology) there are 6, 8 or 9 questions at the end of the survey that address the respondent's specific area of study.

There are no known risks or discomforts associated with this research. No data from the survey is submitted to the department until the respondent presses the button labeled "continue" or "finish" at the bottom of each page. Depending on the physical location of the respondent, the data being submitted may pass unencrypted across public TCP/IP-based data networks. If you feel that this places you at risk for any reason, do not participate.

Participants will be helping the Computer and Information Sciences Department at ETSU to improve our curriculum. This will benefit the participant and the community by providing graduates who are better equipped to serve the needs of employers.

Every attempt will be made to see that the study results are kept confidential. A copy of the records from this study will be stored in electronic format in room 116 of Gilbreath Hall on the ETSU campus for at least 10 years after the end of this research. The results of this study may be published and/or presented at meetings without naming any of the respondents as subjects. Although the respondent's rights and privacy will be maintained, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the East Tennessee State University Institutional Review Board for non-medical research, and research related personnel from the ETSU Department of Computer and Information Sciences have access to the study records. The respondent's records will be kept completely confidential according to current legal requirements. They will not be revealed unless required by law, or as noted above.

If you have any questions or problems at any time, you may call Mr. David Tarnoff (tarnoffetsu.edu) at (423)439-6404 or Dr. Martin Barrett (barrettmetsu.edu) at (423)439-7409. You may call the Chairman of the Institutional Review Board at (423)439-6055 for any questions you may have about your rights as a research subject.

• I consent to participate in the on-line ETSU CSCI Alumni survey.
• I decline participation in the on-line ETSU CSCI Alumni survey, but would like to submit a printed version.
• I decline participation in the ETSU CSCI Alumni survey.