DOCUMENT RESUME ED 046 362 24 HE 001 7TTLT. The Fe'asibility of Computer Assirt_ed Colleoe Selection as a Guidance Counsollina Aid. INSTITUTION Creative Concepts, Tnc., Hethesda, SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (D9F'4) , 'washinoton, D.C. Pureau of Research. RUMAU NO FR-O-C-009 PIT", DATE . Jun 70 COlvTRACT Orc-3-70-0009 (010) JOTF 2Bp4 ',DRS PRICE' DFSCRIPTORS FDRS Price MF-$0.65 PC -$L 29 *College Pound Students, *Coll.eoe Choice, *Computer Oriented Programs, Counselors, *Higher Rducation, Student Interests t ABSTRACT This study analyzed and determined the feasibility of a computerized colleap selection service for high school students. One thousand seniors were randomly selected from among the public school system iu Region III. They completed a questionnaire detailing their qualificatiOn for collew admission and preference for college characteristics. This information was matched with a computerized college data hank and 10 school most closely approximating the student's interest and abilities were identified. In addition, each cooperating counselor completed a Questionnaire that presented information on the counselor's "level of satisfaction" Pith each student's college selections as determined by the computer. The study also developed comparative statistics about the preferences and .trends of the sample. The appendices include: the guidtlines for student selection, the counselor questionnaire, th2 C.A.M.P.U.S. questionnaire, a sample answer sheet, a list of computerized college selections, and an explanation of the computer print-out. (AF) "ss
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RUMAU NO RESUME ED 046 362 24 HE 001 7TTLT. The Fe'asibility of Computer Assirt_ed Colleoe Selection as a Guidance Counsollina Aid. INSTITUTION Creative Concepts, Tnc., Hethesda, SPONS
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DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 046 362 24 HE 001
7TTLT. The Fe'asibility of Computer Assirt_ed ColleoeSelection as a Guidance Counsollina Aid.
This study analyzed and determined the feasibilityof a computerized colleap selection service for high school students.One thousand seniors were randomly selected from among the publicschool system iu Region III. They completed a questionnaire detailingtheir qualificatiOn for collew admission and preference for collegecharacteristics. This information was matched with a computerizedcollege data hank and 10 school most closely approximating thestudent's interest and abilities were identified. In addition, eachcooperating counselor completed a Questionnaire that presentedinformation on the counselor's "level of satisfaction" Pith eachstudent's college selections as determined by the computer. The studyalso developed comparative statistics about the preferences and
.trends of the sample. The appendices include: the guidtlines forstudent selection, the counselor questionnaire, th2 C.A.M.P.U.S.questionnaire, a sample answer sheet, a list of computerized collegeselections, and an explanation of the computer print-out. (AF)
"ss
N40PrN ')
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THE FEASIBILTTY OF COMPUTER ASSISTED COLLEGE
SELECTION AS A GUIDANCE COUNSELLING AID
This study has been supported by the
U.S. OFFICE OF EDUCATION, REGION IIIunder Contract OEC-3-70-0008 (010)
June, 1970
Prepared by:
,CREATIVE CONCEPTS, INC.5400 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20014
U $ DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH, EDUCATION
WELFAREOFFICE Of EDUCATION
THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPROJvCEDEXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROMTNE
PERSDNORORGANIZATION ORIONALNOrT POINTS OFVIEW OR OPINIONS STATED
.7.+0 NOT FECESBARMY REPRESENT OFFiCIAEOFFICE OF EDUCAT'Ott POSITION OR POLICE
Acknowledgement
The success of this project is due, in large measurL., to the
assistance and-cooperation of the guidance counselors who
willingly conducted the "grass roots" phases of the project
in the various higl, schools. The cooperation of the students
was, of course, essential to the study; hopefully, they have
benefited, too. Lastly, the guidance of John Morrow, Project
Officer, and Frederick Will, Contract Officer
acknowledged.
is gratefully
SUMI,IARY
Conclusions
1. The interest in the project on the part of" participatingcour,selors and students was extremely high.
2. The ability of the computer to effectively and efficientlyhandle the data retrieval chores associated with college-selection.has been proven. It would be virtually impossible fora counselor or student to 'make an objective appraisal of theinformation coi)tained in the C.A.M.P.U.S. .databank in anyreasonable amount of time.
3. The C.A.M.P.U.S. computerized college-selection programmatches a student's questionnaire responses to over 1/2 millionfacts about 2500 institutions of higher learning in the UnitedStates, and selects the ten "most appropriate" schools; theentire process takes less than 10 seconds.
4 The guidance counselors felt that in 70% of the cases, atleast 5 (.4 the student's college-selections wereT"in line" with the kinds of schools the counselor would re-'commend.
. in 540 of the cases at least 7'(i.e., 3/4)of the college-selections were "in line"
. in 19% of the cases all of.the College-selections were "in YliTe"
5. The computer is,. indeed, a valuable data retrieval toolfor the guidance counselor. It frees the counselor from the"clerical drudgery" associated with college-selection, andprovides more time for in-depth counseling.
. -
Recommendations
1. This study has demonstrated the feasibility of using thecomputer. as a guidance support system. The cost for the op-eration of a computerized college-selection program, such asC.A.M.P.U.S., is so low that virtually any school system canafford to use it.
2. The U.S. Office of Education should increase its supcortin the area of information retrieval systems for guidancecounseling. It is important, however, that emphasis be placedon imcroving existing systems, rather than funding fundamentalresearch.
.3. Consideration should be given to adapting the computexizedcollege-selecti.on system for "real-time" computer access. :assystem would permit counselors and students to use the data -bank on demand, thereby providing fGr a dynamic system.
4. Because of the proven benefits of the comcuter inmation retrieval for college-selection, similar complementarysystems should also be developed Possible systems might includea vocatiotiaa-school information system and a financial aidinformation system..
CONTENTS
Part I
THE PROBLEM AND THE NEED page
Part II
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
' Purpose uaqe 7
Selecting the Student Participants page 2
Selecting the School System page 10
THE COLLEGE- SELECTION SYSTEM
1. The Questionnaire
2. The College-Selection Program.
TEE COUNSELORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Results of Counselor Questionnaire
DATA ANALYSIS OF STUDENT RESPONSES
. Data Analysis Results
APPENDICFS
page 12
page-14
page 16
page 17
page L3
page 19.
THE PROBLEM AND THE NEED
The crowing importance of higher education and the ever in-
creasing competition for college admission has placed greater
emphasis on the guidance counselor's ..)osition. The problem
of maximizing the already limited counseling hours available
to high school students is, indeed, becoming more critical.
In June of 1965, 2 1/2 million students graduated from high
schools in the United St motes; of this number, approximately
52% (1.3 million) enrolled in U.S. colleges the following S pt-
ember. The main sources of college selection information for
these students were their high school guidance counselors.'
fortunately, there were only 33,600 guidance counselors avail-
6
assist the 1,300,000, prospective collerje student::
a ratio of 1 counselor for every 300 students. While
in illustrates the lack of a sufficient number o rain-
ed guidLnce bersonnel it- tells only part of the problem.
?he guidance counselor's functions are not restricted t
ing a limited number of high school students select a college.
In fact, the number of high school students who were nu:c1;creca
anoc-, the counselors' 'Clientele in 1965 totaled almost'p
million (this does not inClude.3.2 million 9th grade student.2,,
The initial ratio of 1:300 nose takes on a six -fold increase cc, 1 .
the unbelievable ratio of 1 :1800 ;. these. counselor/student
ratios are hardly suited to personal counseling,
This situation is bound to get worse. The rapid growth of two-
Year community colleges will undoubtedly contribute to tie
already difficult burden of assisting high school students
with their career plans.
Because a great deal of the guidance counselor's time is de-
voted to helping prospective college students select a college,
and since this is a time-consuming and laborious task (not to
mention' non- comprehensive and inaccurate, when done in the
1A11 Statistics are U.S. Office of Education estimates, and wereincluded in the Digest of EducationalStatistics, 1968 edition,Office of Education, DHEN.
usditiendl catalog-searching manner), every e shouac .1;b
ms,:le deve:_cp more efficient technicuas; student. will be
the t17-imaUe ben:Dffeierv. This polinu was very soundly sup..pc ted,
an :t le which appeared in thi) Jov.171 of th'.7
f
?ers3 A,:scciation(A2C2A)', rank .J. 2.1inor,
at al, -said `'The counselor sould be able to devote more
his trad to professional counseling activities and le b
to maintaining and cy3.eraing a general educational-Occupation2
inforr.laticn Iibrary."
There exists tedey an hypothesis caLiLed"the gcoancss of
*pethosis..This tenet cOncerns the student satisfaction
a collegene basic assumption of this hVpothe'sis," ses
fc:ssor Leonard Rand, "is that a Cnice of college will be more
positive and thus a student will be :.'.ore satisfied if he chooses:
a schdol with a student poiculation similar to him in persdnality.3
interest, aptitudes, ,etc." It would appear, then, that any
assistence in bringing:.together students and colleges along
such compatible lines will increase the probability of obtain-
in a more "positive" reaction-froxthe student. Ren4 also L,:tatc.::
"Satisfaction With college' choice thus becomes an importantl
:Frank J., /,:yers,,Roger A.,-and Super, nnaldrmentel Computer-Bascd Edacational and Career Exploratio:-.
y:;tc.::: Personnel & Guidance Journal, February 1969, vol-Li:,c!47, number 6, page 568.3
Rand,. Lee. P., "Effect on College Choice Satisfaction o_I.:etching Seudentb and Colleges," The Personnel & Guidancc, Ccu7-nal,Sept., 1068, Vol. 47, no. 1, page 35.
isYis s s iLlIplisit relationship A_,11
iv collscc
-'actors as rs.. ininc a L Colleo
ststes3 in cols 3 andradjustin both ih scholaL;tic and
zsc'a.T c.-Zsrs'."
stn shze 'faced th the dils:
anal __.C. a c_% nu :he_ of facts about alany coilcces With
to scl cCtiVe "naz.e" cofte,;fas, tog' soucent and ;-1s'al.-3
sight of the redl objective; choosing gocolleges ti -na
IlL= can IlaP[?Y.and successful, where he can 2.--c courses' in
s a d
which he is interested, colleges he can afford. The student
rately in need of some oojective criteria on which to bJ.ss
iii:: choice. Computerized college selection can provide him '6
such a factual and .,:lbiased vier;oint. Here, too, authors Y:...-3=s
..,:yers and Super concur:
"L major objective of the s'c.udent guidance counselingcenters in high schools, junior colleges, and univszsit.issis to orovide individualized aid to each ,student tphim reduce the uncertainty of his educatioa and vcca-ional plans. Frequently, this ol:djective. is1 notsatisfied because of the information handlingT,:o'such problems are: ;a) the fallibility of both cci.Inaoz sod student in memorizing, associating, and calctivalvreeaIIN, educational and vocational facts; and (b) to.
of the counselor and the student to devo:aesufficient time, patience, and energy to performing thc.chormouf: number of clarical steps involved in relatjeducational and occupational facts to pertinent _..ic-on
10
C.T:o
cc-J=1ot"1 , L:1C,
aL
c. It
i...-ItLndccl to t -
cjuiancc: LO' n33Iors; --athc,z-, it i2 dc:sic.incd to
cy.f clzreal L,:_Lociatc
scictf,on ul.)on o
al, a? E.5.1
11
-Lo
a jz11j2ct.
sa;:a.2,s -c
- roasaar.,
: 02 ti.2,
17 21_ by Creativo Cor.c2 2:2 a
rz:cticz.
zu.:D2oft was 'provd2d forany of .2 2_,
for = 2.U.S. sy,a:tor=1.
condv:ctod r to y)..fb1::osi:-.r
Of Loa a ro2-uIt, trf,
:Z02 a co:r.pict2 ".9acl:a(-..;2" 5y:;ta...1
a stud.)r.t po.2ulation from anv d2v2._c
coul:zolbrs studa:Its coLld
a t:-oZ.c 1 co.7:2.uteriz.ed collego-s2lection Lsten Ica:
12
,.3
_Lo to Co
hLs a.17orate gzou--;. o' coanot_
_
3:
-tr,1 a of the thcoo
to the objectiv.ity
nt ?Eo:ticiptute.
no o_ o-tuy.design call-C: for the 'ace of '-01ae-
tt Sehicr vear (12th grac;c) o: high oencol
zYie .participatich of thio
haeoc: acsu2tion project would
c emic year prior to Noverer: tnet
mo'tt arc actively engaged in college solact:loh.
etartf.ng cf the project was ,:ostoned uhtil
haf of the ::ehool year, it c:ecided that a en::n-c
i0 the acadefAie level of tho univerto :)c approi:riatt.
13
9
The change was made, and the universe was composed of students
in the second half of the Junior year (11th grade) of high school.
The change was beneficial in that it provided ,a student pop-
ulation whose perceptions of the available college character-
istics were not yet well conceived. Consequently, the students'
indications of interest were precipitated by the structured
nature of' the questionnaire.
Each cooperating counselor was requested to folloW the "Guide-
lines for student Selection" (see Appendix )1 These criteria
were-intended to provide a fair degree of randomness in student'
selectioni while'assuring the inclusion of specific student
characteristics. Adherence to these criteria was essential to
ensure unbiased results.
The college-selection questionnaires were (generally) completed
hv the students during classroom time. This was done to ensure
a complete undarstanding of the contents of the questionnaire;
as well as to increase the proportion of "returned" question-
naires. Consequently, an extremely high percentage (97%) of
all student participants submitted completed Answer Sheets.
14
0
Selecting the School Systems
Public school systems from within the States comprising Region
III (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West
Virginia) provided the universe for this study.
Prior to selecting the school systems for participation, assist-
ance in determining the "composition" of each State was sought
from the various State Departments of Education. This proced-
ure ensured the presence of schoolS with relatively similar
student populations from each State.
The school systems which participated in the study were:
STATE SCHOOL SYSTEM # of high Quests. Quests.schools sent. processed
Kentucky Fayete County 4 100 99
Jefferson County 4 100 100
Maryland Montgomery County 2 90 75
Washington County 2 50 49
North Carolina Greensboro City 2 100 99
Virginia Albemarle County 1 50 50
Arlington County 2 60 61
Fairfax County 1 60 60Virginia Beach City 2 40 40
West Virginia Cabell County 4 100 9E
Kanawha County 1 100 100
5 States it School Systems 25 850 829
15
In each of the school systems selected the Director of GLid-
ance or Superintendent of Schools was visited or telephoned.
The project objectives were presented and discussed, and the
extent of participation was advised. liere, too, assistance was
requested in selecting representative high schools from each .
I ;
school system. Once the participating high schools had been
s'elected, the college-selection questionnaires were delivered
(or mailed) to the cooperating guidance counselors who distrib-
uted them to the participating students. Included with each
quantity of questionnaires was:
1. an Abstract of the research study
2. Guidelines for Student Selection
3. a sample of the proposed "counselor"
questionnaire
4. return envelopes for use in forwarding
the completed questionnaires
(see Appendix for copies of nos.l, 2,& 3.)
4
16
a
'The College-Selection System
1. The Questionnaire
12
The college-selection (C.A.M.P.U.S.) questionnaire (see Appendix)
provides the medium for college selection. It structures and
presents the student's responses in a format which is compatible,
with the C.A.M.P.U.S. databank. The questionnaire has been care-
fully designed and tested for both its clarity and theaccuracy
of the responses which it elicits. These tests have'been conduc-
ted with,several "control groups" of high school students. r2he .
length and number of questions on the questionniare are also
of critical importance. T. questionnairc, which is too short will
not permit accurate matching of students and schools, while a
questionnaire which is too long will be burdensome to complete
and will result in more completion, errors. We have found that the
C.A.M.P.U.S. questionnaire represents the optimum amount of
detail concurrent with maximum response. The questions included
in the auestionnaire have been carefully selected to encompass
those factors which high school students feel are most important
in the selection of a college.
The questionnaire consists of two different: types of questions:
qualification questions and preference questiond. The qualii-
ication questions pertain to the student's academic achievements
1
in high school and allow the C.A.M.P.U.S. program to determine
13
the colleges for which the individual might qualify. The 2refer-
ence questions concern the general characteristics (location,
size, cost,degrees, etc.) which are most important in the stu-
dent's choice of a college. In combination, these questions
vide the criteria needed to select the most appropriate colleges
for any given student. All questionnaire responses are recorded .
on a separate (detachable) Answer Sheet, thereby permitting the
student to retain the questionnaire as a record of his responses.
The college-selection questionnaires were completed by the Stu-'',
dents and returned to their counselors. The Answer Sheets were
then forwarded by the counselors to Creative Concepts where
they were checked'for completeness, identifying codes entered,.
and prepared (keypunched) for data input. Each student's quest-
ionnaire responses were converted into two data input cards.1A
total of 1658 data input cards were prepared for processing. They
were keypunched, verified, and sorted according to high school
for subsequent computer processing.
It is important to note that less than .7% of all Answer Sheets
received were incorrectly completed. This is due to the extensive
testing conducted by CCI prior to the distribution of the ques-\
'tionnaires to the student participants. The simplicity of the
questionnaire and the clarity of the accompanying instructions
have been praised by both counselors and students.
18
2.. The nllege-Selection Program
14
The college-selection program has-been designed to evaluate
colleges in the same manner that a student shoUld use in making
his own decision; it considers the college as a whole rather
/
than superficially considering only one or two factors for each
institution. Unlike the student though, the -C.A.M.P.U.S. system
. is able to make this careful and all encompassing decision
rapidly and objectively for a far greater number of schools'than
could be analyzed manually.
While details' of the decision process are proprietary, the fol-
lowing description will outline the basic program logic: each
school is first reviewed to determine whether or not the student
would meet the school's admission requirements. If the school
would admit the student, a score is begun for that school. This
,initial score is dependent upon how closely the student meets
the schools requirements. An additional score for each school
is computed for each preference question. These.partial scores
depend on both the importance of the question to the student-----
and the actual school characteriStics. After all the preference
questions have been reviewed, the score is totaled fi,r each school
and is then compared to the score for every other school'. The
names of the ten schools with the highest scores are then listed
on the computerized letter prepared for each student.
9
d
An IBM 360/30 computerwas used to match the students' cues-
tionnaire responses to the C.A.M.P.U.S. da'cabank. Each sttdent's
list of college selections was printed in iettec: form (see
Appendix) on 4-part paper. The original was retained for in-o.
clusibn in theFinal Report to the,U.S. Office of Education;
the first and second carbon copies were returned to the coun-
selors and students, respectively; the fou2th copy was retained
for CCI's records.
The lists of college-selections were returned directly to the
counselors along with a detailed explanation of the "meaning"
of the results .(se Appendix). The counselors then distrir
Ibuted the college- Selection results to the students.
The schobls appe ring as,the student's college-selections
are listed in o der of the degree to which they "match" his
interests and a However, the student is'advised to
consider all tej (10) schools equally. The student's subjective
considerations along with the objective determinations of the
computer provide a much broader base for decision-making.
20
15
v.l6l
/e -rTHE COUNSELORS QUESTIONNAIRE
An integral part of the study has been the determination of
the counselors,sub),ctive views y egarding the adequacy of the
colleges selected by the'computer.- N_aS.urally, the counselor is.1
aware of specific quali.Ltivgicharacteristics'such as emotional
stability, diligence,'maturity, and the like w Ch individual
students lack or possess. These considerations should definitely, - \
be included as criteria in the college.selectio recess.
However, the inability to quantifyfthese characteristics '11-k:s..
t virtually impossible for the computer to satisfy this kind
of deterMination. The computer is best at harldling facts and
figures which can be quantified; the advice of a concerned
counselor is the natural -complement 'When it comes to questIOns
of &qualitative nature.
44
The lists of college selections were returned to the cooperating
counselors along with a questionnaire to be completed by them.
This questionnaire (see Appendix) was prepared as a composite list
of all student participants from each high school. It included :-
the student's name, I.D. number, and a numerical scale from 1 to 10.
Each counselor was requested to review the college-selections
for his students, and to circle that digit Whichrepresented the
total number of schools whiCh the counselor considered to be.
appropriate Selections.
21
17
Therefore: if.after reviewing the list of college selections for
a `:articular student the counselor felt that six of the ton
schools selected wen.- comparable to those he might recommend,
he would circle the number "6" on the scale. In this way i4,1= was
possible to interpret the counselor's satisfaction/dissatis-
faction with the objective selectivity of the C.A.M.P.U.S.
college-selection program.
Results of Counselor Questionnaire
Counselors representing more than. 50% of all participating
students responded:to the Counselor's Questionnaire. Their
sponses were compiled and have provided the following statistics
which are assumed to provide a good approximation of the opin-
NOTE: less than 3.5% of all students did not receive anv"satisfactory" college - selections according to the-counselors opinions.
22
la
DA A ANALYSTS C.17' Sr2a2..] 1,ZESTV)NSES
In the course of constructing the project design it became
apparent that the detailed student responses provided by 'she
participating students could be compiled and interpreted to
provide an indication of student trends and preferences.
The importance of this data lies in its usefulness as a plan-
ning tool for school administrators. The ability to antici
student trends and interests has always been a prime concern
of educational planners. On a broader scale,'it is of gre.t
concern in establishing a firm national indicator of potential
institutional program needs.
To analyze the data efficiently, a computer program was de-
signed to compile and interpret the student questionnaire
responses.
An analytical program was written A ASSEMBLER language, and
used on an IBM 360/30 computer.4,A total of more than 89,000
p,:,ssible responses from the 829 student participants was fed
into the data analysis program. The data input cards for the
C.A.M.P.U.S. program were re-used for this purpose.
23
19
res,,ILts of the analysis of responses to specific cueetion,c
are indicated in the following table. Tee rlined nr=ber
ihdicates the response receiving the highest percent of student
inte
Data Analysis
Preference Questions Student Choices1st 2nd 3rd
Type of School
A. University 61% 210 75%
B. Liberal Arts College 17- 39 19
C, Fine Arts College 7,1
D. Technological College 5 16
E. Teacher's College 7 , 7. 17
.F. Junior College 5 5 17
G. Sub-baccalaureate technical school 0-,- 1
Total 1-067 II0=: =-Ccntrolling Body
A. State. or Federal Government 70% 20% lot
B. Local Government 27.
.
C. Private (other than religious) 15 ;1274 ,u
D. Roman Catholic Church 0 3 if
L. Religious group other than RC 6 1. 10_.___Total To-Pe Tn-C I-6-v,;
Conoosition of student body
A. All women or :Mostly all women .4% 28%
B. All men or predominately all men 3 55
C. Coeducational or coordinate 93 TY 2
Total I= RTC: 166=:
Geographical location
A. New England 6c,i 27:9
3. Middle Atlantic States 17 2:, 1-7
C. Great Lakes States 7 15 17
D. Plains States 0 ilz.
S. Southeastern States 64 12 8
F. Southwestern States -Y 5 6
G. Rocky Mountain States 2 4 8
H. Far Western States . 2 11 13
Total
24
1-0-0-zi rn-f; ro-c;
2ro-F.irerle3 nuastions Studant Choices1st :nd
20
Er.zolLmant
A. Very szil (undar 600)E. Small (600-1000)C. :.:adium (1000-25000)D., Large (253(-10,000)
very large (over 10,000)-Total
Aroximatc annual expenses
1% 4%74 1742 37.37 1)7; 159 7 22
100% 100% 103%
A. u,c7;er $1100 13% 10% 13.:
\ B. $1100 to $1600 21 27 15C. $1600 to $2100 26 25 3:1
..' D. $2100 to $2600.
22 16 -25
B. $2600 to $3100 12 16 L.1._
_,
F. Over $3100 6 4 4
Total 100T IliZr:, ionROTCA. ROTC should not be required 63B. Army ROTC should be available 3
C. Navy .OTC should be available 11D. Air Force ROTC should be available 13
Total EUUTSize of city or town
A. Small town (less than 10,000). 10B. A small, city (10,000-50,000) 20C. A medium-sied town(50,000-500,000) 54D. A large metropolitan area (over 500,000) 3
E. A suburb of a city (core> 100,000) 8
TotalFinancial aid
A. Financial aid. need not be widely 12% ';': 12%available for Freshmen.
D, 2inancial aid should be available 27 35to Freshmen on a selective basis.
C. Financial aid should be available 40 '40 73
to a large number of qualified Freshmen.D. Financial aid should be easily . 21 18 37
obtainable for most Freshmen.Total .
= ra-cc
25
APPENOICES
1. Abstract of Study
2. Guidelines for Student Selection
3. Cbunselor Questionnaire
4. C.A.M.P.U.S. Questionnaire
5. Sample Answer Sheet
6. List of Computerized College Selections
7. Explanation of Computer print-out
26
liclo: .2asi'oility of Computer-Assisted College Selectln n.s. &:iaaaee
Co,in:eling Aid'
Office of Educution,
,and 77,,r1;r.: Octc.ser 1, 1969 - January 31, i9/3
A S f: A C I
.72-respective college students are faced with the dilemma of ci yiig agrnat ilia:01: of facts about many colleges for sound decision-re.kiai. thie
anoness nc:alally involves the manual task of searching college catalc;ea, va-rious college selection manuals, brochures, and so on.- It is virtually im-possible so search thrcugn these documents and make an accurate analysis anddecision based on their contents. Consequently, the student is left withonly a "best estimate" -basis for college selection.
fnis study will analyze and determine the feasibility of a c0m;U:erizedCollege selection service for high school students. 'It is aneicipeeee taatcomputer-assisted college selection will free guidance counselors and azedentsfrom the clerical drudgery associated with college selection, thereby ,:er.mit-ring to analyze, in greater detail,. chose schools for which nary are bestsuited.
One thousand high school seniors will be randomly selected from amongthe public school systems in Region III. They will complete a cestionnairedetailing their qualifications for college admission and preferences for col-lege characteristics. This information will be matched to a computerized col-lege databank; the computer will identify ten schools which moss clly ap-proximate she student's interests and abilities. In addition, each cooperatingcounselor will complete a questionnaire inquiring into the counselor's "levelor satisfaction" with each student's college sc-lections as deter by the
computer. This will permit a comparison of the counselor's subject:vwith the objective selectivity employed by the computer.
This Study will also develop comparative statistics about the preferencesand :rends of the sample. This information will be dissemin.,ned no selecteegroup of school administrators to assist in long-range planning.
27
- GuidalineL,
'n he -c: tLo
conca::ning ,e_seeien, r,Leai:o ase
1)articioating students sh0tId be in the J-::.tor
2. ':he students should indicate an activa interest inattending a two or four V,:=-C:12 granting instit-tion i=ediatel :following graduation.
3. r'ho '_Darticipatincj cTroup should he ecivally divideoand fc-:-Iale students.
4. The group should be selocted at rando. This is i:::::crt:s.nt
to ensure accurate results.
5. Students should indicate a%t 7.east one 0-2 the folle-Jingon-the Questionnaire: (a)--Cores (vci-bal ;
(a) SiT scores (verbal and T.-.ath); (c) ,T,CT scores ;e0a.-
1--,osite); (d) rank in class.
6. Students should return thai2 ce:,,pleted euestionnair,e totheir counselor who will for,;ard the Ahswor Shoats in theIDostage-told envelope orovided. :Inswer Sheets ahouldbe forwarded at the sans
Co:apietad cuestionnaires :-:,ust. be received. at our effc
no latr than : orocessed re::-uts Tillha raturnec to each 030ueraulncj counselor during ths-Iff.rst in :,larch.
Yf you have any cuestions regarding the cc:::pletieh cic:uestionnaires, suh:':,,ission dates, etc. PII:.;.IS2 0=E.,
Creative Concepts, 2nc.5400 Pooks bill RoadWashington, D.C. 20011(301) 530-6100
28.
nto-eF
irst
Street address
City
State
attendedC
ityS
tate
15
16
2327
28
BC
0E
12
3031
AB
C13
5458
59
AB
CD
,E18
Zip
Year
of graduation22
CD
EF
11
3
D.
E14
49
1
AB
CQ
E'1
16
6061
AB
19
5053
AB
CD
17
6567
80
CiliC
's;
This C
iJestionn.:iire :s ctivi(!e_.! 11)10parts, P
art I OA
,C1.1111 your pv...corkil
for college entrance; Pa 'rt II relates to your preferences for paticular college characteristics.
To answ
er the questions, follow these instructions:
1. Read each question carefully,
If you do not understand a question, seek the assist-once of your parents, teachers, or guidance counselor.
2. All of your responses to both sections of the Q
uestionnaire must be entered into
the appropriate boxes on the C.A
.M.P
.U.S
. Answ
er Shea. T
he number of each ques-
tion is shown below
the correct box on the Answ
er Sheet. W
e suggest that you indi-C
ate your responses on-the Questionnaire, and then transfer all of your responses to
the Answ
er Sheet at one tim
e. This w
ill allow you to review
your responses and tom
ake changes if necessary. You m
ay keep the Questionnaire as a record of your
responses.'
3. Since the questions in P
art II require a different type of response (you are per-m
itted to rank your responses in order of preference), please read the instructionsat the beginning of P
art II very carefully.
PA
RT
I:Q
UA
LIFIC
AT
ION
S (Q
uestions.1-10)
This section' deals w
ith your qualifications for college admission.
Each question has
from tw
o to ten possible responses. Read the question, and select the response w
hichm
ost closely fits your background; then enter the number corresponding to that re-
sponse in the appropriate box on the Answ
er Sheet. A
LL QU
ES
TIO
NS
MU
ST
BE
AN
SW
ER
ED
.
1.1 am
:_
1.M
ale2. F
emale
AB
C20
A8
C21
910
1112
1314
BC
22
22
A23
AB
24
30
21
E25
37
II
JK
Lntr,40P
Qn
5-r
VV
WX
25
.1552
L1
1:12
If19'
2122
2324
25
802
Prior to entering college I shall have com
pletedacadem
ic units (an academic
unit is the equivalent of two sem
esters of study for which credit is received):
1.Less than 12
2.12 to 14
3.15 or m
ore
3.. Prior to entering college I shall have com
pleted_
years of English:
1.Less than 3
2.3
3.4 or m
ore
4.P
rior tocolt..;!,
compluted ^ years of a F
e:ai,:n
1.Less than 2
2.T
wo or m
ore
L.;
L.-
--Lt.
y ,-;
:hop,' it ".," it)!,r.)x
your third cl/oice a2
:/-;1corr,:idcm
d, or if that.r.,
iflhex vtlsich corresponds
2.T
n_-..o o.' more
'1`01) V-:O
ULD
'DE
SIR
E IN
AC
OLL
i.",0$ I 11AV
E::(..v....t;u7:
-11-1:=.
BO
X.
.-6,
,or toi
heE
XA
?LE1.
ih.sn 1,.'
2.O
no or mare
/.c--.
of
f711'.,ji
0.I did not t,ike
\/(2:bni S,Ition of the S
AT
or PS
AT
1.400 or below
4.501 to-550
7.051 to 700
2. 401 to 4505.
551 to GO
O3.
701 to 7503.
451 to 5006.
601 to 650-/-9. A
bove 750
3.M
y sc,.-_re on:ii-:''S
cc.:;+-.61-1 of the S
AT
v. as:(iofer
;,..-tructicrIE,
cjrtier 710.
I did not take the Matom
-tics Scction of
the SA
T or P
SA
T1.
400 or below4.
501 to 5507.
651 to 7002.
401 to 4605.
551 to CO
O8.
701 to 7503.
451 to .560-"aG
.601 to 650
9. Above 750
9.M
y Colisucsite S
cbce 'on the Am
erican 'Collu;..,e T
esting Program
(AC
T) E
xamw
as:
I did not taice the AC
r Exam
/1.
11 or below4.
21 to 25--/-
2.12 to 15
.5/ 26 or m
ore3.
16 to 20
10.M
y rank in class is:
0.I do not know
my riirlIc in class
1. Top 1/10 of high school cliss
2.T
op 1/5 of high school class3. T
op 1/3 of high ;Ghcol class
4.T
op 2/3 of high school class5.
Lower 1/3 of high school class
PA
RY
II.77E
77.I'll"..l,10.-CS
(0s:estions 11-26)
Ilie s'-ci
inw
ith the cint.ctcrisdcs '.'hich you would prefer-in
ai:o
are important in 5o:f2ct.i'ny
in:r/ dill r in importance in your
YO
U7:160
HA
'113IT
Gi';'.3iiIt..1:11-7
Itqu1c:Af17. T
HE
SE
LArIV
E IN
:PO
RT
AN
CE
OF
ULC
ISIC
1%.,!1-1i7N
YO
U A
NS
WE
R O
UE
ST
ION
26.
I',2f
11:1'.ii nurni,er of possible alternative. R
ead c'ach al-!
rrIhT
1,1.--Ci(10. w
hich of those possibilitic:s yous.e
-1" in thi bx corresponding to that, c'.-.Qice.
A._.. V
.tor-1,T
GO
O)
3 13.$m
.-.11 iC60 to 1000)
7- C.
Medium
(1000 to 2500)D
.Large (2500 to 10,000)
E.
Very large (over 10,000)
1 32 i
i41
A IIC
OE
15
The response show
n in the example- indicates
that the student would prefer a large sized
school- first, a medium
sized school second, andto on; he w
ould not like to enroll in avery sm
all school.
My preferences are:
11,T
ype of school:
_A. U
niversity3.
Liberal Arts C
ollege7ine A
rts College
.
D.
Technological C
ollegeE
.T
eacher's College: Liberal A
rts & T
eacher Education
F.
Junior College
G. S
ub-baccalaureate technical school
12.C
ontrolling body:.A
State or F
ederal Governm
entB
.Local G
overnment
C.
Private (other than religious affiliated)
D. R
oman C
atholic Church-
_E. R
eligious group other than Rom
an Catholic C
hurch
13.C
orgrin-Ition of the student body:A
.A
ll wom
en or predominately all w
omen
B. , A
ll Men or predom
inatelym
enC
.C
oeducational or coordinate
14:G
s's:graphical location:
A.
Nes:t E
ngland (Conn., M
ass., Me.,
R.I., V
t.)B
.M
iddle Atftsistic S
tates (D.C
., Dole., M
d., N.J., N
.Y., P
a.)C
.G
reat Lakes States (III., Ind.,
-:lisc.)D
.P
lains States (Iow
a, Kans.,
Nr.).. N
.D., S
.D.)
_"E. S
outheastern Stctes (A
la., Ark., F
la., Ga.,
y., La., Miss., N
.C., S
.C.,
TC
11.1...Va
W. V
a., Canal Z
one, Puerto R
ico, Virgin Is.)
F.
Southw
estern States (A
riz., N. M
ex., OkIa., lexas)
.. G
.R
ocky Mount:fin S
sJtes (Colo., klaho,
Wyo.)
Far W
itstern Stales (A
laska, Calif.,
Ore,, W
ash., Guam
)I
..
22.I.:m
ate! t
(tiviler .300)S
mail (600 to 1000)
(1000 to 2500)Large (2b00.to 10,000)V
ery 1,:rge (over 10,000).
-
-- B.C.
D.
s, room and board):
A.
Under $ 1 100.
B.
51100. to S1600.
C.
S1600. to $2100.
D. $2100. to $2000.
__ E.
$2000. to S3100.
F.
Over $3100.
Reserve C
f (icor Training C
orps (RO
TC
) Program
:
A. R
OT
C should not be cquired.-
B.
Arm
y RO
TC
should be available._._ C
.N
avy RO
TC
should be available-__ D
.A
ir Force R
OT
C should be available.
13.S
ize of city or to...Jo:
A. A
small tow
n (less than 10,000)B
. A sm
all city (10,000 to 50,000)C
. A m
edium-si,:ccl city (50,000 to 500,000)
D. A
large metropolitan area (over 500,000)
E. A
suburb of a city (inner-city population exceeds 1C0,000)
to.R
csidentiof mix:
A.
Thefir
of students should reside on campus or in nearby housing
B.
The m
ajority of students should comm
ute from hom
e daily.,
20.C
!::r..,o'..21-ktics of 'We szuckot body:
A. T
hey should be inclined toward academ
ic pursuits with inform
al participation.
in rocial activities..
__ 3.T
hey !,!-,ouklhave a strong inclination toward organized extracurricular activities
maintaining participation in the academ
ic areas.C
.ItIcy:T
h?u!clinterested in iolLr-personal rvfationships w
ith a deep concern forresponsibility.
D. T
hey ti.citild he competitive w
ithin the "system- and exhibit a great deal of
school
21.eic
cf 1!.e
A.
:t should emphw
iie liber;i1 arts study._ N
..It should
t.cientit ic study.,
_ C.
11oceoparinnal -training in a specific field (e.g., laboratory
riotogy).
Financial
be widely available for F
reshmen.
Financial aid should be kie111.112!Q
to Freshm
en on e selective basis.F
inancial aid should be available to a large number of qualified F
reshmen.
Financial aid should be fc.asily obtainable for m
ost Freshm
en.
23.F
raternities or sororities:
A, . T
hey should piny a major role in collegiate social life, and a large num
ber ofstudents should participate.-they should play a m
inor role in collegiate social life, and a small num
ber of.students should participate.
24.F
ormal overseas study program
:
._A. A
n overseas study program should be available.
B. A
n overseas study program need not be available.
f.
25.1 w
ould like the institution TO
offer courses and degrees in one or more (up to five)
of the following subject areas (D
O N
OT
PIC
K M
OR
E T
HA
N F
IVE
):
_A. A
griculture__ B
.A
rchitecture =C.
Biological
Sciences
_O. B
usiness and Com
merce
__E. E
conomics
_F. E
ducation_G
. Engineering
H.
English Literature
_I.F
ine and Applied A
rts__J.
Foreign Languages
General S
tudies (Liberal Arts)
__ L.H
ealth Professions (M
edical Technology, P
harmacy, etc.)
History
N, H
ome E
conomics
0. Mathem
atics__P
.N
ursing__ O
.P
hilosophy.__R
.P
olitical Science
__S,
Physic::: S
eienect,(Chem
istry, Physics, G
eology, etc.)__T
.P
sychologya.
_U. R
eligion_ V
. Secretarial S
tudies_W
. Sociology.
XS
cier,res (except Econom
ics, Political S
cience, and Sociology)
--s,,
2d. V.11":.1,;IlTINGCF PREFERENCE QUESTlildiNS:
'The eitatioris which you have jest cios'.vered will vary in importance to you. This ques-tion allows you to indicate the relative importance which YOU would give to each collegecharacteristic mentioned in questions 11-25. Each characteristic will fall' somewhere be-tween "totally unimportant" (weight equal to zero) cod "extremely important" (weightcclaal to nine). The possible gradations between these extremes are shown on the fcllow-ing line:
Total '.y ExtremelyUnimportant 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 important
EXAMPLE
14. Geographic Location 14) 2
A weight of two means that geographic location is a factor in the student's choice of aschool, but not a very important one.
For each Preference Characteristic, select a number (zero through 9) which reflects theimportance of each characteristic to you. This value should be entered in the appropriatebox. Any value may be used as frequently as you,wish.
( Preference Characteristic Weighting Value1 /
11) Type of School 11)
12) Controlling Body 12)
13) Composition of Student Body 13)
14) Geographic location, 14)
15) Enrollment 15)
16) Cost 16)
17) ROTC 17)
13) Size of City or Town 18)19) Residential mix 19)23) Characteristics of Students 20)21) Academic emphasis 21)22) Financial aid 22)23) Fraternities and sororities 23)24) Overseas study program 24)25) Courses and degrees offered 25)
_
Now that you have completed the Questionnaire and transferred your responses to theAnswer Sheet, please review your responses to make sure they are correct, complete, and
legible.
The sooner you submit your Questionnaire, the more promptly C.A.M.P.U.S. will be ableto provide you with the list of schools you and C.A.M.P.U.S. have selected.
C)Crealive Concepts, Inc., 1969
r'
32SAL;11,41,
College Selection Summary Questionnaire
Directions
Counselor:
The-nafes of all students in your school who participated in theOffice of Education study dealing with computer - assisted
college selection are listed on the attached pages.. The studentsare listed by "student number", as well as by name. In addition,a scale is included which you.are requested to complete. The scalerepresents the number of schools appearing on the "individual listsWhich YOU.feel are satisfactory elections.
Please refer to the appropriate 'fists of college selections for'eachstudent (previously mailed to.you) and CIRCLE that digit which rep-resents the NUMBER OF SCHOOLS which, in your opinion, -are satisfactoryselections. Thus, if "JOiln Doe's" list of college selections contains-seven (7) colleges whiCh are in line with those you might recommend,circle "7" on the scale.
All of your responses will be kept in strictest confidence, and onlycompiled statistics,,will be disseminated.
This is a most important phase of the overall study, and your co-operation is greatly appreciated. Please'return the College SelectionSummary Sheet on or before May 22, 1970; the final report resultswill be distributed in mid June.
William J. KardashCreative Concepts, Inc.5400 Pooks Hill RoadBethesda, Maryland 20014
33
Thank You
a_4,61Willis . Kardash1:,roje Director
COLLEGE SELECTION SUMMARY SHEET
Student StudentName', Number
ti
34
Counselor
School
City State
Rating
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. 1.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2. 3 4 5 6- 7 8 9 13
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 16
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I 2 3 4 5 6- 7 3 1.) .1:ii.
1 2 , 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
'1 2 3 4 5 6- . 7 8 9 :01 2 3 4 s 6 7 8 9--1-0-
1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8 10.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 1-0-
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6- 7 3 9
1 2 3 4 5 o i b --9 1,
2 3 4 5 6 7 S 2_0
1 4 5 i S v u
3 6 7 16
2 3 4 5 6 7 3 9
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 7 .3 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 3 9 16
1 2 3 4 -5-- T6
1 2 3 4 .5 7 3 9
C.A.,\:1.P.U.S. ANJ;=;3 SHE'LI1pri;:t or 1/,0)f i
S..20 Oc.,tioniliirc for iiiti-ue;:ions _1
1
..
,.1 ! . i _... [ ,
-11,S
- -
Srlcot arr'2.C.Iicrrrr;
I
...
.- . t :, l' I:,
..
;.._..1 .....:,..r. C.,. i 0.....,..,.....,S C1ty Sta,,,
........-......
1 0 3 191'. .-, , , , ' .- ; "- i ', F ,-; 1 .. , : 1 ' t ,
i
bI 1.1 L 2 ' 3 j el t.. ' G 1 7 1 0 , 5....-..-J
110 iiN
27 73 30 3,
r,,! 1 S 1 t ; 1
r 'r i
A B C D L if\ pr C in li c c,2,i c: i,1
12
4 .1 CI .....1
.
..,.
. ' '''') / 1 1 '. 1 '' Li ! I 1 !I !
. N.
r
; A 3 C A L. 1 r A 1. C r) C I I ! A LI L. b N',..,.- --.i . - ..
i i...;1
1...................' .)r
1 ".--,',N..,
Lrrl. 23 ,r0 (0 13
iI i I I [_..........
1 '' 1i LI L1 1
1
IA i.3 c D L 1 IA ;3, A 1. c DI FA :..r.i,
13 ...._:11_1 ....j 20 j-C : r) 11 ] 2 13- -- -
1 j -1'n 1 I. r f i
1 / : 1" ii, __Iiiti ''';1,c_.__,P. CI C 0113 E3 1 IA 5 A 0 C 0 r., C Cr 11 !
L 22 J i 23 I L...2L 25 .._,.
i III ii ,
1 1 I 1 H HIIr
r 3 K L M N 0 P Q 12 S 3 6 V V: X'125 J
I 1 ., '. ..,
1 1 I ; 1H 'T"' li "1 11 12 13 14 15 1G 17 la 1'3' 23 21 22 23 2.4 ,20 ,
23
1 [Sc Sure Your Ar3e.vrs Are Legitio)
35
1
Y.AY. 19YU
13:Et" CL,L 3 AND Trc:::
C:L! E3L NANE CITY AND SLATE
EL HILL
i,NIRSITY SF ..LA3ANA
SYLT!]
CHAPEL HILL N C
UNIVERSITY ALA
TALLAHASSE
C.R.LL;C:: STAI UNIVRSITY CO:01ALLIS ClEC
UN:1\J t SLiOTN CARGLINA CULU;:iiIA SC
CL.:.SCN SC
LNISiTY C ;.RXANSAS . FAVETTEVILLL
AU..',U ALA
CVALEICH ALEiGH N C
UNI.Ts: CY- CR'LGC.,N EUGENE °REG
LiP COD2
27514
30
3230;)
2(:)20:';
296-J1
727C1
27601
07. CE
;-.AVE bEEN SELECTED YCU SOLELY LN r :SYCU ESTLISHED IN RESPONSE TO THE
JUAE IT IS 1)ORTAM- TC NOTE THAT CNLY SC!-.COLS N-i CHChOSEN rift YCU..
SELECTION IS :.:=NT TO 3E THE ',7-1RT STE:, :NA COLL:.:GE. CNLY YGU, YCLR
CLS:E=LCk CAN HAKE THE CECISICN fACLAA NEST F.CR YOU. LEFOL YOU i',AKE THIST,AT vOU CAi:EFULLY EXANHE LLL ,CF. THE SCH:JLS
CNCE YOU HAVE STUDIED AND GISCUSSLD EACH S.7.iL.-.:"71,11_, YOU HILL BE 2ETTER PxLPARLD TiJ.E
E:cCLCSED A C.A.N.P.U.S..CUESTIONNAIRE AND AS Ift'-
31 IT TO A FRIEND LHD NIGHT 3E INTERE:TED IN OU2, S,,IRVIC. IA ,
ANY CUESTICNS OR COY,C.ENTS ABOUT C.A.N.P.U.S.,DC NAT HESITATE TO '4kITE TO US.
SINCERELY,
CREATIVE CLNCL:TS
36
37
Dear Counselor:
The results cfthe C.A.M.P.U.S. college-selection questionnaireshave been completed, and are enclosed in the accompanying folder.One set of college. selections is for distribution to the partici-pating students, while the other set is for your files.
There are several important facts concerning the selections whichshould be explained:
1. The colleges are selected on the basis of the rosocr.seswhich each student provided on the C.A.M.P.U.S. qe,astion-naire. Conseruently, the accuracy and/or completenl:sswhich the individual exercised in com')leting the c-,utioA-rlaire is very important in determining the final results.
2. Those students who did not indicate the PSAT, SAT, ACT, orrank in class have received selections based almost entirelyon their preferences; the number of years of math, english,etc. provided some degree of qualification for the variousschools.
3. The sckools are selected, basically, by a process of elim-nation. A score is computed for each school for which thestudent is cualified, followed by the elimination of allschools which do not meet his :references. The TOP TENscores (hence, schools) are selected and printed out b`:'- thecomputer: THE SCHOOLS APPEAR -IN ORDER OF THEIR DEGREE OF_ARCH. However, we h'ave purposely omitted the scores enf.a numerical ranking of the schools because we prefer forthe student to consider ALL TEN schools as ecuals.shoy.id be in the position of telling the student that thisis THE ,school for you: least of all, a.computer!
e suggest that the student NOT be told the reason behindthe order of schools appearing on the 'list.
4. In some instances the student's list may contain LESS Ti:ANten schools; this can occur for several reasons:
a. an incomplete questionnaire;.
b. too severe restrictions: i.e., he may wish to attenda technological college supported by the CatholicChurch, and located in the Rocky Y:ountains.Similar combinations of criteria with no :f.it=nativc.,:iprovided will cause the computer to print -out an
:;:d'iia-3 0 5400 Pocks Hi:! Rd. 0 ton, D.C. 23L''.-; c soi.:,,ac;-6:3
r
.
error message indicating the conditions resultingin the limitation of selections.'
c. if Several, but less than ten schools arc selected,it is the result of the e ::haustion of those schools .
meeting the student's criteria existing in the Data-.hank.
5. A most important chase of this project is to follow: duringtee next two-weeks you will receive a brief ouestionnaireinquiring into YOUR subjective opinions about the computer-ized college selections. We would like to know if the schoolsselected for the students are, in fact, in line with thoseyou would recommend for the student. You will need thA listof colleges reserved for your files, so please keep temon hand.
Thus. far, the project has been fairly close to schedule, save fora few minor hazards such as mail strikes, and the like.
'Thank you for your assistance and cooperation through PHASE 0:32 ofthe Study; it has been most appreciated.