entrepreneurial spirit and creativity to set up their own business. 5% said it had enhanced their confidence and self esteem and the remaining 6%, or 11 respondents, said they felt their attitude to work had changed for the better. Finally, students were asked to give their views on how MMU could improve services to students in the future. Almost every respondent had a view to share on this point. The issue that was mentioned most frequently was the improvement of accommodation/hostel facilities for students. This was closely followed by the of transportation to Saaka. The third most common concern related to the research requirements of the teaching programmes. A number of students commented that there was insufficient supervision/guidance for student research. Others were concerned that research projects should commence earlier in the course (e.g. in the second year of bachelors programmes). The fourth most common concern related to student-lecturer interaction. Comments included the difficulty of accessing lecturers, that there are too few lecturers in some departments and that communication with some lecturers is challenging. The fifth most common issue raised related to practical experience/field attachments. Here the concerns were that more effort should be given to supervision (especially of school practice for teaching students) and that there should be more opportunities given to gain practical experience. 4. Concluding remarks The overwhelming majority of respondents to MMU’s first-ever alumni-survey are studying parallel to full-time employment. This represents the high proportion of weekend- and students; hence might reduce as more week-day students (S6-leavers) will be enrolled. Only few students have the opportunity to work part time; only few have the aptitude for entrepreneurship. The majority have rather positive perceptions about their from the course in terms of “take-away” career-prospects though there is some caution about salary-increases and personal development. – – Most feel that they considerably enhanced their skills and knowledge; but relatively few feel they expanded their social networks and self-confidence. These are encouraging findings which appreciate the achievement of the young university; while pointing clearly to the task before MMU to nurture and build a culture of interaction, discussion and exploration. What is your take-away from this article? What are professional expectations found among students who graduated from MMU?
entrepreneurial spirit and creativity to set up their own business. 5% said it had enhanced their confidence and self esteem and the remaining 6%, or 11 respondents, said they felt their attitude to work had changed for the better. Finally, students were asked to give their views on how MMU could improve services to students in the future. Almost every respondent had a view to share on this point. The issue that was mentioned most frequently was the improvement of accommodation/hostel facilities for students. This was closely followed by the of transportation to Saaka. The third most common concern related to the research requirements of the teaching programmes. A number of students commented that there was insufficient supervision/guidance for student research. Others were concerned that research projects should commence earlier in the course (e.g. in the second year of bachelors programmes). The fourth most common concern related to student-lecturer interaction. Comments included the difficulty of accessing lecturers, that there are too few lecturers in some departments and that communication with some lecturers is challenging. The fifth most common issue raised related to practical experience/field attachments. Here the concerns were that more effort should be given to supervision (especially of school practice for teaching students) and that there should be more opportunities given to gain practical experience. 4. Concluding remarks The overwhelming majority of respondents to MMU’s first-ever alumni-survey are studying parallel to full-time employment. This represents the high proportion of weekend- and students; hence might reduce as more week-day students (S6-leavers) will be enrolled. Only few students have the opportunity to work part time; only few have the aptitude for entrepreneurship. The majority have rather positive perceptions about their “take-away” from the course in terms of career-prospects – though there is some caution about salary-increases – and personal development. Most feel that they considerably enhanced their skills and knowledge; but relatively few feel they expanded their social networks and self-confidence. These are encouraging findings which appreciate the achievement of the young university; while pointing clearly to the task before MMU to nurture and build a culture of interaction, discussion and exploration. What is your take-away from this article? What are professional expectations found among students who graduated from MMU?