Structured exit interviews using MDS

Abstract

The main purpose of this report is to introduce the technique of MDS (Multidimensional Scaling) as a tool for organizing, enhancing, and structuring information that may be obtained from students during their exit interviews. More specifically the report is concenred with the question of measuring and summarizing the student's perception of the instructional treatment they received while at NPS. The administration is obliged to monitor this process and MDS offers a dynamic and yet structured way to manage this problem. Moreover, it will be seen that the technique is a subtle one which allows the discovery of new factors that influence the perception process. It has the potential of providing a way to separate unwanted effects. Recent advances in computer input technology make feasible the data collection component that is inherent in the application of the MDS technique. The student may link to a user friendly computer program which will request information of the proper kind. Responses are input by moving the cursor to the proper position and striking an appropriate key. (The use of a touchscreen or a mouse would be even better.) When finished, the respondent can send his input to a central file where it is merged with input from other sources and processed. The use of the console for the administration of a questionnaire allows much information to be gathered in a reasonably short period of time. The type of information requested and the way it is analyzed are the main issues treated herein. Keywords: Measurement of teacher performance; KYST computer program