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The Use of Tracer Study in Improving Undergraduate Programs in

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The Use of Tracer Study in Improving
Undergraduate Programs in the University
Lijueraj J. Cuadra,* Ma. Rachel Kim L. Aure, Gretchen L. Gonzaga

ARTICLE INFORMATION ABSTRACT

Article History: Every academic institution’s goal is to produce

Received: November 20, 2018 competent and highly qualified graduates
Received in revised form: July 29, 2019 that can eventually be competitive in a local
Accepted: July 25, 2019 and global arena. A graduate tracer study is
a very powerful tool that can provide valuable
Keywords: information for evaluating the whereabouts
curricular enhancements, employment and performance of the graduates in the
status, graduate tracer studies, workplace. This study aimed to keep track of
undergraduate curriculum the graduates in one of the state universities
in the Philippines. A total of 1,983 graduates
*Corresponding author: Lijueraj J. Cuadra responded to this study. A structured survey
(lijueraj.cuadra@vsu.edu.ph) questionnaire served as instrument to gather
data interpreted through frequencies and
percentages. Results revealed that most
of the graduates were in their early 20s
and have just recently graduated from the
university. Furthermore, they were able to
find a job through someone they knew. Most
of the graduates have jobs related to their
respective degree programs. Relevance of the
degree program to professional requirements
was a major strength of the undergraduate
curriculum. However, the study identified
extra-curricular activities and a number
of optional subjects as areas that need
improvement. To enrich the existing degree
programs, the institution has to focus on
student mobility, credit transfers, quality
assurance and research clusters as the four
main priorities to harmonize with the ASEAN
higher education system.

Introduction successful integration into the labor market.

These students put a strain on publicly-
At present, there is a larger pool funded institutions of higher learning and
of tertiary graduates; however, many do many countries with limited resources are
not have the relevant skills needed for struggling to finance the growing needs of a

Volume 6     Issue No. 1             ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL 13
larger student body, without compromising and labor force growth always outdo formal
the quality of their educational offerings (The job creation. This problem has rippled as
World Bank, 2017). A number of countries, the Philippine HEIs generate more and
including China, India, and Brazil have more graduates in the field of commerce,
undertaken a major restructuring of their engineering, health, sciences, agriculture, and
tertiary education systems to enhance their many more, yet the jobs are not really created
reach and effectiveness. Yet, progress has as quickly as the universities handing out the
been uneven. Nations across the globe made college diploma (de Ocampo, Bagano, & Tan,
sure that their national policies prioritized 2012). With this gap, education institutions
fair access, improve learning, proficient should work in partnership with the private
retention, and increase assertion of the and the public sectors to guarantee an
success of all qualified students, irrespective effective job market placement of fresh
of their circumstances. Both policies and graduates. Stressing on specific and well-
program degrees need to be tailored-fit to targeted skills and efficient collaboration
the needs of the economy (Marmolejo, 2016). between universities and firms will lead to
a successful transition from education to
Nevertheless, Abel and colleagues the labor market (Drine, 2017). A graduate
(2014) argued that graduates who are tracer study is a subject appropriate in
beginning to build their careers often need evaluating the results of education and
time to transition into the labor market. training provided in the academic institution.
These difficulties are not new occurrence. It gives basic types of information concerning
Based on their examination, college degree the graduates’ whereabouts and employment
plays a significant role in determining status. Results of such study can provide
whether a graduate would land a good job. sufficient information on the success of
This means that students should choose a education and training in relation to the
degree program based on their skill level, graduates and employers.
particularly those who have higher intrinsic
skills and abilities that might have better Global Perspective in
labor market outcomes. Conducting Tracer Study

In the challenges of 21st century The impression of HEIs in the

education, higher education stands out Philippines is likely tangled to its reputation
as one of the major keys to cope with of generating graduates who would
reforms through instruction, research, and undoubtedly acquire a good and stable
extension. It has become a big challenge for job after graduation. Tracer studies are
all Philippine Higher Education Institutions common research methods for educational
(HEIs) to cater these reforms. One way of institutions to check on the employability of
addressing these concerns is by producing their graduates (de Ocampo, Bagano, & Tan,
fully-equipped graduates who would use 2012). Likewise, Rogan and Reynolds (2016)
what they have learned in school and apply asserted that a Graduate Tracer Study (GTS)
them in their respective work (Tertiary is useful for policy and equity implication in
Education Commission, 2009). higher education. They have suggested that
policies should not just focus on providing
Compared to other countries in Asia, interventions for the school but also by
unemployment and underemployment are concentrating closely on university students
one of the main concerns of the Philippine from the poorly resourced schools and at
government. The country has been the earliest stage of their studies. They also
encountering these same issues for many argued that instead of confronting study
decades. The continual population explosion choices to address graduate unemployment,

14 ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL             Volume 6    Issue No. 1
it is better to focus more on improving the Distance Learning and the Department of
match between these graduates and labor Mathematics utilized the findings or results
market by dealing with the oversupply- of the study to review their curricula to meet
side issues, as well as taking into account workplace demands.
the shaping of labor demand by employer
preferences and employment practices. Graduate Tracer Studies in the Philippines

Meanwhile, tracer study as a research The Commission on Higher Education

strategy stresses that education mismatches (CHED) in the Philippines has mandated
appear to capture different aspects of the HEIs to conduct tracer studies as part of
accuracy of the job‐worker pairing, and the definition of a center of excellence
therefore, have separate consequences and center of development of degree
for workers (both in monetary and non‐ programs. The graduate profile is also one
monetary terms). Skill mismatches are of the documentary requirements of the
recognized by employees as a serious relevant higher education accrediting body e.g., the
issue than education mismatches. The wage Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges
and job satisfaction consequences of skill and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP),
mismatches are strongly negative while Inc. Data generated from a tracer study
education mismatches show much weaker could re-evaluate the factors affecting and
effects (Badillo-Amador & Vila, 2013). contributing to the status of the employment
of graduates. Based on extant literature, the
Badiru and Wahome (2016) used majority of graduates landed on local jobs,
experiences, methodologies, results, and particularly in the government sector.
lessons of a pioneer GTS conducted at Moi
University. Their paper posits a seven- For instance, the Cebu Technological
stage GTS guide that fits the needs of East University-Main Campus (CTU-MC) College
Africa. Recommendations, information of Education (CoE) graduates were proven
feedback, and evaluative proposals created proficient and competent to be employable
by graduates regarding their experiences in the government schools as revealed in
during their degree study and transition the seven illuminating themes (future high
to the job market hugely help to enhance school teachers predominate on track, search
the quality of education and services at for new employment begins, genesis of
the university. The paper, thus, intended to teaching novitiate, job-seeking: the struggle
arouse the desire to initiate and entrench continues, teaching as a human relations act,
GTS as a means by which quality assurance relevant college of education curriculum),
can be achieved at the universities and thus resulted in favorable opportunities.
HEIs in East Africa. Originality and value of High school teachers prevail on the track than
this paper lie in its first-ever proposal for the elementary teachers with a negligible
a guide for GTS suitable and domesticated difference. CTU’s mandate has equipped
for East Africa. Ghana’s experience in tracer graduates for their chosen field indicating
study supported that this tool found that the the importance of personality rather than
content of their program showed that the job other predetermined factors. Academic
performance of their graduates improved preparation and career performance
after their study. Job supervisors gave the exhibited significance for successful teaching
graduates with ‘very high rating’ in job employment in the public sector (Rojas &
performance indicators such as ‘teamwork Rojas, 2016).
ability’ and ‘improved work competence’.
Based on the findings, Osei and colleagues A tracer study of 200 Bachelor of
(2015) recommended that the Institute of Science in Computer Science graduates from

Volume 6     Issue No. 1             ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL 15
2004-2009 in Lyceum of the Philippines Purposes of Research
University (LPU) also showed that about 85%
of the respondents were gainfully employed. The study aimed to keep track of the
The majority of them have professional, undergraduate programs of the university.
technical, and supervisory positions It specifically sought to answer the following
(Macatangay, 2013). Meanwhile, a tracer objectives: a) ascertain the employment
study in Philippine Normal University (PNU) status and job experiences of the graduates
showed that the competencies and skills to be and b) identify policy implications and
considered for immediate job acquisition of recommendations for the improvement of
the graduates were communication, human the tertiary education curriculum of the
relations, leadership, research, and problem- university.
solving skills (Gines, 2014). Although these
exists undergraduate curricular programs
which their graduates rated as “very adequate Methods
and very relevant”, they still need to adhere
to the international standards, be relevant Research Design
to the competency framework of South
East Asian Teachers of the 21st century, and This study employed a quantitative
integrate lifelong learning skills. Moreover, descriptive research design covering the
Gines (2014) emphasized the importance of employment status and job experiences of the
an institutionalized university-wide tracer graduates. It is, in part, a curricular program
study every school year. Nonetheless, GTS evaluation if the graduates had effectively
should not only focus on the graduates but achieved the goal of their respective degree
also include the employers as respondents. programs. Moreover, policy implications and
recommendations identified were necessary
Similarly, at the Lyceum of the for the curricular improvement in the
Philippines, Celis, Festijo, and Cueto (2013) university.
reported that the most useful competencies
their graduates learned were human Instrument
relations and communications. Lalican
(2007) even revealed in her tracer study To obtain the needed information,
that employers prefer specialists rather the research coordinators and research
than generalists and graduates who were assistants of the different colleges and
effective, efficient, and cooperative. external campuses administered a
structured-survey questionnaire which
The university has been producing the university developed anchored on
graduates in different degree programs CHED graduate tracer competencies. The
since its foundation on June 2, 1924. Thus, it questionnaire had three major parts. Part
is necessary to follow-up their whereabouts A gathered the general information about
through a tracer study which may contribute the respondents. Part B collected the
to the literature on its reliability and educational background of the respondents
efficiency to monitor and evaluate curricula. while Part C gathered the employment status
Findings are useful in the field of institutional of the respondents. This was done to ensure
improvement and quality assurance. Lastly, that all items in the research instrument are
this study would also inform policymakers accurate and all concerns pertaining to each
in crafting a curriculum for development to degree program will be addressed. After the
meet local and global demands for a highly seminar-workshop, the research instrument
skilled labor force. was then approved by the university.

16 ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL             Volume 6    Issue No. 1
Participant, Sampling Procedure After gathering the information from
and Ethical Consideration the respondents of the study, researchers
asked for their assistance in tracing or
The registrar’s office provided a roster identifying people who possessed some of
of graduates from school year 2010 to 2015. the characteristics of their research interest
The respondents’ profile was similar to a (Biernacki & Waldorf, 1981) to ensure
previous graduate tracer study conducted accurate referrals and so as to maximize the
by Gines (2014). Out of the 6,500 graduates, time in the conduct of this study. Moreover,
a total of 1,983 respondents of this study they tabulated the collected data in MS Excel
represented 30.51% of the graduates. More and coded for analysis using frequencies and
than half of the respondents (58.4%) were percentages to interpret the gathered data
females. Nearly two-thirds (38.5%) were (Table 1).
middle-aged (24 to 29 years old), about one-
fourth were between 18-23 years old(25.9%)
and the majority (67.6%) were single. Table 1
College degree of the respondents in the main
A non-probability sampling technique campus and external campuses
decided the subjects included in the sample Colleges of the main campus No. of Percent
(Battaglia, 2008). In this technique, research respondents
coordinators and assistants chose those College of Agriculture and 381 19.2
Food Science (CAFS)
who were conveniently available and who
College of Engineering 183 9.2
could be reached either online or offline. (COE)
The alumni directory of each department College of Forestry and 169 8.5
helped in contacting graduates who have not Environmental Science
(CFES)
changed their contact details.
College of Nursing (CON) 77 3.9
College of Veterinary 288 14.5
For ethical considerations, participation Medicine (CVM)
in the study was voluntary. Researchers College of Arts and 288 14.5
assured their respondents that their responses Sciences (CAS)
and information were confidential and for Total 1386 69.8
research use only. Not disclosing any name,
information, or sensitive details that could VSU external campuses
potentially identify any of them assured their VSU – Tolosa Campus 178 9.0
protection. VSU – Alang-alang 165 8.3
Campus

Data Collection and Data Analysis VSU – Villaba Campus 254 12.8
Total 597 30.3

At the start, the researchers made Total 1983 100

a directory that contained the list of the
graduates covered in this study. It took some
time to track them and later instructed them Result and Discussion
to accomplish the web-based questionnaire.
Online Google Form was the main platform Employment Status and Job Experiences
in gathering data automatically stored in the
Google drive. If the graduates had no access Employment Status
to the internet, the researchers personally
visited them in their places or offices in At the time of the study, more than
order to achieve maximum consistency in 75% of the graduates were employed. The
data gathering, storing, and coding. rest of them were not employed and a few

Volume 6     Issue No. 1             ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL 17
Table 2
Distribution of graduates according to their degree programs and employment status

Employment status
Degree programs Never have been Total
Yes No
employed
Main campus
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) 258 29 1 288
Bachelor of Animal Science (BAS) 90 10 2 102
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) 119 27 6 152
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Chemistry (BSAC) 41 3 - 44
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (BSC) 77 5 - 82
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering (BSAE) 22 6 - 28
Bachelor of Science in Development Education (DSDE) 44 4 2 50
Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSFo) 169 - - 169
Bachelor of Science in Food Technology (BSFT) 63 10 3 76
Bachelor of Science in Statistics (BSS) 37 3 - 40
Bachelor of Science in Biology (BSB) 98 24 - 122
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) 77 3 - 80
Bachelor of Science in Geodetic Engineering (BSGE) 39 2 - 41
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 70 7 - 77
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) 32 2 - 34
Villaba campus
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education (BSAE) 4 - - 4
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) 20 8 1 29
Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) 64 10 6 80
Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) 61 49 5 115
Tolosa campus
Bachelor of Science in Criminology (BSC) 37 8 6 51
Bachelor of Science in Fisheries (BSFi) 12 5 - 17
Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) 28 3 2 33
Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) 37 8 6 51
Alang-alang campus
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) 12 4 1 17
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management (BSEM) 23 13 1 37
Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) 18 9 1 28
Bachelor of Elementary Education (BSEEd) 53 25 5 83

of them had never been employed. Table 2 of the total employed. This implies that
showed the distribution of graduates based agriculture education graduates are needed
on their employment status. Bachelor of in the country. However, BSFo had a higher
Science in Forestry (BSFo) and Bachelor of response rate compared to BSAE. More than
Science in Agricultural Education (BSAE) three-fourths of the BEEd graduates from
had the highest employment rate among the Villaba campus were not yet employed. The
degree programs. In the Philippine Statistics findings of Baking and colleagues (2015)
Authority (PSA) report on employment showed opposite results to the study because
rate, the agriculture sector comprised the the majority of their education graduates
second largest group making up to 24.1% were employed.

18 ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL             Volume 6    Issue No. 1
 Figure 1. Tenure status of employed graduates

The respondents who were not levels. The findings of Baking and colleagues
currently employed gave reasons why (2015) yielded similar results because the
they did not have a job yet. They revealed majority of the respondents were in the
that family concern made them decide not education sector. Gines (2014) also reported
to find a job, however, the main cause of a high employment rate among teacher
their unemployment was the lack of job education graduates of a normal university
opportunities. It is very alarming that one in the Philippines. Furthermore, Canizares
of the top reasons for being not employed (2015) revealed in her study of teacher
was due to lack of job opportunity when in education graduates that they specialized in
fact there are several sectors in the public science and mathematics.
and private in dire need of employees
(Salvosa, 2015). These details could help the Work Location
concerned institutions on how to address
unemployment. In addition, Macatangay Figure 2 shows that majority of them
(2013) found lack of work experience as the are working locally in the Philippines. The
number one problem when looking for a job rest are working abroad. This indicates that
followed by no job opportunity. a large fraction chose to stay and impart
their knowledge/expertise in the country.
Tenure Status The Lyceum of the Philippines conducted a
study which also showed that the majority
Figure 1 presents the current tenure of the respondents were working in the
status of the graduates. Based on the graph, Philippines.
almost half of the graduates had regular or
permanent status. Similarly, tracer study
of the Lyceum of the Philippines presented
almost the same percentage of employed
respondents with regular or permanent
status (Macatangay, 2013).

Nature of Work

The nature of work of the graduates’

revealed that about one-fourth were in the
education sector. These employed graduates
are in the tertiary, secondary, and elementary Figure 2. Graduates’ place of work

Volume 6     Issue No. 1             ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL 19
Table 3
Cross tabulation between colleges/external campuses and degree relevance to job

Colleges Degree Relevance to Job

Total
Yes No
F % F % F %

CAFS 323 87.5% 46 12.5% 369 100%

COE 163 90.1% 18 9.9% 181 100%
CFES 167 98.8% 2 1.2% 169 100%
CON 71 93.4% 5 6.6% 76 100%
CVM 255 90.7% 26 9.3% 281 100%
CAS 237 84% 45 16% 282 100%
Tolosa Campus 71 97.3% 2 2.7% 73 100%
Alang-alang Campus 116 73.9% 41 26.1% 157 100%
Villaba Campus 171 77.7% 49 22.3% 220 100%
Total 1574 87.1% 234 12.9% 1808 100%

Job Retention and Change Job Search Strategies

When the employed graduates were In terms of ways on landing their first
asked if this was their first job after college, job, recommendation from someone was
more than half of them said no. Similarly, the the most effective means while the school’s
findings of Aquino and colleagues (2015) arrangement on job placement was the least.
from the State University of Batangas The findings are also similar with the findings
reported that the employment of their of Aquino and colleague (2015) that majority
graduates was their first. of their respondents found their first job
through someone’s recommendation.
For those who responded yes, they
disclosed that they stayed on their first job Relevance of Degree to Job
for three top reasons, which included salaries
and benefits related to course program of A considerable number of graduates
study, and career challenge. These were said that they have relevant degrees to their
also the reasons for switching, changing and current job. Based on Table 3, majority of
leaving from their first one. A similar study the graduates in all colleges and external
of Aquino and colleagues (2015) revealed campuses had jobs related to their degree.
that the reason for staying on their present CFES had the highest number of graduates
employment was attributed to salaries and whose degree was related to their job while
benefits. Furthermore, the first job of the Villaba campus had the least number of
majority of the graduates was related to the graduates whose jobs were not related to
degree program they took up in college. Vong their degrees. This result simply means
(2015) also reported that majority of the that most of the graduates recognized that
respondents of the GTS conducted confirmed their degree programs provided them the
that their current jobs were related to the necessary knowledge and skills for them
degree they had studied in the university. to be useful in their respective jobs. This
Miralles and Macatangay (2015) also cited could be the reason why more than half of
career challenge, salaries and benefits as the the graduates landed a job six months after
prime reasons for the job switch. graduation. There is, however, a need for

20 ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL             Volume 6    Issue No. 1
Villalaba and Alang-alang campuses to revisit Meanwhile, those who were self-
their curricula to meet the demands of the employed were asked what skills they learned
labor market and reduce unemployment rate in college and which were useful to their
in the country. respective professions. The respondents
stated computer literacy skills, biomass
Competencies and Skills Acquired assessment, and related computation,
AutoCAD, and GIS and remote sensing
Table 4 reflects the competencies and/ (College of Engineering), time management,
or skills that the graduates learned in college patience, and nursing care (College of
and which were very useful to their job. The Nursing), teaching skills, management
top competencies were communication, skills, and doing work responsibly (College
human relations, critical thinking, problem- of Education), analytical, computer,
solving, information technology, and mathematics, and critical thinking skills
teaching skills. Macatangay (2013) also (College of Arts and Sciences), business and
stressed that communication skills and tax, laboratory and surgery work (College of
information technology skills were the top Veterinary Medicine). This means that these
skills found useful in the workplace. This existing skills gained from the university
also supports the reasons for landing a job proved to be very applicable in their
six months after graduation. respective fields.

Strategic Action Plan to Improve

Table 4 Undergraduate Programs
Skills acquired by the graduates in college
Accommodating the challenges
Skills/competencies F %
learned in college deduced by this tracer study, the university
Communication skills 1237 20.2% may need to address major academic
Human relations skills 1086 17.8% concerns. One of the key concerns is relevant
Critical thinking skills 884 14.5% curriculum. To tackle this, the different
Problem-solving skills 872 14.3% degree programs must be strengthened
Information technology through updating of laboratory equipment,
678 11.1%
skills constructing/renovating of classrooms,
Teaching skills 648 10.6% and revisiting and enhancing existing
Entrepreneurial/
377 6.2%
curricula. Instituting programs to improve
managerial skills
the teaching competencies and organizing
Laboratory/technical skills 304 5.0%
programs that supplement classroom
Time management 4 0.1%
learning are strategies to further improve
Analytical skill 4 0.1%
the existing curricula.
Surveying skills 3 0.0%
Leadership skills 3 0.0% A qualified and committed faculty
Entertainment skills 3 0.0% member must also be a major concern to
Hardwork 2 0.0% improve the outcome of the programs. To
Coping life’s challenges 2 0.0% deal with this, development and recruitment
National Certificate (NC) 2 0.0% of competent faculty and updating of
Research skills 2 0.0% teaching courses should be undertaken.
Ethical skills 1 0.0%
Nursing skills 1 0.0% Finally, on the challenges of the
Total 6113 100.0% university to produce highly trained and
*Multiple responses employable graduates, opportunities through
support programs should be expanded. To

Volume 6     Issue No. 1             ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL 21
respond to this, strategies like establishing transform themselves into highly desirable
review centers for some programs, setting college graduates and prospective employees.
up a clinic for DVM students, requiring On-
the-Job Training (OJT) to some programs, The majority of the graduates are
exposing students to more research and field hired locally and only a few are working
studies, and encouraging students to present abroad. This sends signal to the university
and publish papers in local/international to start working to produce graduates who
conferences should be instituted. With all are globally competitive. In a globalized
responsible units of the university pitching economy, every student should be educated
in, a much brighter future for the university as an international student, a global citizen
is achievable. with the aspiration to compete globally. To
do this, the university has to focus on student
Implications mobility, credit transfers, quality assurance
and research clusters as the four main
More than half of the respondents were priorities to harmonize with the ASEAN
in their 20s, single, and female. It is widely higher education system.
accepted in the Philippines that women are
more progressive in schooling than men
according to Gustafson (2018) who quoted Conclusion and Recommendation
Yamauchi and Marites Tiongco of De La
Salle University in the Philippines that girls To determine the employment
tend to receive more schooling than boys. It characteristics and job experiences of the
can also be inferred from the findings that university graduates in the undergraduate
most of the graduates were literally at their degree programs and their feedback on their
young adulthood stage and the normal age educational experiences in the university to
for students who just graduated from college improve the delivery of the degree programs
education. When asked how they were able to is the main objective of the study.
find their first job, 761 replied that someone
recommended them. This means that this The university has productively
person they knew had a connection with attained its goal of developing manpower
influential personalities in the institution which can provide leadership in addressing
where they had their first job. This finding is the development needs specifically of
similar with Aquino and colleague’s (2015) the Visayas region. This is manifested by
tracer study. the high percentage of graduates who
are occupying academic (instruction and
The study revealed that one of the research) and supervisory positions in
major reasons of staying in their job is that state colleges and universities, government
their work is related to the course program of agencies and local government units in the
study. This implies that the different programs Visayas and the neighboring regions.
of the university matched the needs of the
society after they acquired the following skills The degree programs that students
upon graduation: communication, human pursued help improve their skills and their
relations, critical thinking, problem-solving, employment status. These are manifested
information technology, and teaching skills. by the high percentage of respondents
The graduates need these skills when they whose degrees are highly related and
enter the work force (Hansen and Hansen, relevant to their current jobs; that a number
2019). Workers can develop these skills and of skills they learned are found useful in the
values in a variety of ways, but college is performance of their jobs, and that they are
the place where many inexperienced teens having regular and/or permanent items.

22 ASIA PACIFIC HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL             Volume 6    Issue No. 1
 The respondents are generally satisfied or to come up with new relevant programs
with the delivery of the undergraduate degree in the future. Finally, to improve the content
programs of the university; likewise, they and construct of the graduate tracer study
give high average ratings on the curricular questionnaire, the study recommends the
offerings. Furthermore, the graduates conduct of reliability index.
believe that the education curriculum of the
university could be improved by providing
and/or considering the following: review Acknowledgment
centers, quality professors, state of the
art lab facilities, equipment and lecture We extend our thanks to our colleagues
rooms, on-the-job training, courses related from different colleges in the university
to degree programs, constant revision of for providing us insights and for sharing
curriculums, more social activities, thesis their most precious time and expertise that
subject, collaboration with other institutions greatly assisted the research. We would
in teaching other courses, encouragement also like to extend our appreciation to the
of students to publish and present papers Office of the Vice President for Instruction,
in national and international conferences, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Leyte,
more field subjects, and hands-on activities. Philippines for funding this research.

Conclusively, the respondents are •  •  •

generally satisfied with the delivery of the
undergraduate programs, but they give a
number of suggestions to further enhance References
the delivery of the said programs of the
university. It is strongly recommended that Abel, J. R., Deitz, R., & Su, Y. (2014). Are recent
the school administrators and curriculum college graduates finding good
planners should review these suggestions jobs?. Current Issues in Economics
and use these as bases in formulating and Finance, 20(1).
strategies that can make the undergraduate
curricular offerings of the university more Aquino, A., Punongbayan, E., Macalaguim,
responsive to the needs of the students L., Bauyon, S., Rodrquez, R., & Qui-
and the employers. Retooling of faculty in zon, G. (2015). College teacher
terms of their competencies (e.g. updates of education graduate tracer study
knowledge and skills, teaching pedagogies, from 2010 to 2014 in one state
use of appropriate instructional materials university in Batangas, Philippines.
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