EFFECTIVENESS OF STUDENT LEARNING

Knox Theological Seminary is committed to effectively educating men and women to declare and demonstrate the Gospel of Jesus within a wide range of ministry capacities. Knox’s students and alumni are scattered around the world, serving the Kingdom of God in vocational and non-vocational ministry work, serving as pastors, teachers, pilots, lawyers, writers, scholars, church planters, and many other ministry capacities.

GOALS OF STUDENT LEARNING

Assessment of student learning outcomes at Knox TheologicalSeminary is an administration and faculty-driven process that is regular and ongoing. Together, Knox faculty and administration regularly review and analyze key quantitative and qualitative data, measuring them in relation to the mission of the school, the learning outcomes of each degree program, and the success of our graduates.

 Knox Seminary’s core educational goals, articulated in the institutional mission statement, give way to the general learning outcomes for all graduates as well as those specific to each degree program.

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

Data collected from our alumni are a central, representative aspect of gauging our educational effectiveness. Every three years, Knox surveys the alumni from the graduating classes 3, 4, and 5 years prior and assesses the resulting qualitative and quantitative data relating to employment and the Seminary’s ability to prepare students for work/ministry. The following data summarizes the most recent information received from Alumni Questionnaires distributed to the graduating classes of 2016-2018.

·     36% are currently working in a congregation; 17% are serving in missions; 21% are employed as educators, and 34% are involved in other ministry contexts.

·     Of those who pursued a ministry position upon graduation 62% had found employment at the time of graduation, while 14% found their first paid position within 6 months of graduation.

·     100% of respondents currently serving in a congregation said their Knox Theological Seminary education prepared them “very well” or “very well in some areas but not in others” for their current work.

·     When asked if they had it to do all over again would they choose Knox Seminary, a strong majority of alumni answered, “definitely yes” or “probably yes” (92.4%)

·     The majority of MDiv alumni respondents (83%)are ordained or have equivalent status.

Another central component by which Knox measures its educational effectiveness for those going on to vocational ministry is the feedback obtained from their current ministry supervisors. In order to have an adequate number of responses, Knox collects data from Alumni Ministry Supervisor Questionnaires over the course of three years.  The following information summarizes the data provided by ministry supervisors for alumni from Knox classes 2016-2018.

·     All respondents strongly agree (66%) or agree(33%) that Knox Seminary graduates use their skills and talents sufficiently in ministry

 ·     All respondents stated they definitely or probably would consider job applicants from Knox Seminary in the future