Alumni’s profile, educational and professional trajectories
Α. 1994-2018
The research “MA ‘Education and Human Rights’ alumni’s profile, educational and professional trajectories” aimed to comprehensively understand and evaluate the educational work that has been carried out, the programme’s connection with its graduates and, above all, to gain nuanced and insightful feedback regarding its operation. It was carried out in the period October 2017- February 2018 with the scientific responsibility of members of the Coordinating Committee and utilized graduates of the programme as key researchers.
The research includes:
a. the creation of a database concerning alumni’s details regarding their studies, career path and current employment, as well as contact details (with the aim of keeping the database up to date with the details of new graduates) from the programme’s founding until today,
b. a questionnaire addressed to graduates of the last decade seeking to record their educational and professional paths, their interests and action in the field of Human Rights and furthermore to explore their views on the programme and its contribution to their individual trajectory.
In the context of the above research, the interconnection between the alumni was sought using modern social media. This action was based on the assessment that the graduates of this postgraduate programme have the capacity to form an important taskforce of professionals capable to enhance creative and transformative social interventions with the aim of promoting and strengthening Human Rights both in education and the wider society. In addition, the programme’s connection with alumni can expand the programme’s academic and research footprint and constitute a constant source of feedback on its work.
The programme’s graduates report that after the completion of the programme unemployment is drastically eliminated, employment opportunities are significantly increased, more stable and related to their specialties and interests, while it also enhances intra-professional mobility and access of higher responsibility positions. The programme is perceived to have a decisive impact on their individual paths, as graduates report that it changed the way they understand and interpret social phenomena, it created new interests for both further study and employment in areas related to human rights, and it contributed to the development of reflective skills to translate theory into their everyday professional practices. Last but not least, the programme is reported to encourage voluntary humanitarian work and to offer the opportunity of meeting a circle of people with whom they share common scientific and social interests and concerns.
Β. 2018-2022
This research follows and complements the data of the one carried out in 2018, which concerned all the graduates from the programme’s creation until February 2018. It was carried out on the occasion of the programme’s accreditation process, in order to gather updated data regarding the profile and individual paths of graduates. The objectives of the research are multiple:
- To understand the graduates’ characteristics, especially regarding their educational and professional paths, as well as to track the possible changes that have occurred as far as the profile of the students who choose this programme is concerned. This element is not only of academic importance, but it might also contribute to the programme’s enhanced strategic planning.
- To follow up the alumni’s course after the completion of the programme, with a special focus on their educational and professional development.
- To assess the contribution of the programme to graduates’ individual paths so as to gain feedback regarding its work.
- The ultimate goal of this effort is to create conditions which support a network of communication between the programme and its graduates, which has the potential to operate as a creative social network for Education and Human Rights.
The research includes:
a. a census (after informed consent) of graduates from February 2018 to date regarding their studies, career paths and current employment, as well as contact details.
b. a survey with a questionnaire addressed to graduates of the period 2018-2022, which seeks to record their educational and professional careers, their interests and action in the field of Human Rights and furthermore to explore their views on the programme and its perceived contribution to the their individual paths. The questionnaire was posted and completed online by the participants. It was anonymous, confidential and the data were exclusively used by the programme’s research team for the needs of the specific research.
After the completion of the programme, graduates report that unemployment is essentially nullified, and many believe that it helped them assume higher responsibility positions in their current jobs. The programme’s contribution to the personal development, the whole personality formation, and their interests is valued as of pivotal importance by almost all the research participants, as they affirm that studying in the programme was a crucial step in their personal and professional empowerment and development.