A Tracer Study of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT): A Case Study of Graduates of the University of Cebu, Philippines

Abstract

Tracer study is seen as the never-ending undertaking that the learning institutions must do to gather useful data and insights from the graduates for the purposes of validating the curricular offerings and planning for the next action items. This study aimed to determine the employability of BSIT graduates from 5 different academic years 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2019 – 2020, and 2020 – mid 2021. The study gathered data from 226 alumni respondents using a descriptive survey method. Descriptive statistical measures such as frequency, percentage and weighted mean were used to analyze the data quantitatively. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used in analyzing the significant degree of variance among the Curricular Structures, Skills and Competencies. The results revealed that the majority of the alumni respondents are employed full-time as software developers and engineers. Major courses such as Programming, Databases, Web Development, and Systems Analysis and Design were perceived as helpful to the present or previous job of the alumni graduate. It is also revealed that the BSIT program offering was perceived as very relevant, particularly in the skills and competencies acquired. UC-CCS provided a good overall academic experience to the graduates, specifically in the areas of Laboratories, Curriculum, and Faculty & Instruction, with a net promoter score of +63.72%. Lastly, the respondents perceived that there is a significant degree of variance among the Curricular Structures, Skills and Competencies on the relevance of the BSIT program to their employability. The major findings of the study served as the bases for recommending curricular improvements to the BSIT program and the enhancement of alumni engagement.