FAQ
- The Project
- The Survey
- The Qualitative Interviews
- Getting Involved
- Alumni Profiles
- Other Researchers and Universities
1. The Project
Q. Who are the partner universities?
A. The African Alumni Project has seven partner universities participating in this round of research. They are 1) American University of Beirut, 2) EARTH University, 3) McGill University, 4) Michigan State University, 5) Simon Fraser University, 6) University of California at Berkeley, 7) University of Toronto. You can find out more about each partner university’s history of engagement with Africa at our partners page.
Q. When did the Project launch?
A. The project launched with a workshop at UC Berkeley in December of 2013. Nearly two dozen researchers and academic administrators came together to re-affirm the need for this pioneering project, and discuss goals, objectives, research methods, and a research collaboration strategy.
2. The Survey
Q. What is this survey?
A. Launched in the fall of 2014, the survey is the first major component of the African Alumni Study. The survey is designed to collect information about about the career and life trajectories of past African Alumni from seven international partner universities. In addition to developing a unique primary data set on the post graduation paths of African Alumni of international universities, it will also advance understanding of what factors influence alumni decisions about where to live and work, and how to engage with their countries or origin, and the African continent, generally, over time.
Q. Why did I receive an invitation to take this survey?
A. If you received an invitation to take the African Alumni Study Survey, we have identified you as an Alumnus of African origin of one of our seven partner universities.
Q. Who is the survey administered by?
A. Each university partner chose independent survey administration systems that complied with all data protection and sharing requirements of their institutional review boards and campus policies. In particular, UC Berkeley, EARTH University, and Michigan State University will depend on CASES, and all data will be hosted at UC Berkeley. McGill University, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Toronto will work with Campus Labs to implement and host their data.
Q. Who was the survey designed by?
A. The survey was designed by a working group of researchers drawn from all partner universities. Each partner is responsible for limited localization and implementation of the survey.
Q. How will my information be used?
A. The primary use of this project is to advance knowledge about the career and life trajectories of African Alumni. Data will be used by the research team at each university in accordance with their Institutional Review Board protocols.
Q. Is this research covered by any Institutional Review Boards, or Committees for the Protection of Human Subjects?
A. Yes. Each university has received approval from the relevant ethics committees responsible for overseeing research on human subjects at each university.
Q. Who will my information be shared with?
A. Any personal information you share with the project will be treated in accordance with the informed consent forms presented before participation. For data collected through the survey, you will have the option to stipulate how and with whom we can share your contact information.
Q. How can I invite other African classmates to take the survey?
A. If you know another alum that you think should be eligible to take the survey, please visit the Contact Us page and enter their information, or send them a link to the Contact Us page (http://africanalumni.berkeley.edu/contact-us/) and ask them to enter their information themselves.
Q. How long will the survey take?
A. The survey takes about 45 minutes to complete
Q. Can I save my work and return to it later?
A. Yes. You may save your work on the survey and return anytime.
3. The Qualitative Interviews
Q. When will you be conducting qualitative interviews?
A. We will be conducting qualitative interviews beginning in November 2014.
Q. How can I volunteer to be interviewed for the African Alumni Study?
A. If you’d like to share your experience with the African Alumni Study, please let us know by visiting our Contact Us page sending us a message.
Q. Where will qualitative interviews be conducted?
A. We will be conducting interviews in person, over the phone, and via video chat. Beginning in November of 2014 members of the research team will be engaging in a number of trips to Africa during which interviews will take place. Some face-to-face interviews will also take place in the UC, Canada, and other locations of the diaspora.
Q. Are there travel funds or per diem money available for interview subjects?
A. When agreed upon beforehand, the project will compensate the interviewee for travel costs associated with the interview meeting. There are no per diem funds.
4. Getting Involved
Q. How can I get involved with the project?
A. There are a number of ways you can get involved in the project. Please visit the Get Involved page to learn more.
Q. I know of an outstanding African alum of a partner university. How can I nominate them to be profiled?
A. Over the course of the project, we will be preparing brief profiles of dynamic alumni from an array of fields. If you know of someone that you think we should consider profiling, please contact us and let us know.
Q. How can I make get my other classmates involved?
A. We have done our best to find current information for as many African Alums as we could, but if you know of additional alums that we may have missed, the project team invites you to share the word. We are launching social media groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. If you are aware of listservs, networks, or forums frequented by alumni of our partner universities, please post and share our website (africanalumni.berkeley.edu) and spread the word.
5. Alumni Profiles
Q. How can I nominate someone to be profiled?
A. To nominate someone to be profiled, please visit the Contact Us page and send us a few details about why you think this person would make a good candidate for a profile.
Q. Can I volunteer to be profiled?
A. Yes, you may nominate yourself to be profiled. To do so, please visit the Contact Us page and send us a few details about your career and life trajectory.
Q. Who is eligible to be profiled?
A. At this time, only African alumni of our seven partner universities are eligible to be profiled.
6. Other Researchers and Universities
Q. How can my university get involved in the Project?
A. The African Alumni Project was launched to advance knowledge about a traditionally understudied population. We are eager to support the efforts of additional university partners, and we look forward to receiving inquiries about how we can assist similar efforts at other campuses.
Q. Are African Alumni Study research documents and instruments available?
A. The project research team is committed to making our research material available to the broader research community. If you would like to receive copies of project documents, please contact us.
Q. How can my university get involved in The MasterCard Scholars Program?
A. For more information about one of the most exciting and innovative scholarship programs currently underway, visit the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program.
