Surveys of Student Engagement: How to Use Them and What Not to Promise

With colleges under increasing pressure to keep enrollments growing and to be accountable for student progress in higher education, more institutions are turning to surveys that measure "student engagement." But conducting a survey is just a first step.

• When the results come in, what do they really mean?
• How can colleges use results to improve the student experience?
• Also, what are the limits on the uses of these surveys - and promises colleges should avoid making about them?
• Should institutions use this information to show the public (and policy makers) that they are effective - and if so, what are the appropriate ways to make the data publicly available?

On Wednesday, April 18, at 2 p.m EST, the directors of two major surveys of student engagement will explain their projects and provide advice on these and other issues. You'll get a presentation at your own desk from George Kuh, director of the National Survey of Student Engagement, and Kay McClenney, director of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement. After their half-hour presentation, you can pose your own questions to them in a half-hour Q&A session. The entire event will last one hour.

Note:

The "Surveys of Student Engagement: How to Use Them and What Not to Promise" audio conference costs $175 for a single telephone line; listen yourself or with a group around a conference table. After registering, you'll be e-mailed information about how to dial in. A few days before the conference, we'll send you a PowerPoint that you can use to follow the presentation. This is an audio-only conference; you will not need to be connected to the Internet to participate.

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