Core Research: Where to Start
Identify 10-20 variables for which you think your school is competitive. Then, survey constituents.
On a scale of 1 to 5 …
- How important is this variable in the delivery of the educational experience?
- How well does school perform in delivering this variable?
- How well does competitor A perform in delivering this variable?
- How well does competitor B perform in delivering this variable?
Sample variables (from CASE seminar on “Measuring Effectiveness”)
- Portrays a bold spirit [1-2-3-4-5]
- Entrepreneurial attitude [1-2-3-4-5]
- Culturally-diverse student population [1-2-3-4-5]
- A culturally diverse faculty [1-2-3-4-5]
- Performs groundbreaking research [1-2-3-4-5]
- Internationally respected faculty [1-2-3-4-5]
- A culture of innovation [1-2-3-4-5]
- Opportunities for personal discovery [1-2-3-4-5]
- Transforms the lives of students [1-2-3-4-5]
- Contributes to the community and society [1-2-3-4-5]
- Opportunities for academic discovery [1-2-3-4-5]
- Up-to-date classrooms, libraries and labs [1-2-3-4-5]
- Challenging academics [1-2-3-4-5]
- Access to the best available technology [1-2-3-4-5]
- High academic standards [1-2-3-4-5]
- Reputation for academic quality [1-2-3-4-5]
No more than 2 or 3 competitors.
Importance performance chart: four quadrants
- High importance/high performance
- High importance/low performance (fix these)
- Low importance/high performance
- Low importance/low performance
Segment report
- Range between yourself and competitor
- Secondary measures for each group
See CASE seminar on “Measuring Effectiveness” for more background on metrics.