Core Research: Where to Start

Presenter: Tom Hayes, PhD., www.simpsonscarborough.com

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.