As part of the Next Generation Series, Brooklyn College’s Dr. Tammie Cumming, Associate Provost and Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, interviewed Dr. R. Todd Benson, Executive Director and Principal Investigator for the COACHE Survey at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Web Bites video series, which provides a platform for discussion of timely topics, best practices, and new approaches to emerging challenges in higher education assessment, accreditation, and policy. Each moderated video discussion features assessment specialists, educators, and higher education leaders. For over ten years, the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) has surveyed full-time faculty at over 250 colleges and universities, providing unique insights into the faculty experience and job satisfaction. Dr. Benson leads this national effort. In this lively discussion of the COACHE survey, Dr. Benson sheds light on gaining faculty buy-in for survey participation, the importance of transparency and follow-through in establishing this buy-in, and the changes in the working environment in higher education due to the pandemic. “It was an honor to have Dr. Benson as our guest for this Web Bites episode. COACHE has made significant contributions in assessing faculty experience and faculty campus climate,” said M. David Miller, professor of research and evaluation methodology at the University of Florida and cohost of the NGA Web Bites. “This work has allowed for many institutions to identify focus areas and make marked improvements in their faculty’s professional lives.” “Dr. Benson has seen firsthand that it is well worth the effort to administer a survey in such a manner that results in a respondent pool that is representative of the faculty population. This helps faculty realize the value of taking the COACHE survey with results that are actionable,” said Tammie Cumming, associate provost for institutional effectiveness at Brooklyn College and NGA Web Bite cohost. “His recommendation for communicating the results, action plans, and progress is helpful in ensuring that the data were used to prioritize efforts to improve faculty satisfaction and support for professional advancement.” The NGA Web Bites video series explores accreditation, assessment, research, policy, and other important topics of interest in higher education. For more, visit www.nextgenerationassessment.com. For more information regarding COACHE, visit https://coache.gse.harvard.edu/.
