Research & Trends Committee: Monthly Member Quick Surveys

CSEA monthly surveys provide ongoing trends to assist member schools with benchmarking and decision-making. The goal is to develop surveys that take members no longer than 5 - 10 minutes to complete and are designed in a way to allows for a quick turnaround for the analysis.

The process for survey development is as follows:

  • An ongoing list of survey questions and ideas is kept in the committee's Smartsheet workspace.
  • During monthly committee meetings (or via email if needed), committee members discuss industry trends and what they are seeing in their institutions. The Executive Director also provides input based on what members are discussing through other committees, virtual round tables, etc.
  • Survey questions are developed by the committee. If needed, topics can be developed during committee calls and a smaller group can wordsmith the questions via email. Questions typically have the following format:
    • Multiple choice is preferred, to minimize the time it takes to complete the survey and analyze the results. No more than one write-in question per survey.
    • No more than 3 - 4 questions per survey.
    • No more than one overall topic per survey.
    • Questions must be developed for both employer and school members. One survey will be sent to all members, and branching options can be used to separate questions by employer vs. school. 
    • Questions must be applicable to all business masters programs (MBA and specialty masters). 
  • The Executive Director creates and distributes the survey to members via email. A reminder is sent a few days before the deadline to those who have not completed the survey. 
  • The Executive Director compiles and survey results and distributes them to the membership. A summary document is also sent to the media and shared on social media and online.
  • A list of previous summary survey results can be found here. 
  • If desired, committee members may facilitate a round table discussion with members to share the survey results and discuss feedback about the topic. See the link in the Navigation Bar on the left side of the page for the process to follow for these programs.