Student Surveys
The CIRP Freshman Survey (TFS) is a national survey housed at the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA. Tulane annually administers the survey to incoming first-year students before they start classes. The survey instrument collects extensive information that allows for a snapshot of Tulane incoming students in the following areas: established behaviors in high school, academic preparedness, admissions decisions, expectations of college, interactions with peers and faculty, student values and goals, and concerns about financing college.
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is a national survey housed at the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University. The survey collects information about first-year and senior students' participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. Survey items represent empirically confirmed "good practices" in undergraduate education that are associated with desired outcomes of college. Tulane typically participates in the NSSE every other year.
Faculty Surveys
Tulane is a member of the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) — based out of the Harvard Graduate School of Education — is a consortium of more than 300 colleges, universities and systems, committed to making the academic workplace more attractive and equitable for faculty. Tulane has long been a participant in the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey, participating in 2008, 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023.
Faculty participation is critical as results inform both policy and programming to improve quality of life and further faculty success. For example, Tulane's 2018 results informed a variety of initiatives, including increased resources to support faculty grant proposal development; lab, research, studio, and classroom space renovation; and revisions to the Faculty Handbook to facilitate more informative third year reviews as well as support faculty joint appointments and their interdisciplinary scholarship. The FAQs page detail more information on the survey and its administration.
For more information about these surveys, please contact the Office of Assessment & Institutional Research at oair@tulane.edu or (504) 247-1231
