The Effectiveness of Institutional Effectiveness: Doing an Institutional Effectiveness Survey on the Web. AIR 2000 Annual Forum Paper.

This study examined how firmly formalized institutional effectiveness processes were in place on college campuses and whether those processes were deemed successful and useful by campus communities, noting the effectiveness of Web-based surveying to collect information. Respondents were college administrators involved in their institution's effectiveness plans. All participated in at least one regional or national e-mail listserv or electronic newsletter serving college/university institutional research professionals. Participants received e-mailed information about the Web-based survey, which collected data on institutional characteristics and assessed respondents' opinions on implementation of institutional effectiveness plans, programs, and procedures. Two-thirds of the 324 respondents reported that their campuses had institutional effectiveness plans. Nearly half of the plans were developed collaboratively. Stronger support for the plans related to their being viewed as important and their outcomes being integrated into planning efforts. Academics and administration were the areas most likely to be evaluated. Implementation was most often seen as a job requiring several people. Respondents reported that institutional research offices were charged with implementing the plan. Several technical issues were encountered in collecting data using listservs and Web surveys (e.g., lack of control over who received the communications). (Contains 17 references.) (SM)