Surveys of the Penn Population
CIRP Freshman Survey
For nearly four decades, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) has engaged in a longitudinal study of the American Higher Education System. Established in 1966 at the American Council on Education, the CIRP is now administered by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA. The survey covers a wide range of student characteristics: parental income and education, ethnicity, and other demographic items; financial aid; secondary school achievement and activities; educational and career plans; values, attitudes, beliefs, and self-concept.
ESS and PULSE
The Enrolled Student Survey (ESS) and the Perception of Undergraduate Life and Student Engagement (PULSE) assess students' general satisfaction with the collegiate experience, as well as their perceived acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities as a result of attending college. This information is gathered through 40 core questions in ESS and 60 core questions in PULSE, covering the academic environment, faculty and advisors, intellectual gains and progress, employment, extracurricular activities, health and well-being, and demographics. Institutions may independently, or collaboratively with other participating institutions, append additional questions. Penn includes a set of questions related to the culture and climate of the institution.
Senior Survey
The Senior Survey is designed by COFHE, and is administered to seniors, via the web, every four years in the later part of spring semester. It asks seniors about their post-graduation plans, evaluations of their undergraduate education and services provided by the college, values, and participation in activities.
Ph.D. Exit Survey
Originally entitled the "Survey of Doctoral Student Opinion," Penn's current Ph.D. Exit Survey was developed by the Office of the Provost in 1995. The survey gathers a wide variety of information from recent Penn doctoral recipients, and the results assist in monitoring the quality of Ph.D. education at Penn. Program level reports of survey data are regularly used by the Graduate Council of the Faculties during Penn's periodic review process of its various Ph.D. programs. The survey contains approximately 70 questions, at least 6 of which are common to all participating Association of American Universities (AAU) institutions.
Alumni Survey
The Alumni Survey is a retrospective assessment of the college experience. It is designed to generate feedback from Alumni for the purpose of assessing outcomes on several dimensions. These include involvement as undergraduate students, perceptions of institutional emphases, as well as estimated gains in knowledge and skills. Additionally, the Alumni Survey gathers information about activities and experiences following graduation, employment and further education, work and civic contributions, as well as career and life satisfaction.
Faculty Survey
The purpose of the Penn Faculty Survey is to better understand the experiences of faculty members at Penn. Both standing and associated faculty are asked to provide information about a wide variety of topics. The survey gathers information that may assist the University in its efforts to enhance faculty recruitment, retention, and climate. Faculty responses also assist in guiding policy development, assessing potential areas for improvement or concern, and benchmarking against peer institutions.