Mapping the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys to the NECHE Standards for Accreditation
Many institutions rely upon the Ruffalo Noel Levitz suite of satisfaction and priorities survey results to demonstrate the fulfillment of institutional accreditation requirements. In the region served by the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE) – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont – NECHE-accredited colleges and universities are responsible for showing fulfillment of the Standards of Accreditation. Ruffalo Noel Levitz student surveys can help!
The PDF documents available via the links below show the survey items mapped to the NECHE requirements, tailored specifically to each Ruffalo Noel Levitz survey.
RNL survey items mapped to the NECHE Standards of Accreditation
Download the appropriate document(s) based on the survey version(s) you are using on your campus:
Make note of the following
- The documents accessed from this webpage reflect the revised NECHE requirements as of January 1, 2021 along with the new numbering.
- There are nine Standards in all. The numbering in the mappings provided here follows the NECHE scheme: the first digit represents the Standard, the digits after the decimal represent the subitem under the Standard. Thus, for example, “4.02” is the second numbered sub-item under Standard Four – The Academic Program.
- In the PDFs available for download, the text of some NECHE requirements has been lightly edited and/or truncated, especially if the original text is more than 20 words. Key words and phrases from the original have been preserved and will lend itself to quick recognition. Please see the original full text from NECHE of the Standards and their sub-items in order to understand any given requirement in its entirety.
- Not all NECHE Standards refer to processes that students can experience, so not all Standards and sub-items have been listed with a survey item affiliated. For example, it is not evident that students can know the full extent or direct effects of institutional long-range planning, so no such survey items have been mapped to that requirement.
- The PDF documents reflect the Ruffalo Noel Levitz survey item number and the text of the item as it appears on the RNL survey instrument. Survey items are grouped under the Standards they support. Only the Ruffalo Noel Levitz survey items which students rate for “Importance” and/or “Satisfaction” have these mappings.
- Most relationships in these mappings should be self-evident. Mapped relationships between a survey item and NECHE requirements may be either direct or indirect. For example, not only do students experience instructional and support services directly, but also, the institutional training programs for faculty and staff indirectly affect the quality of the services that students experience. The mappings are meant to be illustrative, not comprehensive and definitive.
- The final section of the document lists survey items – especially the campus-created survey items – which must be related to NEcHE requirements at the discretion of the survey user.
- Questions about these documents or the survey instruments? Please contact Ruffalo Noel Levitz.
Additional Assessment Tools
Within this family of surveys are instruments for various populations:
- Student Satisfaction Inventory, the instrument for traditional students, available in versions for four-year colleges and universities, community colleges and career schools;
- Institutional Priorities Survey, the companion to the Student Satisfaction Inventory, assesses campus personnel;
- Adult Student Priorities Survey, used by many graduate and adult undergraduate programs;
- Priorities Survey for Online Learners, for students in online distance learning programs;
- Parent Satisfaction Inventory, a companion to the four-year Student Satisfaction Inventory, for the parents of currently enrolled students.
You receive the data in an organized tabulation report that you can use right away. Of particular interest:
- College Employee Satisfaction Survey, which measures satisfaction of faculty, staff, and administrators in areas such as institutional mission and planning, level of support, resources to accomplish objectives, campus communications, and work environment;
- Alumni Outcomes and Loyalty Survey, which measures institutional success and alumni engagement;
- Employer Satisfaction Survey, which measures employers’ satisfaction with your institution’s graduates;
- And many other tools for particular populations.
Our custom research projects can include such elements as telephone and written surveys; in-depth interviews; predictive modeling; geodemography; focus groups; environmental scans; awareness and opinion measurement; research-based publications and websites; and audits of current practices, programs, and communications. We have experience conducting small, medium, and large market research projects that are highly customized to each institution, campus, and system. Our research has helped institutions take the actions they needed to be more competitive.
