How research universities use benchmarking and triangulation

Updated Sep 10, 2026

Survey evidence can serve several institutional purposes. Enes Gök and Jillian Kinzie examine how research universities describe using assessment data for educational quality.

What the study reports

The study first analysed data-use accounts from institutions participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement, then interviewed research-university leaders.

Institutions used data for branding and competition as well as assessment and improvement. Reported research-university practices included comparisons with relevant peers, combining different evidence sources, investigating quality problems and involving faculty members.

These are findings about institutional approaches. These reported practices do not establish that one survey system or triangulation process caused better educational outcomes.

Questions for local use

As editorial suggestions, define the decision before choosing a benchmark. Check whether the populations, questions and periods are sufficiently comparable, and explain where they are not.

Reading comments alongside scores can raise useful questions. Agreement between sources can support an interpretation, but does not automatically establish causation; disagreement may expose differences in coverage or meaning that need investigation.

Involve people who understand the programme and students’ experiences in reviewing the evidence. Record what changed, who is responsible and how the result will be evaluated. Keep an external performance narrative distinct from the questions an internal improvement review needs to answer.

Reference

Enes Gök and Jillian Kinzie. “Research institutions’ perspectives on assessment and improvement efforts that contribute to college quality.” Quality in Higher Education. DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2025.2532987.

Updated 7 September 2026: the revision distinguishes reported practice from demonstrated effectiveness and narrows claims about causal diagnosis.