User Surveys in External Assessments: problems and prospects

Abstract

In Denmark, user surveys have had a central place in the external assessment procedures carried out in higher education. This reflects an interest in increasing the relevance of higher education to important stakeholders such as students, recent graduates and employers. This article studies how user surveys have been received at institutions, and to what extent they have influenced changes made in their aftermath. The analysis reveals that user surveys in general are considered to be important sources of information. However, in practice, it seems that results from user surveys only to some extent provide institutions with relevant information and advice, which results in their affecting changes to a more limited degree than other elements in the assessment process. Problems related to this limited usage are analysed, and suggestions are made for how user surveys could be more powerful tools in future assessments.