Helping students learn so that they may become productive, creative, ethical, and engaged citizens.
Benchmarking
Purpose:
Benchmarking is a process of comparing your process, program,
department or institution against the best in the field. Unlike “peer”
comparisons that are focused on like types and seek to set a standard,
benchmarks are more aspirational in nature. Who is the best at whatever it
is? Let’s find them and see how they know they’re the best, how they do
what they do well, and let’s find what we can learn from them and apply it.
“Peer” comparisons tend to always be in the same field. Benchmarking
may take you outside the sanctity of higher education. If you were in
admissions, perhaps you would look at hotel “admissions” or admissions
to a hospital to find a benchmark. If you’re a nursing department, you may
decide to look at a hospital with the best nursing education department or
even the best nursing program. What is it they do that you can transfer to
your system?
Steps:
The steps will vary greatly depending upon the project, but here is a basic
outline of what might need to occur:
1. Create the team. Make sure all stakeholders are represented.
2. Understand and describe what it is you’re working with at UCO. For
instance, if it’s a process you want to benchmark, do a process map so
that you thoroughly understand what happens here.
3. Identify comparable campuses or other places recognized for expertise
in the area you are benchmarking. Institutional Research maintains a list of
peer institutions that will serve if you have no other institutions in mind.
Remember, it does not always have to be higher education that you use as
a comparison.
4. Gather data through research, which may include interviews with
members of your benchmark institutions.
5. Analyze the data. What is it that they do that is different?
6. Recommend changes, based on your study, that you want to consider
for adaptation.
7. Monitor the adaptations. Don’t assume that they will work here—
follow-up. This is the PDCA cycle in action.
References:
R.M. Epper, (1999, November/December), “Applying Benchmarking To
Higher Education”, Change, pp. 24-31.
S.C. Rush, (1993) “Benchmarking—How Good Is Good?” In Joel W.
Meyerson & William F. Massy (Eds.), Measuring Institutional
Performance In Higher Education (pp. 83-97), Princeton, N.J.: Petersons’
The Stanford Forum for Higher Education Futures.
B.S. Shafer and L.E. Coate, (1992, November), “Benchmarking in Higher
Education: A Tool for Improving Quality and Reducing Cost”, NACUBO
Business Officer, pp. 28-35.
J.W. Alstete, (1995), “Benchmarking In Higher Education: Adapting Best
Practices To Improve Quality”, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report
No. 5, Washington D.C.: The George Washington University Graduate
School of Education and Human Development.
August 04, 2005