ABSTRACT
This chapter defines benchmarking more formally, and elaborates on its role in higher education. It provides examples of benchmarking tools and processes available to community colleges. The chapter deals with some of the challenges facing higher education institutions as they attempt to use benchmarks for comparison and improvement. Benchmarking is usually a cooperative undertaking with multiple colleges sharing their data on a variety of metrics. There are two major typologies of benchmarking: general benchmarking and benchmarking in higher education. Benchmarking is usually a cooperative undertaking with multiple colleges sharing their data on a variety of metrics. Benchmarking tools are now available for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). One tool offered through the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) Center is an instrument for the student evaluation of instruction. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) measures the extent to which students in community colleges are engaged in the life of the campus.
