Improving academic programs by capitalizing on alumni´s perceptions and experiences

With the introduction of EC-2000 and its requirement to establish a continuous improvement system with clear objectives and performance measures, there has been considerable interest in obtaining input from alumni on the quality of their education. One means for doing this is a well-designed alumni survey. The authors discuss their experience with two alumni surveys in the USA, developed and tested at Columbia University and the University of Pittsburgh respectively, providing insight into the issues involved with developing and using these surveys. They describe how these surveys can be developed, discuss the cost involved, and give examples of information that can be obtained from them and how they can be used as part of the EC-2000 process.