Services

The Office of Planning and Research administers a series of recurring surveys to elicit the voice of Central Piedmont students, alumni, faculty, and staff. We also provide survey services, focus group facilitation, and labor market analytics to areas across the college to support program and process improvement, assessment activities, institutional planning and decision-making. These activities are part of the college’s commitment to institutional effectiveness and continuous improvement.

Surveys and focus groups are standard methods for obtaining feedback and assessing the perceptions, experiences, opinions, and needs of the target population. Surveys and focus groups conducted by the Office of Planning and Research are confidential. All data is presented to college constituents in the aggregate, without individually identifying information.

We are not able to provide assistance with surveys related to dissertation research. Visit Research Approval Process and Forms for guidelines regarding research studies.

  • Student Voices Survey Series

    The Student Voices Survey Series captures key pieces of information from our students at specific points during their time at Central Piedmont. The data and information gathered from these surveys is actionable for both operational purposes and strategic planning. The Student Voices surveys are confidential and are not intended for individual intervention. Results are provided to stakeholders in the aggregate, without individually identifying information. 

    New Student Survey

    Curriculum students who are new to the college receive the New Student Survey at the end of their first semester at Central Piedmont. The information captured from the survey centers around the student’s experience from the application process through enrolling, including the student’s first impressions of the services Central Piedmont provides, the student’s use and comfort level with technology, how well the college is communicating with them, and the student’s satisfaction and experience using the college’s services and resources. Overall, the goal is to gather information on how connected our new students feel to Central Piedmont.

    Continuing Student Survey

    Continuing curriculum students (i.e.  students who are not new to the college) receive the Continuing Student Survey at the end of their first year at Central Piedmont and once every semester after that. This survey centers around the student’s continued experience at Central Piedmont and focuses on their growing relationship with the college. Some key areas of this survey include the student's educational goals, barriers to academic success, and satisfaction with college resources and services.

    Graduate Survey

    Students who have submitted an application for graduation from the college receive the Graduate Survey at the end of their anticipated final semester at Central Piedmont. This survey centers around the student’s overall experience at the college and satisfaction with the resources and services they’ve received. Questions focus on the student’s next steps and how their time at Central Piedmont helped prepare them for the future. The Graduate Survey includes questions to gather contact information. This is completely voluntary and will only be used to contact alumni for alumni activities. No reference to their responses will be used.

    Alumni Survey

    Recent graduates receive the Alumni Survey six months after receiving a degree from Central Piedmont. This survey asks former students to reflect on their time at the college and evaluate how well the experience prepared them for their next steps. We anticipate reaching out to former students for three to five years.

  • Course Experience Evaluations

    Course Experience Evaluations provide students with the opportunity to give feedback to faculty about their learning experience. Questions on the evaluations are focused on course design, course delivery, and faculty interaction, with additional open-ended questions that give students the opportunity to provide constructive comments. Results from Course Experience Evaluations are used to strengthen teaching and learning, ultimately improving the courses offered at Central Piedmont. Course Experience Evaluations are confidential. Results are provided to faculty in the aggregate, without individually identifying information.

    Administration

    The evaluation period opens two weeks before a course ends and closes at 11:59PM on the last day of class. Automated notification emails are sent to students and faculty when courses are available for evaluation. Students are also able to access their Course Experience Evaluation from Brightspace.

    Reporting

    Responses from the evaluations are summarized in reports that are shared with instructors and associate deans in Academic Affairs. Reports are provided in the aggregate, without individually identifying information. Faculty do not have access to Course Experience Evaluation results until after the grading period for the course has ended.

    Access

    There are several ways for students and faculty to access the online course experience evaluation system:

    • The Course Experience Evaluation link is embedded in Brightspace, making access easy for students

    • Students and faculty also receive automated email notifications with the link

    • The direct link is always available on the Central Piedmont Course Experience Evaluations webpage

    Students can complete their Course Experience Evaluations by using their smartphone, tablet or laptop, or by visiting a computer lab at a Central Piedmont campus. 

    For more information:

    Visit Central Piedmont Course Experience Evaluations to learn more and for answers to frequently asked questions.

    Contact:

    Parr Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at ctle@cpcc.edu

  • Institutional Surveys and Focus Groups

    The Office of Planning and Research offers its expertise to other areas of the college to assist with surveys and focus groups intended to evaluate and enhance Central Piedmont's programs and services. Our office ensures that survey instruments and focus groups are designed and implemented using best practices, and that the confidentiality of participants is maintained. We provide survey analysis and focus group outcomes for use in program and process improvement, assessment, planning, and decision-making. 

    Survey Design, Administration, and Analysis

    The Office of Planning and Research provides survey consultation services to programs and departments interested in gathering information from our college constituents about their satisfaction and experiences with Central Piedmont programs and services. Our office provides support with developing survey instruments, advising on scheduling surveys for optimal data collection, assisting with or conducting survey administration, and analyzing collected data. Survey results are presented in the aggregate, without individually identifying information. 

    Focus Group Facilitation and Analysis

    A focus group is a discussion with a small group of individuals (usually 6 to 10 people) led by a facilitator to gain information about the participants' views and experiences on a selected topic. The focus group services provided by the Office of Planning and Research includes assistance with developing focus group questions, facilitating focus group discussions, and providing analysis of the qualitative data which includes major themes and key take-aways from the discussions. Focus group outcomes are summarized and do not include individually identifying information. 

    Requestors are responsible for identifying and contacting potential focus group participants, scheduling focus group dates, and reserving meeting space. 

    Submit Request Form

    To request assistance with survey development or focus group facilitation, complete the Planning and Research Request Form. Required information includes the purpose and goals of the survey or focus group, target audience, and intended timeframe. 

    For surveys, generally a minimum of five weeks is required from the submission of the Request Form to the completion of the survey results.

  • Labor Market Analytics

    The Office of Planning and Research conducts labor market studies in support of the college's mission to provide exceptional education and globally competitive training. Our team uses labor market and economic data from Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass) to research trends in the Charlotte metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Information we’re able to provide for the Charlotte MSA includes labor market trends for Central Piedmont academic or educational programs, in-demand occupations and industry sectors, hiring trends, demographic data and other economic indicators.

    The following counties are included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (NC-SC) MSA: Cabarrus County, NC; Gaston County, NC; Iredell County, NC; Lincoln County, NC; Mecklenburg County, NC; Rowan County, NC; Union County, NC; Chester County, SC; Lancaster County, SC; York County, SC.

    Submit Request Form

    To request labor market analytics, complete the Planning and Research Request Form. Required information includes brief description and purpose of request, target occupation or academic program, region (county or city) that the data should encompass, and reporting period (in years).