In accessing the CCCSE database and using the CCCSE data search tools, the user agrees to the following CCCSE policy positions regarding responsible and appropriate uses of the survey data.

• CCCSE supports uses of survey data for benchmarking effective educational practices, for targeting and monitoring progress in quality improvement, and for public reporting in ways that serve to increase understanding of collegiate quality and to support institutional efforts to improve undergraduate student learning and retention. CCCSE especially supports public reporting of student engagement results in ways that enable thoughtful, responsible institutional comparisons while encouraging and celebrating institutional diversity.
• CCCSE does not support the use of student engagement survey results for the purpose of ranking community and technical colleges. Such uses would obscure complex dimensions of institutional performance and student behavior.
• Because of differences in institutional focus, student characteristics, and resources, comparisons of survey results from two single institutions serve little constructive purpose and may in fact be wholly inappropriate. CCCSE’s data search tools therefore provide group comparisons, using aggregated data from at least three institutions.
• Appropriate interpretation of survey data will take into account the institutional context (mission, size, urbanicity, program mix, and so on) as well as the characteristics of a particular institution’s student population — for example, the proportions of full- vs. part-time students, traditional college-age vs. nontraditional-age students, students who are academically underprepared as they enter the institution, and students with various educational goals.