Decades of research in survey methodology and psychology have yielded important insights about how to create effective and valid survey instruments. As Porter (in press) has argued convincingly, college student surveys often fall well short of these standards by placing unrealistic demands on students' memory and by assuming that students readily…

Examines practical issues of measuring and reporting competencies. Explores the pursuit of common systems for counting, describing, and measuring competencies. Provides an overview of the role that validity and reliability play in the process of making competencies transportable, both within and outside postsecondary education. (EV)