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What COACHE Studies

The COACHE survey gauges how faculty feel about their experience at Virginia Tech. Job satisfaction is measured by looking at a number of factors, including: 

  • Nature of work
  • Facilities and work resources
  • Compensation, benefits, and work-life policies
  • Tenure and promotion policies and expectations
  • Culture and quality of life
  • Colleagues
  • Leadership
  • Governance
  • Departmental and institutional climate and quality
  • Appreciation and recognition
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Examples of COACHE questions may include:

  • My institution does what it can to make personal/family obligations (e.g. childcare or eldercare) and an academic career compatible. [level of agreement/disagreement]
  • How equitably committee assignments are distributed across faculty in your department. [level of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with]
  • My institution provides adequate support for faculty to be good mentors. [level of agreement/disagreement]
  • My department has a culture where associate professors are encouraged to
  • work towards promotion to full professorship. [level of agreement/disagreement]
  • The steps taken by my institution-wide faculty governing body to ensure faculty are included in that body's decision making [level of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with]
  • My institution cultivates new leaders among faculty. [frequency/how often is this experienced?]

In response to feedback after the 2020 survey, Virginia Tech added six custom questions to its 2023 survey to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The questions were developed in collaboration with COACHE and Virginia Tech’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity.