A description is given of a college course in survey research and attitudinal measurement offered by the School of Education at the University of Louisville. The graduate level course focuses on the principles of social research; survey research methods; and data analysis, interpretation, and application. National survey data are used to teach all facets of index and scale construction, including item selection and analysis and internal and external validation for a variety of different kinds of indexes and scales. Through the use of national survey data, students are also able to: (1) apply principles of survey research to studies conducted at a national level; (2) analyze data from national surveys which include relatively large numbers of respondents; (3) gain insight into how questionnaires are constructed for very large and disparate samples; and (4) use a mainframe computer. This paper first describes the course, its background, and its syllabus; it then describes briefly two methods of increasing student participation; and finally, it describes in specific terms and with examples how national survey data are used to teach index and scale construction. (Author/JD)