Policy on Administration of Internal & External Surveys

I. Purpose

This policy recognizes that the demand for survey information should be balanced with the burden surveys impose on students, faculty, and staff. To achieve this, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) oversees a review process that manages the number of surveys members of the ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ community are invited to take.

This policy encourages coordinated efforts and best practices in survey research to produce quality data, create opportunities for cross-collaboration and information-sharing, and promote best practices in information security and privacy.

II. Scope

This policy applies to all students, faculty, and staff at ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ College. The policy also extends to external consultants or other third parties of the College community.

III. Policy statement

The process aims to reduce survey fatigue and unnecessary survey proliferation and prioritize surveys that benefit the broader interests and goals of the college as well as maximize their effectiveness. Further, it promotes good survey design, sampling, and administration that conforms to methodological best practices. Finally, it also aims to ensure that the survey complies with FERPA guidelines, meets IRB requirements, and the survey research is done ethically and respects our community.

IV. Definitions

A. Anonymous Surveys are ones in which the responses cannot be associated with individuals unless the respondent answers the survey questions in a way that uniquely identifies them.

B. A Campus-wide Survey is a questionnaire or interview consisting of one or more items where the target population includes the members of the ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ community, or a subpopulation, or a sample thereof, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and/or alumni.

C. A Confidential Survey is where each survey respondent receives an individualized survey link that enables survey administrators to associate the response with the respondent.

D. Institutional Effectiveness is a continuous cycle for planning, assessing, analyzing and improving processes, programs, and services that support the college’s mission and vision.

E. IRB is ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ’s Office of Institutional Review Board. The Board is responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of all human subjects who participate in research studies conducted by ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ faculty, staff, and students.

F. ISC is ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ’s Institutional Survey Committee. Members consist of representatives from each division as well as faculty and students. This committee is responsible for reviewing the overall survey administration schedule and policy.

G. Primary Survey Administrator is the person submitting the online Survey Registration Form to initiate OIE’s survey review process. This person should be the key contact person for the survey, such as the principal investigator of a research study, the faculty member supervising research by students, or the head of a department or unit.

V. Applicable surveys

A. Surveys that meet any of the following criteria need to undergo the ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ Survey Review Process:

  1. A sample size of at least 50 students, alumni, faculty, and/or staff
  2. A random sampling of ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ students, faculty, or staff populations
  3. Results are generalized to the broader ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ population of students, faculty, or staff
  4. The survey targets specific subpopulations based on characteristics such as enrollment status, gender, ethnicity, etc.
  5. The survey is used for institutional measure and improvement

B. The following surveys are excluded from the ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ Survey Review Process. The primary survey administrator should consult the ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ survey calendar on the Office of Institutional Effectiveness webpage to avoid conflicts.

  1. Surveys sent by the Alumnae/i Office
  2. Academic evaluative surveys conducted by faculty, staff, or students
  3. Surveys conducted by students in courses solely to fulfill the requirement of a course or degree program
  4. Participants’ event evaluations or event planning
  5. Polls that involve voting
  6. Feedback collected at point-of-service
  7. Course evaluations

VI. Administration of internal & external surveys

A. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) serves as ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ’s survey clearinghouse

The Office provides analytical services to inform planning, decision-making, student retention and success, assessment, and accreditation across a variety of organizational levels, while meeting reporting requirements for government agencies and other external organizations.

B. Survey request form

  1. Form must be completed by any staff or faculty who wish to conduct surveys of ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ students, alumni, employees, or external partners.
  2. Filling the form registers the survey and places it on the survey calendar that is maintained by OIE.

C. Information and data collected from surveys

  1. Upon survey completion, the primary survey administrator must submit survey results, data, and any reports based on applicable surveys to the OIE to be archived.
  2. Results may be available to the ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ Community.
  3. Data and information collected from surveys are ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ College’s property

D. Approval by OIE to administer a survey is not a substitute for a review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Surveys for academic research involving human subjects must receive IRB approval. OIE survey approval is separate from the human subject protection requirements of the IRB. Surveys of GPEP students should be reviewed by OIE, GPEP, and the IRB.

E. Data and Information collected from surveys are ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ College’s property.

VII. Protection of data

ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ’s survey software allows the administration of anonymized surveys after the fact to target reminder messages only to non-respondents. In this case, administrators can see which set of the survey population did and did not respond to the survey, and the responses cannot be connected with individuals.

Survey policy prohibits merging demographic or other identifiable data into anonymous surveys. If a survey is referred to as anonymous, it must be the case that the respondent explicitly provides all information.

Other demographic and institutional data may be merged with survey responses for analysis. Researchers ensure that data is stored securely. In the normal course of events, unit record data is not shared with anyone outside the project, and results are not reported in a way that could identify individual respondents. The college, in extraordinary circumstances, may identify, use, and disclose the source of survey responses if it determines in good faith that it is necessary to comply with legal obligations or protect the legal rights, safety, or security of the college or members of the college community.

VIII. Responsible office

The office responsible for administering this policy is the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

IX. History

Adopted: November 2022

Updated: August 2026

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