A1300.30 Surveys

 

Statement
Definitions
Roles and Responsibilities
Survey Approval

 

Statement

---

Shawnee Community College values the input from its stakeholders, and surveys are a popular method for gathering information and feedback to be used to further the interests of the college and aid in making data informed decisions.

 

Definitions

---

Stakeholder– prospective students, current students, alumni, faculty, staff, employers, and community members.

Survey– any means of data collection in which questions are presented to participants in a paper, oral (e.g., interview, focus group), or electronic (e.g., email, web) format for the purpose of evaluating/assessing College programs, functions, or services; or gathering feedback from respondents for decision-making and continuous improvement.  Respondents include, but are not limited to, prospective students, current students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators, employers, and other community members.

Surveyor– a College employee or unit who administers a survey in accordance with these procedures and the associated policy.

Survey archive– a file that contains a copy of all surveys, datasets, and associated reports that are generated by the surveyor(s).

 

Roles and Responsibilities

---

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness will:

• Provide consultation on the development and administration of surveys and analysis of results.
• Review and approve survey requests, including those requests from researchers outside of SCC (e.g., doctoral students with IRB approval through their own institution).
• Maintain a survey archive.
• Annually review the scope and effectiveness of this policy and associated procedures.

 

Surveyors requesting to conduct surveys will:

• Work with the Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness on creating a survey instrument or submit a draft for review prior to implementing a survey.
• Provide the Office of Institutional Effectiveness with a copy of all datasets and associated reports of findings.

 

Survey Approval

---

1. The surveyor(s) who wishes to administer a survey must first obtain approval from their respective supervisor.
   1. Surveys sponsored by faculty must have the approval of the relevant Dean.
   2. Surveys sponsored by administrative/student affairs departments must have the approval of the relevant Director.
   3. Surveys sponsored by a Shared Governance committee must have the approval of the relevant Vice President.
2. The supervisor must send written approval to the Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness. 
3. The surveyor(s) must provide the Office of Institutional Effectiveness with copies of all materials related to conducting the survey at least three weeks in advance:
   1. Purpose
   2. Population for surveying
   3. Questions/Protocols
   4. Proposed correspondence to respondents regarding the survey
   5. Timeline
   6. Method(s) of administration
   7. Method(s) of analysis
   8. Methods to ensure confidentiality or anonymity
   9. Description of assistance requested from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (e.g., student contacts, course lists, use of College’s electronic survey platform, question review/revision)
      NOTE: *See Data Governance for the framework to ensure data integrity and Institutional Evaluation/Research (A1300.15)
4. The surveyor(s) will meet with the designated employee of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness if requested.
5. The Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness will communicate electronically with the surveyor(s) and approving supervisor, if needed, regarding decisions related to the administration of the survey (e.g., approval, concerns, revisions requested).
6. The surveyor(s) must maintain documentation of final survey approval once approved.
7. The surveyor(s) must maintain data consistent with College Records and Retention Policy, if applicable.
8. The surveyor(s) must maintain confidentiality or anonymity of respondent information as outlined in the survey proposal.
9. The surveyor(s) must provide electronic copies of the final survey, datasets, and associated reports to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness for retention in the survey archive.

 

Change Log
Date	Description of Change	Governance Unit
2.29.24	Initial Adoption	Admin Svc. Council