Computing & Communications

B.4.5 Survey Policy

Approved/revised: September 8, 2008

  INTRODUCTION

Over the past few years there has been significant growth in the number of surveys used to gather data from and about NVIT's students, faculty and staff. The increasing requirement – internally and externally – for understanding student and/or employee experiences, and for measuring outcomes, means a continuing need for such surveys. Given the increasingly high profile that a number of consortium surveys have, it is essential that results be reliable and meaningful. However, survey proliferation raises the concern that their effectiveness will be seriously reduced if the target populations are faced with too many requests. This situation has led to a decision to better co-ordinate institute surveys (see Scope below for definition) on campus, which the survey policy outlined here is intended to do.

  POLICY

The management of NVIT Surveys is the responsibility of the Survey Management Committee, chaired by the Director of Integrated Systems and Institutional Research and including the Registrar and a Dean.

The mandate of this group is to:

1. Recommend policy and process improvements in the area of surveys.
2. Receive and consider applications for permission to survey.
3. Maintain an account of the level of surveying imposed on the different constituencies on campus.
4. Assess the effectiveness of approved surveys once completed.
5. Report bi-annually to the Management Committee on survey activity.

Note: in the event a conflict exists whereby a member of the Survey Management Committee is submitting an application for a survey, a Vice-President will assume their position for the purpose of considering the survey application.

PURPOSE

The objective of this policy is to maximize the benefits from surveys on campus. This will be done by attempting to encourage high participation rates by:

• Ensuring good survey methodology and design;
• Encouraging the communication of survey results with the NVIT community;
• Avoiding the collection of duplicate information; and
• Reducing possible survey fatigue by limiting the number and timing of surveys to any one specific group.

SCOPE

NVIT Surveys include any broad sampling or census of a population at NVIT (plus applicants or alumni) that involves direct [1] requests to individuals for information. NVIT Surveys may be addressed to any part of the NVIT community and may address topics including academic, research, personnel, management and environmental issues. NVIT Surveys also include surveys managed by outside agencies but addressed to campus groups and surveys that are parts of research projects.

1. Grand-parented Surveys:
   The following Internal and External Surveys are considered to be approved:

   • Course Evaluations
   • College and Institute Student Outcomes (CISO)
   • Baccalaureate Graduate Survey (BGS)
   • Statistics Canada's National Graduate Survey

If you are unsure whether your survey falls under the scope of NVIT Surveys, as referred to in this policy, feel free to contact the Office of Integrated Systems and Institutional Research for clarification (contact info below).

PROCEDURE:

A group wishing to conduct a broad survey, or having responsibility for managing part of an external survey, should consider whether it could be construed as a NVIT Survey (see Scope above). If yes, the group will make an application to the Survey Management Committee for permission to proceed. The application will identify:

1. The source and strategic or research context of the survey
2. The issues to be addressed or data to be collected 
3. The population to be addressed
4. The approach to be used
5. How the data will be used and results communicated.