Student Affairs and University Planning

Program Review-related Surveys

Because so many Student Affairs and University Planning program reviews depend on survey research for developing findings and recommendations, the Office of Institutional Research has staff to assist in the survey process. OIR can help program review committees with such tasks as writing surveys, posting them to the web using Web Surveyor, processing data, and creating reports.

In general, survey research is used when the unit being studied has a broad spectrum of key customers throughout the university. These include such units as UREC, Residence Life, etc. Surveys are used to:

• Gather quantitative unit performance data
• Measure customer satisfaction in key areas
• Learn key strengths and areas of needed improvement

When designing surveys, remember:

• Use the pyramid approach - start with general questions and move to the specific
• If you must use potentially "loaded" or negative questions, move those to the end of the survey
• Be as specific as possible with each question
• Think about making it easy to respond to:
  • Keep it short - five minutes to complete of less
  • Assure confidentiality and anonymity
  • Provide an initial invitation and follow-up reminder
  
  Tips for Survey Questions
  
  

  This…	Is better than this…
  Of the following choices, what do you consider the appropriate fee for faculty/staff parking on campus?	Do you think it's fair that employees have to pay for parking on campus?
  Please rate the level of friendliness you've experienced with the unit on the following scale.	Please rate the unit's friendliness and professionalism on the following scale.
  Do you plan to use the unit's services in the next 30 days?	Will you use the unit's services in the future?
  Please rank the following 5 unit services in order based on their importance to you.	Please rank the following 15 unit services in order based on their importance to you.
  Do you know the processor in your desktop computer? If yes, please write it in the space provided.	Do you use the Pentium 17.6 giga-processor in your current desktop computer?
  Please rate the unit's handling of paperwork on the following scale.	How often has the unit lost your paperwork?

Resources

• WebSurveyor Corporation
• American Statistical Association (downloadable booklet)
• Social Research Methods (website)