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Purpose and Goals

SOLICITATION AND REVIEW OF PROPOSALS BEGAN JAN. 2016

 

Introduction


On May 14, 2015, the Periodic Review Oversight Committee established the Survey Coordinating Committee by adding survey coordination to the charge of the Campus Working Group on Assessment (CWGA).

PROC's intention was, in part, to help the campus community make the most of survey efforts as a means for addressing survey fatigue1. Additional information describing

follows.

If you or your unit is planning a survey, please read the Surveys Requiring Review page of this site to determine if your survey should be reviewed by the Survey Coordinating Committee prior to implementation.

Please know that the purpose of this review is not to stop you from surveying.

Rather, the review is intended to help you make the most of your surveys through supportive feedback that

  • promotes survey planning that considers the current calendar of surveys, specific to the population(s) you wish to survey 
  • points you to existing campus survey data, as relevant, or other helpful resources
  • promotes compliance with federal, state, and university policies and privacy regulations, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and, as relevant,  human subject research
  • offers advice on surveying practices,
  • and supports the campus goals for survey coordination

If you have questions or thoughts, please direct them to Kerry Clifford, Convener, Campus Working Goup on Assessment.

 

Goals of Survey Coordination


As outlined in the CWGA charge,  the goal of our survey coordination efforts is to cultivate, over the long term, a campus culture of evidence-informed planning and decision-making (assessment) in which

1. Surveys are recognized as one of several, possible tools for gathering perceptions from stakeholders, and chosen for their appropriateness to the question under investigation.

2. Surveys are selectively and strategically employed as part of a plan for data collection that is grounded in a specified goal or set of goals (or questions) that, as relevant, includes multiple, complementary lines of evidence.

3. Planning to survey involves consideration of the larger campus context, including

4. Planning to survey includes an evaluation of whether the survey is subject to the requirements associated with  human subject research as well as compliance with federal, state, and university policies and privacy regulations, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

5. Participation in surveys is understood by stakeholders to be one way (of many) to give back to UC Merced and advance our campus’ success.


Survey Coordination Responsibilities


In support of the aforementioned goals, and on behalf of campus constituents and the Periodic Review Oversight Committee, as the Survey Coordinating Committee, the CWGA

1. Reviews requests/proposals to survey students, staff, faculty, and alumni advising on topics related to the five outcomes listed under Goals above. This includes recommendations related to timing, sampling strategy, etc.

2. Makes transparent the magnitude of survey activity on campus.

3.  Coordinates the campus calendar of surveys, and facilitates awareness and use of the calendar for planning purposes.

4.  Facilitates discussions to address competing survey priorities and, as appropriate, makes recommendations for survey priorities to PROC.

5.  Facilitates the review and revision of institutional surveys, ensuring appropriate stakeholder involvement.

6.  Facilitates strategic promotion of institutional surveys, including planning.

7.  Facilitates the distribution of institutional survey data to campus stakeholders.

8.  Facilitates communication to campus stakeholders of how survey results are used, including actions taken in response.

9.  Consults, advises, and provides professional development regarding effective survey and data gathering practices as requested.

 

1 Decreased willingness to participate in surveys, which reduces response rates and can compromise the usefulness of the data.