WEB SURVEY POLICY
Purpose
In response to requests from several groups on campus, the Information Systems Office has created a web-based survey tool. The tool is designed to facilitate the gathering and analysis of data from different audiences both on and off campus. The tool will reduce the cost of gathering data, facilitate the tracking of respondents to send reminders, and eliminate the task of entering the data. Recognizing that any new opportunity will have potential pitfalls, we would like to put in place some guidelines to prevent the misuse and overuse of this new tool.
The Information Systems Office will continue to be in charge of the maintenance of the functionality of the survey tool, as well as adding any additional functionality. The IS Office has requested that the IR Office serve as gatekeeper for the tool.
The following policy guidelines define who can use the tool, set priorities for its use, and define some parameters to assist us in maintaining the quality of web surveys on campus. The guidelines also set some basic standards for protecting the confidentiality of respondents and generally protecting the rights of human subjects in research.
In the gatekeeper role, the IR Office will be involved in assisting users in reviewing surveys, ensuring that appropriate follow-up is done to improve response rates, and monitoring the schedule of web-based surveys to avoid oversurveying specific populations. Another goal of the IR Office is to establish a certain level of accountability that will motivate users think about how the data gathered will be used to improve programs and services on campus and to document the improvements.
Policy Statement
Who can use the tool?
The tool will be available to EMU Offices, Departments, or student organizations requesting the use of the tool for research or assessment activities designed to improve programs or services on campus. In order to reduce the possibility of increased non-response bias, the availability of the tool may be limited at certain times in order to prevent over-surveying a specific population.
Are there limitations on how often a specific population can be surveyed?
A useful rule of thumb is that no person should be surveyed more than once in any given 15 day period. After the initial email, an additional reminder can be sent, with the availability of the survey on the web limited to 10 days.
How would IR ensure that the surveys are of good quality, i.e. will produce useful information?
IR office will provide guidelines for appropriate sampling, follow-up reminders, and structuring of survey items. The IR Office will also gather information from users about the purpose of the survey and how they plan to use results from the survey. If data from the EMU administrative computer system will be merged with survey data, the IR Office will refer the survey designers to the "owners" of that data to ensure that it is being used appropriately (field definitions, format, confidentiality, etc.) Follow-up forms will be used to gather data on the response rate, administration of the survey, and how results were used to improve programs and services on campus. Comments and suggestions for improvement of the functionality or use of the web-based survey tool will be solicited as well, and passed on to the IS Office.
How will IR ensure that guidelines for the treatment of human subjects in research are followed?
IR staff will review the proposed survey questions and email/letter announcing the survey to ensure the following guidelines have been followed:
- If the results of the research are to be published or presented at a conference, the approval of the University Research Review Board is required.
- If assessment results will not be published and the respondents remain anonymous, formal campus URRB approval is not required, but the purpose of the research and the fact that participation is voluntary must be explained to participants.
- If assessment results will not be published and the survey responses will be linked to an individual, formal URRB is not required, but the purpose of the research, the fact that participation is voluntary, and actions to ensure confidentiality must be explained to participants. If the survey includes identifiers to facilitate sending reminders, IR staff will strip the identifiers from the data before releasing it to the user. If identifiers will be used to merge data with information in university databases, participants will be informed what additional information will be collected.
- If data from student records are used in assessment research, all requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) must be met. Non-public student data can be used without the student's consent by university employees for "legitimate educational" purposes provided the data is not reported in such a way that individual students can be identified. All other users must receive written consent from the student(s) to access non-public student data.
Responsible Party
The staff of the Institutional Research and Effectiveness Office will be responsible for the implementation of the policy described above.
Policy Distribution
A copy of the policy will be available on the IR website and in the IR Office, and the policy will be included in the policy notebook located in the President's Office. IS will also have access to the policy, as they often receive requests for assistance with electronic polling and surveys. The survey request form and the survey checklist are available on-line (see links on the left sidebar under the heading Web Survey Tool).
Approved by Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, May 31, 2001
Click here to view a copy of the form to fill out and return to the Institutional Research and Effectiveness Office to request to do a web survey.
