Surveys

Survey Request Form, Policy, and Resources

Surveys are an essential tool to support Goucher's mission of excellence in education and commitment to data-informed decision making. As an institution, we seek to gather feedback from our constituencies to help guide continuous improvement. Goucher has developed the following survey policies, procedures, and best practices to ensure that our information gathering efforts are efficient, effective, and timely. The approved Policy on the Internal and External Administration of Surveys can be found on the Polices page. 

Goucher uses Qualtrics as its survey platform. For more information on Qualtrics, contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. 

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) will serve as Goucher’s survey clearinghouse. All surveys intended for distribution to any members or prospective members of the college community (such as applicants, students, faculty, staff, board members, and alumni) must be vetted by the Institutional Survey Committee using the procedures described below.

Please note that approval by OIE to administer a survey is not a substitute for a review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Surveys that are part of academic research involving human subjects must receive IRB approval. OIE survey approval is separate from the human subject protection requirements of the IRB.

Staff or faculty who wish to conduct surveys of Goucher students, alumni, employees, or external partners must have their surveys registered and on the Survey Calendar. This is done by submitting a Survey Registration Form which is reviewed by the OIE and/or Institutional Survey Committee (ISC) as appropriate.

Please note that all data and information collected from surveys conducted by administrative offices, faculty committees, and other college committees are the property of Goucher College. Upon completion of your survey, you must submit survey results, data, and any reports to the OIE to be archived. Sharing results enhances institutional knowledge, informs future assessment, and helps Goucher meet effectiveness reporting needs. Completed survey results will be available to the Goucher community as necessary.

A calendar of surveys being administered can be found here.

Survey Request, Registration, and Approval 

Prior to submitting your registration form:

Survey Request Form

Process

Complete and submit the Survey Registration Form (or download the PDF) no less than 3 months* prior to the planned launch date. The form asks for the following: 

  • Description of the survey project, including the name, purpose, and intended use of results
  • The primary survey administrator and office/department responsible for the survey
  • Specific population receiving the survey (including sampling design)
  • Method of survey distribution (e.g., online or hard copy, via email, in class, at event, etc.)
  • Time frame for administering the survey, including beginning and end dates as well as reminder notifications to encourage participation
  • Evidence of IRB approval (if necessary) - IRB webpage
  • Description of any planned incentive program for respondents; and
  • Current draft of the survey including all invitation and cover letters. See OIE guidelines for survey administration. As you submit a survey for registration, please be aware there are competing priorities and limited resources. These factors need to be considered and the submission of a registration form on its own does not indicate the survey can be administered.
  • Approval of department or office lead.

(*Expedite: We understand that some survey topics are focused on urgent issues and need to be expedited. We will take this under consideration if you are not able to meet the deadlines. Please try to meet the deadlines for less urgent and time-sensitive topics.)

The application will be assessed based on the rubric below (under development). 

Tips for completing the Survey Request Form (PDF)

The Institutional Survey Committee will review your application and OIE will respond within 7 business days of the date the proposal was received. Please be aware that if questions on the survey are related to a specific unit, department, role or individual, the supervisor or unit representative will be notified. Further action may be necessary by the responsible party.

Survey Request Form

OIE Data Source Bank

OIE conducts several campus-wide surveys on a set schedule. Links to the survey instrument have been included if it is public. These surveys include (but are not limited to) :

Survey Resources