Survey Guidelines

Surveys are tools to collect quantitative and/or qualitative data from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) students, faculty, and staff. Individuals use surveys for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, informing educational programs and instructional practice, evaluating meaningful initiatives and institutional priorities, providing important insights, and collecting data to address a variety of questions. The BGSU Survey Guidelines are for email surveys sent to BGSU students, faculty, and/or staff. Please contact University Advancement regarding alumni surveys.

Internal Surveys – These are surveys sent to BGSU students, faculty, and/or staff by other BGSU students, faculty, and/or staff.

At BGSU, we differentiate surveys into two main categories.

  1. Surveys for human subjects research purposes
  2. Surveys for assessment and/or evaluation purposes

If you are unsure if your survey is research, please contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at irb@bgsu.edu or complete an IRB Review Determination Form (available from IRBNet).

If your survey is for human subjects research purposes, then you will need to go through the Institutional Review Board processSurveys for human subjects research purposes do not need to complete the BGSU Office of Academic Assessment Survey Request form. The IRB approval process will be sufficient, if the survey is determined to be research by the IRB.  Once you have IRB approval, you can complete an Office of Institutional Research Data Request form for access to BGSU email addresses.

If your survey is for assessment and/or evaluation purposes and you are sending the survey directly to BGSU email addresses, then you will need to complete the BGSU Office of Academic Assessment Survey Request form. The BGSU Office of Institutional Research is the official office that provides BGSU email addresses. Once your BGSU Office of Academic Assessment Survey Request has been approved, you can complete an Office of Institutional Research Data Request form for access to BGSU email addresses.

There are a few instances where individuals sending a survey for assessment and/or evaluation purposes do not need to complete the BGSU Office of Academic Assessment Survey Request form. Exemptions to the BGSU Office of Academic Assessment Survey Request process include:

  • A college, department, or unit is sending the assessment/evaluation survey to their contact list.
  • The survey is for course evaluation purposes.
  • The assessment/evaluation survey is being sent by a faculty member to students within their particular classes.
  • The assessment/evaluation survey is being sent to students from other students within the same class.

Things to consider before submitting a Survey Request:

Questions on the BGSU Office of Academic Assessment Survey Request form include:

  • Your name, contact information, and affiliation
  • What is the purpose of your survey?
  • How will your data be used?

           o   Assessing learning

           o   Evaluating a program, service, and/or event

           o   Identifying perceptions, attitudes, and/or actions  

           o   Planning purposes

           o   Process improvement

           o   Satisfaction

           o   Study of topic

           o   Other _____________

  • Who is your survey audience?

           o   Undergraduate students

           o   Graduate students

           o   Faculty

           o   Staff

  • How many individuals will you be emailing this survey?
  • What questions will be on your survey?
  • What is your preferred start date and an alternate start date?
  • How long will the survey be open (i.e., number of weeks)?

Survey Request Form

BGSU Survey Schedule – Institutional Surveys

Survey/Assessment

Purpose

Audience

Contact

Administration Timeline

ODHE Changing Campus Culture

Identify benchmark data for the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Changing Campus Culture Initiative https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccc

Students, Faculty, and Staff

Title IX

Annually

February/March

BGSU Diversity & Belonging

Identify benchmark data related to diversity and belonging at BGSU

Students, Faculty, and Staff

Division of Diversity & Belonging

Annually

February/March

Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE)

Assess faculty job satisfaction

Faculty

Institutional Effectiveness

Every three years
(last administration 2019)

February/March

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

Assess students’ levels of engagement and related information about their experience at BGSU

All first-year students and seniors

Office of Institutional Research

Every other year
(last administration 2021)

End of February/March

National College Health Assessment

Assess students’ health habits, behaviors, and perceptions

Students

Wellness Connection

Every other year in the fall semester

(next administration fall 2022)

National Faculty and Staff Health Assessment

Assess faculty and staff health habits, behaviors, and perceptions

Faculty and Staff

Wellness Connection

Every other year in the fall semester

(next administration fall 2022)

Graduation Survey

Gather post-graduation employment data to identify future plans

Graduating students

Office of Academic Assessment

Every commencement – (survey emailed two weeks prior to graduation and open for two weeks post commencement; follow-up text survey after email survey closes)

University-wide Evaluation of Teaching & Learning

Course evaluation

Students

Office of Academic Assessment

At the end of every session within every semester and term

External Surveys – These are surveys sent to BGSU students, faculty, and/or staff by individuals not affiliated with BGSU. If the purpose of the external survey is for human subjects research and you are requesting BGSU email addresses, please go through the BGSU IRB process. If an external survey is for a purpose other than human subjects research, please contact the Office of Academic Assessment at assessment@bgsu.edu

Survey Procedures and Practices Committee:

  • Victoria Ampiaw – TRIO Programs
  • Richard Anderson – Faculty Senate Representative
  • Jenifer Baranski – Office of Research Compliance
  • Coty Behanna – Office of Residence Life
  • Kim Brooks – Academic Affairs
  • Jonathan Chambers – Graduate College
  • Faith DeNardo – Wellness Connection
  • Marie Dunn – Marketing & Brand Strategy  
  • Patrick Kelly – Office of Human Resources
  • Oyebanjo Lajubutu – Office of Institutional Research
  • John Lommel – Institutional Effectiveness
  • Jeffrey Mangette – Office of Registration and Records
  • Thomas Mowen – Institutional Review Board
  • Daniel Powell – Equity, Opportunity & Compliance
  • Michelle Rable – Registrar
  • Donald Schumacher – Information Technology Services
  • Darby Shanahan – Graduate Student Senate
  • Jessica Turos – Office of Academic Assessment
  • Betsy Winters – Office of Online and Summer Programs

Updated: 06/10/2021 02:58PM