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Student Surveys in the Division of Student Life

The survey approval process for student surveys helps departments across Student Life incorporate best practices while also reducing the number of unnecessary surveys going out to students. This streamlined process is fully administered through Anthology’s Planning (request and summary forms) and Baseline (survey administration) modules.

All surveys must first be approved by department heads and OASI. Approval takes place by completing the Survey Request Form in the Planning module. This process is described in further detail below.

Survey Protocol (Video Tutorial)  

 

Step One: Approval 

    1. Log in to Anthology: Planning module and complete the Survey Request Form. 
    2. After the Survey Request Form has been completed, share it with OASI for approval. At the bottom of the Survey Request form, click “Read View” –> “Share Item” –> enter dslassessment and “Share Plan Item” 
    3. Once Approved by OASI, download a pdf of the Request Form. At the bottom of the Survey Request form, click “Read View” –> “Print” –> and “Save as PDF” 
    4. Proceed to Baseline and “Request a Project.” Complete the Project Request form. Check the box if you would like additional feedback from Campus Labs. Click “Submit” to be taken to your project dashboard. 
    5. On the project dashboard, upload your PDF Request Form in the “Project Files” section. If Baseline is building your survey, please also attach the Word document with the survey.  

You’re finished! Campus Labs and/or OASI will reach out if there are any issues with your submission. You can use the link in your Project Request confirmation email to easily access your Project Dashboard. 

 

Step Two: Reporting

    1. Within two weeks of your survey completion, analyze your data
    2. Complete the Survey Summary Form in the Planning module.
    3. Share the summary form with OASI for approval. At the bottom of the Survey Request form, click “Read View” –> “Share Item” –> enter dslassessment and “Share Plan Item”
    4. Once Approved by OASI, download a pdf of the Summary Form. At the bottom of the form, click “Read View” –> “Print” –> and “Save as PDF”
    5. Upload the form to the Project Files section of your Project Dashboard in Baseline.

Your Baseline project will then contain everything needed to reference and replicate your survey for future purposes.  

 NOTE: If your department participates in an external survey (e.g., ACHA-NCHA Study, Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, NIRSA/NASPA Consortium Study), please contact dslassessment@utk.edu to be placed on the campus survey calendar. OASI will assist in IRB (if needed) and the OIT data request for student e-mails.

Survey Resources

  1. Sample Survey Email Language
  2. Baseline Resources

 

DSL Surveys: Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. Are any Student Life student surveys excluded from this process?

  • No. At this time, all student surveys administered in the Division of Student Life should submit Survey Request and Summary Forms. This process was established to 1) reduce student survey fatigue, 2) create a culture of assessment that follows best practices (intentional planning, effective survey design, and accountability in closing the loop) and 3) smartly align Student Life surveys with other surveys happening across the institution.
  • Consider timing the launch of your survey around others happening in the Division (see UTK DSL Survey Calendar).

 

Q. This process concerns surveys for students. What about faculty surveys?

  • Surveys to faculty and staff do not have to follow this process. However, any survey that includes students would need to follow the process.

 

Q. What about surveys we do outside of Baseline or with third-party companies? Do we need to include those on our list of surveys for the annual assessment planning meeting?

  • Yes, the list you bring to the assessment planning meeting should include all surveys that will go to UT students, even if they are administered outside of Baseline or with companies outside of the University of Tennessee.
  • You still need to complete Survey Request and Summary Forms in Planning even though your survey will not be administered through Anthology. Doing so will provide a helpful record of your data collection.
  • Remember that you can still use Baseline’s reporting tools even though you did not administer your survey using the tool (see this resource on how to upload data collected outside of Baseline into the tool).

 

Q. My department administers the same survey multiple times a year. Do we have to submit a new Survey Request Form each time? Do we submit Summary Forms each time the recurring survey is administered?

  • No. In this case, one Survey Request Form would be submitted. On the Survey Request Form, select “Recurring survey” (instead of “one-time survey”) and note how often the survey will be administered. This single request will suffice for all of the instances of the survey.
  • You will need to complete and upload a Survey Summary Form for each survey administered. Doing so reinforces the idea that surveys should be intentional.

 

Q. Should I administer my Baseline survey using the Mass Mailing feature or the Generic Survey Link?

 

Q. What are the best practices regarding survey email language, how long to keep the survey open, how many reminders to send, etc?  

  • Feel free to adapt your survey emails from the samples provided here: Sample email language and general mass mailing text tips 
  • Survey Length. 2-3 weeks is generally recommended, although depending on the survey you may wish to keep it open for a longer or shorter duration. Email dslassessment@utk.edu for further recommendations.

 

Q. Where can I go for help with Campus Labs Baseline? 

  • You can visit the Baseline Support Site for live chat support, as well as to access several How-To articles that will walk you through all of Baseline’s functionalities.

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