March 2014, Issue 3
Considering a Survey?
Sometimes it is difficult to know what kind of tool is needed for what type of assessment. So, I have included this simple guide to help you decide:
| Purpose / Need | Suggested Tool / Approach |
|---|---|
| Info on student satisfaction | Survey |
| Something easy to implement | Survey |
| Cost effective | Survey |
| Aligned with Division Goals | Survey |
| Valid and reliable | Survey |
| Will give me “data” to submit in a “report” | Survey |
| Need something done immediately | Survey |
| It’s what we did last year | Survey |
Thanks (and chuckles) go to Jeremy Penn, Director of Assessment for the Division of Student Affairs at North Dakota State University for sharing this tongue-in-cheek tool.
Of course, it is not quite that simple. However, if you are considering administering a survey, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators has recently released a helpful guide entitled 5 Things Not To Do In Developing Surveys for Assessment in Student Affairs. This resource provides some really helpful tips in terms of survey development and administration.
Also, as a reminder, the Division of Student Affairs at UTSA has a contract with Campus Labs (formerly Student Voice) to administer any survey (or rubric) that you may want. The product is called Baseline. I can provide access to staff members of your department and help you set up projects. We also have an assessment consultant, Dan Kaczmarek, who is available to assist. There is no charge to your department because our license is division-wide.
When used effectively, surveys can be extremely useful in gathering information to be used to strengthen our programs. If I can assist you in any of your survey endeavors, please let me know.
See you next month!
Kasey
Kasey Neece-Fielder
Director of Strategic Planning and Assessment
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
kasey.neece-fielder@utsa.edu
http://utsa.edu/students/assessment/