MyUW Survey Posting Initiative FAQ
Why should I submit my survey for review to be posted to MyUW?
Posting your survey to MyUW will increase its visibility to your survey sample. In the most recent administration of the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey, the link posted to MyUW accounted for the highest participation in the survey compared to personal email invitations, advertising around campus, and encouragement from trusted partners.
What problems is this initiative trying to solve?
This initiative is designed to address several interconnected problems that have arisen over the years related to surveying UW students.
| PROBLEM | SOLUTION |
| Survey fatigue. Students are increasingly asked to complete surveys for various UW assessment efforts, and some of these efforts may be redundant or lack the quality to make students’ effort worth their time | Students will be sampled through MyUW up to 2 times per quarter only, limiting survey fatigue |
| Low response rates. Surveys are increasingly exhibiting low response rates, probably due to survey fatigue and survey content overlap/redundancy | Students will be sampled through MyUW up to 2 times per quarter only, ideally resulting in higher response rates due to less survey fatigue
Surveys will be vetted for quality to ensure that they follow best practices in survey design and administration, contributing to students feeling that responding is worth their time |
| Survey content overlap/redundancy. Units and departments may survey students on topics that recently have been addressed through other survey efforts, leading to redundant efforts; this is largely due to lack of communication and assessment coordination among UW departments | Surveys will be vetted to ensure their content does not overlap with recently administered surveys |
| Lack of communication and assessment coordination. UW units and departments are often unaware that data and results exist that overlap with their strategic interests and which could be used in lieu of producing their own survey | Through the survey review process, survey administrators will be notified if their efforts are redundant of other efforts currently planned or recently conducted
The Survey Clearinghouse will provide a forum for assessment professionals to share ideas, results, and instruments |
| Lack of checks on survey quality and/or connection to strategic priorities. Students are frequently asked to complete surveys that have no checks on their quality, and these can contribute to survey fatigue. Additionally, survey efforts for large sample surveys may tax students but have little pay off for broader UW strategic priorities | Surveys will be vetted for quality to ensure surveys follow best practices, are actionable, and address some aspect of UW strategic priorities and/or mission |
| Insufficient oversight of potential privacy issues. We currently have no way to know the kinds of questions asked of the larger student body and any privacy concerns that may arise from the types of data that will be collected about students | Surveys will be vetted to ensure that they follow best practices for data security and privacy |
How will the survey appear on MyUW?
A brief description of the survey, along with a link to the survey itself, will be posted at the top of students’ pages in MyUW, as shown in this image.
How do I submit my survey for review?
To submit your survey for review, please complete this proposal and submit it, along with your survey instrument, to surveys@uw.edu.
Who will review my survey?
The survey review process will mirror the review process for academic journals. Two members of the survey review advisory group will review each survey, making recommendations based on the survey review criteria (next bullet). These reviews will be synthesized, with an ultimate decision made by Sean Gehrke, the director of OEA.
What criteria will be used in the survey review process?
Surveys will be reviewed for how they meet three general criteria:
- Calendar & timing. Does proposed survey fit within the constraints of a schedule limiting students to being surveyed no more than two times per quarter?
- Subject matter. Does the survey limit overlap with other large-sample surveys and fit within strategic priorities of UW? Will survey administrators provide information for survey clearinghouse if allowed to advertise with MyUW (see more information below about the survey clearinghouse)?
- Survey quality. Does the survey follow best practices for survey design, accessibility, and data security/privacy?
How long does the review process take?
Turnaround time from submission to posting to MyUW is approximately four weeks. If you are seeking to post your survey sooner than four weeks from now, please contact Sean Gehrke (sjgehrke@uw.edu) immediately to explore the feasibility of your request.
If I don’t want to post my survey to MyUW, can I still have my survey reviewed?
If you would like your survey reviewed for quality, OEA provides survey support services to faculty and departments at UW Seattle on a cost-recovery basis. One hour of free consultation is included in these services. Please contact surveys@uw.edu for more information.
Can I get access to results from previous surveys that are related to the questions on my survey?
One of the next phases of this initiative is to create a survey clearinghouse, where members of the UW community can access information related to surveys previously administered at UW. The clearinghouse will include dates for previously administered surveys, survey instruments, and results from these efforts when available. Moving forward, surveys selected to be advertised through MyUW will be expected to provide their survey instruments and a summary of key findings for inclusion in the clearinghouse.
Why might a survey not be allowed to be posted to MyUW?
Most of the time, a survey will not be allowed to be posted due to the calendar (too many other surveys being administered during the administration window) or because the topic is redundant or too similar to recently administered surveys. In some cases, the survey will be sent back to be revised if the reviewers have concerns about the survey quality (i.e., questions and measurement being utilized do not follow best practice, lack of connection between survey items and survey purpose, lack of controls for ensuring data security and privacy with sensitive information). In these cases, survey developers will be given a list of changes that need to be addressed in order for the survey to be posted to MyUW.