Feedback from our campus community is essential for guiding activities across the institution, and surveys are often an effective way to collect that information. However, without a clear review, approval, and coordination process, we risk overburdening students, faculty, and staff with too many surveys.
In fall 2024, the Provost asked Vice Chancellors to appoint a representative from their division to join a new campus committee responsible for developing the infrastructure to review, approve, and coordinate institutional surveys. The goals of the Institutional Survey Review Committee (ISRC) include:
- Monitoring the volume of institutional surveys.
- Coordinating the timing of institutional surveys.
- Reducing redundant institutional surveys.
- Enhancing the quality of institutional survey data and increasing response rates.
To clarify, this new institutional survey review, approval, and coordination process is not meant to hinder academic research or interfere with the essential functions of the university, schools, colleges, divisions, or departments. Instead, it aims to ensure that campus surveys are focused, efficient, and designed to support meaningful operational impact.
This webpage has the following sections:
Pre-survey considerations
Before submitting your survey for review, please consider the following:
- Do you have clear goals and a plan for how you will use the results? What do you want to learn, about whom, and how will the survey results affect your unit’s operations? Is your leadership committed to using and sharing the results?
- Is the information you want to collect already available? Are you searching for data in student or employee records? Is there another institutional survey that has already gathered or will gather the data you need? If you’re unsure whether the data you are looking for already exists, reach out to the ISRC committee with your questions.
- Is a survey the right method for collecting data? There are several common ways to gather information from students, faculty, and staff. Have you considered focus groups, listening sessions, or in-person interviews? Depending on what you want to achieve, these options might be more appropriate and efficient.
- Does your unit have the expertise and capacity to design, administer, analyze, and report survey results? There is a scientific basis behind survey design and administration, as well as the expertise needed to properly interpret survey responses and draw meaningful conclusions. There are resources on campus to help you, including the UW Survey Center (UWSC).
Institutional surveys requiring review, approval, and coordination
Institutional surveys of current students, faculty, or staff generally require review, approval, and coordination by the ISRC committee if they will be sent to 500 or more individuals.
However, the following types of institutional surveys are exempt:
- Alumni surveys.
- Post-event or post-service feedback surveys.
- Course and teaching evaluations.
- Surveys solely for academic research, which are generally approved by the IRB.
If you are unsure whether your survey meets the criteria for exemption, please err on the side of caution and contact us at surveys@provost.wisc.edu.
The flowchart below can help you decide if you need to submit your survey for review, approval, and coordination.
Survey submission process and timeline
Once you have determined your survey meets the criteria for submission, you are ready to start the approval process.
- Review the survey calendar: Verify if other surveys will be conducted at the same time and consider modifying your plan as needed.
- Submit intake form: Submit your materials through the Qualtrics survey intake form. You will get an automated confirmation of your submission.
- Survey review: The Institutional Survey Review Committee will review your submission. The committee may ask for additional information or require modifications to your survey plan. You should receive a decision from the committee within two weeks, along with any additional instructions.
- Survey approved: Congratulations, your survey has been approved and added to the institutional survey calendar.
- Survey administration: Administer your survey following the approved protocol. Please notify the committee immediately of any changes to the approved protocol, a data breach, or a mental health crisis disclosed by a survey participant.
- Post-survey questionnaire: About one month after your survey closes, you will get an email from the committee with a link to a post-survey questionnaire. Agreeing to complete these questions is required for approval. You will have 30 days to finish the questionnaire, but you can request an extension if unexpected circumstances arise.
Submission form
Units must complete a Qualtrics form. A sample of the form is available for download.
Timeline to submit a request
If you are administering a survey in the:
- Fall semester: submit to the committee by July 15.
- Spring semester: submit to the committee by December 15.
- Summer semester: submit to the committee by April 15.
We understand that surveys often need to be fielded with shorter notification, and the committee will work with units to include their survey in the approval process.
Survey calendar
Surveys approved by the ISRC are shown on the calendar.
Institutional Survey Review Committee
The committee provides a written report to leadership annually. Current members include:
- Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research—Bethany Crowell and James Yonker.
- Division for Teaching and Learning—Regina Lowery.
- Division of Enrollment Management—Cori Splain.
- Division of Finance and Administration—Paul Seitz.
- Division of Student Affairs—Ning Sun.
- Office of Human Resources—Lucien Gerondeau.
- Office of the Chancellor—Adam Kindschy.
- University of Wisconsin Survey Center (UWSC)—Jennifer Dykema.