Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

Survey Assessment and Review Process

Overview of survey assessment and review process

Because of the high demand to survey the UW—Madison community, in 2024, the Provost charged a committee with developing and implementing a formal structure to coordinate surveys. Creating a formal survey review structure:  

  • Reviews surveys that our community members are asked to complete 
  • Provides visibility for the campus community to know which surveys are in the field at any given time during the year
  • Establishes improved coordination across the university to reduce duplication efforts

It also aligns UW–Madison with current best practices in higher education, as many of our peers have a similar structure.   

Use the information on this page to:  

The University of Wisconsin Survey Center, experts in survey design, methodology, and data collection, are available for survey assistance. If you have questions about the survey review and assessment process, contact DAPIR.

Surveys requiring review and approval

 Surveys that meet any of the following criteria must be submitted for review and approval:

  • The target population is university-wide. For example, all students, all faculty, or all staff.
  • The population includes surveys sent to 500 or more people across multiple units, or the intention is to send to everyone in a single school, college, or division.
  • The threshold is less than 500 but targets a specific subpopulation based on characteristics such as student level, admit type, race/ethnicity, gender, etc.
  • Data can be generalized to the broader student, faculty, or staff population. For example, you are surveying a small group of students (under 500) but want to generalize your findings to all UW-Madison students.
  • Surveys that may overlap with existing institutional surveys. For example, campus climate surveys and first destination surveys. 

If you are unsure if your survey meets any of the criteria, please err on the side of caution and reach out to us at dapir@provost.wisc.edu.

Surveys exempt from review and approval

Surveys that meet any of the following criteria do not currently require committee approval:

  • Alumni surveys.
  • Research surveys from tenure /tenure-track faculty and those with permanent PI status. In general, these surveys are approved for research purposes by the IRB. Note: Surveys with overlapping goals of institutional assessment and improvement and research conducted by administrative staff will still need to go through the survey committee. For example, NSSE or the Campus Climate Survey. 
  • Feedback surveys administered to participants of events or service users after the program or service. For example, a unit holds an event and asks for participant feedback.
  • Course or teaching evaluations. For example, a CP125 course evaluation. 
  • Surveys sent to a single department are not currently included, but that might change at the committee’s discretion. Departments who want their survey included on the survey calendar or reviewed for overlap are encouraged to submit their surveys. 

How to submit a survey

A form collects the information needed to review your survey. The Survey Request Guide provides additional details. 

Helpful hints for form navigation:   

  • There are multiple pages to the form. The Survey Request Guide provides an overview of the field and the information desired.  
  • All mandatory fields are marked with a red star. You may not move to the next page without filling in these fields.
  • Click “Next” to navigate to the next page and “Back” to return to the previous page. 
  • Be sure to hit “Submit” on the file page. 

Submit your survey request

Visit our calendar (still under construction) to learn more about the current and upcoming surveys.

Survey Assessment and Review Committee

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Committee member representatives

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

  • DAPIR—Bethany Crowell and Sara Lazenby
  • Division of Enrollment Management—Cori Splain
  • Division of Teaching and Learning—Regina Lowery
  • University of Wisconsin Survey Center (UWSC)—Jennifer Dykema 

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration

  • Finance and Administration—Paul Seitz
  • Human Resources—Lucien Gerondeau

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

  • Student Affairs—Ning Sun

Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence 

  • Office of Strategic Diversity Planning and Research—James Yonker

Office of the Chancellor

  • Carol Griggs