"Developing Surveys to Measure Student Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes“

Nathan Lindsay & Larry Bunce

February 19, 2014

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There are many types of surveys to consider… Satisfaction Surveys Learning Outcome Surveys Needs Assessments Exit Surveys Alumni Surveys User Surveys Non-User Surveys Student/Faculty/Staff/General Public Surveys Other?

Steps in survey design

Pilot test survey and revise

Review and revise survey

Determine physical characteristics of survey

Determine item sequence

Write and edit items

Choose response formats

Outline topic(s) and draft items

• Determine your purposeDESIGN

Begin with the end in mind…

What do you want/need to show?

Why do you need to show it?

Who is the source of your data?

How will you use the data?

Who will need to see results?

The purpose of this assessment is…

• To better understand what the needs of our veteran students are, and how the new Veteran’s Center can meet them

• To evaluate if students achieved the stated learning outcomes of our workshop, and what additional training needs they have

• To demonstrate to stakeholders the impact that living in the residence halls has on student development

• To assess student awareness of services in order to develop our marketing and communications plan

• Determine your purposeD• Examine past assessmentsE

SIGN

Examine past assessments

• Did you use the data?o If not, what kept you from examining it?

• If you used the data…o What was useful?o Was any of the data difficult to analyze?o Were there questions you wished you had asked?o Did any question wording make you unsure of what the data

meant?

• What feedback did you receive from those who participated?

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.Philosopher, George Santayana 1905

• Determine your purposeD• Examine past assessmentsE• Select the appropriate methodS

IGN

Select an appropriate method

Indirect vs. direct

Quantitative vs.

qualitative

Formative vs.

summative

Population vs. sample

Quantitative Qualitative• Focus on numbers/numeric values• Who, what, where, when• Match with outcomes about

knowledge and comprehension (define, classify, recall, recognize)

• Allows for measurement of variables• Uses statistical data analysis• May be generalize to greater

population with larger samples• Easily replicated

• Focus on text/narrative from respondents

• Why, how• Match with outcomes about

application, analysis, synthesis, evaluate

• Seeks to explain and understand• Ability to capture “elusive” evidence

of student learning and development

Sampling

PopulationThe whole group

Example: survey goes to entire campus

If entire campus: use sparingly and coordinate with Institutional Research

SampleA subsection of that group

Example: survey goes to 30% of campus

Sampling strategies

Simple Random Sample gives everyone in

sampling population an equal chance of

selection; a probability sample

Stratified Random Sample

breaks total sample into subpopulations and then

selects randomly from each stratum

Sample suggestionsNumber of Students in Population Random Sample Size (suggestion)

1,000 278

500 217

350 184

200 132

100 80

50 44

Based on 5% margin of errorSuggestion in: Assessing Student Learning by Linda Suskie

Sample size is the desired number of respondents NOT the number of individuals invited to participate.

Any process employed to gather data which requires

subjects to display their knowledge, behavior, or

thought processes.

Direct Methods Indirect Methods

Any process employed to gather data which asks subjects to reflect upon

their knowledge, behaviors, or thought processes.

Where on campus would you go or who would you consult with if youhad questions about which coursesto register for the fall?

I know where to go on campus if I have questionsabout which courses to register for in the fall.

Strongly agreeModerately agreeNeither agree nor disagreeModerately disagreeStrongly disagree

• Conducted during the program• Purpose is to provide feedback• Use to shape, modify or improve

program

• Conducted after the program• Makes judgment on quality, worth, or

compares to standard• Can be incorporated into future plans

FormativeSummative

Is a survey right for you?

Pros:• Include large numbers• Relatively fast and easy

to collect data• Lots of resources

available• Requires minimal

resources• Fast to analyze• Good for surface level or

basic data

Cons:• Survey fatigue and

response rates• Non-responsive • Limited in type of

questions asked• Lacks depth in data• Skills set in both

designing questions and analyzing data properly

Focus Groups

• Group discussions where the facilitator supplies the topics and monitors the discussion.

• The purpose is to gather information about a specific (or focused) topic in a group environment, allowing for discussion and interaction by participants.

• Similar to interviews, but use when the group interaction will give contribute to a richer conversation

Is a focus group right for you?

Pros:• Helps to understand

perceptions, beliefs, thought processes

• Small number of participants

• Focus groups encourage group interaction and building upon ideas

• Responsive in nature• Relatively low costs

involved

Cons:• Getting participants (think of

time/places)• Data collection and analysis

takes time• Data is as good as the facilitator• Beware of bias in analysis

reporting• Meant to tell story, may not help

if numbers are needed

• Data is not meant to be generalizable

Quick, 1-Minute Assessments

On a notecard, write a real-world example of how you can apply what you learned.

Pass an envelope containing notecards with quiz questions. Students pick one and have 60 seconds to answer and pass along.

At the end of a workshop, ask students to write down 1 thing they learned, and 1 lingering question.

Is a quick assessment right for you?

Pros:• Provides a quick summary of take

away from student perspective• Quickly identifies areas of

weakness and strengths for formative assessment

• Can track changes over time (short-term)

• Non-verbal (provides classroom feedback from all students)

• Captures student voice• Short time commitment

• Provides immediate feedback

Cons:• Non-responsive• Short (so you may lose

specifics)• Sometimes hard to interpret• Need very specific prompts

in order to get “good” data• Plan logistics ahead of time

and leave time during program/course

• May need to be collected over time

Mixed Methods

Look for same results across multiple data collections

Build upon or relate results from one assessment to another

Use data from one method (e.g., a survey) to inform another method (e.g., a focus group)

Able to increase scope, number, and types of questions

•Determine your purposeD•Examine past assessmentsE•Select the appropriate methodS•Identify ethical/logistical considerationsI

GN

Identify ethical/logistical considerations

Do you have the necessary resources and brain power? Do you need to go through IRB? Do you need to identify respondents for follow up,

merging of data, tracking of cohorts, or pre/post analysis? Do you need to include demographic questions to drill

down or separate data? Who needs to be involved at planning stage to avoid

problems when results are in? Does anyone need to approve the project?

Are there any political issues to be aware of?

•Determine your purposeD•Examine past assessmentsE•Select the appropriate methodS•Identify ethical/logistical considerationsI•Generate the best question and answer formatG

N

What to consider• Scales that match

• Mutually exclusive

• Exhaustive

• Neutral/Not applicable/Non-response options• Choose not to respond Don’t know• Not applicable Unable to judge• No opinion Neutral• Neither ___ nor ___

Pairing Question Text with Answer ChoicesQuestion text should be compatible with the answer choices

e.g., “How satisfied were you with the following?”

e.g., “Did you enjoy the Black History Month speaker?”Strongly agreeSomewhat agreeSomewhat disagreeStrongly disagree

Excellent Good Fair PoorMeals at the conferenceLocation of the conferenceDate of the conference

Mutually Exclusive Answer Choices

Response options should never overlape.g., How many hours per week do you work?

0-1010-2020-3030-40

Response options should exist independently of one another

e.g., Which of the following statements describes your peer mentor?He/she is helpful and supportiveHe/she is difficult to get a hold of

Exhaustive Answer Choices

Respondents should always be able to choose an answer

e.g., How often do you use the University website?Daily2-3 times a weekWeeklyMonthly

Non-response optionsAlways consider a non-response option

Choose not to respond Don’t knowNot applicable Unable to judgeNo opinion NeutralNeither ___ nor ___

Customize the non-response option when possiblee.g., How would you rate the leadership session?ExcellentGoodFairPoorDid not attend

Pitfalls to avoidSocially desirable responding – based on social norms

– Can never be eliminated– Consider sensitive topics like race, drug and alcohol use, sexual activity,

and other areas with clear social expectations

Leading questions – suggesting there is a correct answere.g., “Why would it be good to eliminate smoking on campus?”

Double-barreled questions – asking more than one questione.g., “What were the strengths and weaknesses of orientation?”

Double negatives – including negative phrasing which makes responding difficult

e.g., “I do not feel welcome in my residence hall.”

Response Formats• Open ended responses

– Free response - text– Numeric– Yes/No with please explain

• Types of multiple choice responses– Yes/No– Single response– Multiple response (e.g., Check all that apply, Select 3)– Ranking– Scales

Yes/NoWhen to Use:

– There is no response between “Yes” and “No”e.g., “Have you ever lived on campus?”

– You consciously want to force a choice even if other options might existe.g., “Would you visit the Health Center again?”

When Not to Use:– There could be a range of responses

e.g., “Was the staff meeting helpful?”

Single response

When to Use:– All respondents would only have one response

e.g., “What is your class year?”

– You consciously want to force only one responsee.g., “What is the most important factor for improving the Rec

Center?”

When Not to Use:– More than one response could apply to respondents

e.g., “Why didn’t you talk to your RA about your concern?”

Multiple responseOptions: “Check all that apply” or “Select (N)”

When to Use:– More than one answer choice might be applicable

e.g., “How did you hear about the Cultural Dinner?” (Check all that apply)

– You want to limit/force a certain number of responsese.g., “What were your primary reasons for attending?” (Select up to 3)

When Not to Use:– It’s important for respondents to only be associated with one

responsee.g., “What is your race/ethnicity?”

RankingWhen to Use:

– You want to see the importance of items relative to one another

e.g., “Please rank how important the following amenities are to you in your residence: (1=most important)”

– You are prepared to do the analysis and interpretation!

When Not to Use:– You want to see the individual importance of each item

e.g., “How important are the following amenities to you?”

ScalesWhen to Use:

– You want to capture a range of responsese.g., “How satisfied were you with your meeting?”

– When you would like statisticse.g., 4 = strongly agree

3 = agree2 = disagree1 = strongly disagree

When Not to Use:– The question is truly a Yes/No question

e.g., “My mother has a college degree.”

ScalesUnipolar – no negativeA great dealConsiderablyModeratelySlightlyNot at all

Bipolar – positive or negative (with or without a midpoint)

Very safeSomewhat safeSomewhat unsafeVery unsafe

Consider…• Number of points• Inclusion of neutral• Whether labels are needed• Order (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

Recommended Scales

•Determine your purposeD•Examine past assessmentsE•Select the appropriate methodS•Identify ethical/logistical considerationsI•Generate the best question and answer formatG•Note the purpose for each data pointN

Note the reason for each data point• Bubble next to question• Compare against

purpose to identify gaps• Look for overlap• Eliminate “nice to know”• Help with ordering• Retain for analysis step

DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Paper surveys

Things to consider• Captive audience• Administrator available for

questions• No technology issues or

benefits• Data entry necessary

Web surveys

Things to Consider:• No data entry• Technology issues and

benefits• Immediate results• Can be anonymous or

identified• Not a captive audience

Data Collection MethodsPros Cons

Web

No data entry Accuracy is excellent Technology benefits (e.g., display

rules, required questions) Immediate results Anonymous

Audience is not usually captive Possible misinterpretation (can’t ask ?s) Technology issues Response sample unrepresentative

Mobile

No data entry Accuracy is good Technology benefits (e.g., display

rules, required questions) Captive audience Administrator is available for ?s

Technology issues Response sample unrepresentative Limited formatting Anonymity is questionable

Paper

Captive audience Administrator is available for ?s No technology issues

No benefits of technology Accuracy can be compromised Data entry necessary Anonymity is questionable

SURVEY FATIGUE

General information

• Survey response rates have been falling o Difficult to contact peopleo Refusals to participate increasing

• Strategies for correcting low response rates:o Weight the data for non-responseo Implement strategies to increase response rates

Non-response may not be random• Correlation exists between demographic characteristics

and survey response• Higher response has been found among certain sub-

populations:o Womeno Caucasianso High academic abilityo Living on campuso Math or science majors

• Research is inconsistent

IMPROVING RESPONSE RATES

Specific techniques

• Survey length• Preannouncement• Invitation text• Reminders• Timing of administration• Incentives• Confidentiality statements• Salience• Request for help• Sponsorship• Deadlines

Survey length

• Greater attrition at 22 questions or 13 minutes

• What to consider:– Excluding “nice to know”– Eliminate what you already know– Outlining how results will be used– Number of open-ended questions– Number of required questions

Invitations

• Importance/Purpose• Relevancy to respondent• Request for help• How and by whom results are used• How long it will take to respond• Deadline• Incentives/Compensation• Contact information

Timing of contact/administration• Avoid busy times or

holidays• Send email/

preannouncement 2-3 days prior to survey mailing

• First half of semester/term may be better if you are surveying in an academic environment

Piloting

• 1. Take it as if you were respondent

• 2. Seek reviews from colleagues with no prior knowledge

• 3. Administer to sample of actual population being studied– Focus group– Questions at end of survey– Observing

Reliability & Validity

• Reliability – yielding the same results repeatedly– Test/Re-test – consistency over time– Inter-rater – consistency between people

• Validity – accurately measuring a concept– Internal – confidence results due to independent variable– External – results can be generalized – Face validity – does this seem like a good measure?

• If a survey is valid, it is almost always reliable!

USING THE SURVEY RESULTS

PR or advertising campaign

Results in survey invitations

Some Final Advice

• Google your area to see what other surveys have been conducted

• Contact Larry Bunce (Director of Institutional Research) or Nathan Lindsay for help in designing your survey

• Online surveys should be coordinated through the Office of Institutional Research

Nathan LindsayAssistant Vice Provost for AssessmentUniversity of Missouri-Kansas Citylindsayn@umkc.edu 816-235-6084

QUESTIONS?