Guidelines for Survey Research

Surveying students or other members of the Hamline community has become quick and easy with the advent of programs like Survey Monkey.  It's tempting to send out lots of surveys to lots of people.  Don't give in to temptation!  Before you ask anyone to take a survey, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What question am I trying to answer?  What information do I need to answer that question?
2. What actions will I take based on the survey results?  What programs or initiatives am I prepared to devise? If you don't have time or resources to take any action, then the survey is a waste of everyone's time.
3. Has someone else already gathered this information?  (You can click here to see basic data about Hamline, or contact the Institutional Research Office to see if we have other information).

Once you're sure that you're asking a worthwhile question, you have the resources to take action based on what you find out, and someone else hasn't already gathered the same information, you're ready to proceed.

1. Hamline students who are administering surveys to students in their own school as part of a research project for a class or other Hamline academic undertaking don't need to go through the Office of Institutional Research for approval.  However, student academic projects may need approval of the Institutional Review Board if they involve human subjects; course instructors will advise students how to obtain this approval if necessary.
   
2. Any other survey being sent to the Hamline Community must be approved by the Deans Council.   Complete the Survey Request Form, forward it to the Institutional Research Office, and we'll get the approval process started.
   
3. In addition to Deans Council approval, any mass email (one being sent to 100 or more addresses) must be approved by Jen Thorson, Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications, or the appropriate vice-president. Surveys sent via Inside Hamline or an existing email list don't need this approval; for more information read the Mass Email Distribution Policy. 
   
4. Decide when you want to send the survey.  Consult the Hamline University Survey Calendar first to make sure that your survey won't conflict with others. 
   

5.  Consult with IR about your survey design.  Some general tips:

1. As a rule, the shorter the survey, the more responses you'll get.  
2. Sometimes a web-based survey is best, but other times a paper survey or an in-person survey gets better results.  We can help you decide on an appropriate method.
3. The way in which you order your questions can sometimes guide the respondents' answers. 
4. A 1-10 rating scale takes more time for the respondents and isn't really more useful than a 1-5 scale.  
5. Think very clearly and specifically about who you want to survey.  If you say, "all students," do you really want weekend students, off-campus students, PSEO students, etc.? 

Remember, you need good questions to get useful answers.   Extra time spent planning your survey will lead to more valid answers and higher response rates.