The Temple University Survey Coordinating Committee (TUSCC) aims to ensure that surveys are administered to members of the university community in a fair, timely, clear and efficient manner so as to maximize the usefulness of the information collected. TUSCC employs standards, criteria, and procedures with the intent to:

• provide guidance on best practices for survey design and administration,
• promote strong participation and response rates by monitoring the number and timing of survey administrations, particularly to a defined population,
• ensure that administrations do not occur during critical points of the academic year including, opening weeks of the semester, study days, exam periods, and the administration period for end of semester course evaluations (Student Feedback Form, SFF) ,
• protect student and employee populations from unsolicited survey requests,
• reduce redundancy across surveys and when possible refer individuals to already publically available information,
• track the level of survey research imposed on various university constituencies,
• ensure that survey objectives and items align with the university’s or administering unit’s mission, goals and values,
• encourage the communication and use of survey results within the Temple community and that information is used for continuous improvement.

Jodi Bailey, Vice President for Student Affairs, Division of Student Affairs

Eric Brunner, Assistant Vice President, Learning and Development, Human Resources

Gina L. Calzaferri, Assistant Vice Provost, Assessment and Evaluation, Institutional Research & Assessment

David Comalli, IRB Director, Office of the Vice President for Research

Kathryn Peach D'Angelo, Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff, Office of the SVP and COO

Deanne DeCrescenzo, Associate Dean of Students, Dean of Students Office

Cameron Etezady, Vice President, Office of University Counsel

Shawn P. Fagan, Assistant Vice Provost, Office of Enrollment Management

Olan Garrett, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Division of Student Affairs - Residence Halls

Meaghan Green, Part-Time Research Analyst, Data Analysis & Reporting, Institutional Research & Assessment

Michael Hagen, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Susan Hyer, Assistant Vice President, Academic Technology, Information Technology Services

Michael Lawlor, Associate Vice Provost, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies

Kelsey Martin, User Experience Research, User Experience (UX) and Research, Strategic Marketing and Communication

Nu'Rodney T. Prad, Director of Student Engagement, IDEAL

Jonathan Reiter, Associate Vice President, Business Affairs & Administration, Office of the SVP and COO - Finance

Jessica Reo, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director, University Athletics

Jackie Rodriguez, Associate University Consul, Office of University Counsel

Renée M. Tobin, Dean, Graduate School

Nancy B. Turner, Director for Planning, Strategy and Organizational Evolution, TU Libraries

Jennifer Wood, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, College of Liberal Arts

Yaara Zisman-Ilani, Associate Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Public Health

Do you really need to conduct a survey? The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (IRA) at Temple University frequently administers university-wide surveys to the student body each academic year. The data collected evaluates students’ collegiate experience, informs planning, and decision-making, assessment of student learning, and aspects of institutional effectiveness. In addition to these large surveys, the Temple community (students, faculty, and staff) also receive survey requests from schools/colleges, administrative departments, and students fulfilling internship and coursework requirements. Every survey request received by a Temple community member, may increase survey fatigue and decrease participation rates, which diminishes the power of all survey results. In order to ensure adequate response rates for all surveys, please consider the following questions:

• Is there another way you can gather the information you need? For example, can you collect the information you are seeking through focus groups, interviews, or in an observational setting? Are the data available in Banner, Canvas, institutional reports, or other existing data sources?
• Has the information you are seeking already been collected through a previous survey?
• Can the information you are seeking be collected at another location other than Temple?

If you answered NO to every question above, a survey might be the way to go. Your next step may be to submit a survey application to be reviewed by the TUSCC

When administering surveys at the University, you will need to get the necessary approval. Please note this approval process is separate from IRB approval. The following surveys require review by the TUSCC:

• Surveys that would be administered to students in more than one school or college.
• Surveys that cross college boundaries (e.g., a study of science education programs that crosses College of Liberal Arts and College of Science and Technology).
• Surveys that would be administered to employees in more than one department or division.
• Requests from external (non-Temple) parties to survey Temple students, faculty, and/or staff.
• Surveys that are referred to the TUSCC by IRB.
• Surveys for which directory information is needed from IRA, HR, Faculty Affairs, ITS, etc.

Note: Except under rare circumstances, survey research requests from students will not be approved. An exception may be made if the research meets the relevant good practices requirements and is approved by the TUSCC, and the survey is approved by the student's Dean and is sent out under the Dean's auspices.

The following surveys require review by the school/college or administrative unit:

• Surveys focused on a small, defined population (for example, a survey of the members of a particular course) with which the survey sponsor has an academic relationship.
• If a survey is administered within one school/college. The survey sponsor must adhere to the school/college’s survey guidelines.
• Surveys that are distributed in public places (and don’t utilize directory information in their method of distribution).

Note: While these surveys do not require review by the TUSCC, we are available to consult on survey design and administration best practices. We recommend you consult with the survey calendar to assure that your survey does not overlap with another major survey initiative.

Additional requirements for all survey administration:

• The sponsor of any survey must have the support or approval of relevant senior administrators.
• Student sponsored surveys:
  • Should always be under the auspices of a faculty or staff advisor/mentor. The faculty or staff advisor/mentor must have the approval of the relevant department chair and school/college dean.
  • Surveys sponsored by a registered/recognized student organization or activity, the process should be under the auspices of a faculty/staff advisor and must have the approval of the Vice-President for Student Affairs.
• Surveys sponsored by faculty must have the approval of the relevant department chair and school/college dean.
• Surveys sponsored by administrative departments must have the approval of the director of the department and the vice president of the area.
• Surveys sponsored by external (non-Temple) parties must be under the auspices of an office/department at Temple.
• Depending on the intended respondents, the survey will also need appropriate approval the following university leadership.
  • Surveys of Undergraduate Students: Senior Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, Dean of Students (and Deans, as appropriate)
  • Surveys of Graduate Students: Dean of the Graduate School (and Deans, as appropriate)
  • Surveys of Faculty: Vice Provost for Faculty, Associate Vice President for Human Resources Associate o Surveys of Staff: Associate Vice President for Human Resources

If an office, department, or individual is interested in administering a survey to a large group or sample from the Temple community, the survey representative must first complete an application, specifying the purpose, design, and timeframe of the proposed survey. Click here to begin the survey application.

Click here to view a sample of the survey application.

TUportal Quick Polls are an alternative to administering a full-scale survey. A Quick Poll is designed to gather data using a small number of questions (no more than two to three). Quick Polls are administered directly through TUportal to a target population. Quick Polls will appear on a user’s TUportal landing page until it is completed or until the administration date has passed.

TUportal Quick Poll results should be used in an actionable way and should provide information on a trend that supports the work and planning of the sponsor department.

If you are interested in administering a Quick Poll, please complete the Quick Poll Administration Application. A Sample Quick Poll Administration Application can also be found here. Your application will be reviewed by IRA and by a subgroup of the TUSCC.

    TUportal Quick Poll FAQs

      What is the purpose of a Quick Poll?

       Quick Polls are used to improve or determine practice or policy. The results of a Quick Poll should be actionable.

      How many questions can be asked on a TUportal Quick Poll?

       Quick Polls should be limited to one to three questions.

      What kinds of questions can be asked on a TUportal Quick Poll?

       Question types are limited to:

• single-choice
• multi-select/select all that apply
• text response/open ended (limited to a word or short phrase)

       Single-choice questions should be limited to 3-5 response options.

       Open ended questions should be used sparingly since a Quick Poll should be a quick snapshot of trends and data.

      Who is the target participant of a TUportal Quick Poll?

       Quick Polls can be targeted to a specific user role (e.g. students, faculty, staff). It is recommended that a Quick Poll is administered to a full constituent group rather than a sample of the population.

      When can a Quick Poll be administered? How much lead time do I need to administer a Quick Poll?

       After completing the TUportal Quick Poll Administration Application, please allow two to three weeks for the application to be reviewed and to be developed in TUportal. Consideration will also be given to other Quick Polls and populations on the administration calendar.

       Multiple Quick Polls may be live on TUportal at the same time, as long as they are targeted to different populations (e.g. a student poll on textbooks, and a faculty poll on AI tools).

       Quick Polls will be posted for one calendar week (7 days) unless otherwise discussed.

      How will I see my TUportal Quick Poll results?

       A live admin panel will be available to the sponsor of a TUportal Quick Poll and any additional requested members. The admin panel provides an aggregated view of the responses to each question.

       Sponsors will also be provided with a copy of the complete response data including any text responses.

Click here to view the survey calendar.