Increase Faculty Participation Through Administration Customization
Population File
Institutions have the option to choose which instructional staff they would like to survey. Institutions should select faculty, instructors, and/or graduate students who have taught or are planning to teach at least one undergraduate course during the current academic year. To identify the faculty members to be surveyed, institutions will provide a list containing the prefix or first names, last names, and email addresses of these members.
Additionally, institutions may include a single grouping variable within their population file submission. The inclusion of a grouping variable allows institutions to conduct analyses specific to their institution. For example, some schools have opted to use their grouping variable to disaggregate instructional staff responses from multiple campuses. Institutions that submit a grouping variable should pick one that will help them produce results valuable to the institution, but will not identify individual faculty. If your grouping variable does not protect instructional staff anonymity, the FSSE Project Services Team will contact you to discuss options for adjusting your grouping variable.
Recruitment Messages
Pre-survey Announcement (Optional But Strongly Encouraged)
The Pre-survey Announcement is an optional contact that you may elect to use in your FSSE administration. It precedes the Invitation, its purpose being to alert instructional staff of the upcoming survey administration. Research on survey methodology indicates response rates are generally higher when mixed modes of contact are used for recruitment. Consider posting announcements on course management systems, social media, and other places faculty receive institutional information. Unlike all other contacts, the Announcement is sent directly to instructional staff by you. Sending an Announcement to instructional staff will NOT reduce the number of times FSSE contacts them. It is recommended that this message be sent one week before the survey officially launches.
Dear {name}:
I am writing to announce that [institution nickname] has chosen to participate in an exciting national initiative.
A number of our students were invited to participate in a national survey that asked them about their college experience, how much time they spend studying, and the types of interactions they have with instructional staff. The results from the study have been used in a variety of ways, including assessment, institutional improvement, and prompting discussion on teaching and learning initiatives.
To gain information on the instructional staff (faculty, instructors, graduate students who teach, etc.) perspective on these issues, I invite you to participate in the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE). FSSE (pronounced “fessie”) is designed to measure instructional staff expectations for student engagement in educational practices that are known to be empirically linked with high levels of learning and development.
The Web version of the survey will be available in a few weeks. For more information about FSSE, including a copy of the survey, please visit fsse.indiana.edu.
A number of our students were invited to participate in a national survey that asked them about their college experience, how much time they spend studying, and the types of interactions they have with instructional staff. The results from the study can be used in a variety of ways, including assessment, institutional improvement, and prompting discussion on teaching and learning initiatives.
To prepare for a discussion of the results, I invite you to complete the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement – a corresponding survey sent to members of the community who teach undergraduates and is administered through the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University. This survey will take about 18-25 minutes to finish.
The survey is at: [SURVEY HYPERLINK]
The link above is unique to you. Please do not pass on this email to anyone else. More information about FSSE is at http://fsse.indiana.edu.
Your participation is voluntary, though I hope you will respond.
Thank you very much for considering this important request. I expect that the information you and other instructional staff members provide will help identify areas of strength and improvement, as well as lead to constructive discussions related to teaching, learning, and the quality of [Institution name] students’ educational experience.
Sincerely,
[Signatory name]
[Signatory title]
From: noreply@qualtrics-survey.com
From Name: FSSE Survey
Subject: Survey of Student Engagement
Dear [Prefix/First] [Last]:
You were recently sent an e-mail inviting you to respond to the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement – a questionnaire like one that many of your students were invited to complete. The information you and other instructional staff (faculty, instructors, graduate students who teach, etc.) provide will help identify areas of strength and improvement that I hope will lead to constructive discussions related to teaching, learning, and the quality of your students’ educational experience.
The survey is at: [SURVEY HYPERLINK]
The link above is unique to you. Please do not pass on this email to anyone else. More information about FSSE is at http://fsse.indiana.edu.
Your participation is voluntary, though I hope you will respond.
Thanks again for considering this request!
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Nelson Laird
Professor and FSSE Principal Investigator
Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University
From: noreply@qualtrics-survey.com
From Name: FSSE Survey
Subject: Feedback on Student Engagement
Dear [Prefix/First] [Last]:
There is still time for you to respond to the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) being administered at [Institution Name]. FSSE closely parallels the NSSE questionnaire that many of your students have been invited to take, and we are very interested in seeing independent feedback from instructional staff (faculty, instructors, and/or graduate students who teach) for an instructive complement to the students’ responses. I hope you will be able to provide your input.
The survey is at: [SURVEY HYPERLINK]
The link above is unique to you. Please do not pass on this email to anyone else. More information about FSSE is at http://fsse.indiana.edu.
Thanks again for considering this request!
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Nelson Laird
Professor and FSSE Principal Investigator
Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University
From: noreply@qualtrics-survey.com
From Name: FSSE Survey
Subject: Last chance to give your feedback!
Dear [Prefix/First] [Last]:
Over the past few weeks, you have received a few emails requesting that you complete the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement. I hope you will be able to participate. This is the last official message you will receive about this year’s FSSE administration.
The survey is at: [SURVEY HYPERLINK]
The link above is unique to you. Please do not pass on this email to anyone else. More information about FSSE is at http://fsse.indiana.edu.
This online survey parallels a national survey recently administered to students at four-year institutions. The results from the study are used in a variety of ways, including assessment, institutional improvement, and prompting discussion on teaching and learning initiatives.
Please complete the survey as soon as possible. Your help is essential to the success of this important national initiative. I also want you to know that your participation is voluntary, though I hope you will respond.
Thank you again for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Nelson Laird
Professor and FSSE Principal Investigator
Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University
Preparing for Message Delivery (Protect Against Spam Filtering)
The sending e-mail address for messages is FSSE Survey <noreply@qualtrics-survey.com>. You should not assume that your system will let FSSE messages through! Each year, several institutions’ systems treat our e-mails as spam, which prevents them from reaching their instructional staff. A resource called Preparing for Message Delivery contains information regarding how to prepare your campus email system to receive FSSE messages. Please share that resource with the appropriate information technology staff at your institution to help ensure that FSSE e-mail messages are delivered to your instructional staff.
Evidence-Based Improvement in Higher Education resources and social media channels
Center for Postsecondary Research Indiana University School of Education 201 N. Rose Avenue Bloomington, IN 47405-1006 Phone: 812.856.5824 Email: nsse@indiana.edu
