Policy

The Office of Institutional Research is responsible for coordinating surveys that are administered to constituencies of the College. The Office provides assistance in conducting and developing surveys.

Reason for Policy

To set forth policy and procedures to ensure the coordination, validity, and integrity of survey instruments deployed at the College as well as the utility of the data they produce and to ensure appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of humans participating as subjects in the research.

To Whom Does the Policy Apply

All members of the Ramapo College community.

Related Resources

• Procedure 635: Campus Surveys
• IRB Policy and Procedures
• Annual Survey Calendar

Contacts

Office of Institutional Research
(201)684-7766

The coordination of surveys that are administered to members of the College is the responsibility of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR). OIR provides assistance in survey development and distribution, and partners with units who are seeking and using survey data to inform assessment, decision-making and research activities.

I. Internal Surveys

a. All surveys, including those administered online, via e-mail, or via paper, must be registered with OIR if they are to be administered to any of the following College constituencies:

• currently enrolled students
• formerly enrolled students
• recent graduates
• alumni
• faculty
• staff
• retirees

b. The following surveys do NOT have to be registered with OIR:

• anonymous questionnaires administered for purposes of evaluating participants’ satisfaction with an event, program, or process; and
• surveys that are developed for a course assignment, under the supervision of the instructor, for which the target population can be contacted directly (such as the students in the course).

c. Any study that involves human subjects may require review and action by the College’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Only the IRB can determine if a project is exempt from its review. Registering a survey with OIR does not constitute review by the IRB, nor does having a review conducted by the IRB satisfy the requirement to register the survey with OIR.

II. External Surveys, Questionnaires, and Related Data Requests

As a public higher education institution, Ramapo College routinely receives requests from external entities (private and public) for the purposes of compliance, benchmarking, and accreditation. OIR coordinates the College’s response to all such external surveys, questionnaires, and other related external data requests. Responses provided by OIR represent the College’s official position.