Frequently Asked Questions
How is BCSSE administered?
Unlike NSSE, BCSSE is locally administered by each institution, regardless of whether you are administering by paper, Web, or both. We provide the paper surveys and/or set up the survey Web site for each institution, but all survey recruitment is handled by institutional staff using guidelines established by the Indiana University Bloomington Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects. BCSSE staff will provide assistance in deciding the best way to administer BCSSE at each campus.
Should I use the paper or Web version?
Even though your institution may use Web-only or Web+ administration for NSSE, Web administration for BCSSE may not be the best option for you given the special circumstances of students in transition to your institution. For BCSSE, your institution will be responsible for contacting entering first-year students to solicit their participation, regardless of mode of administration. To determine if Web administration is best for your institution, consider the following statements. If even a few of the following statements are not true of your institution (or if you do not know the answers), we highly recommend that you use paper administration.
To administer via the Web in established settings (e.g., physical classrooms, orientation meetings, etc.):
- Computers in campus facilities have up-to-date browsers, and are well-serviced, fast, and reliable
- Computing facilities are available that require no waiting for your entering first-year students
- Institution’s technology staff can obtain required information and quickly address problems when they arise
To administer via the Web to other audiences (e.g., sending an e-mail contact to invite participants):
- Most entering first-year students have their own fast computer with an up-to-date browser where they live
- Entering first-year students will have institution-assigned e-mails OR you will have their accurate e-mail addresses
- Entering first-year students use an e-mail system from which they can click on an embedded link (URL) to BCSSE
- Entering first-year students check their messages regularly at the e-mail addresses that you have for these students
When will I receive the results?
Typically, you will receive the results approximately four weeks after BCSSE administration has closed on your campus, we have received the data, and your institution has paid the BCSSE invoice. At this point, given the number of institutions participating we cannot promise that results and/or data can be returned any more quickly.
Does my institution also have to participate in NSSE the same academic year?
No. However, BCSSE was developed as a companion survey to NSSE. If your institution participates in BCSSE and NSSE the following spring, you will receive BCSSE/NSSE report that provides a more detailed and in-depth view of your students first-year experiences.
How many incoming first-year students should I administer the survey to?
This depends on your intentions for the data. If you want to match BCSSE 2008 responses with those on NSSE 2009, you will want to administer BCSSE to as many of your incoming first-year students as possible to maximize the number of students completing BCSSE and NSSE surveys. Some students will not be enrolled by the time NSSE is administered in the spring, and larger institutions have only a sample of their first-year students selected for the NSSE survey.
How long will it take a typical student to complete the survey?
Most students are able to complete the survey in 15 minutes or less.
Do I need approval from my institutions’ Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
The Indiana University Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects has approved this project for administration in the United States and Canada, and participating institutions must comply with the survey administration protocols described at http://bcsse.iub.edu/admin/. In addition, you should check with your institution’s IRB to determine any approvals needed for administration of BCSSE on your campus.
FAQ for Paper Version
If I send back unused BCSSE surveys will my institution receive a credit?
No. Your invoice is based on the number of surveys ordered. Returned surveys are not eligible for refund or credit.
Can our institution add additional local questions to the paper survey?
Unfortunately, there is no way to reasonably accommodate this request.
FAQ for Web Version
Do we need to send you a list of student e-mails?
Who will send out the survey invitation? Are there any reminders?
BCSSE is administered locally by each institution. If you are using e-mail to disseminate the survey, then your institution will need to determine the most effective way to send the e-mail invitation, as well as any follow-up e-mails. You may also decide to recruit students for the Web survey using postal mail or other physical forms of communication, or a combination of electronic and physical communication methods.
Does each student receive a unique survey link via e-mail or does he/she need to log on to the survey?
If your institution decides to use e-mail to distribute the Web version of BCSSE, then we will provide you with a survey URL. When a student clicks on that URL, they are asked what institution they are from and their student ID number. It is important to remember however, that we have no way of validating the information provided by the students.
Can our institution add additional local questions to the web survey?
Unfortunately, there is no way to reasonably accommodate this request.
Can we check survey completion status for each student?
Yes, you can check on the number of completed Web surveys for your institution at anytime during administration.
How long will the survey be open?
The final closing date for the Web survey is typically shortly after classes start at your institution. However, since each institution operates on a different schedule, it is up to the institution to communicate to us when you would like it closed. We will start to process your data after administration is closed.
Where will the survey be hosted?
The survey hosted and maintained at Indiana University Bloomington.