Surveys
The Institutional Research Office oversees all university-wide surveys for faculty, staff, and students.
If you are a student or faculty member interested in conducting your own research, refer to the BYUH IRB website for guidelines.
Graduating Student Survey (GSS)
Purpose: To assess graduate’s overall and academic experience at BYU–Hawaii through a required survey of closed and open-ended questions.
Audience: BYUH graduates each semester.
Cadence: Every semester at graduation.
Survey Creators: The Institutional Research office with collaboration from program leaders.
Survey Distributer: The survey is administered online via Qualtrics. A link to the survey is emailed by the Registrar and is included in their list of requirements for graduation.
Data Collection Timeframe: The survey is emailed out two weeks prior to graduation and remains open.
Survey Questions: In addition to general questions assessing academic experience, overall BYUH experience, and more, graduates are directed to major-specific questions created by faculty in their program.
Historical Information: This survey was developed in-house and has been used in a variety of formats since 2000. Questions in the GSS will be re-examined and updated every five years with the most recent update in 2024 for the December 2024 graduating cohort.
Reporting of Results: Data from the GSS is automatically uploaded in aggregate form to a GSS Domo Dashboard. Individual program deans have access to their program-specific data. Results from the GSS are used for program reviews, PC decisions, and accreditation purposes.
First Destination Survey (FDS)
Purpose: To assess what students will be doing immediately after graduation (e.g., working part or full-time, graduate school, etc.)
Audience: BYUH graduates each semester.
Cadence: Every semester at graduation.
Survey Creators: The Institutional Research office. Survey questions are built off the standardized guidelines and questions developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Survey Distributer: The survey is administered online via Qualtrics with the Graduating Student Survey. A link to the survey is emailed by the Registrar and is included in their list of requirements for graduation.
Data Collection Timeframe: The survey is emailed out two weeks prior to graduation and remains open.
Survey Questions: Survey questions are built off the standardized guidelines and questions developed by NACE. It includes questions on primary activity after graduation and various details depending on what primary activity they select.
Reporting of Results: Results from the survey are shared with BYUH administration and the Church Education System (CES) commissioner and leadership.
Next Destination Survey (NDS)
Purpose: To assess what students are doing 1 year after graduation (e.g., working part or full-time, graduate school, etc.)
Audience: BYUH graduates from a given semester.
Cadence: 1 year after graduation for each graduation cohort.
Survey Creators: The Institutional Research office in partnership with Career Services. Survey questions are built off the standardized guidelines and questions developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Survey Distributer: The survey is administered online via Handshake and distributed on behalf of BYU–Hawaii Institutional Research in partnership with Career Services.
Data Collection Timeframe: 1 year after graduation (e.g., for December 2023 graduates, they received the survey in December 2024). The survey remains open until October of that year.
Survey Questions: Survey questions are built off the standardized guidelines and questions developed by NACE. It includes questions on current primary activity 1 year after graduation and various details depending on what primary activity they select.
Reporting of Results: Results from the survey are shared with BYUH administration and the Church Education System (CES) commissioner and leadership.
Alumni Questionnaire (AQ)
Purpose: To assess alumni’s overall experience at BYU–Hawaii through an optional survey of closed and open-ended questions.
Audience: BYUH alumni in a given calendar year.
Cadence: Every year to alumni 3-years post-graduation (e.g., in 2025, those who graduated in 2022 will be surveyed.
Survey Creators: The Institutional Research office with collaboration from the alumni office and program leaders.
Survey Distributer: The survey is administered online via Qualtrics. A link to the anonymous survey is emailed through the Qualtrics distribution system and is sent on behalf of BYU–Hawaii Institutional Research.
Data Collection Timeframe: Three months during the Fall, with a reminder email being sent monthly.
Survey Questions: In addition to general questions assessing current activity status, overall BYUH experience, and more, alumni are directed to major-specific questions created by faculty in their program.
Historical Information: This survey was developed in-house and has been used in a variety of formats since 1998, including being administered by BYU Provo from 2001to 2023. In 2023, the BYUH IR office reclaimed ownership and distribution of the AQ. Questions in the AQ will be re-examined and updated every five years with the most recent update in 2024 for the 2020 and 2021 graduating cohorts.
Reporting of Results: Data from the AQ is automatically uploaded in aggregate form to an AQ Domo Dashboard. Individual program deans have access to their program-specific data. Results from the AQ are used for program reviews, PC decisions, and accreditation purposes.
Faculty Climate Survey
Purpose: To assess the current campus climate at BYU–Hawaii for faculty through an optional survey of closed and open-ended questions.
Audience: Current BYUH faculty (full-time, adjunct, and missionary)
Cadence: Every two years during the Fall semester.
Survey Creators: The Institutional Research office in collaboration with the Academic Vice President and Associate Academic Vice Presidents (AAVP).
Survey Distributer: The survey is administered online via Qualtrics. A link to the anonymous survey is emailed from the current AAVP of Accreditation, Assessment, and Curriculum.
Data Collection Timeframe: Three weeks in the Winter semester, with a reminder email being sent out weekly.
Survey Questions: Survey questions change from year-to-year depending on the current needs and questions of the University administration.
Reporting of Results: Data from the Faculty Climate Survey is automatically uploaded in aggregate form to a Domo Dashboard. The dashboard is reviewed by the University President, AVP, and AAVP of Faculty and AAVP of Accreditation, Assessment, and Faculty. Results from the survey are shared in university faculty meetings and are used in PC decisions and for accreditation purposes.
Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE)
Purpose: To assess (1) instructional staff perceptions of how often students engage in different activities, (2) the importance instructional staff place on various areas of learning and development, (3) the nature and frequency of instructional staff-student interactions, and (4) how instructional staff organize their time, both in and out of the classroom, through an optional survey of closed and open-ended questions.
Audience: Current BYUH instructional staff.
Cadence: Every three years during the Winter semester.
Survey Creator: The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, with IRB approval.
Survey Distributer: The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.
Confidentiality: The BYUH IR office securely shares the email addresses of current instructional staff through an online FSSE interface. Instructional staff responses to the survey remain confidential to their institution. When data collection is complete, identifying information (respondent names and email addresses) is not included with the respondent data that is supplied to the university.
Data Collection Timeframe: Early March to mid-May, with five reminder emails being sent out weekly during the month of March.
Survey Questions: Refer to the FSSE website to obtain more information.
Reporting of Results: Results from the FSSE are provided by the FSSE staff to institutions through raw data, reports, and interactive Tableau dashboards. Results are shared with the University President, AVP, and AAVP of Faculty and AAVP of Accreditation, Assessment, and Faculty and are used in PC decisions and for accreditation purposes.
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
Purpose: To assess student participation in educational activities at BYUH through an optional survey of closed and open-ended questions.
Audience: Current first-year and senior students’ at BYUH.
Cadence: Every three years during the Winter semester.
Survey Creator: The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, with IRB approval.
Survey Distributer: The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.
Data Collection Timeframe: Early March to mid-May, with five reminder emails being sent out weekly during the month of March.
Survey Questions: The survey collects information in five categories: (1) participation in educationally purposeful activities, (2) institutional requirements and the challenging nature of coursework, (3) perceptions of the college environment, (4) estimates of educational and personal growth, and (5) background and demographic information. Refer to the NSSE website to obtain more information.
Reporting of Results: Results from the NSSE are provided by the NSSE staff to institutions through raw data, reports, and interactive Tableau dashboards. Results are shared with the University President, AVP, and AAVP of Faculty and AAVP of Accreditation, Assessment, and Faculty and are used in PC decisions and for accreditation purposes.