The Faculty Senate recognizes that not everyone is trained in how to create and execute surveys. Nonetheless, even internal-facing surveys at URI should yield relevant and robust findings, and several URI faculty members have expertise in survey design/development. FSEC is creating a list of URI faculty trained in survey research who will volunteer to assist administrative and departmental offices, centers, institutes, unions, and other groups (henceforth referred to as survey organizers) to construct surveys as professional service to the university.

Where will the IFSA list reside?

• The IFSA list will reside on the Faculty Senate website, which is openly accessible.

Who will manage the IFSA list?

• Judy A. Van Wyk, Department of Sociology & Anthropology has agreed to construct/manage the IFSA list alongside the Faculty Senate Coordinator and apprise the FSEC Vice President about its status each January. 

Who will be on the IFSA list?

• The list will contain URI faculty members who volunteer to have their information posted on the list.

What will be on the IFSA list?

• Every faculty member on the list must be willing to volunteer survey assistance. To volunteer, faculty will complete a short questionnaire.
• Responses will be posted on the IFSA website.
• Questions on the form include faculty name, contact information, areas of expertise in survey research, and their willingness to be contacted by other URI faculty for contracted or volunteered survey-related activities (which is not a requirement).

How will volunteers be selected to assist with surveys?

• Survey organizers will access the IFSA list when assistance is needed, and they will select a faculty member from that list based on their areas of expertise they have listed in the questionnaire.
• Survey organizers will contact faculty members directly via email or by phone. (If volunteers or survey organizers need assistance, contact Judy Van Wyk at vanwyk@uri.edu, or Lisa Bourbonnais at lbourbonnais@uri.edu. 
• Faculty are encouraged to respond to requests in a timely manner.  

Do faculty members have to volunteer when they are contacted?

• No. All faculty members are incredibly busy and may not be available when contacted.

What are volunteer tasks?

• Specific tasks will be negotiated between faculty members and the survey organizers. The intention is to help/assist URI offices with professional survey development. Needs may vary, and the availability and expertise of faculty will vary.
  • Possible Examples
    • Faculty may meet with organizers before a survey is written to clarify the purpose and intent of the survey.
      • They may want to review survey drafts written by organizers and provide suggestions for revision, or they may wish to write the survey questions to be reviewed by the organizers.

• Additional tasks may be negotiated and should be compensated by survey organizers.
  • Possible Examples
    • Faculty might input the survey for electronic administration in survey software or prepare paper formatting.
    • They may facilitate a focus group to test the survey instrument.
    • They may compile responses and create a database for the organizers.
    • They might analyze the data for the organizers and present their findings to them.

Ethical guidelines: Survey organizers should be reassured, and faculty consultants should undertake, that work on a survey remains confidential and any discussions or draft language (even if not finally adopted) should never be shared, even after the survey period has passed.