Surveys

The University of Manitoba, along with other U15 institutions, participates in this national survey of graduate students every three years. The survey asks graduate students to evaluate their overall experience, as well as to evaluate program-specific, department-specific, advisor/supervisor-specific and university-wide aspects of their educational experience. The survey is sent to all University of Manitoba graduate students and to graduate students at participating universities across Canada.

Specific topics include educational status; general satisfaction; satisfaction with program, quality of interactions, and coursework; professional skills development; research experience; presentations and publications; advisor and thesis/dissertation/research paper; financial support; university resources and student life; social life; general assessment; and personal demographics

Published CGPSS reports (PDF)

The University of Manitoba is a founding member of the Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) and participates in cyclical surveys that focus on first-year students and graduating students.  These surveys focus on undergraduate student satisfaction and experience, with a goal of better understanding and serving students.  Surveys run once a year in the Winter Term and operate on a three-year cycle, alternating among first-year students, middle-year students, and graduating students (the University of Manitoba participates in two of the three cycles; we do not survey our middle-year students).

The surveys contain common questions allowing for comparability between first-year and final-year results.

The University of Manitoba is a founding member of the Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) and participates in cyclical surveys that focus on first-year students and graduating students. These surveys focus on undergraduate student satisfaction and experience, with a goal of better understanding and serving students. Surveys run once a year in the Winter Term and operate on a three-year cycle, alternating among first-year students, middle-year students, and graduating students (the University of Manitoba participates in two of the three cycles; we do not survey our middle-year students). The surveys contain common questions allowing for comparability between first-year and final-year results.

Published CUSC reports

The surveys evaluate topics such as:

• Motivation for going to university
• The application process
• Selection of a university
• Sources of information on universities
• Orientation
• Registration
• Expectations and experience
• Transition to university
• Professors
• Staff
• Commitment to completion
• Goal development
• University services
• Academic history
• Employment
• Fnances
• Students’ living arrangements
• Disabilities/impairments
• Parental educational attainment
• Ethnicity

The University of Manitoba participated in the NCHA survey in 2013 and 2016, and will participate again in 2019. In 2016, a random sample of 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students received a request to participate in the NCHA, with approximately 1,000 students responding.

The survey provides a broad lens on a range of issues related to students’ physical and mental health, including their perceptions of their peers’ behaviour and activities.

Specifically, the survey collects information on:

• Health, health education and safety
• Alcohol, tobacco and drugs
• Sex behaviour and contraception
• Weight, nutrition and exercise
• Mental and physical health
• Impediments to academic performance
• Demographic characteristics

Canadian Reference Group Executive Summary (PDF)

All students, staff, faculty and ancillary community members (government employees working on campus) were invited to take part in this survey conducted by the Office of Sustainability. The university community is asked to take part in this survey every two years. The survey asked about respondents’ current modes of transportation to and from campus, factors influencing commuting choice and preferred modes of transportation.

Specifically, respondents were asked about:

• Their modes of transportation (current and preferred)
• Carpooling
• Movement within and between campuses
• Bike-sharing
• Car-sharing
• Vehicle size
• Parking
• Factors influencing their mode of transportation

The survey was designed to inform strategic planning around infrastructure, education and peer-based programs in support of health and wellness, safety, greenhouse gas emission reduction and development goals.

We took part in this survey in 2013 and again in 2015. All international students studying at the University of Manitoba – and at many universities across Canada – received the survey.

The survey collected some demographic information from students including: prior education, their reasons for choosing the University of Manitoba and their rating of their first arrival in Canada. 

The survey continued with collecting data about students’ experiences in Canada on topics such as:

• Their program of study
• The university’s services and facilities
• Quality of interactions with others
• Discrimination
• Finances
• Whether they would recommend the University of Manitoba, or Canada, to other students

This survey was conducted by the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management in Spring 2016. All students, faculty and staff were asked about the barriers to accessibility they experienced or witnessed in their work and learning environments, in order to identify ways to improve the University.

Specifically, students, faculty and staff were asked if they had experienced or witnessed:

• Attitudinal barriers
• Informational and communication barriers
• Physical and architectural barriers
• Systemic barriers
• Technological barriers

Respondents were also asked to rank their top three accessibility priorities for the University of Manitoba.

The International Centre, along with the Marketing Communications Office, surveyed all International students in Spring 2017.  The purpose of the survey was to gather feedback from International students with respect to services and programs offered by the International Centre as well as to gain insight into students’ preferences for receiving information from the University of Manitoba.

All full-time undergraduate and graduate International students were invited to take part in the survey. The survey collected demographic information from students and asked about communication and sources of information for students prior to arriving on campus.

The survey asked students about their experience after arriving on campus, including questions about:

• International Student Orientation
• Use of services, supports or programs provided by the International Centre
• How they become aware of International Centre programs and services
• Level of satisfaction with intercultural programs
• Level of interest in workshops
• How they stay informed about campus events and activities
• Use of social media
• Preferences for communication while students and after becoming alumni

Through its student survey NSSE annually collects information at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about first-year and senior students' participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending university.

More about the National Survey of Student Engagement

The University of Manitoba strives to provide a future that puts students, faculty, staff and alumni at the front and centre. The University endeavours to provide an outstanding educational experience for students, an outstanding learning and working environment for faculty and staff, and an engaging, collaborative connection with alumni. As a result, units invested in students, faculty, staff and alumni are eager for information on these groups, and often want to survey them. An Advisory Committee to the Provost has been established to review proposed surveys of students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The Advisory Committee does not replace the Research Ethics Board for those surveys requiring ethics review. The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to coordinate surveys of the University Community; to control and determine avenues for accessing students, faculty, staff and alumni; to reduce survey fatigue by addressing timing; to ensure results are shared with the University; and to ensure adherence to privacy legislation.

Academic research surveys, institutional surveys and those strongly supporting the strategic priorities of the university are prioritized. The Committee also evaluates requests by external agencies to conduct surveys with University of Manitoba students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The Committee reviews surveys for which the University Community is actively recruited by, for example, e-mail or distribution of “pen and paper” surveys to specific populations. Surveys for which the university community is passively recruited, for example posting a survey on social media or handing out “pen and paper” surveys to random individuals on campus, are not reviewed by the Committee.

Core Committee:

• Chair: Executive Director, Office of Institutional Analysis
• Coordinator: Senior Research Analyst, Office of Institutional Analysis
• Access and Privacy Officer
• Associate Vice-President (Partnerships)
• Vice-Provost (Graduate Education) and Dean (Graduate Studies)
• Vice-Provost (Students)

Additional Committee Members:

• Associate Registrar
• Executive Director, Marketing and Communications Office
• Vice-Provost (Integrated Planning and Academic Programs)
• Vice-Provost (Academic Affairs)
• Vice-Provost (Indigenous Engagement)
• Staff member, Human Resources
• Staff member, International Centre
• Staff member, Government Relations
• Student representative appointed by UMSU
• Student representative appointed by GSA

An important distinction between the review of surveys requiring Research Ethics Board (REB) approval and those not requiring REB approval, follows. Surveys requiring approval by a University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board are reviewed by the Survey Review Committee for timing (to minimize survey fatigue amongst the University Community and to maximize survey response rates), adherence to privacy legislation, and reasonableness of survey distribution and data access. Surveys not requiring approval by a University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board are reviewed for quality, timing, adherence to privacy legislation and reasonableness of survey distribution and data access. In addition, their usefulness and applicability in helping the University of Manitoba achieve its strategic objectives are evaluated.

Surveys requiring REB approval are reviewed by several members of the Core Committee. Review of these surveys for timing, adherence to privacy legislation, and reasonableness of survey distribution and data access takes approximately 5 business days. After a survey has been approved, survey materials are circulated to all members of the Survey Review Committee to ensure they are aware of the surveys in which the University Community is taking part.

Surveys not requiring REB approval are reviewed by the Core Committee for quality, timing, adherence to privacy legislation, and reasonableness of survey distribution and data access. Other members of the Survey Review Committee are provided with the survey materials to provide overall comments, should a survey affect their unit. After approval, survey materials are circulated to all members of the Committee to ensure they are aware of all surveys. A preliminary review by the Coordinator, followed by Committee review, can take up to four weeks. Generally, the Chair should be notified more than three months in advance of a proposed survey if timelines for data collection are not flexible.

The following surveys of the University Community are approved and will continue to be included in survey coordination activities:

• Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS)
• Canadian University Survey Consortium surveys (CUSC)
• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Statistics Canada’s National Graduate Survey

The Office of Institutional Analysis maintains a schedule of approved surveys. Please consult the schedule prior to submitting a proposed survey.

The Committee will review all proposed surveys and assess them based on the following criteria:

1. Where applicable, relevance to the strategic objectives of the University of Manitoba, in particular to the Strategic Priorities.
2. Where applicable, quality, timing, adherence to privacy legislation, and reasonableness of survey distribution and data access.
3. Where applicable, likelihood the results will provide actionable items for the unit and/or the University.
4. Workload generated for other offices including, but not limited to, the Office of Institutional Analysis, the Registrar’s Office, and Information Services and Technology.
5. Appropriateness of the timing of the survey, taking into account those already scheduled.
6. Adequate provision made for FIPPA issues and/or review by the appropriate Research Ethics Board.
7. Proposed storage and destruction of data, including parameters around access to data.

Research design and development of the survey questions are the responsibility of the applicant. The Committee’s role is to provide feedback on the developed materials.

Committee meetings may be face-to-face or by email, as appropriate. If Committee consensus cannot be reached, the Chair will submit his or her recommendation to the Provost.

In this circumstance, final approval rests with the Provost.

Subject to approval, the applicant will receive a formal notification specifying a time period for data collection.

For surveys not requiring REB approval applicants are required to advise the Office of Institutional Analysis of the response rate for the survey within two weeks from the end of data collection. Response rates will be posted on the Office of Institutional Analysis’ website. In addition, applicants are required to provide a brief report detailing key findings of the survey with an emphasis on the changes made as a result of the findings. Brief reports are to be submitted to the Office of Institutional Analysis within six months of data collection. A compilation of these reports will be provided to Senate and posted on the Office of Institutional Analysis website.