To submit your survey for review and approval:

1. Review information on this webpage, to determine if you survey requires approval and to learn about the review process, timeline, criteria.
2. Check the section “Survey Calendar and Deadlines” to be informed about the deadline for survey proposal submission and to pick appropriate dates for your survey project.
3. Download and complete the Survey Proposal Form .
4. Develop the survey instrument. Please check the section “Survey Design Resources” for materials that can be helpful in survey design. Please note that it is your responsibility to develop a quality survey instrument. The survey should be carefully formatted in Microsoft Word, with clear instructions, questions, and response options.
5. Email the Survey Proposal Form, along with your survey instrument and any other relevant information to ir@nu.edu.kz with the topic “SURVEY PROPOSAL” before the deadline.

The review process applies to surveys implemented primarily for administrative purposes (i.e., collecting individual opinions or experiences for quality control, administrative/needs assessment, program evaluation, planning, development, and improvement of effectiveness), with the target population being either the entire NU community or a broad subset of this community (e.g., CPS students, undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and/or staff). Administrative surveys implemented by any NU structural units (including its organizations) are subject to the review.

The following surveys are exempt from the review:

1. Surveys conducted for academic research purposes (e.g., academic/research surveys) by NU faculty, students, or staff, provided these surveys are explicitly approved by IREC or do not fall under “human subject research”.
2. Student surveys for a dissertation/thesis or class project/assignment.
3. Course evaluation surveys.
4. Surveys administered by one structural unit (e.g., a school, division, department, unit or entity) to stakeholders from the same structural unit.
5. Surveys implemented by Faculty Senate.
6. Surveys implemented by NU student organizations (e.g., Student Government and clubs).
7. Small-scale “point of service” surveys (administered to specific individuals who participated in a specific event), or simple feedback/evaluation of a specific event attended, or business service used. Such surveys cannot use generic student, faculty or staff email lists, as these lists are most likely to include individuals who did not attend the event or use the service for which the initiator seeks feedback.
8. Surveys conducted by Institutional Research and Analytics.

Please see the Regulation on Administrative Surveys for more information, including exceptional-circumstance surveys.

The Survey Review Panel (Survey Panel) is formally established by the decision of the Provost to provide oversight over NU administrative surveys and ensure that surveys adhere to the goals of the Regulation on Administrative Surveys.

Composition of the Survey Panel for the AY 2023-2024 is following:

• Matthew Courtney, Head of Institutional Research , Office of the Provost, chair;
• Aliya Suleimenova, Academic Quality Enhancement Officer, Office of the Provost, member;
• Aray Saniyazova, Advisor, Department of Student Services, member;
• Diana Kalemeneva, Survey Coordinator, Institutional Research and Analytics (Office of the Provost), member and secretary
• Dana Abiltayeva, Senior Manager, Strategic Planning and Experience Sharing Department, member;
• Leila Maslova, Training Coordinator, Department of Human Capital Development, member;
• Olzhas Tuyakbayev, General Manager, Office of the Registrar, member.

The Survey Panel will review survey proposals four times a year, in the beginning and middle of each Fall and Spring semester. The detailed timeline of the review process with specific deadlines for survey proposal submissions can be found in the “Survey Calendar and Deadlines”.

Survey Panel members will assess proposals based on several criteria. A survey proposal shall be deemed acceptable if it is recommended for approval by at least two-thirds of the Panel members who review that particular proposal.

It should be noted, that the Survey Panel is not a survey consultancy group and is not responsible for providing survey design and implementation support/guidelines or improving the quality of surveys submitted for review/approval. It is the initiator’s responsibility to develop a survey proposal and instrument that meet quality standards. Survey design resources and other helpful information can be found in the “Survey Design Resources”.

1. The Survey proposal (including the instrument) is submitted by the initiator (and by the deadline).
2. Panel members review the proposal (up to 2 weeks after the deadline).
3. The Panel Chair and Secretary analyze/summarize reviewers’ input and determine the final outcome: approve, reject, or revise/improve and re-submit the proposal.
4. The Secretary communicates the final outcome/decision to the initiator (no later than 3 weeks after the submission deadline).
5. For approved proposals, the initiator administers the survey (see “Survey Administration” tab).
6. The initiator submits a short report to the Survey Panel (see “Post-Survey Feedback” tab).

If permission to conduct a survey is granted, the Survey Panel will also decide on the means of distribution of the survey as follows:

1. Anonymous survey link – the initiator will reach the target population (e.g. students, staff) by emailing the survey link through existing NU mailing lists. The Survey Panel may also determine, based on the nature of the survey proposed, that the initiator should administer the instrument through means such as social media platforms and/or QR codes posted on campus (rather than through existing mailing lists).
2. Generated random sample – Institutional Research and Analytics will generate a random sample from the population of interest and NU Information Services will create a temporary mailing list that includes sampled individuals. The initiator will send an anonymous survey link using this temporary mailing list.
3. Individual survey links – in rare circumstances when the survey needs to be confidential, but not anonymous, the survey instrument can be disseminated through personalized survey invitations. Ensuring confidentiality and data protection is a crucial ethical requirement for this type of survey and the Survey Panel will pay special attention to non-anonymous surveys. Non-anonymous surveys can be conducted by a unit that already has access to individual contact information for the target population of interest (e.g., Admissions Department, Office of the Registrar, Department of Human Capital Development, Information Services). However, initiators will need to provide the Survey Panel with a strong justification for non-anonymous surveys.
4. Interviews – in cases where the Survey Panel decides that a qualitative interview approach is more suitable for the proposed study, the initiator can recruit volunteers from the target population and conduct interviews.

After the implementation of the survey project, the initiator shall complete a short report and send it to ir@nu.edu.kz.

This report should not be viewed as an administrative burden, but rather as an opportunity for the survey initiator to reflect on the survey project and on its outcomes. This reflection will also assist Institutional Research and Analytics and the Survey Review Panel to assess the benefits and pitfalls of administrative surveys at NU.

This report will be due no later than 6 months after the survey administration date. Failure to submit this report will negatively affect the review of future survey proposals submitted by that structural unit.