SENSE FAQs
Section ___________________________________________________________ Page
General Questions .......................................................................................................... 1
Course Schedule File (CSF) ........................................................................................... 2
Sampling Procedures ..................................................................................................... 5
Survey Administration ..................................................................................................... 6
Completed Survey Returns ............................................................................................. 8
General Questions
1. We have signed up to participate in SENSE. What happens next?
In May, a SENSE Liaison will be assigned to the college. The SENSE Liaison will work closely
with the Campus Contact to ensure a smooth administration process, including discussing with
the Campus Contact all of the steps involved in implementing SENSE. The SENSE Liaison will
also send the Campus Contact an electronic version of the SENSE Procedure Guide, which
includes the Survey Administration Timeline to assist in the coordination of SENSE at the
college.
2. Who designates the Campus Contact?
Typically, the college president designates the Campus Contact.
3. Who designates the Survey Administrators?
The Campus Contact designates the Survey Administrators.
4. If we have multiple campuses, should we have multiple Campus Contacts?
No. Colleges are allowed only one designated point of contact for SENSE.
5. If we have multiple campuses, should we have multiple Survey Administrators?
Yes. It can be very time consuming and inefficient to have one person administer the survey at
multiple campuses. Therefore, the Center strongly recommends that at least one Survey
Administrator be designated for each campus. Please see page 2 of the SENSE Procedure
Guide and review the Survey Administration Staffing Tips sheet on the SENSE Members Only
Website for suggestions on how to staff the survey administration.
6. When is the survey administered?
The survey is administered during the fourth and fifth class weeks of the fall academic term.
7. How is the survey administered?
SENSE is administered as a pencil-and-paper survey in randomly selected classes drawn from
a specific group of courses provided in the course schedule file (CSF).
8. Is it possible to administer SENSE on the Web?
No. While the Center is interested in pursuing this option, there are many factors that make this
a non-viable option. In addition, response rates with in-class surveys are significantly higher.
SENSE FAQs
9. How does this survey work if we are on a quarter rather than a semester system?
The survey should be administered during the fall academic term. Contact the SENSE Liaison,
and he or she will work with the Campus Contact to accommodate the abbreviated time frame.
Course Schedule File (CSF)
10. What is a course schedule file (CSF)?
The CSF is an electronic file containing information about the institution’s first college-level
English, first college-level math, and developmental courses. It is the responsibility of the
Campus Contact to ensure that all courses included in the CSF fall within the guidelines outlined
in the SENSE Procedure Guide and that all necessary variables are included for each course.
Following submission of the CSF, the Center randomly selects courses from this file to be
surveyed for SENSE. An Example Course Schedule File (CSF) is provided on the SENSE
Members Only Website.
11. How should the CSF be submitted?
The Campus Contact should submit the CSF to the SENSE Liaison via e-mail as an attachment.
An Excel file is preferred; however, most standard file formats will suffice, with the exception of
PDF or html files.
12. Our registrar informed me that we do not have all of the data elements the Center
requests for the CSF. What should I do?
The Center would prefer that all requested data elements outlined on page 5 of the SENSE
Procedure Guide be provided in the CSF, but the following are the data elements that MUST be
included: 1) start time; 2) end time; 3) start date; 4) end date; 5) section number; 6) course
number; 7) course name; 8) meet days; and 9) maximum/predicted enrollment. It should be kept
in mind that Survey Administrators may encounter problems if other requested data elements
are not included as this information is vital for locating and administering the survey in classes
selected as part of the sample. Additionally, including all requested data elements enables
Center researchers to identify cross-listed and team-taught courses. If all data elements are
included, these courses will be combined and enrollments summed so that course packets will
have sufficient surveys for all students in selected classes.
13. Could you give an example of what is meant by first college-level English and Math
courses?
First college-level English and Math courses are generally those offered to first-time collegeready students that did not place into developmental courses. Examples include Comp I and
Algebra I.
14. Can we include Student Success Courses/College Skills Courses or other courses
typically taken by first-time college students?
Student Success/College Skills courses should not be included in the CSF because these
courses are not offered at all institutions and course content often differs greatly across
institutions. The Center uses only developmental and first college-level English and Math
courses because these courses are offered across all participating institutions.
15. We run a 12-hour clock, not a 24-hour clock. Is this acceptable for the CSF?
All time fields must be formatted the same way. If the college runs a 12-hour clock, an AM/PM
indicator must be included in the file field (i.e., start and end times).
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16. Our system output separates department and course number, while your template
puts them together. What should we do?
The Center will combine the two fields as part of the data cleaning process.
17. Our system output combines building and room number, while your template
separates them. What should we do?
This isn’t a critical problem, but it will affect the way the course packets are labeled (e.g.,
information on course packets will contain both the building and room in the building field).
18. If we do not yet have an instructor of record listed for a course, should we go ahead
and send the CSF?
Yes. Leave the field blank or indicate “Staff” in the CSF.
19. If we have updated information for the CSF but have already submitted the file,
should we send it to you?
No. The Center cannot accept additional information after the CSF has been submitted.
20. Some of our courses meet at different times on different days. How should we report
this in the CSF?
Include only one start time, one end time and one meet day for the course, so that only one
listing of the course is included in the file.
21. We have some short-term courses that do not start at the beginning of the fall term
(like those that run for only four Saturdays); do we report those?
Yes. However, if a course ends before survey administration begins, it will be removed from the
sampling frame.
22. Should we include off-campus classes in the CSF?
All credit courses held at off-site locations should be included if they meet the described
parameters for SENSE and a Survey Administrator can administer the surveys at these
locations.
23. Should we include ITV (Interactive Television) courses in the CSF?
ITV courses are those in which multiple classrooms are connected via a satellite feed, with an
instructor in one location and groups of students in other locations. If Survey Administrators can
be at each course location at the same time and date, ITV courses should be included in the
CSF. Please collapse all sections of the course into one listing and sum the total student
enrollment, making a note that multiple sections for this course will be surveyed if the ITV
course is selected for the sample.
24. When the Center refers to distance learning classes, does this refer only to internetbased and ITV courses, or does this also include courses offered off-site?
The only classes that should be excluded as distance learning (online) courses are classes that
do not have a physical class meeting during the fourth or fifth class week of the fall term in
which the survey can be administered. Courses that meet off-campus should be included in the
sample as long as a Survey Administrator will be able to administer the survey to these courses
should they be selected as part of the sample.
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25. Should hybrid or blended courses be included in the CSF?
Hybrid or blended courses are those in which students meet both online and face-to-face.
These courses should be included in the CSF if they have a physical class meeting during the
fourth or fifth class week of the fall term in which the survey can be administered.
26. Should we include classes taught to incarcerated populations in the CSF?
No. Classes taught in incarcerated settings should not be included in the CSF as these students
are not exposed to the full breadth of the college experience.
27. Should we include combined lecture and lab classes in the CSF?
Yes. However, the Center requests that the CSF contain only ONE entry for the combination
and not two separate entries for the lecture and the related lab.
28. Should concurrent enrollment high college classes be included in the CSF?
No. Concurrent enrollment typically means that students can obtain both high college and
college credit for a course and these courses are often comprised entirely of high college
students. SENSE is not administered to classes comprised entirely of high college students.
29. How do we include cross-listed courses in the CSF?
Cross-listed and team-taught courses will be identified during the sampling process if all
variables outlined on page 5 of the SENSE Procedure Guide are included in the CSF. The
Center will combine these courses into one listing and sum enrollments so that course packets
will have sufficient surveys for all students in selected classes.
30. How do we include cohort courses in the CSF?
Cohort courses are those in which the same group of students is enrolled in more than one
course. If the college offers cohort courses, please include only one course for each cohort in
the CSF.
31. We have some self-paced classes in which there is an instructor, but the instructor
serves mainly as a tutor. Should this offering be included in the CSF?
As long as there is a set meeting time for the class and students are required to attend, selfpaced classes should be included in the CSF.
32. Should we include courses with small enrollments in the CSF?
Courses with at least three students should be included in the CSF.
33. What is a codebook?
A codebook is a data dictionary. It provides information on the structure, contents and layout of
the data file.
34. Do I have to have a codebook?
If the CSF conforms to the Example Course Schedule File (CSF) provided on the SENSE
Members Only Website, a codebook is not necessary.
35. What is a variable name?
A variable name indicates the name assigned to each column of data in the data file. In Excel
spreadsheets, it is typically the top row of the column.
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36. What are values and value labels?
Values are the codes assigned to variables (e.g., “DK” and “Y”), and value labels are the
definitions for the codes (e.g., ”Don’t Know,” “Yes”).
Sampling Procedures
37. Approximately how many classes will be included in our sample?
The table below provides the average number of classes sampled based on institution size.
Enrollment category
Fewer than 1,500
1,500–4,499
4,500–7,999
8,000–14,999
15,000–21,999
22,000 or more
Target sample size
TBD
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,500
200% of target
TBD
1,200
1,600
2,000
2,400
3,000
Average number of classes
TBD
52
75
82
119
129
38. If there is a problem with the sample you send us, can you pull a new one?
The Center will only re-pull the sample if a substantial number of courses in the CSF should
have been excluded in order to meet the Center’s specifications or if a substantial number of
courses was excluded from the CSF prior to submission that should have been included. Please
contact the SENSE Liaison for more information.
39. If instructors refuse to allow survey participation in their classroom, what should we
do?
The Center has accounted for non-participation in the sampling strategy. Each college is
provided with approximately 200% of the target sample size to account for such situations.
40. If instructors have multiple classes chosen, can we omit one of the classes from the
sample?
No. The sampling unit is the class that is composed of students, and the random selection of
students is the principle objective. The Center encourages colleges to explain to instructors that
they are not being sampled more than once, they just happen to be associated with more than
one group of students that is being sampled.
41. An instructor who wants to participate would like to substitute a class that was
canceled with another course. Can we do this?
No. Sampled courses are selected through a random process, and in order to preserve the
integrity of the sampling process, course substitutions are not permitted.
42. A class that was chosen for the sample has stopped meeting. What should we do?
It is not problematic if a course has ended prior to the survey administration. Each college is
provided with approximately 200% of the target sample size; not surveying this course should
not have a negative impact on the data.
43. When we reviewed our sample file, we came across additional courses that fall
outside the sampling frame. What should we do?
Because the Center provides colleges with approximately 200% of the target sample size,
omitting these courses should not have an overall negative impact on the targeted number of
respondents. Make a note of any problematic courses and remove these survey packets when
the shipment arrives from the Center. However, if a substantial number of courses that violate
SENSE FAQs
the exclusionary guidelines listed on page 5 of the SENSE Procedure Guide were included in
the CSF and selected in the sample, contact the SENSE Liaison as soon as possible to discuss
options for submitting a new CSF.
44. We would like to survey a sub-population of students for SENSE. Is it possible to
receive additional surveys?
Oversampling enables colleges to survey students not selected as part of the random sample.
The Center offers four oversample options. Details regarding oversample options and pricing
are available on the SENSE Registration Page under SENSE 2011 Membership Options and
Pricing.
Survey Administration
45. How long does it take to complete the survey?
The survey is designed to be completed in one 50-minute class period. Historically, the survey
has taken students up to 45 minutes to complete; however, it is possible the survey may take an
entire class period.
46. What do we do if students have not completed the survey when the class period
ends?
The Survey Administrator should collect all surveys at the end of the class period. All completed
responses will be included as part of the college’s dataset, even if the entire survey was not
completed.
47. Do we have to survey students during fourth and fifth weeks of class?
SENSE focuses on students’ initial college experiences, so it is important that students be
surveyed during the fourth and fifth class weeks. Additionally, since all participating colleges
survey their students at this time, it is important to survey students within this administration
frame.
48. We have a class that starts four weeks into the term; do we administer the survey to
these students during their first week of class?
SENSE should be administered during the fourth and fifth class weeks of each course. For latestart courses, the survey administration date ranges will vary so that surveys are administer
during the fourth or fifth class week following their late start.
49. What do we do when a class to be surveyed meets with another class that wasn’t
selected for survey administration due to cross-listing?
Because the Center runs a program that identifies cross-listed courses and combines them to
reflect their total enrollment, this situation should have been addressed prior to pulling the
sample if all requested data elements were included in the CSF. If this did not happen, use
supplemental surveys so that all students in the classroom can be surveyed.
50. What are the one hundred additional surveys for?
These surveys are intended to supplement course packets needing more surveys due to
enrollment discrepancies. They should not be used to survey any courses not selected as part
of the sample.
51. We did not receive enough pencils for every student. Can we get additional pencils?
The Center does not provide enough pencils for each survey sent. The number of pencils sent
is based on the college’s enrollment size. We suggest that pencils be collected and redistributed
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throughout survey administration in order to ensure there are enough pencils for students in
each surveyed course. However, if the college would like additional pencils, the cost is $20 per
box (144 pencils per box). Please contact the SENSE Liaison to order additional pencils.
52. Should students under the age of 18 be surveyed?
No. The Center’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Texas at Austin requires
parental consent for students under age 18 to participate in SENSE. Any student indicating on
the survey instrument that they are “Under 18” is excluded from all analyses and reporting, and
those respondent data are not returned to the college. Students under 18 should still remain in
the classroom during survey administration, however, so that they do not miss any instruction
time following survey administration.
53. Do students have to complete the survey more than once?
No. If students completed the survey previously, they are welcome, but not required, to
complete the survey more than once. If a student elects not to participate again, the student is
asked to remain in the classroom during the survey administration period. The primary reason
for this is to prevent disruptions or students claiming to have taken the survey in order to leave
the classroom. Additionally, students should remain in the classroom during survey
administration so that they do not miss any instruction time following survey administration.
54. Do I have to let faculty choose the date of the in-class administration? It was very
difficult to accommodate the faculty requests and then find staff to administer the
surveys.
No. The Scheduling Letter, available on the SENSE Members Only Website, may be altered to
provide faculty with a choice of pre-determined dates for survey administration.
55. Can we let faculty administer the surveys themselves?
We recommend that faculty do not survey their own class as the survey is designed to capture
students’ experiences at the college as a whole—rather than the experiences in a particular
course. However, the Center does not object to faculty members administering surveys to their
own class if necessary. It is imperative that the faculty member read the Survey Administration
Script to the class prior to distributing surveys to students and stress that the survey is about the
entire college experience, not about a particular class.
56. On the Class Information Sheet, what circle should we fill in if the survey is
administered by a faculty member who does not teach the course?
“Survey Administrator” rather than “Faculty” should be indicated. The “Faculty” option is for
situations in which a faculty member is administering the survey to his or her own class.
57. What should we do to accommodate special needs students?
Appropriate accommodations for special needs students should be arranged in advance of
survey administration and in accordance with standard practices at the college.
58. Do we need to have students complete the student ID section?
While collection of student identifiers is optional, colleges may collect this information for other
institutional research efforts. By collecting student identifiers, it may be possible for colleges to
link SENSE data with other institutional initiatives at the college.
59. How should students enter their student IDs on the survey?
Students should enter the identifier information from left to right with no spaces, dashes, or
other extraneous marks.
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60. Can we stop the survey administration process once we reach our target?
The Center asks that the college continue the administration process even after reaching its
target sample size as a college's membership fee covers administration of the entire sample.
Further, the more data collected, the more likely an institution will be able to "drill down" into its
results (e.g., more responses when performing subgroup analyses).
Completed Survey Returns
61. I have survey packets that I did not use. What should I do with them?
Unused materials should be recycled. Please only send completed surveys, along with their
corresponding Class Information Sheet, in the original course envelopes in which they were
sent, back to the Center.
62. We have misplaced a Class Information Sheet. What should we do?
A PDF version of the Class Information Sheet is available on the SENSE Members Only
Website. Print the PDF, complete the course information section (available on the outside of the
course packet envelope), and have the Survey Administrator complete and sign the sheet
during in-class survey administration. If the surveys have already been administered, complete
the course information section and ask the Survey Administrator to sign the sheet indicating that
he or she read the Survey Administration Script to the class.
63. Our Survey Administrator did not sign the Class Information Sheet. What should we
do?
Since the signature verifies that the Survey Administration Script was read to survey
respondents, please make every effort to have the form signed by the Survey Administrator.
64. How do we return completed surveys to the Center?
Discard/recycle any unused pencils, surveys, Special-Focus Modules and Survey
Administration Scripts. Return completed surveys and Class Information Sheets to their original
corresponding course envelopes. If an envelope has been misplaced, please create a new
envelope and clearly write the appropriate course information on the outside of the envelope.
Pack the surveys carefully using packing material to fill any empty space not used by the
packets themselves. Do not use Styrofoam materials when packing completed surveys as
this creates static electricity that interferes with the scanning process. Affix one return
label and one neon address label to each box. Once the box is securely taped and ready to
ship, contact UPS (or DHL if shipping internationally) to schedule a pickup. Be sure to record
the tracking numbers from the return label and notify the SENSE Liaison when a box has been
shipped.
65. What should we do if we run out of UPS return labels?
Contact the SENSE Liaison, and he or she will provide more return labels via e-mail.
66. If envelopes are not already sealed, can we just leave them unsealed when we pack
them?
Yes.
67. What is the deadline for returning completed surveys to the Center?
Completed surveys must arrive at the Center by no later than Friday, November 11. Shipments
post-marked on November 11 will not be accepted. Surveys must be physically received by the
close of business on November 11.
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68. How are survey results presented to our college?
Institutional reports will be provided electronically via the SENSE online reporting system. The
college president will also receive multiple print copies of a customized Key Findings booklet.
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