GMCTE Repository of Validated Course, Program, and Institutional Surveys
The Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness has developed a repository of
surveys that have been developed in higher education, focused on the student
experience and measuring the impact of programs on learning at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels. These tools have all undergone validity and
reliability testing and the researchers who developed them have published on each of
them over the past two decades.
These only represent a small fraction of the tools that have been developed and are
present in the higher education literature. Each of these thirteen are freely available to
use, but may require a notification to the authors (please see the notes below). For
more information about using these instruments as part of your evaluation at the
course, program, department, or college level, please contact the Gwenna Moss Centre
at gmcte@usask.ca.
1. Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ)1 – The R-SPQ gives a measure of a
student’s use of deep and surface approaches to learning as part of their
approach to studying and engaging with course material/activities.
2. Reflection Questionnaire1 – This questionnaire measures the level of a student’s
critical reflective thinking. It contains four scales corresponding to four levels of
reflective thinking: habitual action/non-reflection, understanding, reflection, and
critical reflection.
3. Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ)1 – SEQ is a program-level instrument
designed to measure the level of student engagement. The questionnaire
contains scales for eight generic graduate attributes and nine scales which
together measure a broadly-based teaching and learning environment.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Self-managed learning
Adaptability
Problem solving
Communication skills
Interpersonal skills and
group work
8. Computer literacy
9. Active learning
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Teaching for understanding
Feedback to assist learning
Assessment
Relationship between
teachers and students
Workload
Relationships with other
students
Cooperative learning
Coherence of curriculum
Results from the SEQ can be used as the principal diagnostic measure in a system
for program quality improvement. Results from the SEQ can be used to diagnose
programs that need attention and to demonstrate that there have been
improvements, through longitudinal data, at the institutional level, which
showed increases in scored on relevant scales
4. Course-Based Graduate Student Experience Questionnaire – *adapted from the
University of Sydney Taught Post-graduate Experience Questionnaire (TPEQ).
Designed to be administered specifically to graduate students in course-based
programs, the Course-Based Graduate Student Experience Questionnaire is
based on a model that contains three domains: curriculum and content, teaching
and learning environment, and learning outcomes.
1. Curriculum and content
i. Knowledge
ii. Skill development
iii. Curriculum
2. Teaching and learning
environment
i. Assessment
ii. Active learning
iii. Relevance
iv. Teacher-student
relationships
v. Feedback
vi. Teaching for
understanding
vii. Organization
3. Learning outcomes
i. Career-related
ii. Interest
iii. Critical intellectual
inquiry
iv. Lifelong learning
v. Tackling novel
situations and illdefined problems
vi. Communication
vii. Collaboration
viii. Overall satisfaction
5. Blended Learning Environment Questionnaire – This questionnaire measures
student perceptions of their blended learning environment. It includes items
related to teaching online, online resource design, workload, and interactivity.
The Blended Learning Environment Questionnaire can also be adapted for
program level assessment using the E-learning Scale 2.
6. Student Program Experience Questionnaire (SPEQ) 3 – SPEQ is adapted from the
University of Sydney Student Course Experience Questionnaire (SCEQ).
The survey gathers data on students' perceptions of the quality of teaching and
student learning during their degree program as well as their perceptions of the
administration and student support services. The SPEQ data can provide faculties
with a useful resource to inform strategic teaching and curriculum developments.
7. Classroom Survey of Student Engagement (CLASSE) - CLASSE is a classroom-level
adaptation of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
CLASSE asks students how frequently they engage in various educational
practices within a specific course. The questionnaire also includes measures of
student engagement, cognitive demands, and class atmosphere that align to the
sub-scales used on the NSSE survey – Level of Academic Challenge, Active and
Collaborative Learning, Student-Faculty Interaction, Enriching Educational
Experience, and Supportive Campus Environment. Please note, in order to use
CLASSE, a note must be sent to the authors of the instrument in advance, but it
is made available free of charge.
8. The Canadian Graduate Survey – Undergraduate (CGS-U) 4 – Designed to survey
undergraduate students who have completed (ie. graduated) from their program,
the CGS is adapted from the University of Sydney versions of the governmentmandated Australian Graduate Survey (AGS), comprising a Graduate
Destinations Survey and Program Experience Questionnaire.
The Canadian Graduate Survey is comprised of two components:
•
•
Graduate Destinations Survey (GDS) - collects information about the activities of
graduates after the completion of their degrees regarding their career and/or
further study choices.
Program Experience Questionnaire (PEQ) - gathers data about graduates’
perceptions of their higher education experience.
9. The Canadian Graduate Survey – Graduate Student (CGS-GS)5 – The CGS-GS are
adapted from the University of Sydney versions of the government-mandated
Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) and Postgraduate Research Experience
Questionnaire (PREQ).
The survey gathers data on research-based (PhD and thesis-based Masters)
graduate students' perceptions of the quality and frequency of supervision,
intellectual and social climate, infrastructure, approaches to research, quality of
thesis examination, and generic skills development in their research-based
graduate degree.
The purpose of the CGS-GS is to provide the University community with a basis
for strategic, faculty level academic development and curriculum review to
further enhance the quality of research-based graduate degrees. The GSREQ also
provides data for benchmarking between similar programs in different
universities.
10. Undergraduate Research Participation Survey (URPS) – The URPS is adapted from
the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Survey.
The Undergraduate Research Participation Survey is a measure of undergraduate
student participation in research. Questionnaire items pertain to student
perceptions of undergraduate research participation, motivation, barriers,
supervision, compensation, and outcomes/benefits.
11. CIRP First Year Survey 6 – The CIRP is adapted from the Cooperative Institutional
Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey, a national longitudinal study of the
American higher education system.
The CIRP First Year Survey is designed for administration to incoming first-year
students prior to beginning classes. The instrument collects extensive
information that allows for a snapshot of what incoming students are like before
they experience college. Key sections of the survey examine:
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•
•
•
Established behaviors in high
school;
Academic preparedness;
Admissions decisions;
Expectations of college;
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•
•
•
Interactions with peers and faculty;
Student values and goals and
Student demographic characteristics;
and
Concerns about financing college.
12. Enrolled Student Survey (ESS) – The ESS is adapted from the Consortium on
Financing Higher Education (COFHE) Enrolled Student Survey (ESS).
The Enrolled Student Survey asks students about time spent doing various
activities in and out of the classroom (including work, extracurricular activities,
etc.). In addition, the ESS explores student perceptions of their university
experience including how their skills and abilities have changed since enrolling at
the University of Saskatchewan. Student satisfaction and wellbeing, as well as,
sources of advice about academic, career, and personal choices are also explored.
13. Student Motivation and Attitudes to Academic Research (SMAAR) 7 – The SMAAR
questionnaire measures student motivation as it relates to attitudes about
academic research as a component of the learning environment. Questionnaire
items pertain to students’ career aspirations, their attitudes toward studying,
perception of their program/department, and their understanding/attitude
toward research. Please note, in order to use this survey, a note must be sent to
the authors of the instrument in advance, but it is made available free of charge.
1
Additional information regarding analysis and interpretation of questionnaire results can be found in:
Kember, D. & Ginns, P. (2012). Evaluating Teaching and Learning: A practical handbook for colleges,
universities and the scholarship of teaching. Routledge: London and New York.
2 Additional information on the E-learning Scale can be found in Kember, D. and Ginns, P. (2012, p. 38).
3 More information regarding the SCEQ can be found at http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/sceq/
4 More information regarding the AGS and CEQ can be found at http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/ceq/
5 More information regarding the PREQ can be found at http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/preq/
6 More information regarding the CIRP First Year Survey can be found at
http://www.heri.ucla.edu/cirpoverview.php
7 Additional information regarding the Student Motivation and Attitudes to Academic Research
Questionnaire Item can be found in: Breen, R. & Lindsay, R. (1999). Academic research and student
motivation. Studies in Higher Education, 24:1, 75-93. Notification must be provided to the authors for use.