Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Survey Information

Surveys are essential for gathering direct feedback from our community. Institutional Research & Effectiveness at Colorado College conducts and coordinates distribution of campus‑wide surveys to inform decision‑making, enhance the student, faculty, and staff experience, and support institutional effectiveness. We are committed to upholding both the practical and ethical standards in the collection and reporting of survey data.

Survey Participation

CC participates in surveys that are both externally designed and driven, as well as self-designed internal surveys. Recent examples of these include:

Rights of Respondents

Every survey administered will clearly state who is conducting it, why, and how the results will be used. Contact information will be provided so that respondents may direct questions regarding survey content or data use.

Participation is voluntary. Respondents may choose not to take part, may stop taking the survey at any point, and may skip any question they are uncomfortable answering.

An anonymous survey does not collect identifying information that could link responses to individual respondents. These are used in situations involving sensitive topics to encourage openness.

Confidential surveys may collect identifying or demographic information (e.g. name, student ID, class year) to allow for deeper analysis. Responses are reported in aggregate, and individual identity is protected via careful data handling, aggregation, and redaction protocols.

IRE uses multiple safeguards to ensure confidentiality and anonymity:
• Aggregating responses so that no small group or individual can be singled out
• Redacting identifying information in narrative/open‑text responses
• Combining categories (when needed) or suppressing reporting for groups whose numbers are too small to avoid inadvertent disclosure

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Ethical Principles and Standards

IRE adheres to best practices and ethical guidelines in institutional research, including:

  • The Statement of Ethical Principles from the Association for Institutional Research (AIR)

  • Institutional policies on data privacy, confidentiality, and human subjects research, including compliance with FERPA and IRB protocols

  • Colorado College’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), which reviews research involving human subjects to ensure ethical standards are upheld

Report an issue - Last updated: 03/27/2026