Washington State University is hosting a first‑ever Qualtrics Summit in February to talk about best practices and new uses for the powerful, secure online survey tool.
WSU offers free Qualtrics access to all faculty, staff and students for data collection and analysis in academic research, opinion surveys and customer feedback.
Along with the summit, WSU has expanded its Surveys website and created a survey governance team with representatives from across the university.
“We want to make sure people know we have this tool available to everyone, and how to use it to get the best results for their projects,” said Clint Young, interim director of web for University Marketing & Communications.
The WSU Qualtrics Summit 2019 will be held on Feb. 18 and 19 in the CUB Jr. Ballroom on the WSU campus in Pullman. It’s free and open to faculty, staff and students, but RSVPs are required. It’s sponsored by the Provost’s Office and the Office of Research Support & Operations.
Speakers include Shelly Wymer, Director of the Office of Measurement Services at the University of Minnesota, and Mick Swenson, of Qualtrics, who will demonstrate effective uses of the cloud‑based software. WSU faculty and staff will also give presentations on how they’ve used Qualtrics successfully.
New information is available on the WSU Surveys website, including policies and guidelines, regulations, technical assistance and tutorials. The site also offers information and support for another survey tool, REDCap, that meets HIPAA compliance standards. It notes that WSU prohibits the use of products such as SurveyMonkey or Zoomerang, which require a click‑through agreement.
Young said the university’s weekly Web Open Lab devotes one session a month to Qualtrics, so the summit is just part of WSU’s support for effective use of the survey software. People developing research or surveys are encouraged to bring their projects for one‑on‑one feedback.
“You don’t have to go out on your own” when it comes to surveys, Young said. “We want people using these tools and using them effectively.”
