We offer three different options for customizing your CUTE administration:
A selection of recruitment schedules to best fit your needs,
An invitation message signatory that instructional staff at your institution would recognize, and
A population file of your chosen instructional staff.
Details about each of these customization options follow. If you're interested in sending messages to your faculty yourself, contact us to discuss this possibility.
1. Recruitment Schedules
CUTE offers administrations in the spring (January, February, March, or April) and fall (October or November) semesters of the school year. The approximate month of your administration is chosen at registration. Following registration, institutions may choose a more specific recruitment schedule (or move their approximate administration month if needed). All customization options are due one month before the first CUTE recruitment invitation is scheduled. An example timeline follows:
In July, Cuteville State University (CSU) registers for a fall administration of CUTE, choosing September in their registration.
Once their registration is approved by CUTE staff, CSU is able to make customization choices. They are given the following recruitment schedule options in September, and choose the third option:
Invitation on August 31; reminders on September 3, 9, and 15
Invitation on September 7; reminders on September 13, 16, and 22
Invitation on September 14: reminders on September 20, 23, and 29
Because their invitation date is September 14, CSU needs to complete their customization choices (uploading a population file and choosing an invitation signatory) one month before launch (in our example, August 14).
Results are available via the interactive report dashboards as soon as the survey launches. A raw data file of faculty responses will be available as soon as the administration fee is paid.
The survey administration ends around five weeks after the launch, in our example, October 22nd.
2. Invitation Signatory
CUTE staff will send four messages to your instructional staff. The first of these messages, the invitation, can be customized to include a signatory from your institution. All messages will be custom addressed to your instructional staff depending on how you identify them in your population file (prefix last name, or first name last name, see population file directions for details) and will include your institution's name.
Institutional contacts will receive a test message at least one week before their administration launch to ensure that the text fills are accurate and that messages from the Qualtrics platform successfully send to your institution's email domain. If you're interested in sending messages to your faculty yourself, contact us to discuss this possibility.
The text for all four messages is as follows:
Subject: Give us feedback on your teaching environment!
Dear [Prefix/Firstname] [Lastname]:
We are requesting that instructors from [your institution], and colleagues across the country, provide their feedback on a questionnaire about their teaching environment, needs, and supports. We want to hear about the ways that the processes and policies, people, and resources at [your institution] contribute to your teaching environment and ability to do and receive recognition for your best teaching.
The survey is administered in partnership with [your institution] and theCenter for Postsecondary Researchat Indiana University and will take about 15 minutes to finish. Follow this [link] to the survey, or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
[link]
The link above is unique to you. Please do not pass on this email to anyone else.
Your participation is voluntary, though we do hope you will respond. Should you have any questions about this project, we encourage you to visit the projectwebsiteor contactcutesurv@iu.edu.
Thank you for considering this important request. Results from this project will provide [your institution] with actionable information to improve the teaching environment at [your institution] as well as inform the field of higher education about the current teaching climates and cultures that faculty experience.
Sincerely,
[Campus signatory]
Subject: Reminder to give feedback on your teaching environment!
Dear [Prefix/Firstname] [Lastname]:
You were recently sent an email inviting you to respond to a questionnaire about your teaching environment at [your institution]. The information you and others at [your institution] provide will help identify areas of strength and improvement that I hope will lead to constructive discussions related to your teaching environment and ability to do and receive recognition for your best teaching.
The survey will take approximately 15 minutes and can be found at this [link].
The link above is unique to you. Please do not pass on this email to anyone else.
Your participation is voluntary, though I hope you will respond. Should you have any questions about this project, please visit the projectwebsiteor contactcutesurv@iu.edu.
Thanks again for considering this request!
Sincerely,
Allison BrckaLorenz, PhD Director of the College + University Teaching Environment Survey Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University
Subject: Still time to give feedback on your teaching environment!
Dear [Prefix/Firstname] [Lastname]:
There is still time for you to respond to a questionnaire about your teaching environment at [your institution]. I hope that you will provide input for [your institution] to identify areas of strength and improvement for your teaching environment, needs, and supports.
This survey link is unique to you so do not forward this email to others: [link].
Your participation is voluntary, though I hope you will respond. Should you have any questions about this project, please visit the projectwebsiteor contactcutesurv@iu.edu.
Thanks again for considering this request!
Sincerely,
Allison BrckaLorenz, PhD Director of the College + University Teaching Environment Survey Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University
Subject: Last chance to give feedback on your teaching environment!
Dear [Prefix/Firstname] [Lastname]:
Over the last few weeks, you have received emails requesting that you complete a questionnaire about your teaching environment at [your institution]. I hope that you will be able to participate. This is the last message you will receive about the study.
This survey link is unique to you so do not forward this email to others: [link].
The information you and others at [your institution] give will provide [your institution] with actionable information to improve the teaching environment at [your institution] as well as inform the field of higher education about the current teaching climates and cultures that faculty experience. Your help is essential to the success of this important project.
Your participation is voluntary, though I hope you will respond. Should you have any questions about this project, please visit the projectwebsiteor contactcutesurv@iu.edu.
Thanks again for considering this request!
Sincerely,
Allison BrckaLorenz, PhD Director of the College + University Teaching Environment Survey Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University
3. Population File
CUTE staff need to receive a population file of the instructional staff you wish to be surveyed at least one month before the survey administration begins. We strongly encourage institutions to include all of their instructional staff, but institutions are free to decide whether they want to include a random sample or specific subgroups of their faculty. If including only specific subgroups, we recommend including a grouping variable for identification of subgroups.
Although we understand the need for random sampling due to potential survey fatigue, because the CUTE project is intended to explore the experiences of and support all faculty, it is especially important that a diverse selection of faculty are included in your population file. Random samples may not allow for the voices of traditionally marginalized voices to be heard.