Survey Draft

Survey Purpose

A common concern among employees in my work environment is the scheduling of professional development opportunities for employees last year (2023-2024). Anecdotal feedback from employees suggests that these opportunities are often scheduled at inconvenient times and days, making it difficult for employees to attend. In reviewing common times and days in which last year’s workshops and sessions were offered, they typically fell on Tuesday afternoons between 1-4PM. Employees shared that sessions occurring during these times coincide with the busiest time of day, reducing their ability to participate. The goal of this research is to identify specific times and days that would work for the majority of employees, thereby increasing the accessibility of professional development opportunities.

The Property of Interest is the preferred time and day for professional development opportunities to be offered. This includes evaluating whether the current schedule meets employees’ needs or if adjustments are needed. My question will focus on evaluating employees’ preferences against the current availability of workshops and sessions and identifying potential areas for improvement to improve attendance, and this Property of Interest will directly measure that.

The results of this study will provide important insights into how I can improve the availability of professional development offerings. By aligning the schedule with employee preferences, the company can better support professional growth. This approach will also ensure that scheduling decisions are informed by employee needs, ultimately improving participation rates in professional development programming. 

Audience

All academic advisors at Michigan State University will be given the opportunity to complete the survey.

Pose a Question

My research question asks: are employees dissatisfied with the current times and days professional development opportunities were offered last year and is significant improvement needed? This question is based on the anecdotal concerns previously discussed, which highlights issues between current professional development offerings and employees’ availability.

Determine a Scale

Employees’ preferences for the time and day for workshops and sessions will be measured using the Likert scale. Respondents will rate their preference of different time slots – morning (8-10AM), early afternoon (11-1PM), and late afternoon (2-5PM), as well as day of the week (Monday through Friday). The scale will range from 1=”Strongly Disagree” to 5=”Strongly Agree”, allowing employees to indicate which times and days they find most available and convenient.

Demographic or Personal Information

• Assigned department or advising unit

• Position title (example: Genetics Advisor)

• Years of experience in academic advising

• Typical work schedule

  • Work hours (i.e. 8-5PM)

  • Fully in-person, hybrid, fully remote

    • In-person days for hybrid/remote workers

    • Work from home days for hybrid/remote workers

• Optional: Email address for additional follow-up

This survey will remain anonymous, so name and email address will not be required. 

Individual Question Design

In the table below, create 10 questions or statements that support the purpose of the survey. Please include a 2-3 sentence rationale for each question or statement that speaks directly to how it supports the purpose of your survey.

Item #	Question	Rationale
1	I find it easy to attend professional development workshops for academic advisors.	I wanted to start the survey by gaining an overall understanding of how accessible advisors are finding these workshops and trainings. The response to this question will be important to compare to the next 9 questions.
2	I feel supported by my unit in attending professional development workshops.	A potential limitation advisors may be experiencing is not so much time and day constraints, but support in attending professional development opportunities. This question helps to identify other barriers beyond day/time.
3	I find that virtual workshops are as effective as in-person workshops.	Advisors at MSU predominantly have hybrid schedules. Though virtual may be more convenient, I think it’s important to know if advisors find virtual as beneficial as in-person.
4	I prefer in-person workshops over virtual ones.	Similar to the previous question, I am looking to see if the delivery mode of the training is impacting advisor attendance. We may find that between these two questions that the delivery mode is impacting the accessibility of professional development opportunities, or it truly is more the day and/or time it is being offered.
5	I prefer live/synchronous workshops.	This question helps to identify if advisors find learning happens best during live sessions rather than asynchronously. This also evaluates the level of engagement advisors are looking for in professional development opportunities.
6	I would prefer workshops that are recorded and can be accessed later.	Even if workshops are held virtually, recorded professional development opportunities may allow for further flexibility. This question helps to identify if asynchronous options are in more demand or if advisors still prefer live sessions. Advisors may also show preference for live workshops with a recording provided later to rewatch and review program content.
7	I prefer workshops that are no more than an hour in length.	The length of the workshop or session may be another barrier for advisors as their schedules are typically very full with advising appointments. This question will help to understand the preferred length of workshops, or if this is not a significant factor.
8	I would attend workshops that are over 2 hours in length.	Similar to the above question, I am discerning if advisors would attend workshops that require a lengthier time commitment. This question could highlight the importance of breaking up longer sessions or training into smaller ones that do not exceed an hour, or if advisors are open to longer sessions that may offer more in-depth discussions.
9	I am more likely to attend workshops scheduled on ____. Check all that apply: Morning (8-11AM) Lunch Hour (11-1PM) Afternoon (1-5PM)	Though this is not a likert scale question, this helps to identify specific times of day that the advisor prefers to attend workshops. Compiling this information will find commonality across advisors on preferred times.
10	I am more likely to attend workshops scheduled on ____. Check all that apply: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday	Similar to above, though not a Likert scale question, it’s important to allow advisors to select the specific days of the week that typically work best for them to attend workshops and trainings. Standing meetings or regularly held drop-in advising times could impact an advisor's ability to attend.

Peer Feedback

This space is for your classmate to provide their feedback on your draft.

Criteria	What feedback do you have to help the survey designer take their survey to the next level?
How well do the survey questions match the purpose of the survey? What improvements can be made to help these align more?	Your survey does a great job of focusing on scheduling conflicts for professional development. Since you've already made it clear that the current schedule falls during the busiest time, the questions effectively gather feedback on preferred alternatives. One thing you might consider adding is a question about how employees would like scheduling to be handled moving forward—for example, “Would you prefer professional development sessions to be scheduled at fixed times, rotated throughout different time slots?” This could help pinpoint a more flexible solution.
Does the response choice make sense for what the question is trying to ask? If a scale is used, do the descriptors/numbers make sense?	Yes, your response choices are logical and align well with the questions. The Likert scale is a good fit for measuring preferences, and the multiple-choice options for selecting available time slots and days allow respondents to give more flexible answers. The answer choices are clear and well-structured.
Are there any cases of double-barreled language in the questions?	Your survey does a great job of keeping questions focused and clear. I didn’t notice any double-barreled questions.
Are there any cases of biased language in the questions? Biased language might make it more or less likely that a participant selects a certain answer.	Overall, your survey is well-balanced and avoids obvious bias. However, question 3 (I find that virtual workshops are as effective as in-person workshops) is slightly structured in a way that assumes in-person workshops are effective by default. This could unintentionally influence how respondents think about the question.
Are questions clear and free of jargon? As a reader, do you understand exactly what the survey designer is asking? Were there any pauses where you had to question what they meant?	The questions are clear and easy to understand. The only slight revision I’d suggest is for question 6 (I would prefer workshops that are recorded and can be accessed later.) It might be helpful to clarify whether respondents prefer only recordings or live sessions with a recording option. A slight tweak like "I prefer workshops that offer live sessions with a recording available for later viewing. Or I prefer workshops that only provide a recording for later viewing." would make this more specific and prevent confusion.