Gone are the days of struggling with survey software for your research, teaching and academic needs. The University of Guelph has invested in the industry-leading gold standard: Qualtrics. Licensed by every major university in North America, including 99 of the top 100 business schools, Qualtrics will change how you think about data collection.
Available at no cost to University of Guelph students, staff and faculty, Qualtrics can be used for academic purposes – including teaching and research – as well as administrative tasks like e-voting and evaluations. At U of G, Qualtrics is jointly supported by Computing and Communications Services (CCS) and the Library’s Data Resource Centre (DRC). CCS provides specific support for administrative tasks, with the DRC supporting the integration of Qualtrics in the academic domain.
Jennifer Marvin, Acting Head of Research Enterprise and Scholarly Communication at McLaughlin Library, is leading the charge in the adoption of Qualtrics for campus academic use. She explains how this investment will impact the U of G community. “This software will elevate our survey capabilities substantially, and in a way that really speaks to our users,” says Marvin. “There are many aspects of Qualtrics’ software that make it superior to other programs, with the most notable features being enhanced data security and ease of use.”
In today’s world of cyber security threats, data security has become a significant concern. Surveys often collect sensitive information that must be protected. Qualtrics’ software contains extensive security measures to ensure safety and confidentiality. In addition, the University of Guelph maintains ownership of all data stored within Qualtrics. Gerrit Bos, IT Security Officer with CCS’ Information Security team, explains the significance of this enhanced security. “Qualtrics meets all the requirements for the storage of highly sensitive (S3) data – a level of security we have not had with our previous software. In addition, all data is encrypted over the entire survey cycle: collection, storage and analysis. This means that the stored information cannot be deciphered by unauthorized parties,” explains Bos. “For those at U of G who are collecting personal information from their subjects for academic or administrative purposes, this provides significant peace of mind that they are doing so in the most responsible manner possible.” The Information Security team continues to work closely with the Research Ethics Board to ensure the implementation of Qualtrics meets the evolving requirements of researchers.
While it is clear that this software is highly sophisticated, luckily Qualtrics is also incredibly easy to use. With robust on-line support and a web-delivered Quick Start program, users can learn the basics in a few short hours, enabling limitless survey creation, enhanced comprehension of research analyses and simple exporting of data to various analysis tools. In addition, the convenience of this mobile- and tablet-friendly software allows for real-time access to survey data.
Make the change to Qualtrics today.
We’re here to help! To create your U of G Qualtrics account, or for support with academic needs (teaching and research), visit the Library website. If you are a staff member and require support for administrative surveys such as e-voting and evaluations, contact CCS at 58888help@uoguelph.ca orhttps://www.uoguelph.ca/ccs/service/online-surveys.