The Office of Institutional Research conducts a variety of surveys and studies, surveying alumni, current students, faculty, and staff. Here is a schedule of surveys throughout the year and here is information about conducting your own survey of Kenyon students.
The chart below shows the topics asked about on recent Kenyon surveys and links to the surveys.
| Outcomes | Employment: job search | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey |
| Employment: salary | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Employment: type of position | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Graduate School: type of degree | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Graduate School: acceptance | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Graduate school: funding | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Future Plans and certainty | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| How has Kenyon prepared you for post-graduate life and opportunities | One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Demographics | Personal status | One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey |
| Class year/age | Senior Survey, One Year Out Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey, CIRP Freshmen Survey, MISO (student) | |
| Gender | Senior Survey, MISO (student), MISO (faculty), CIRP Freshmen Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey, COACHE (faculty and staff), HERI Faculty Survey | |
| Race/ethnicity, citizenship status | Senior Survey, CIRP Freshmen Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey, COACHE (faculty and staff) | |
| Major or Academic Division | Senior Survey, MISO (student), MISO (faculty) | |
| Tenure status | COACHE (faculty and staff), MISO (faculty) | |
| Learning | Academic and intellectual experience: classroom interactions, discussions, tools for learning | NSSE, CIRP Freshmen Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey, FSSE |
| Mental activities: types of thinking and processing engaged by Kenyon coursework | NSSE, HEDS Alumni Survey, FSSE | |
| Reading and writing | NSSE, HEDS Alumni Survey, FSSE | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | NSSE, HEDS Alumni Survey, CIRP Freshmen Survey, FSSE | |
| Examinations | NSSE, HEDS Alumni Survey, FSSE | |
| Educational and personal growth: mental enrichment through engagement in various academic and non-academic activities | NSSE, HEDS Alumni Survey, FSSE | |
| Academic self-concept: expectations and personal commitments to academic achievement | CIRP Freshmen Survey, CHAS Campus Climate Survey | |
| Technology and research skills/usage | MISO (student), MISO (faculty), MISO (staff) | |
| Teaching: course load, types of duties and classes, research load | HERI Faculty Survey | |
| Activity Participation | High impact practices: study abroad, internships, research, etc. | Senior Survey, NSSE, HEDS Alumni Survey, FSSE |
| Civic engagement: community service, activism, etc. | CIRP Freshmen Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Extracurricular involvement | CIRP Freshmen Survey, CHAS Campus Climate Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Campus Climate | Time usage: study habits, balance with social life | NSSE, FSSE, CIRP Freshmen Survey |
| Institutional environment: experiences with stress, emotions, and support by the community | NSSE, CHAS Campus Climate Survey, FSSE | |
| Taking time off and transferring | CHAS Campus Climate Survey | |
| Experience of discrimination/harassment | CHAS Campus Climate Survey | |
| Campus life: extracurricular participation, satisfaction with residence life, food, social life, communication, and other services | CHAS Campus Climate Survey, Student Communication Survey | |
| Interactions with those of different backgrounds/beliefs, diversity | CIRP Freshmen Survey, CHAS Campus Climate Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Institutional history of diversity | CHAS Campus Climate Survey | |
| Relationships | Quality of relationships | NSSE |
| Experiences with faculty | CHAS Campus Climate Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Residence life: housing community/culture | Quality of Life Survey | |
| Social self-concept: leadership, agency, helping others, confidence | CIRP Freshmen Survey | |
| Satisfaction | Overall educational experience | Senior Survey, NSSE, CHAS Campus Climate Survey, HEDS Alumni Survey, FSSE |
| With academic advising | NSSE, FSSE | |
| Would they recommend Kenyon or attend again | NSSE, CHAS Campus Climate Survey, One Year Out Survey | |
| With college reputation | CIRP Freshmen Survey | |
| With LBIS | MISO (student), MISO (faculty), MISO (staff) | |
| Sense of connection to Kenyon | HEDS Alumni Survey | |
| Residence Life: facilities, living area, cleanliness, safety, housing lottery | Quality of Life Survey | |
| Professional satisfaction: recognition, compensation, departments, culture and diversity, leadership, nature of work, research, teaching, professional development, promotions and tenure | COACHE (faculty and staff), MISO (faculty), MISO (staff), HERI Faculty Survey |
Further Reading:
Banda, J. P., (2003). Non-sampling Errors in Surveys. United Nations Secretariat ESA/STAT/AC.93/7 Statistics Division.
Curtin, R., Presser, S., & Singer, E. (2000). The effects of response rate changes on the index of consumer sentiment. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64, 413-428.
Fosnacht, K., Sarraf, S., Howe, E., & Peck, L. (2013, May). How important are high response rates for college surveys? In annual forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Long Beach, CA.
Goyder, J. (1987). The Silent Minority: Nonrespondents on sample surveys. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Goyder, J., Warriner, K., & Miller, S. (2002). Evaluating socio-economic status (SES) bias in survey nonresponse. Journal of Official Statistics, 18(1), 1-11.
Smith, W. G. (2008). Does gender influence online survey participation?: A record-linkage analysis of university faculty online survey response behavior. ERIC.