We offer departments and groups comprehensive tailored assessments of department culture and climate, so that change can be data-driven.

There is no better way to get a thorough and precise quantitative and qualitative look at how a department is faring from the perspective of its members.

 

Key areas of assessment include:

    • Evaluation of academic program strengths and needs
      (e.g., support for tenure process or meeting graduate milestones)

    • Communication and Transparency

    • Leadership and Shared Governance

    • Well-being and Quality of Life in the Department

    • Strength of professional relationships and connections

    • Access to resources for research

 

Privacy

One of the most important things we offer is privacy of data and responses.  Faculty, staff, and students are often most concerned with the issue of privacy and who will have access to their responses.  By working with us, departments are assured data privacy and that no members of the department will have access to raw data or identifiable responses.  In this way, departments can increase participation rates and better the chances that responses will reflect the true sentiments of an open and honest community.

 

Methodology

    • We work collaboratively with departments to build out a mixed methods survey to get a baseline of faculty, staff, and student sentiments in key thematic areas.  We utilize Likert scale items as well as qualitative, write-in fields for participants to share their experiences.

    • Survey length can vary but we work hard to achieve comprehensiveness while avoiding survey fatigue.

    • Surveys are administered and data analyzed by the office of Academic Culture and Well-being to ensure data privacy.  Summaries of qualitative and quantitative data are shared with departments and serve as starting points for department-level discussion and change.

    • Importantly, we also offer facilitated discussions so that departments can develop clear, data-driven pathways forward based on their results.

 

To learn more, please (click here) or email
Quade French (qfrench at usc.edu).