When you logged into TUportal last month, you may have noticed a brief series of questions on the left-hand side of the landing page in the Spotlight section gauging your interest in Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service activities. 

It’s part of a new initiative aimed at gathering valuable insights from the university community: Quick Polls. This innovative approach leverages brief surveys that pop up when users log into the university’s main communications platform—aka TUportal—offering a streamlined way to collect actionable data on student, faculty and staff experiences, perceptions and engagement with campus life. 

“Surveys have long been a staple practice at Temple,” said Gina Calzaferri, assistant vice provost for Academic Affairs, Assessment and Institutional Research.  “However, we’ve noticed that when too many surveys are conducted, response rates tend to decline. That’s why we’re exploring alternative methods for receiving meaningful feedback.” 

By keeping the surveys short and relevant, Calzaferri hopes to boost participation and ensure that the information gathered is both useful and timely.  One of the exciting features of the new initiative is that both the poll sponsor and the Institutional Research and Assessment team have access to a live dashboard of data, allowing them to see responses in real time and act on the information quickly. 

The Quick Polls will feature one to three questions each month—with the questions remaining up for two weeks or until they are answered by the individual user.  

The questions will focus on specific topics that resonate with the community. For instance, because Temple’s Wellness Day is Oct. 11, the theme of the Quick Polls this month is wellness. Currently, two polls are running related to wellness, one for staff and faculty and the second for students. The staff/faculty poll seeks to understand more about participation in the university’s Total Wellness program. The poll for students asks where they do go or would most likely go to learn about services, events and programming offered by Temple's  Health and Well-being Division.  

That ability to segment questions for particular populations is another important aspect of Quick Polls. This targeted approach is intended to foster a sense of inclusion and ensure that a wide range of voices are heard. 

Calzaferri emphasized that an application process has been established for faculty, staff, and students who wish to pose questions through the polls. This process not only helps clarify what information is being sought but also provides best practices for crafting effective questions. 

“By working collaboratively with various groups on campus, we can identify what they want to learn and who their targeted audience is,” Calzaferri explained. “Our goal is to work alongside them and the Information Technology Services (ITS) team to set up these polls in an efficient manner.” 

With the introduction of Quick Polls, Temple University hopes to significantly increase response rates and gather a wealth of data that can inform future initiatives and improve the overall Temple experience.  

“At Temple, we have an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, and the Quick Polls are another tool we can use for that purpose,” said Calzaferri. “This is an exciting step forward in making sure we know what the community is thinking and feeling so that we can respond accordingly.”