Frequently Asked Questions

Respondents

Q: Are my responses confidential? Will they be used for marketing purposes?
A: We respect your privacy. All survey respondents are provided complete anonymity. No personally identifiable information is released. No individual responses or contact information are shared with outside organizations.

Q: How long do surveys remain open?
A: The data collection period for our typical survey is two to three weeks. All respondents will receive a notice in the final week of data collection letting them know when it will be closing.

Q: Does everyone get the same set of survey questions?
A: Not always, there can be multiple versions of the survey, and which one you receive depends on your role or perhaps whether your institution participated in previous surveys.

Q: I don't have a lot of time to spend completing a survey; how long will it take?
A: We hear you. We use feedback from previous surveys to design the shortest form possible. Most of our surveys can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

Q: More than one person at my institution received the survey – why?
A: For some projects, the goal is to better understand the different perspectives of individuals with different responsibilities. The survey can sometimes be directed to more than one individual at a particular institution.

Q: I do not have exact numbers for some of these questions, what should I do?
A: We understand that not everyone has or can easily get all the information that we ask for. What we ask is that if you do not have the exact figures you provide the best estimate that you can.

Q: I see that Bay View Analytics is working with a number of partners in conducting surveys and producing reports. Do these partners have access to my responses?
A: No. Unless explicitly disclosed in the survey invitation, partner organization do not have access to any individual-level data.

Survey Reports

Q: How are the survey results disseminated?
A: All Bay View Analytics reports are provided free of charge. Depending on the project, an email announcement is sent to all respondents when the study is published. Copies of previous reports can be downloaded without charge from this web site.

Q: Didn’t your surveys used to be called the Sloan Surveys of Online Learning? Why the name change?
A: Yes, for the first eight years the survey and reports on online learning in higher education was known as the “Sloan Survey of Online Learning”, in honor of the non-profit Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that funded them as a part of their Education and Careers in Science and Technology program. The Sloan Foundation program has been discontinued, so our surveys are now supported by other sponsors.

Q: Why did you change your name from the Babson Survey Research Group? Are you the same organization?
A: Yes, we did change our name from Babson Survey Research Group to Bay View Analytics. The new name better represents the comprehensive suite of consulting services in survey design and statistical analyses we currently offer, including services in pharmaceutical and biotech clinical statistics. More information on our new services is available here.

Q: Does having sponsors mean that the survey is not independent?
A: No, all surveys and reports have the same degree of independence no matter the sponsor. We have been lucky in finding sponsors who are willing to support the survey while agreeing to retain the same level of privacy promised to our respondents and the same degree of independence for the survey and report authors.

Q: Do partners determine the questionnaire or report contents?
A: No. The questionnaire design, data collection, analysis, and the production of the report is conducted solely by the Bay View Analytics. Bay View Analytics interviews dozens of individuals each year to determine what topics they would find most interesting. Partner organizations are included in this process, but they constitute a minority of those interviewed. Once the interviews are complete, the questionnaire design is done solely by Bay View Analytics. Likewise, partners have no role in the data collection, analysis, and report generation.