University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey

May 17, 2018

Dear Department Chairs:

As you may be aware, the University of California is currently conducting its biennial University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES). UCUES is a UC system-wide census online survey of undergraduates focused on academic engagement and the unique experience of being an undergraduate at a research universities. Our students answer questions about all aspects of their UCSB experience – academic and co-curricular involvement, as well as their interactions with their major departments.

I write today to request your assistance in conveying the importance of this survey to your students. At present, the response rate for UCSB students is roughly 13%, which is well below the final response rate we need to achieve. In order for our campus to get the most value from this survey, we would like to see a high proportion of our students participate. Having a larger number of responses will allow survey data to be disaggregated to the department level. UCUES has the potential to be used for departmental self-assessments and is a valuable resource for making decisions on crucial matters for our campus.

Attached is a template that you might find helpful. We urge you to compose an e-mail to your students encouraging them to participate in UCUES. Emailing students on your departmental e-mail distribution list will help to increase our response rate.

If you have any questions about UCUES, please contact Associate Director of Institutional Research Laurel Wilder (x2144, laurel.wilder@bap.ucsb.edu) or Survey Research Analyst Christopher Seaman (x2730, christopher.seaman@ucsb.edu).

Thank you for your support. I appreciate your assistance.

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