Summer 2020-Spring 2021 W&M&You Project Report
During Summer 2020, Provost Peggy Agouris and Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler sought a variety of mechanisms to stay in contact with W&M students, bridge the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and gather real-time community input concerning pressing questions related to planning for the fall semester and beyond.
Inspired by VCU's Climatext program (now VCU Universe), W&M Information Technology staff Patty Herrera, Applications Administration Manager, and Louis Hubert, Senior Applications Administrator, developed the W&M&You platform quickly and with minimal expense using the Microsoft Power Apps program coupled with Twilio's cloud communications platform. Once W&M&You had been successfully launched for students, Patty and Louis added a sorting function to create separate cohorts for students, faculty, and staff, allowing for the distribution of text polls to W&M employees.
Development Milestones
- June 18, 2020: W&M&You launched for students
- July 9, 2020: First text question sent to students
- September 11, 2020: W&M&You webpage goes live
- September 14, 2020: W&M&You appears as a top level icon on the W&M Mobile app
- October 1, 2020: First question circulated on behalf of a specific campus group or unit (“Student Assembly would like to know: Are you registered to vote in the November 3 general election?”)
- October 8, 2020: W&M&You extended to faculty and staff
- October 28, 2020: Text addressing anonymity and user/community safety added to W&M&You website
- November 19, 2020: First text question sent to faculty and staff
The W&M&You Working Group originally included Loni Wright (2021), Student Assembly Chief of Staff; Anna Mroch, Director of Student Affairs Planning & Assessment; Erin Zagursky, Associate Director for University News; Martha Wescoat-Andes, Senior Associate Provost for Planning & New Ventures; and Margaret Morrison, Administrative Coordinator for the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic & Faculty Affairs.
In August 2020, Pete Clawson, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations & Strategic Communications, took on the role of Communications representative for the Working Group. Hillary Fitts, Field Hockey Assistant Coach, served as a member of the Working Group from August 2020 to January 2021, during the period of her temporary appointment as Data Visualization and Communication Specialist for Student Affairs.
Once W&M&You became available to employees, representatives from the Faculty, Professionals & Professional Faculty, and Staff Assemblies joined the Working Group: Molly Swetnam-Burland, Associate Professor of Classical Studies; Melissa Marshall Pettigrew, IT Technology Team Strategist; and Sonya Worden, Senior Advancement Coordinator, Regional & International Advancement. Professor of Economics and Director of the Schroeder Center for Health Policy Jennifer Mellor also joined the Working Group to offer the benefit of her survey experience.
New representatives from the Student and Faculty Assemblies will join in Fall 2021, while the current PPF and Staff Assembly representatives will continue their involvement.
Question Distribution
- 18 questions sent to students between July 9, 2020 and March 30, 2021
- 14 questions sent to employees between November 19, 2020 and March 30, 2021
- 6 sent to both faculty and staff
- 5 sent to staff only
- 3 sent to faculty only
Distribution and Use of W&M&You Data
- "College survey finds ‘getting sick, switching to fully remote classes’ are top student concerns for fall 2020." The Flat Hat, August 29, 2020.
- Student feedback to the September 24, 2020 poll on course workload reagarding the challenges imposed by the compressed Fall 2020 semester informed the decision to maintain standard start and end dates for Spring 2021 (pdf).
- On October 1, 2020, we asked registered student users “Are you registered to vote in the November 3 general election?” on behalf of the Student Assembly. Student Assembly wished to gauge what level of voter registration support might be needed on campus, given the disruption of regular in-person voter registration activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- President Katherine Rowe and Dean of the Law School Benjamin Spencer cited responses to the October 1, 2020 poll on student voter registration in an opinion piece on post-election discourse they wrote for Inside Higher Ed.
- On October 29, 2020, we asked registered student users “In January, would you attend a multi-day virtual career development program?” on behalf of the Cohen Career Center. Response data were shared with the Cohen Career Center and the Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation for use in planning upcoming student activities.
- On March 17, 2021 we asked registered employee users which fitness and wellness programs they were interested in and what weekday times were typically most convenient for attendance. Response data were shared with Campus Recreation to assist in planning future programs.
Response Rates Among Registered Users
- Student mean: 60%
- Faculty mean: 50%
- Staff mean: 48%
Goals for 2021-2022
- Increase registration and participation across all cohorts, so more members of the university community contribute ideas and feedback
- Develop standard questions tied to particular events in the academic year and questions that can be repeated periodically to look for trends/changes over time
- Connect with units early in planning conversations, to collect timely and useful input
- Technology enhancements:
- Breakdown of student cohort by graduates and undergraduates
- Breakdown of student cohort by school
- Email survey option for faculty and staff who prefer not to use text message for polls
Input and Suggestions Welcome!
Thank you for partnering with us this year! If you have any questions or comments, please contact [[wmandyou]].
