This article includes a glossary of terminology used in reporting.
Executive Summary Report Terms
- Executive Summary: A quick overview of your results
- Standards Based Reports: View results by professional standards and compared to other institutions by professional standards.
- Major Indicator of Performance: Overall performance compared to other institutions
- Longitudinal Trends of Major Indicator: Trends in overall performance over time
- Top Predictor of Performance: Performance of your top predictor compared to other institutions
- Longitudinal Trends of Top Predictor: Trends in top predictor performance over time
- Greatest Comparative Strength: Highest performing factor compared to other institutions
- Most Improved Factor: Highest performing factor compared to the previous survey administration
- Greatest Comparative Weakness: Lowest performing factor compared to other institutions
- Least Improved Factor: Lowest performing factor compared to the previous survey administration
CSAR Report Terms
- CSAR: Custom Statistical Analysis Report
- Recommendations for improvement
- Overview: A broad, comprehensive view; a summary
- Stat Table: The Priority Matrix in table format
- Priority Matrix: A plot of your institution's factors into four quadrants (Top Priority, Maintain or Improve, Maintain, and Monitor) based on factor performance and impact on program effectiveness.
- Benchmark: Comparisons internal to your institution or comparisons of your institution to outside groups.
Interactive Report Terms
- Interactive Reports: Reports with filtering capabilities
- Survey Snapshot: Survey results in the order the questions appear on the actual survey
- Select Questions: Create a unique report by selecting the question(s) of your choice
- Factor: A group of statistically related questions which describe a broad concept more completely than just a single question
- Factor Composition: A list of the questions which make up the factor
- Factor Trends: The change in performance in factors over time
- Filter: A filter can be applied to any interactive report to view the results of a selected segment of your population. (i.e. men, African Americans, a single population code, etc.)
- Means: Number of responses, standard deviation and mean for all factors
- Use Report Selections to customize the information appearing in your reports.
- Mean: The average. The value obtained by dividing the sum of a set of responses to a question by the number of responses to that question.
- Standard Deviation: A measure of dispersal, or variation, in a group of numbers. Large standard deviations imply little commonality of responses among respondents. Small standard deviations imply a high level of consistency of responses among respondents.
- Frequencies: Frequencies show the percentage of survey respondents who responded to each survey item option. For example, X% responded “very often,” Y% responded “often,” etc.
- Frequency Distribution: The percentage of respondents who selected each possible response to a question.
- Scaled Questions: All questions from the survey which were answered using a Likert response scale (i.e. Very dissatisfied to Very satisfied)
- Category: A response to a categorical question (i.e. male for gender)
- Categorical Question: All questions from the survey in which the answers represent data that can be placed in specific categories, such as gender
- Unit level/ Coding: This analysis is available for an additional fee. A unit level/code is a segment of your population (i.e. area/hall/floor, course section, chapter, etc.) for which you receive internal comparisons.
- Population Code: This analysis is available for an additional fee.
This analysis allows you to include a categorical question of your choice with up to 20 answers. It's important to note that the answer categories must be mutually exclusive, meaning each participant can only choose one category. The survey participant self selects the answer from a drop down at the start of the survey. This feature enables you to compare responses across different locations, majors, specialty programs, or any other groupings you define by creating a filter in reporting. You also receive additional population code reports. Common examples of populations include location, living/learning communities, and degree programs.
- Cross-tab: Short for cross tabulation. A function allowing you to choose two variables (scaled question and/or categorical question) to cross. The result is a frequency distribution for each response of the two variables.
- Institution Specific Question (ISQ): Questions written by your institution which pertain specifically to your institution. These are optional questions
- Open-ended questions: A question-type which allows respondents to reply in text form, rather than selecting a pre-set answer from a list.
- Word cloud: This report provides analysis of open ended question results by giving higher importance to words that are repeated many times. You can hover over a word to see the number of responses or occurrences of that word.
Comparative Report Terms
- Comparative Reports: Comparisons to your Select 6, Carnegie class, and All Institutions
- Longitudinal: Year to year comparison of your results.
- External Benchmarking: Comparison of your institution to outside groups.
- Select 6: Up to six peer or aspirant institutions, chosen by your institution, to form a comparison group.
- Carnegie Class: The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is provided by the Carnegie Foundation. This foundation classifies all accredited degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. The classification is widely used as a basis for comparison of colleges and universities
About this Assessment Terms
- Comparison Group: A grouping of institutions used for comparison. (i.e. Select 6, Carnegie Classification, All Institution)
- About this Assessment: General information about the assessment.
- Comparison Groups: A grouping of institutions used for comparison. (i.e. Select 6, Carnegie Classification, All Institution)
- Confidentiality Statement: A statement of Skyfactor's commitment to keep your data secure. Includes the rules and expectations of data sharing and usage by participating institutions.
- Factor Composition: The factors that compose the assessment and their reliabilities.
My Documents Terms
- Upload Report: Upload any report/document from your computer into My Documents by clicking on the Manage/Upload Report link on the left. You may upload the following file formats: .pdf, .ppt, .xls and .doc.
- View the Report: Select the uploaded document that you wish to view.
- Share Reports: Share your custom reports using the Share Reports tab at the top of the page.