Student Survey Data Confidentiality and Access
The University of Pittsburgh is committed to supporting educational research and program improvement efforts that improve the Pitt student experience. To meet this commitment, the Office of the Provost administers a portfolio of institutional surveys each year to collect student feedback on a variety of topics and help the Pitt community confidently engage in data-informed decision-making. Engagement with these surveys, however, depends on strong confidentiality protections that encourage honest and meaningful student feedback. Unless otherwise specified, data collected through OTP student surveys is confidential, with access limited to members of the Institutional Research and Analytics (IR&A) team. Students are informed of privacy protections through informed consent or confidentiality statements included in each institutional survey. The IR&A team maintains student confidentiality by protecting sensitive student information and adhering to reporting practices that protect student identities.
Survey Data Requests
When deidentified survey data can be used to inform educational research or program improvement, the IR&A team is able to prepare deidentified data sets for Pitt faculty or staff who have submitted a Survey Data Request (SDR) form. Requestors must be qualified to perform the analysis outlined in the SDR form and agree to the terms of our Student Survey Data Use Process and Procedures Agreement. Survey data requests are reviewed by members of IR&A and OTP leadership, and decisions are based on the sensitivity of data requested in and potential benefit for positive student impact.
Requests for qualitative, open-ended survey response data are handled with extra care as these responses may contain sensitive or personally identifiable information (PII) that other survey response data would not include (e.g., responses to questions using Likert Scales). Analysis of open-ended response data is typically conducted within the IR&A office and only provided outside of this office via an additional review and deidentification process.
Human Subjects Research Considerations
Survey data intended to contribute to generalizable knowledge is considered human subjects research and requires review by the Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) and University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board (IRB). Individuals requesting survey data through the SDR may still need to submit a proposal through Pitt’s IRB if the scope of their project is considered Human Subjects Research.
Submitting a Request
Data requests can be submitted via the Survey Data Request form linked below. Questions about the request process can be directed to Brett Say, Assistant Director of Surveys (bhs28@pitt.edu).