About two weeks prior to the survey, our dorm staff will start reminding students that the survey will be arriving in their email. Once the survey actually begins, dorm staff remind the students every day during dorm accountability meetings. Posters are put up around our center about a week before the survey starts. Our most successful activity has been to bring pizza/Soda to one of the dorm meetings during the survey period. The students are then told that they can have a couple slices of pizza and a soda if they complete the survey. We take the students at their word that they completed the survey when they come over for the snack. And, of course, new students who did not receive the survey also get the snack.
Center staff went to each classroom and trade area to allow students a Chance to take the survey and to receive assistance in logging in. All students received a cupcake or cookie for logging into the survey. Our college students met with the counselors off site to complete the survey, receiving an additional incentive for completion. We tracked all student participation on a Google sheet that gave us daily percentages and allowed us to see who was still outstanding.
Encouraging competition to be the highest participating center in the region. Also providing incentives such as a center cookout and activities for reaching 80% or above participation.
We gave students a candy bag to those students that completed survey. Those students were also entered a raffle for a chance to win one of three gift baskets. Once a student completed survey and picked up candy bag we would highlight their name, this would show which students were pending to complete survey. Counselors would send student reminders to encourage all to open and complete survey. Instructors allowed students the first 15 minutes of class to check their emails for survey.
