Legacy Online Student Survey of Instruction System Retirement

Kent State’s Legacy Student Survey of Instruction (SSI) system was retired on June 1, 2023. This system housed SSI records for online courses through Fall 2013 and was replaced by the current Flash Survey product in Spring 2014. 

How do I access Flash Survey?

Pending tasks for Flash Survey can be accessed by visiting flashsurvey.kent.edu, or by clicking the Access My Flash Survey at the top of the Flash Survey home page.

Access My Flash Survey

When will the Flash Survey be administered to my students?

Each Flash Survey has an automatically generated timeline that is determined based on the course's length, start date, and end date. Below, you can find a guideline explaining the rules behind the date generation, or view your individual survey release dates within Flash Survey.

Simply log in to Flash Survey and click on the Response Rate link at the top left side of the page. Here, you can view your survey's start dates, response rates, and other information regarding the fill-out status, as shown below:

I changed the start date of my survey, but I received an email with the original start date. When will my surveys start?

The automated emails sent to faculty cannot use the changed start date. The survey will, however, still be opened to students in the date and time chosen. 

Which of my courses will be evaluated?

Course surveys are delivered based on your course's schedule type. The following list contains the schedule types that will be surveyed:

• Clinic [CLN]
• Colloquium [COL]
• Emporium [EMP]
• Field Experience [FLD]
• Laboratory [LAB]
• Lecture [LEC]
• Combined Lecture and Lab [LLB]
• Practicum or Internship [PRA]
• Private Lesson [PRL]
• Research [RES]
• Seminar [SEM]
• Studio [STU]
• Workshop [WSP]

Note: Academic unit leadership CAN decide to survey courses that do not fall into these schedule types. These decisions are made on a per-academic-unit basis. Consult with your college's main office if you have additional questions.

How do my courses show up in Flash Survey? Will they show up as whole courses or in individual sections?

Courses in Flash Survey will show up as individual sections and will be linked to the course’s CRN.

How can I add a link to the Flash Survey for my students into my course in Canvas?

Canvas automatically pulls your surveys into the "Course Evaluation" tab inside your course. If you do not see this tab in your Canvas course, please follow the guide linked below. Canvas also has a pop-up visible upon immediate login; this is controlled by the Flash Survey system automatically and no faculty action is required for this pop-up to appear. 

Canvas Guide

How do I create my own questions in Flash Survey?

For more information on how to create your own questions in Flash Survey, please visit our Training Center for training guides and videos!

What types of questions can I create in Flash Survey?

You can create a Likert scale question, true or false question, or a comment response question. The Likert scale ranges from Almost Always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Almost Never. 

How do I preview the survey in order to see the questions already being asked?

Each survey can be previewed when creating Questionnaire Personalization questions using the preview survey button on the same page.

Can I view the completion rate of my class sections in real-time?

Yes, you can view the completion rate of your class sections in real-time. Completion rates can be viewed from the Response Rate dashboard once you log into Flash Survey.

Can I see a list of students who have and have not completed their course evaluations?

No, to respect student anonymity you will not be able to see a list of students who have and have not completed their course evaluations. However, you can see the completion rate for each of your courses so you will be able to see the number of students who have/have not completed their course evaluations.

When do I get to view the reports for my courses? 

Reports will be available a full 14 days after the official course end date per Banner and an automated email will be sent when reports are available. For example, reports for a class ending on 12/8 will be available at 11:59PM Eastern time on 12/22; the automated emails will begin to send at that time and would arrive early in the morning of 12/23. 

Why do some of my reports show "Not Met" in the Threshold column?

Per Faculty Senate, a CRN must receive 3 or more survey responses to generate a report to protect student anonymity. Reports that do not meet this threshold cannot be released. 

What format will these reports be available in?

Reports will be available via webpage and are downloadable as a PDF or CSV.

Can I still have my students complete their Flash Survey during class time?

Yes, we strongly encourage that you created in-class time for students to complete their surveys. This has shown to increase response rates.

Can I extend the deadline of the survey?

Deadline extensions are not permitted. 

How can I motivate students to complete their course evaluation? 

• Provide time in class for students to complete their course evaluation.
• Remind students, multiple times if possible, to complete their course evaluations.
• Provide students with an explanation of why course evaluations are valuable and/or improvements you have made to the course/instruction utilizing feedback from course evaluations.

Am I allowed to require completion of the evaluation? Can I offer extra credit for completing the course evaluation?

You are unable to require completion of the evaluation as part of the course; however, you may offer extra credit as an incentive for having the class reach a certain response rate for the course evaluation (not based on whether an individual has filled theirs out or not). 

Where can I locate historical reports for courses for the Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure process?

For courses that used Flash Survey (typically online courses) from spring 2014 until fall 2019 and all courses from fall 2019 onward, these reports can be accessed directly from Flash Survey under the Reports section. If the course received a paper survey, please contact the home department for a copy. 

Are students who have been assigned the grades of SF (Stopped Attending-Fail) or NF (Never Attended-Fail) able to complete a survey?

Effective February 3, 2019, students who have SF or NF assigned to them at the time of the survey period will NOT be able to complete a survey.

A student was assigned a grade of SF (Stopped Attending-Fail) but the grade has been removed; will the student receive a survey?

If the grade of SF is removed prior to the opening of the survey period or during the survey period, the survey WILL become available for the student.

How do I access my Flash Surveys?

Pending tasks for Flash Survey can be accessed by visiting flashsurvey.kent.edu, or by clicking Access Your Flash Survey on the Flash Survey homepage. Emails are also delivered you as new surveys become available which contains a link to your survey list.

Access Your Flash Survey

When is the survey for my class available?

Surveys are scheduled to be delivered based on the length of the course and when the course's official end date is in Banner, and instructors can also change the start date of the survey window to any day between the official survey start and end date listed so asking your instructor would be recommended. 

Students will receive an automated email when surveys open along with a pop-up upon logging into Canvas. 

Which of my instructors will be evaluated?

All instructors that are teaching your courses should be evaluated. The exceptions for which you may not receive a survey for your instructor are as follows:

• Instructors that are not affiliated with Kent State University.
• Instructors for courses in Career & Community Studies
• Instructors that are listed on your course as an instructor but who do not actually teach your course.

For which of my courses will I submit evaluations?

Course surveys are delivered based on your course's schedule type. The following list contains the schedule types that will be surveyed:

• Clinic [CLN]
• Colloquium [COL]
• Emporium [EMP]
• Field Experience [FLD]
• Laboratory [LAB]
• Lecture [LEC]
• Combined Lecture and Lab [LLB]
• Practicum or Internship [PRA]
• Private Lesson [PRL]
• Seminar [SEM]
• Studio [STU]
• Workshop [WSP]

Note: Academic unit leadership CAN decide to survey courses that do not fall into these schedule types. These decisions are made on a per-academic-unit basis. Consult with your college's main office if you have additional questions.

Help! Something's broken!

Is Flash Survey having issues? Do you need assistance? Please email flashsurvey@kent.edu so we can look into the problem. Please try to include as much detail as possible, even screenshots help!

Do I have to complete my Flash Survey all at once or can I complete it later?

Flash Survey stores your responses as you progress. You can come back and complete the survey at a later date after pressing any of the SAVE buttons. If the Flash Survey is partially complete when the survey end date hits, any completed portion of the survey WILL be submitted.

Can I change my responses after submitting my Flash Survey?

No, unfortunately, you are unable to change your responses after submitting your Flash Survey. Answers can be changed prior to submitting your survey by navigating back through the survey using the built-in PREVIOUS or NEXT buttons. (Please do not use your browser's back button. This will take you out of the survey and may result in lost responses.)

I missed the window of opportunity to complete the Flash Survey. Can I get the survey opened back up so that I can complete it?

No, the survey window can only be changed at the request of the instructor.

Will my instructor know what I said about them?

While the Flash Survey system does require you to log in and allows you to start a survey and complete it at a later time, instructors are NEVER given any personally identifiable information to link your completed survey back to you. If a course you have filled out a survey for does not receive at least three survey submissions from three different students, a report will never be created for that course to protect the students' anonymity.

Is completion of the Flash Survey required? Will my grades or financial aid be impacted if I do not complete it?

No, completion of the survey is optional but is strongly encouraged so that your feedback can be used to improve the educational experience. Completion of the survey has no bearing whatsoever on grades or financial aid.

Why are these evaluations important?

Course evaluations are important because they allow you to give valuable feedback to your instructors regarding the design and delivery of the curriculum. In addition to providing feedback to your instructors, course evaluations are utilized to ensure the quality of academic programs and the learning experience for current and future students. Your voice matters!