Centennial College, Toronto, Canada: Best Practices for Survey Promotion

Centennial College developed and implemented Best Practices to increase participation in the 2016 International Student Barometer (ISB) Survey. Through joint promotional efforts involving collaboration with Marketing, International Digital Engagement, Services and Academic Departments, Centennial exceeded their all-time high by 691 responses. Ontario College ISB response rate was 25% in 2015. In 2016, Centennial College response rate is 39% demonstrating effective implementation of Best Practices for increasing survey participation. 

Strategies included Social Media Outreach and 18 Differentiated Communications by email (6 languages) that customized messages for segmented groups of students. Data management procedures were used to control the survey population to leverage personal influencers (such as Dean, Advisor, and Assistant) that would have the best chance of engaging the target student in survey participation. 

Throughout the four week promotional period, posters, TV screens, and contest cards handed out by Student Ambassadors and services team members at on-campus events invited Centennial International students to complete the ISB survey. In addition, a Lab Class Activity was developed to support comprehension and engage English Language Learning (ELL) students in completion of the survey. 

The ISB results identify strengths, as well as areas for improvement. International Education works with departments across the college to deliver feedback that helps our teams work towards making a bigger promise to students.