Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a base survey and an event survey?

• Base surveys are the foundational surveys used for data collection within a project. Each base survey contains a standard set of questions that are automatically included in subsequent event surveys.

• Event surveys are used to collect data for an event that corresponds with a specific time, location, or group of survey users. Event surveys contain base survey questions, as well as any additional curated or custom questions.

Who can access base surveys?

• Project Administrators are the only members of your team who may access base surveys. Project Administrators are identified in the project setup and design phase; however, additional Project Administrators may be added throughout the duration of your project.

Can I assign users to my base survey?

• No. Users may only be assigned to event surveys. Visit the Creating New Events, Creating Event Surveys, and Managing Event Surveys pages to learn more.

What does it mean for a base survey to be active?

• Base surveys must be marked "Active" in order to create event surveys and collect data. Marking a base survey as "Active" means that the survey will appear as an option for Event Administrators to select when Creating Event Surveys.

Can I edit a base survey once it is active?

• Once a base survey is marked "Active" and used in event surveys, it can no longer be edited. If a base survey needs to be revised, project administrators will need to create a new base survey. Existing base surveys may also be copied across project groups and sections.

How many base surveys can be active in my project?

• Current Platform infrastructure allows for two base survey types to be active for each project section: one mentor base survey (Type 1) and one mentee base survey (Type 2).

How do I save a PDF of a base survey?

• Great question! You will find information on how to save base survey PDFs here.

What are Events?

• An Event is a circumstance that corresponds with a specific time, location, or group of survey users. A few possible examples of Events include an annual survey, a one-day training, or a multi-day training that takes place over several weeks or months.

Is there a limit to the number of Events that can be created?

• Nope! An unlimited number of Events may be created within a project.

How do I create an Event?

• Project Administers are the only team members who can create Events. Visit the Creating New Events page to learn more.

My team has multiple administrators. How can we make sure that all administrators have access to all Events created for our project?

• Alternate Event Administrators may be added to Events so that multiple team members can manage Event surveys. See the Assigning Alternate Survey Administrators page for more information.

• If your team has multiple individuals who need access to Events, one way to circumvent adding alternate administrators to each Event is to create a universal or service email account for your project (e.g. projectname@university.edu or projectname@gmail.com).

• When creating a new Event, Project Administrators will enter the universal email address as the Event Administrator. Once the Event is created, multiple team members can log into the CIMER Portal with the universal email address to access and manage surveys across Events.

Does CIMER need to know who the Event Administrators are for my project?

• Nope! Project Administrators choose the Event Administrators for their project. Some Project Administrators choose themselves to administer Events, while others choose multiple team members. CIMER does not need to know the identities of these individuals.

When creating a new Event, the calendar icon for the event start date is not visible and the Platform won’t let me create new Events. How do I resolve this?

• Issues with the Creating New Events page is likely a result of using a web browser other than Google Chrome. Many of the Platform features are only accessible through Google Chrome and using this browser ensures that you and your team can navigate the Platform with ease. For more information, please refer to our Best Practices page.

I made a mistake when creating a new Event. Is there a way to delete the event I just created?

• Once an Event is created, it may not be deleted. If an Event needs to be changed (e.g. different name, assigned to a different project section), Project Administrators will need to create a new Event.

How do I send reminders only to users who haven’t completed the survey?

• The Platform tracks individual user responses and only sends reminders to users who haven’t completed the survey. It’s automatic!

Our project will distribute surveys across multiple Events. Is there anything the Project Administrator should know about naming Events and surveys?

• Events created in the Platform will be displayed in alphabetical and chronological order on the Survey Management page, regardless of when the Event was first created by the project administrator. For Events associated with a time point, the format "yyyy_mmdd" is recommended at the beginning of the Event name (e.g. 2020_1201 CIMER Event). This nomenclature will ensure that all Events appear chronologically on the Survey Management page.

I entered the wrong email address for a user but already administered the survey. Can I update the user’s information?

• Once a user is added to an Event, user information may not be edited; this includes the user’s first name, last name, and email. However, administrators may use manual upload to enter the user’s correct information and re-assign them to the survey.

I selected the “Assign & Notify” button but nothing happened. What should I do?

• If this happens, wait 1-2 minutes. Sometimes the Platform needs time to process. Do not hit the button again; doing so will assign users multiple surveys. If the page does not change after two minutes, navigate back to the Survey Management page and try again.

Is it possible to un-assign a survey?

• Once users have been assigned to a survey, they cannot be “un-assigned.” If it is imperative that a user be unassigned from a survey, contact cimerassessment@wcer.wisc.edu.

Why has a user not received their survey invitation?

• Once assigned a survey from an Event Administrator, the Platform sends an automatically generated survey invitation email. There are several possible reasons why users may not receive their email invitation.

• Reason 1: Their email address had a typo when they were uploaded as a user

  • • Solution: Check whether their email was entered correctly by selecting Assign/Notify from the Survey Management page. If it was entered incorrectly, use the manual upload feature to enter their correct information and re-assign them the survey.

• Reason 2: The email was redirected to their spam, junk, or clutter folder

  • • Solution: Ask the user to check their junk, spam or clutter folder. In some instances, a user's IT department may have marked the message as spam and deleted the email.

    • If the email cannot be found, the Project Administrator can reset the user's password and share the new login credentials with the user. For more information, visit the Resetting User Passwords page.

How do I save a PDF of a survey?

• Great question! You will find information on how to save event survey PDFs here.

How do I access event survey data after a survey is closed?

• Event Administrators may access event survey data only after a survey is closed. For more information, visit the Managing Event Surveys page and navigate to the "Accessing Event Reports and Aggregate Data" section.

• Project Administrators also have access to event survey data. For more information, visit the Accessing Raw and Aggregate Data page and review the "Accessing Data for Event Surveys" section.

How can administrators access data for an event survey that is still open?

• Event survey aggregate reports may only be accessed once a survey is closed.

• However, Project Administrators may access raw survey data while an event survey is still open. For more information, visit the Accessing Raw and Aggregate Data page and review the "Accessing Data for Event Surveys" section.

Can administrators access information on which users have completed the survey?

• Project Administrators are the only team members who can access identifiable, raw survey data and view which users have completed an event survey. For more information, visit the Accessing Raw and Aggregate Data page and review the "Accessing Data for Event Surveys" section.

Is it possible to reopen an event survey that is already closed?

• No, once an event survey is closed it cannot be reopened.

What is the difference between a project administrator and an event administrator?

• Project Administrators have the highest level of access in the Platform. Project Administrators create base surveys, create new events and assign Event Administrators, and have access to raw identifiable data and aggregate data across all events within a project.

• Event Administrators are chosen by Project Administrators to manage surveys for an event. Event Administrators create and distribute event surveys, and have access to the de-identified raw and aggregate data for events.

How do I access project data?

• Project Administrators have access to large datasets and aggregate reports that contain base survey and curated question group data across all events within a project. For more information, visit the Accessing Raw and Aggregate Data page.

Can I make my dataset identifiable?

• Yes! Project administrators can choose whether to include identifiable information in their raw dataset. For more information, visit the Accessing Raw and Aggregate Data page.