FSA Biennial Survey 2023 – FAQ

The survey is open to all FSA Members. FSA members include faculty and technical staff in BCIT technology programs, Applied Research, Learning and Technology Services (includes ITS), and Student Services, those employed on PTS contracts as instructors, administrators, and curriculum developers as well as markers and student employees.

You will receive an email on April 28, 2023 from fsa@bcit.ca via Survey Monkey providing access.

If you do not receive an email on April 28, please first check your spam folder/settings to see if the email was caught. If you still don’t have the email, you can then contact the FSA and we will ensure you are able to complete the survey.

The survey platform, Survey Monkey, also has a privacy policy for anyone who wishes to review it.

• Obtain longitudinal data from FSA members in order to enhance and provide direction for the work of the FSA.
• Act as a tool for strategic planning.
• Inform FSA work plans.

We conducted the survey for the first time in 2017 and set a schedule to do it every two years. This regularity allows the FSA to use the results in our strategic planning as well as in reviews of our operational services. It also allows us to compare data from survey to survey and identify trends over time. It was decided not to do the survey annually to allow time for changes to be implemented as well as to decrease survey fatigue for FSA members.

The initial results will be reviewed by FSA Board and staff. The results will be used by the FSA in its future strategic planning, by FSA staff to improve our work if necessary, and by FSA members to guide discussions of key issues faced by the union. like The FSA’s usual practice is to prepare a summary report, outlining aggregated results, and to share that report with the membership. Some findings may be reported publicly to advance the interests of FSA members.

BCIT management will not have access to the raw data or individual responses. We expect to be able to use the aggregated results to improve our representation and advocacy when meeting with management. In doing so, we will ensure that the information shared does not lead to the identification of specific members.  The analysis and reporting provided to members will initially be shared with our Board, Tech Reps, and in the Member Portal section of our website. While those are all member-only forums we cannot guarantee that no one will share that with someone outside the FSA unit. These reports will not include identifying information.

The survey is your opportunity to share feedback anonymously on your experience as an FSA member. Survey results will be used to help the FSA:

• Know more about FSA members
• Know what’s important to FSA members
• Find out how we are doing
• Collect information from members about our work

Many of you will have participated in surveys that seem to have had no impact. As a democratic organization, running this survey on a recurring basis and making the results available to members will allow you and your FSA colleagues to hold the FSA leadership accountable for acting on the information you provide.

Offering incentives increases response rates. A higher response rate means more reliable information to base decisions on. Incentives also recognize that the time you take to do this survey is valued.

At the end of the survey you will be redirected to a new survey and offered a chance to enter the draw. You do not need to enter unless you want to be in the draw. The two surveys are completely separate from each other so entering your contact information for the draws will not link you to your baseline survey answers.

Once you win a draw you will not be entered for any subsequent draws.

No. A few questions are required because they are needed to help us analyze other responses and provide clearer direction on important matters. If you are not comfortable answering these questions, you may choose to exit the survey and none of your responses will be submitted. If you feel uncomfortable answering any optional question, you are free to skip that question and move on to the next.

The survey should take about 15-20 minutes to complete.

You will not be asked to provide your name or any individual identifying information as part of the survey. There is a possibility that you could be identified from your responses depending on the information that you choose to provide in comments/open-ended questions. We encourage you not to share specific names in your comments if possible.

We recognize that, with an increasingly diverse workforce, understanding the opinions of different segments of our member population may assist us in becoming a more inclusive, representative and stronger union. The FSA is also bound by the Human Rights legislation in BC and we want to ensure we take this obligation seriously.  This question is not for the purpose of identifying individuals but to ensure that the FSA is treating all members as we must.

For any questions or concerns please contact Matt Greaves, Member Engagement Officer – matthew_greaves@bcit.ca or 604.432.8569.