American Association for Public Opinion Research
SCSRU staff are members of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). AAPOR is the leading professional organization of public opinion and survey research professionals, with members from academia, media, government, the non-profit sector and private industry. The SCSRU adheres to the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices and participates in AAPOR conferences and seminars.
Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations
SCSRU staff are members of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations (AASRO). AASRO is dedicated to the the promotion of excellence and integrity in the conduct of survey research, and the advancement of society and the social and behavioral sciences by promoting the values of academic survey research: methodological innovation, scientifically-grounded data collection practices and public dissemination of important survey research results.
South-Western Ontario Research Data Centre
The Research Data Centre (SWO-RDC) offers secure access to confidential micro-data from Statistics Canada censuses and surveys. Staffed by a Statistics Canada analyst, SWO-RDC provides statistical software and technical support to researchers from the University of Waterloo or Wilfrid Laurier University.
The University of Waterloo Office of Research Ethics
Surveys conducted by the Survey Research Centre are reviewed and approved by either the University of Waterloo's Office of Research, or through the client's ethics review board.
Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy
The Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy monitors the practices and claims of the public opinion and interest group industries, and serves as an educational resource. The Institute maintains an excellent survey methodology bibliography on their website.
Partnership with Institutional Analysis & Planning
The SCSRU has partnered with Institutional Analysis & Planning (IAP) to develop and administer several campus-wide surveys to students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
The Student Experience Survey, the first survey administered through this partnership, aims to understand students' perceptions of their academic and non-academic learning environments and their experience at the University of Waterloo. These topics are explored through questions engaging students in subject matter about their general well-being, perceived efficacy of various instructional modalities and learning supports, and opinions on various strategic initiatives.
Read more about the Student Experience Survey on the IAP website
Have questions about the Student Experience Survey? Email us at iapscsru@uwaterloo.ca
Centre for Teaching Excellence
Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement (LITE) Grants
LITE Seed Grants, funded by the Associate Vice President - Academic, are available for instructors and staff members across campus. The purpose is to help investigate small-scale teaching and learning research projects and allow researchers to attend activities to develop instructional skills.
LITE Seed Grant proposals may focus on:
- assessing new approaches to teaching and learning (what is possible and does it work?)
- critically examining student learning with existing instructional approaches (what is happening and what could be improved?)
- pursuing instructional development opportunities (how could I teach differently to better facilitate deep student learning?).
If this interests you, more information regarding eligibility criteria for applicants and expenses, the application and adjudication process, and useful resources are available on the LITE Grant webpage.