A student intake survey (or assessment) is a survey that provides a big-picture view of the course and its participants for both the instructor and the students.
Why Use a Student Intake Survey?
Who are we? Why are we here? What will we each contribute to the class? These essential questions guide teaching in any context. An intake survey is one common way to have students answer these questions and start building relationships from day one.
You can design a student intake survey to:
- establish rapport.
- gather student data to inform your teaching.
- help students connect to course goals.
- help students identify relevant support resources.
- highlight class diversity and promote community.
What to Include in an Intake Survey?
Many surveys include questions to assess the following:
- Participant information (preferred name, educational background, personal interests)
- Course goals (background knowledge, motivation for taking the course)
- Learning strengths/challenges (strategies, attitudes, and beliefs about learning)
- Support (preferred ways of receiving help)
This Sample Student Intake Assessment was designed to gather information about the diversity of the class in terms of language background, and cultural expectations related to teaching, learning, and peer interaction.
Survey Implementation
- Instructor completes and makes available to class on first day as a model.
- Students complete the survey prior to the next class period.
- Instructor shares a summary of the results in the following class period, careful to remove any confidential information. Results may be used to highlight class diversity, strengths, support resources, and/or to communicate explicit course expectations.