District-wide feedback is an important part of the planning and evaluation process at the College of the Sequoias.

The Office of Research, Planning & Institutional Effectiveness (R-PIE) routinely conducts and/or facilitates surveys and questionnaires that support the District’s planning activities, outcomes and assessment cycle, grant requirements, mandated reporting requirements, various research projects, accreditation needs, ad-hoc requests, and other requests that directly support the District mission.

Participation in the District's surveys is voluntary. Data collected through the surveys are kept confidential. Survey results are only reported in the aggregate so that the privacy of the respondent is protected. The results are analyzed by the Office of Research, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness and forwarded to the appropriate faculty, administrators, and staff for use in advancing the District's mission. Although participant input is extremely valuable for the improvement of the District, no tangible compensation is given for participation in the surveys (except for occasional incentives).

Some surveys require reviews by the District's Institutional Review Board (IRB). It is the responsibility of the IRB to evaluate each research proposal in terms of ethical standards. In particular, the board will assess if there are appropriate measures planned to maintain confidentiality, establish informed consent, and avoid any risk to individuals. For further information, please contact the Office of Research (research@cos.edu). Please see the Guidelines for Requesting District Surveys before submitting a survey request.