Distributing usernames and passwords while navigating COVID restrictions doesn't have to cause you stress! Here are some suggestions of adaptations:
- Encourage teachers to:
- utilize whichever online platform you are currently using, such as Microsoft Teams or Google Classroom. For example, teachers could email or chat a login code directly to each of the students in their class. This is especially useful if the classroom is entirely or even partly online.
- email the codes to students using a mail merge program, that are included in Microsoft Office and Google, for example.
- assign usernames and passwords directly to the students. With teachers being the list managers, individual students can message them to request their username and password again. Teachers should be instructed to keep this list confidential and destroy the list once all students have indicated they have completed the survey.
- Encourage students to keep a copy of their username and password in case they need more time to complete the survey, or are surveying at home, due to the current situation. Messaging to students should be that the survey will be completed in one sitting; however, we know that there are some circumstances beyond our control that may require a student to finish the survey in more than one sitting. We know that students may have an internet/power outage or accidentally close their browser window, so having their username and password on hand will allow them to finish the survey if an accidental logout happens. Here are some suggestions for students to save their login credentials:
- keep a copy on their smartphones by taking a picture
- taping or rewriting them in a physical notebook
- copy them down in a note-taking app
- saving an emailed copy
Please Note - With these changes, it will be more important than ever to reiterate to participants and teachers that the survey is (still) anonymous. As long as students do not include their name or teacher's names in any of the open-ended questions, the school will not be able to tell which answers on the survey belong to them. Also, when the survey is finished, results get mixed in with answers from other students so no one will know their individual responses. Anonymity is further protected by setting a minimum number of responses required in order to report a result for any population (or subpopulation when drill-downs are applied). The reporting procedures follow Statistics Canada’s standard of not reporting aggregate results which include fewer than five cases. All survey responses are then aggregated when reported to the school or district.
We have prepared a few customizable letters that you can share with your students and their families to help better explain the OurSCHOOL survey.
Consider using some of our other templates and resources to circulate information directly to the survey participants and/or their caregivers: