WakeListens: Frequently Asked Questions
Wake Forest is committed to maintaining an environment that attracts and retains world-class faculty and staff. Gathering perspectives from across the campus community helps the University understand what currently works and what needs to be improved. Improvement occurs when we openly solicit candid, confidential feedback and act upon the results.
ModernThink is a nationally recognized organization, specializing in engagement surveys for higher education. The organization has surveyed more than 1,000 colleges and universities through the Great Colleges program, and has accumulated an unparalleled database of higher education benchmarking statistics and best practices.
You will receive an email from surveys@modernthink.net inviting you to take the survey. When you click the “Begin Survey” link, you will be asked to enter a username and password. You may complete the survey from work or home (Internet access is required), and employees without access to a computer may use on-campus labs. Additionally, individuals may use mobile phones or tablets to complete the survey.
If you cannot find your survey link, email AskHR@wfu.edu to request it be sent to you again.
The survey period begins March 25 and closes April 12 at 11:59 p.m. EST. You may take the survey any time during this period, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The survey generally takes 18 – 22 minutes to complete. You may click the “Save & Continue” button and return to the survey at a later time by logging on to the ModernThink survey site.
The survey consists of 98 statements, including:
- 65 core survey statements, with Strongly Agree, Agree, Sometimes Agree/Sometimes Disagree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree, or Not Applicable choices.
- 18 benefit satisfaction statements, with Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Neutral, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied, or Not Applicable choices.
- 2 open-ended questions.
- 13 optional demographic questions.
The demographic information (e.g., Gender Identity, Race/Ethnicity, Age, Job Role, Department, etc.) will help ModernThink better understand the patterns and themes in the survey data. As the confidentiality of your responses is critical, ModernThink will not report your individual demographic data. Group demographic data will only be reported when there are 5 or more respondents in a particular group. While you are invited to provide this information, the demographics are an optional component of the survey.
The survey gathers feedback about the following themes:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Compensation and Benefits
- Facilities
- Faculty, Administration, and Staff Relations
- Fairness
- Job Satisfaction/Support
- Policies, Resources, and Efficiency
- Pride
- Professional Development
- Respect and Appreciation
- Senior Leadership
- Shared Governance
- Supervisor/Department Chairs
- Teaching Environment
- Work/Life Balance
All Wake Forest faculty and staff members are invited and encouraged to participate in the survey. While higher response rates provide a more accurate picture of the University, participation is completely optional.
Yes; your responses are confidential, and you will not be asked to provide your name. Your username and password are for access only and will not be linked to your individual survey responses. Your responses will be submitted directly to ModernThink’s secure database, and all processing will be done by ModernThink. At no point will your Dean, Department Head, manager, Human Resources, or any other Wake Forest colleagues see your individual responses. They are combined and only reported back in the aggregate/grouped format. No one at the University will know if or how you personally responded.
Wake Forest is committed to gathering feedback, developing action plans, and sharing insights with you. The University will conduct the survey again in future years to chart our ongoing progress.
You may contact the ModernThink Help Desk at 888.684.4658 or surveys@modernthink.net, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST. After hours, you may leave a message and your call will be returned as promptly as possible.