McCabe FAQ

McCabe Survey FAQs

Nothing, although institutions must be ICAI members. Waivers may be available for institutions experiencing budget constraints.

Can we do it again for longitudinal data?

Yes, institutional members of ICAI can conduct the student survey, the faculty survey, or both as often as every 5 years as long as they have been members during that time. Otherwise, a fee applies.

Can we get our raw data?

Raw data will be available to ICAI member institutions only; although, it will be in anonymized form. Data will be reported in two files. One will contain responses to content-based survey questions and one will contain demographic information. Data files will be in CSV or TXT formats.

What variables are measured in the survey?

For the student survey:

20 separate academic misconduct-related behaviors
Perception of campus climate re: academic integrity
Demographics
Attitudes toward school and academic integrity
Perceptions of fellow students behavior and attitudes
Learning outcomes of academic integrity

For the faculty survey:

Perceptions of students’ attitudes and behavior (related to academic misconduct-related behaviors measured by the student survey)
Perceptions of campus climate re: academic integrity
Demographics
Attitudes toward teaching and academic integrity
Course/curriculum design and academic integrity
Open-ended response questions to capture greatest needs and most pressing concerns related to encouraging honest work and upholding integrity within courses

Has the study been validated?

For the student survey, a validation study is in preparation for submission to a Higher Education journal. Preliminary data indicate that measures have acceptable reliability and predictive validity.

For the faculty survey, we will conduct validation after concluding the pre-test/pilot process (in 2022-2023). Pending results from the pilot, we plan to submit an article for publication.

How long does the survey take to complete?

For the student survey, participants typically spend between 5-20 minutes although some are quicker and others slower.

For the faculty survey, participants have reported spending approximately 25-30 minutes completing the survey.

How many participants can we invite? What participation rate can we expect?

Each campus can invite up to 5000 participants

Response rates will vary depending on institutional engagement but we anticipate between 10-30% response rate for most institutions

Are sampling strategies flexible?

Institutions may select participants for the sample as they see fit. The student survey was designed to be appropriate for participants in undergraduate, graduate (Masters and Doctorate) and non-degree programs. We do request that institutions sample as widely as possible from their population of undergraduate students, but this is not a firm requirement.

The faculty survey was designed to be appropriate for full-time and part-time instructors of all ranks teaching in undergraduate, graduate (Masters and Doctorate), or non-degree programs within postsecondary education. We also recommend sampling as widely as possible.

What about response rates?

Response rates will vary depending on campus context and engagement. If students are surveyed frequently, response rate for individual surveys is reduced, but if personalized recruiting is employed, then the rate may be higher. The survey team is available to consult on recruiting practices, although campus institutional researchers are usually in the best position to make these recommendations for each institution.

Institutions will be responsible for contacting participants, reminding them about the survey, and incentivizing them to complete the survey. We recommend a raffle of multiple prizes that are desirable to your students, with a substantial “first prize” as budgets permit.

Is study IRB approved? What do we need to do about IRB?

For the student survey, the study when finalized will be approved by the IRB at the University of Mary Washington as exempt research. Each institution will be required to ascertain the expectations of its own IRB, although federal regulations allow separate approval to be waived for exempt studies.

For the faculty survey, the pre-test/pilot instrument has been approved by the IRB at Eckerd College and determined exempt by the IRB at University of Rochester. As with the student survey, each institution will be required to ascertain the expectations of its own IRB for giving the survey on their campus.

What can we do with the data we receive? Will our data ever be published?

Data from this assessment may not be published as original research by institutions, although public dissemination of assessment results and conclusions are encouraged. The research team conducting the assessment will be using aggregated data for scientific research. Data from your institution will be included in the dataset, but never in a way that can identify your institution or any individual participants.

What help is available in interpreting the results?

The final report will contain standard and customized analysis guidance and recommendations for institutions based on their data as compared to the entire sample. The survey team will be available to answer basic questions about data interpretation. ICAI will provide, at a fee, consulting services from experts on making institutional change to promote academic integrity through policy, procedure, culture, and pedagogy.

Can we customize the survey for our campus?

Except for terminology, existing content questions may not be changed due to requirements of IRB oversight. However, limited customization in the form of adding a question or two may be possible and aspects of how some questions are worded can be modified based on a specific institution's, region's, or country's needs.