A year of Better Data
November 18, 2024
Submitted on behalf of Equity and Human Rights.
The Better Data Questionnaire has now been available for a year. Over 10,000 students and 5,000 employees have completed their questionnaires to date. This means we now have a better understanding of the demographic make up of our community than ever before.
Public data dashboards
The questionnaire – which was developed based on best-practice guidelines and guiding policy documents (e.g., ) – provides an opportunity for UVic community members to self-identify across six identity categories: (1) Gender identity; (2) Sexual orientation; (3) Indigenous identity; (4) Disability identity; (5) Racial and/or ethnocultural identity; and (6) Religious and/or spiritual identity.
Now that 43% of active students and 52% of active employees have completed the questionnaire, the project team is working to prepare interactive data dashboards that will allow community members to explore the make up of the UVic community for themselves.
These dashboards will allow for easy access and use of the data which will limit the need for other sources of UVic demographic data collection, ensuring consistency across the University.
While the dashboards are not available yet, we are sharing regular updates to questionnaire response rates and initial data insights on our landing page. Check back frequently to stay up to date on where we’re at!
Tracking progress across campus
The information collected through the questionnaire is also being used in several important evaluation and reporting processes. Our ability to understand the demographic make up of the UVic community (including identifying under-represented groups) will serve as a key evaluation tool for recruitment and retention related initiatives. Data is also being used to support provincial reporting requirements, including those connected to . For the latest reports connected to the project, check out our new reporting page.
Moving forward, the Better Data Steering Committee made up of members from across the university community will provide important oversight on decisions related to both internal and external reporting as well as data use.
Learn more
If you haven’t completed your questionnaire, you can access it here. It takes less than two minutes to complete!
Questions? Reach out to us at betterdata@uvic.ca