Your account is setup as part of your order!

If you have others on campus that need access to the Retention Data Center (for report retrieval or implementation purposes), you can create accounts for them! They cannot create their own account. For step by step instructions on setting up accounts for others, review our RDC Users Guide (page 4). Basic steps are: Login to your RDC account –> Configuration (upper right corner) –> User Administration –> Add User

Also, as you consider your account setup, consider if you want a SFTP site setup to access your reports. This can allow for report/data integration into your campus system or potentially ease of report distribution. For more information, review our documentation.

All survey customization is complete within your Retention Data Center account, under Survey Settings. Step by step instructions can be found in the RDC Users Guide (starting on page 9) or on our video tutorial. The customization options are:

• Grouping – students with demographical fields provides additional sorting and filtering opportunities beyond what is collected through the standard items of the surveys. Up to 5 categories can be used; commonly used are Academic Advisor, FYE Instructor, Residence Hall, Indicated Major, etc.
• Securing access of reports – This allows you the ability to designate others on campus for access to specific groups of student records (outlined above) with limited access to areas of the Retention Data Center and reports available for students.
• Survey entry page: Allows you to request specific information for Id and e-mail. Example: “Please enter your 7-character student Id here. (W234567)” or “Enter your university.edu address here”.
• Custom Questions – These are multiple choice questions and require a single selection response from the student. They appear at the end of the survey, after the standard items. Custom questions are also filterable and exportable for further analysis.
• Narrative text on individual reports – Up to 1,000 characters (500 for SYSA) can be inserted as the first paragraph of each of the categories.
• Survey completion email customization – Upon completing the survey, students will receive an automatic email. You can customize the contents of this email message.

Use our template to upload a student file containing email address, first name, last name, DOB, and other optional fields. It isn’t required that you upload a file, but it is suggested. Step by step instructions can be found in the RDC Users Guide (starting on page 15) or on our video tutorial.

When doing a final review of your file prior to upload, confirm:

1. the headers match the template exactly and all headers are present
2. the file is saved as Excel (not CSV)
3. the fields include the appropriately formatted information (review the Student Access File Details button for more information)

With the RMS Plus™ suite of surveys, you can distribute the surveys almost any way you want. You can:

• Distribute the survey specific URL. This is our most widely used implementation plan. It can be used in printed material, during orientation, as an in-class assignment or in a portal. The survey specific URL can also be turned into a QR code for promotional material.
• Distribute personal URL links. After students have been imported into your account, you can download their personal URL (under Export Data). This can be used in a portal, emailed locally, or sent via email from the Retention Data Center. We offer sample email templates and resources on whitelisting, but we don’t suggest using this as your stand-alone implementation method. Prior to sending emails from the RDC, you will need to complete email/domain verification steps with our team.

You can use any combination of these and the survey can be complete on a desktop or mobile device. You may find our examiners instructions helpful for your survey proctors.

RDC Users Guide (starting on page 14) has resources including how to retrieve your survey URL, exporting data (you can download the personal URL for your students) and emailing students. Your Coordinators Guide walks you through in a bit more detail your implementation options.

Before launching, be sure to preview your survey and ensure all your customization appears as expected. Survey Sample is found on the Survey Summary section of your survey setup.

If you are looking for a copy of the survey or it’s reports, visit our Samples page.

To get the highest return on your investment, you must use your data in multiple ways. The resources on this page are a great way to share, present, and take action on your data with others on campus.