3. Historical Survey Data Import Instructions

1. Overview

ClassRanked can import historical course evaluation data so your past terms appear in dashboards, instructor reports, and longitudinal analytics.

A complete submission requires:

1. A Historical Response File (wide format) — defined in Doc 1
2. A Survey Template Crosswalk — defined in Doc 2

The response file provides the raw historical data; the Crosswalk explains how legacy survey items map to your current ClassRanked survey template.

2. What You Need to Provide

A. Historical Response File (Wide Format)

A CSV with:

• One row per anonymous response
• One column per survey item
• All required metadata (Term, Course, Section, Instructor)
• Attributes using standardized prefixes (CourseAttr_, InstructorAttr_, RespondentAttr_, SubjectAttr_)
• Survey item columns exactly as exported from your legacy system

See Doc 1 for full requirements.

B. Survey Template Crosswalk (Mapping File)

A CSV/XLSX that maps:

• Legacy survey item text
• Legacy option labels and values
• To the current survey item codes, option labels, and weights in ClassRanked

See Doc 2 for structure and examples.

3. Template Versions & Term Alignment

Most institutions change their survey templates over the years. Each distinct template version requires its own Crosswalk.

Requirements:

• One Crosswalk per survey template version used historically
• Each Crosswalk must clearly indicate the term(s) it applies to
• If multiple consecutive terms used the same template, those terms may share a single Crosswalk
• If different programs or divisions used different templates, each requires a dedicated Crosswalk

Recommended Submission Workflow:

ClassRanked strongly recommends submitting historical data one term and survey at a time, with:

1. The term’s Historical Response File
2. The Crosswalk that applies to that term
3. Any notes identifying template changes or anomalies

Submitting term-by-term ensures clean validation and avoids mixing data from incompatible template versions.

4. Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Export Historical Response Data (Doc 1.2)

Export your data in wide format with:

• One row per response
• One column per survey item
• All metadata present and accurate
• Free-response text preserved exactly
• No formulas, merged cells, or hidden rows

Step 2 — Standardize Metadata (Doc 1.2, 1.3)

Ensure:

• Term titles match ClassRanked configuration
• Course IDs and Section IDs match ClassRanked setup
• Instructor Email and/or Instructor ID match directory records
• Attribute columns use the required prefixes:
  • CourseAttr_
  • InstructorAttr_
  • RespondentAttr_
  • SubjectAttr_

Step 3 — Identify Legacy Survey Items (Doc 2.1, 2.2)

Extract all unique survey item column headers from the historical export.

You do not need to rename them.

Step 4 — Use the ClassRanked Starter Crosswalk (Doc 2.3)

ClassRanked provides:

• Current survey item codes
• Current option labels
• Current option weights

This is the destination you map legacy items into.

Step 5 — Build the Survey Template Crosswalk (Doc 2.4)

For each legacy survey item and option, add a mapping row:

Legacy Survey Item Text
Legacy Option Label
Legacy Option Value
Current Survey Item Code
Current Option Label
Current Option Weight

Rules:

• Rating-scale items → one row per legacy option
• Free-response items → one row only, (free text) for both labels
• Removed items → map to IGNORE

Step 6 — Validate Before Submission

Ensure:

• Every legacy item has a mapping
• Every legacy option is included
• No field exceeds max length requirements (Doc 1)
• Dates use a consistent format (YYYY-MM-DD recommended)
• No blank rows or extraneous columns

Step 7 — Submit Files to ClassRanked

Submit the following to implementations@classranked.com. Please include in the subject, "Historical Import" and your institution's name.

1. Historical Response File (wide format)
2. Survey Template Crosswalk
3. Term information (if not embedded in metadata)

5. What ClassRanked Does After Submission

ClassRanked performs:

1. Structural validation
2. Metadata matching (terms, courses, sections, instructors)
3. Survey item mapping using your Crosswalk
4. Wide → long conversion
5. Numeric and weight normalization
6. Import into reporting engine
7. Final validation and confirmation

We will ask for corrections if mismatches or unmapped items appear.

6. Common Issues to Avoid

• Missing Crosswalk rows for certain legacy items
• Option label mismatches (extra spaces, punctuation differences)
• Incorrect or inconsistent term titles
• Missing metadata columns from the response file
• Scale mismatches not accounted for in the Crosswalk
• Multiple template versions combined into one Crosswalk

7. Timeline Expectations

Typical processing time:

• 5–7 business days for initial validation
• Longer if corrections are required
• Final import performed once all issues are resolved

⏰ Peak evaluation periods may extend processing time.

8. Support

ClassRanked can assist with:

• Reviewing your legacy export format
• Advising on scale normalization
• Verifying multi-version crosswalks
• Running sample test imports
• Clarifying template differences across terms

For support, contact your ClassRanked implementation representative or support@classranked.com.