Downloading data for additional analysis
Whether or not you use the application’s available display options, it is quite likely that you will want to subject the data, including any open ended responses, to additional analyses. read more »
So now you have all your data collected and safely ensconced in the SurveyMonkey or other online survey database. There are several ways to proceed from this point, including simple chart displays generated from the application and downloading the data for more sophisticated analyses. read more »
The ease of basic data display and analysis is one of the reason I love online surveys. The reason for this ease is what’s behind the survey. The bottom line: survey answers go directly into a database. You must still, of course, design items that will produce data answering your critical questions – that kind of design task is just as difficult in an online or other computer-based survey as it is for hard copy surveys. But, if you design your questions well, you will be able to use the survey application to create data displays that make sense and allow visual analysis of data, as well as conducting basic descriptive statistical analysis directly in most survey applications. read more »
For those of us who have licked hundreds of stamps to place on envelopes that send our little surveys out into the world, wondering whether our investment is in vain, online surveys seem almost too easy. After all, aren’t a sore tongue and paper cuts from survey folding rites of passage in social research? Well, maybe not, any longer . . . read more »
We’ve discussed using Twitter to capture audience response; for many of us, trying to keep up with tweets and also stay on topic sounds pretty intimidating. Fortunately, some techie types have found ways to make response surveying during meetings a lot simpler. Costs and functionality of these tools vary. read more »
After a comment on the use of cell phones to offer quick surveys during meetings or conferences, a question was asked about how such a survey could be conducted.
I will leave it to the original commenter to tell how he sets up his own surveys, but I am also copying the following article from the Swift Media Services website at http://imswift.com (The site owner has also initiated a newsletter called Mobilize Your Events. The first issue focuses on presenting at conferences and using Twitter to facilitate interaction. The newsletter can be found at http://imswift.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mobilize-events_fall095.pdf )
Twitter offers new ways of engaging audiences in presentations.
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I tend to think of laying out a survey in terms of geography, cartography, and perhaps a bit of MapQuest thrown in. Many of these considerations are the same regardless of the modality in which the survey is presented. For instance, it is always important to begin with simpler and less potentially reactive questions, slowly building to those that may require more thought or perhaps might have potential to cause some agita in respondents. read more »
Chances are, most of you have created, implemented, and analyzed the responses from many paper and pencil surveys. The good news is that if you are skilled in creating effective paper and pencil surveys, you already have most of the critical elements down. If you’ve done few surveys or would like a brush-up, there are several good books on social research, but you can also take a look at this resource for a quick and dirty overview of good surveying practices.
Regardless of your level of expertise, you will want to consider some elements unique to computer mediated (and in this case, internet resident) surveys. read more »
Technology has developed exponentially – my Palm Pilot has so many more multiples of memory and capacity than my first computer (an Apple IIe) that it makes my head hurt! In considering an online survey, both designer and potential respondent ease with technology must be considered. read more »
Online surveys have great potential – they tend to have a better return rate, provide an automatic summary and can create professional graphic displays of results. In this content area, we’ll talk about the use of online surveys, including things to consider in developing surveys, potential snags, and examples of use. We’ll open the floor to questions, opportunities to show off what you’ve done on your own online surveys. We’ll also talk about various available survey applications. Please, join our discussion!
As a point of reference, take a look at this excerpt from a SurveyMonkey survey we use in our NYS SPDG. The survey features skip logic, moving the participant forward in the survey based on his or her responses. When you’ve answered one way, you may respond again with a different answer to see how the skip logic works. Please note that this survey is a copy – your inputting of responses into it will not compromise the data being collected on the “real thing” for our project.
In addition to this link, I have attached an Adobe version of the survey. SurveyMonkey makes creation of these files easy. Although the skip logic is lost in such a version, it is an alternative for respondents who cannot use the online version; responses will have to be inputted back into the online version to include them in the total for analysis.
Next up: Considerations in the use of an online survey