NECC MP356 Creating Web-Based Online Surveys

2 zJeff Sun zwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007www.sun-associates.com/necc2007 zYou? yWho’s working on projects now? yExisting survey work?

3 Objectives zTo understand the role of data collection in an overall evaluation process zTo understand the role of surveys as one tool in an evaluation data collection process zTo become initially familiar with tools for creating online surveys zOthers?

4 Why Evaluate? zTo fulfill program requirements zProject sustainability zGeneration of new and improved project ideas

5 By Definition, Evaluation… zIs both formative and summative zHelps clarify project goals, processes, products zShould be tied to indicators of success written for your project’s goals zIs not a “test” or simply a checklist of completed activities zQualitatively, are you achieving your goals? zWhat adjustments can be made to your project to realize greater success?

6 Data Collection vs. Evaluation zEvaluation is more than data collection zEvaluation is about… yCreating questions yCreating indicators yCollecting data yAnalyzing and using data zData collection occurs within the context of a broader evaluation effort

7 An Iterative Process zEvaluation breaks your vision down into increasingly observable and measurable pieces.

8 Tools and Techniques zSurveys, Focus Groups and Interviews yMeasuring satisfaction and determining attitudes zObservations zArtifact Analysis zTriangulation with data from administrators and staffTriangulation yDo other groups confirm that teachers are being served?

9 Surveys zOnline vs. Paper yIs there sufficient connectivity? yOften works best if people complete the instruments all at the same time ySame goes for paper surveys zOnline surveys provide immediate data zSpreadsheets which can be exported to a variety of different programs for analysis

10 Surveys zOnline yVIVEDVIVED yProfilerProfiler yLoTiLoTi yZoomerangZoomerang ySurveyMonkey.comSurveyMonkey.com

11 Make Your Own! zwww.sun-associates.com/surveyws/surveys.htmlwww.sun-associates.com/surveyws/surveys.html zwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007/monday/y2survey.htmlwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007/monday/y2survey.html zBased on a CGI script on your web server zOutputs to a text file, readable by Excel zWorks with yes/no, choose from a list, and free text input (no branching)

12 The Survey Script zwww.bignosebird.com/carchive/bnbform.shtmlwww.bignosebird.com/carchive/bnbform.shtml zYou need access to your WWW server’s directory structure yIf you do not have this, you should use some of the commercial survey services discussed earlier zYou need FTP access to your WWW server zThe bnbform.cgi script goes in your /cgi directory zThe readme.txt file contains all the installation info necessary

13 Once Installed zSurveys are HTML forms that make use of the POST command y zLet’s examine an example… zwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007/monday/y2survey.htmlwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007/monday/y2survey.html

14 For Today’s Exercise zCreate a folder called testsite on your desktop zIn that folder, create a folder called www zIn the /www folder, create a folder called test

15 zwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007/monday/y2survey.htmlwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007/monday/y2survey.html zSave this as “sample.html” as Page Source zPlace that file in your test folder

16 zStart Dreamweaver z/Site/New Site zLocal Root Folder = testsite zHttp address = zRemote Info yAccess = FTP yHost = ftp.business.earthlink.netftp.business.earthlink.net yHost Dir = leave blank yLogin = wfp44289%sun-associates.com yPswd = neccmp356

17 Creating Forms zDreamweaver (or another HTML authoring tool) is recommended zIt’s best to start with a completed survey form and then modify yThat way, you get all of the correct tags and hidden files yYou can use the previous example as your template (just Save As… to save the html) yLet’s do that now

18 Things to Do z(in “Design” view) Delete text between first line on the page and the text just before the SUBMIT button zCreate new form elements in the resulting space yPull Down List yText Area yRadio Button Pair (yes/no) zModify the hidden elements (in “Code” view) at the end of the source code

19 Survey Considerations zThere actually is a science involved in survey creation zIssues of validity both in questions and instruments zSample size yAttaining a sufficiently large sample to test validity yPiloting

20 Survey Tips zKeep them short (under 10 minutes) zAvoid huge long checklists zAllow for text comments zSupport anonymity yBut allow for categorical identifications -- school, job function, grade, etc.

21 zCoordinate and support survey administration yAvoid the “mailbox stuffer” yWork with building leaders yProvide clear deadlines

22 Three Big Points zSurveys alone mean nothing yTRIANGULATE! z100% response rate is virtually impossible yOn the other hand, nearly 100% is very possible if you follow our tips! zShare the data yNo one wants to fill in forms for no purpose

23 Data Dissemination zCompile the report zDetermine how to share the report ySchool committee presentation yPress releases yCommunity meetings

24 10 Tips for Data Collection zGround your data collection within a larger evaluation framework yKnow why you’re asking what you’re asking zNot all data is quantitative zCast a wide net yIt’s all about stakeholders zDig deep yTry to collect the data that can’t easily be observed or counted

25 zUse confirming sources yTriangulate! Surveys alone do nothing. zHave multiple writers yStakeholders and different perspectives zThink before you collect yChoose questions carefully and with regard to what you really expect to find

26 zSet (reasonable) expectations for participation yTime and effort zForget about mailbox surveys yUsually waste more time than their value zReport back yDon’t be a data collection black hole!

27 More Information y ext. 204 zwww.sun-associates.com/evaluationwww.sun-associates.com/evaluation zwww.sun-associates.com/necc2007 zwww.edtechevaluation.comwww.edtechevaluation.com