1. Introduction to Lime Survey
Julie Rao
Office of Institutional Research
June 2015

2. Objectives of Workshop
Show you how to get started in Lime Survey
Provide an overview of Lime Survey capabilities
How to use different question types
Branching capabilities
Token tables versus open surveys
Provide opportunity for hands on practice
Build a community of Lime Survey users

3. Limitations of Workshop
Self taught Lime Survey user
Interest in surveys of specific groups
Background in survey research
Stop me if use terms you don’t understand
Have not used analysis tools in Lime Survey
Presentation will be posted to IR wiki space for your reference
By self taught, a lot of trial & error; had help from students
Lime gives me ability to set up who gets the survey but still be anonymous
I don’t learn multiple ways of doing things; I do my analysis in SPSS, so I have not explored analysis tools in Lime survey
Also means I don’t know a lot about Google survey & how Lime compares
Morale of story: Please accept I won’t have all the answers.

4. Workshop Agenda Introduction & need sharing
Overview of Lime Survey capabilities – start to finish
How to use different question types
Branching capabilities
Token tables versus open surveys
Exporting data from Lime Survey
Hands on practice
Will be going back & forth between PP & Lime Survey to demonstrate how to do things.
Want to make this work for you, so please stop me to ask specific questions; reserve the right to stop questions to try to preserve time for practice
Let’s get started by going around table, introducing self and saying what hope to learn from workshop, if you’ve used web surveys before or if you have used Lime Survey before.

5. Why it’s worth it for me Ease of exporting data
Can set up question names & numeric answer categories in the survey
Personalized invitations with URL embedded
Reminder wording saved & only goes out to non completers
Can easily copy surveys for recurring needs
Documentation & user forum
Don’t be afraid to try things in Lime. If survey isn’t activated, there is no harm, no foul. Test it out, take sample surveys, blow away data table & start fresh.

6. Getting started Wiki -> CIT -> Self Help -> Survey Tools
Lime Survey – Getting Started
Overview, link to documentation
Lime Survey – Creating a Survey
Walk through basic survey creation
URL to access Lime Survey

7. Getting Started in Lime Survey
Use Green Plus Icon to create, copy, or import surveys
Demo copying sample Lime survey & sharing with all. Describe exporting questions sections and how might be useful.

8. Sensory Overload!!! Hierarchy of features organized by level
Similar features for each level of survey
Survey description appears at top of survey, can also be added to
Has features may not have thought of
No one says have to use all capabilities
Have not used assessments or quotas
Lambourghi compared to Chevy
They are there if you need them - nice to grow into them
Must create question group – if have long survey nice to use qnn grp as transitions; give opportunity to describe section.
Can export qnn group & import into another survey; useful especially for academic research

9. Tiered Visual Layout
Drop down menus for general functions

10. Types of Lime Survey Questions
Commonly Used
List (radio)
Array
Gender
Yes/No
Multiple Short Text
Huge free text
Specialized
Array (Numbers)
Array (Texts)
Array (dual scale)
Upload files
If you did the sample survey I sent, you saw all the different types of questions. Once training is completed, I will give you access to the sample survey. Please make a copy of the survey to have for your use in testing. Can look at different qnn types – I often refer to other surveys
Common/Specialized questions types
Truly Cadillac of survey software – GPS coordinates.
Dazzling display of buttons & features!

11. Adding Questions Hover on question type to show sample layout
Click green plus icon to add question
This is what adding question type screen looks like – large selection of question types. Tried to represent all in sample survey – may have added some new types since developed survey. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
The question code is the internal/behind the scenes name of the question. This is what will be used in SPSS/R to refer to the question. It will also be how the question column is labeled in Excel or CSV if you choose answer codes when exporting. The code will not be visible to those taking the survey.

12. Adding Answer Options
Codes are the data that will be generated by the answer option choice. The default is A2, A2, A I *try* to remember to change them to just numbers for ease of analysis. I strongly recommend changing them to numbers. The numbers & codes will not be seen by survey respondents; they will only appear in your data file.

13. Controlling Access to Survey
Open
Open with URL check
Can’t do Kiosk style completion
Token tables – 2 types
Used when have set group of respondents or can add respondents
Anonymous
Confidential with attributes
Open is completely open, anyone can take survey; can do multiple times if desire
Open with URL check – can do from multiple devices and/or multiple locations
Need to reboot between users to do a kiosk stand to have passer bys do survey
Token
Need to have first name, last name & address for each person you want to do survey. Can load token table – do not need to hand enter each token
Specific URL with token embedded is generated for each respondent; once completed, cannot be redone (unless set up that way), cannot forward URL to another & still do survey
2 types – anonymous, token used only to control & limit access, allows personalized messages
Confidential – can load attributes and link responses to attributes -> allows to leave off demographic questions, e.g. gender, ethnicity, major, 2nd major, year graduated

14. Open Access Completely open – use URL on home page of survey
Open with URL Check
Use URL from home page of survey AND
Choose General Survey Setting from Paper & pencil icon menu ->Publication & access control -> Set cookie to prevent repeated participation
From Paper & Pencil icon menu, choose Publication & access control the set the cookie to prevent repeated participation. Prevent students from stuffing ballot box
HOWEVER will still allow students to complete survey from multiple devices and from lab computers

15. Token Based Access Click on 7th icon from left, 3 people
Will need to verify intent to set up tokens
Setting for tokens under General Survey Settings
Need first name, last name &
Can load from CSV file
Can set up so respondents can register on web & receive token
Click on gray Gear icon to generate tokens once loaded table
Brings to new screen with more choices
If going to give out tokens, change from standard length of 15 to between 5-10 as a length
Lime survey is case sensitive – do not capitalize field names
Allows to sync with to see which s were bounced back – nice feature with large Alumni survey

16. Token with Attributes Survey will be confidential, not anonymous
Must set this up when setting up survey
Can use attributes in skip patterns & survey
Load attributes into token table, can export with data

17. Token Screen
Gear icon to generate tokens

18. Gotchas! Watch out for levels Multiple choice = select all that apply
Make sure you are clicking delete question & not Question Group
Multiple choice = select all that apply
List-radio is generally what want for single response close ended questions
In descriptions & s, use HTML coding to maintain paragraphs
Only survey owner can set permissions-> you create survey then have students do data entry of questions
When loading *.csv file for token table, variable names must be lower case
Export data before deactivating survey
Pro & cons of having similar menu items – when deleting questions sometimes find mouse over delete Question Group icon!! Yikes!
Multiple choice = multiple responses
<br> for paragraph break
Who creates the survey controls the survey permissions; always create the survey then have student worker do data entry of questions.
When loading *.csv file for token table, variable names must be lower case – do not capitalize the first letter of the variable name or else the file won’t load.

19. Collected Data . . . Now What do I do?
Exporting data out of Lime Survey
Exploring analysis built ins
Demonstrate exporting data into SPSS; can also export to CSV, Excel & R.

20. Exporting Options 6th icon from left is “Responses & Statistics”
SPSS & R syntax file to read in data file
Will need to change the file path
Export data to application
3 options, Word, Excel, CSV
Answers
Answer codes gives you codes associated with answer description
Full Answers gives you only answer description

21. R Icon SPSS Icon Click here for answer codes set in question setup
6th icon from left, Responses & Statistics
Click here for answer descriptions to be exported

22. Using Lime Survey
Switch over to software to demonstrate survey setup, icon meanings

23. Questions?
Before we move the hands on portion of our program, do you have questions about anything I covered?

24. Trying out Lime Survey software
Using Lime Survey to set up a web survey

25. Thank you!!
Any questions on material presented, please feel free to contact me:
Julie Rao
Ext. 5553
Erwin 221