Modern Survey Research Methodologies and Techniques

Survey research in various forms provides a key element of information necessary to make policy decisions.  In health services research, child and family research, education, and much of social and economic statistics, the dominant data source are responses to surveys. The field of survey research has transformed dramatically over the last 20 years, sometimes for the better and sometimes not.  Different survey modes such as online, mobile phones, text and visual representation stand alongside more traditional modes in terms of data collection.  There are new ways of asking respondents questions that elicit more meaningful responses to difficult concepts.  Unfortunately over this time, there has also been a proliferation of non-representative/bad research.  Given this, it is important to know how to evaluate survey executions as well as survey outcomes.  This course is designed to introduce the class to the key components of survey research and analysis both from a traditional and modern point of view in order to allow the students to perform these evaluations. Topics include: modes of data collection and the positives and negatives associated with each, sample sources, sampling theory, questionnaire / question design, post-collection processing,  scientific integrity and ethics, and the evaluation of surveys and survey outcomes. The course will include a quarter-long project in which small groups will design a survey to tackle a real-life survey issue and present the results at the end of the quarter.