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Cancellation Policy: If you cancel your registration at least two weeks before the course is scheduled to begin, you are entitled to a full refund (minus a processing fee of $50).

In the unlikely event that Statistical Horizons LLC must cancel a seminar, we will do our best to inform you as soon as possible of the cancellation. You would then have the option of receiving a full refund of the seminar fee or a credit towards another seminar. In no event shall Statistical Horizons LLC be liable for any incidental or consequential damages that you may incur because of the cancellation.

A 3-Day Remote Seminar Taught by Andrew Miles, Ph.D.

The Internet has revolutionized survey research. Web-based surveys are now used in many disciplines, and for good reason. Compared to traditional paper-and-pencil and face-to-face modes of data collection, they make it easy to randomize question order, skip irrelevant questions, include rich multimedia content, and adapt the survey experience based on respondent input. Add to this a wide range of question types and unparalleled ease of distribution, and it is easy to see why web-based surveys have become so popular.

But the Internet doesn’t just make it easy to program surveys: it also gives unparalleled access to a vast reservoir of potential research participants. With the help of third-party web panels or crowdsourcing websites, researchers can recruit respondents and complete data collection in a matter of days, sometimes hours. Fielding surveys online is also inexpensive, which makes it possible to obtain large samples even for researchers on a budget.

Online surveys are not a panacea, however. Web-based surveys make use of digital technologies that differ in marked ways from other survey modes, raising the question of how the mode of data collection influences results. Web surveys also can also be completed on both computers and mobile devices, a fact which comes with its own set of possibilities and pitfalls. And respondents recruited online are generally far from representative of most populations of interest.

This course provides a practical introduction to designing effective web surveys and working with online respondents. Particular attention is given to how choices made at the design stage affect response rates and data quality, with an emphasis on highlighting actionable design strategies. We also delve deeply into the advantages and disadvantages of using online samples and evaluate design-based and post-hoc approaches to addressing some of the challenges associated with online research.