Effective Survey Design

PSY329
Closed
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ashley Waggoner Denton
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
(1)
3
Timeline
  • March 3, 2023
    Experience start
  • April 1, 2023
    Experience end
Experience
1/2 project matches
Dates set by experience
Preferred companies
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Non profit, Any
Any industries
Categories
Market research Education Social sciences Social justice
Skills
survey design research skills written communication skills
Learner goals and capabilities

A group of third-year psychology students will work with you to design an effective survey that will enable you to collect meaningful data from your population of interest and assess the outcomes that are important to you.

Learners
Undergraduate
Any level
15 learners
Project
10 hours per learner
Learners self-assign
Teams of 15
Expected outcomes and deliverables

Depending on the nature of the project, students will work in small groups on different aspects of the survey design which we will then combine and send to you, or they will all work on the same project and we will then select from among the best deliverables to deliver to you. Key deliverables include the survey items. Students must also independently complete a reflection on what they learned while working on the survey project.

Project timeline
  • March 3, 2023
    Experience start
  • April 1, 2023
    Experience end
Project Examples

Online surveys are a great way to quickly collect data from large groups of people. However, the results of any survey are only as good as the items that are used, and unfortunately poorly designed surveys are commonplace.

As a class, we will work with you to design (and potentially pilot) a survey that measures your outcomes of interest. Students will construct the survey items and provide you with a report that includes a description of the intended purpose of the survey, a copy of all survey items, and instructions for analysis if necessary/desired. Students will work to ensure that you are able to accurately answer the most pressing questions you have about your population of interest (e.g., donors, customers, employees). These may include questions about attitudes, feelings, behaviours, characteristics, and so on. For example, you may wish to determine how loyal your current customers are, how committed volunteers are to your organization, or how personality variables correlate with different roles and behaviours within your company.

Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:

Be available for a quick call with the instructor to initiate your relationship and confirm your scope is an appropriate fit for the course.

Provide feedback on the single set of deliverables you are given.

Provide a dedicated contact who will be able to answer periodic emails over the duration of the project to address students' questions.

Able to visit the class (either in person or over zoom) on the morning of Friday, March 3rd, 2023.