Using Microsoft Front Page to Create Web Surveys Quick. Cheap. Easy.

Is this for you? Yes You have Front Page You have Access You can type You can write a survey You have a web site, a place to put the survey You don’t have much web technical or other help No You have web resources you can turn this over to You have help of all kinds You have survey software You don’t do surveys

At SUNY Delhi Farrell Hall Use survey Survey of ESL students (in progress) Form to record FERPA responses (in progress) Front Page option attractive because we have it and have some expertise to consult Front Page slides data nicely into Access – no data entry!

What this presentation will not cover… Survey creation Sample strategy Analysis of results in Access Moving results to some other package, like SPSS

In Front Page… Blank page Insert form Create a space above the ‘submit’ and ‘clear’ buttons by spacing down If bringing over a document from another application, paste it into the space If working in Front Page, create the document Save as.asp, not.htm

First, create the survey/form… Word/other word processing – use no boxes,or tables, etc. Front Page – then have to publish to the web Need a location Front Page on the web – easier in many ways

Duplicates If this is a survey, will have to figure out ways to eliminate duplicate entries. Could do with an identifier you then could not use to connect responses with ID (if anonymity is paramount)

Front Page Survey Elements One line text box – can enlarge, but no need to – will scroll Scrolling text box – for longer text Check box – non- exclusive – for ‘all that apply’ Radio button – mutually exclusive choice – forced choice Drop down menu – series of options in compact space – forced choice

Front Page Survey Elements Picture – plant a static image in the form Will add time and day stamp Will add remote computer names, user name, browser type Way to eliminate dups

Form Field Properties Name – the column label in Access Value – value in the data column & that which will show up on confirmation page – plain text or number/integer Can set initial value – plus/minus Good idea to be as descriptive as possible Respondent cannot confirm what s/he can’t understand No spaces in the labels; use _

Editing Respondent, upon seeing confirmation, can use ‘back’ button and make changes, but will create a 2 nd record If use ‘Return to Form’ line at the bottom, respondent will get a blank form. Can eliminate the confirmation page or customize it Can set the tab order so the respondent can use the tab key to move among items Can also take something out of the tab order if you don’t want to see it

Editing When setting the tab order, don’t need to be sequential – just higher and lower Can do clickable labels – select – insert – form - label Validation capabilities Drop down menu – can require respondents to respond Can disallow 1 st choice if it contains instructions

Editing Radio button validation – work as a group – mutually exclusive – same name; different value Text box – data values (, =,=,not=) Can use with numbers or text Check box validation – data type (no constraints, text, integer, number) Text format – letters, digits, white space, other (can specify) Data length – can require and set min/max Check boxes & dates

Send to Database After survey/form completed, attach a database Form properties within space “Send to database” Options – create database FPDB page name Save as asp (Active Server Page) If you make changes subsequent to the database step: form properties – options – “update database” Preview in browser (on left hand column)

Putting it someplace for respondents Go to folder list Default.htm or Index.htm or any web page Click on it and your page will open Type in the name of your survey or form Select it and right click Hyperlink and pick the survey off the list The survey/form will be in a web location that you can direct respondents to

Seeing the data in Access Go folder list FPDB (Front Page database) See a list of database and click on it Results You can now do with it whatever you will – export to SPSS, Excel, SAS, etc.

Tips on surveying from Don Dillman Reliance on prizes will encourage different kind of responses Forced choice responses may encourage drop outs and respondent failure Mixed mode surveying – Web/in person/phone, etc. - may improve response rates Use vertical layouts rather than horizontal

Survey hints & tips Size of answer space makes a difference even if it’s a scrolling box Check all that apply vs. y/n for each choice – latter is better Keep visuals the same Instruct respondents to maximize the screen Dr. Dillman is Regents’ Professor and the Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government and Public Policy in the Departments of Sociology and Community and Rural Sociology at Washington State University. He also serves as Deputy Director for Research and Development in the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC).

Go with data