Collecting Information via the Web Stephen Porter Director of Institutional Research Michael Roy Director of Academic Computing Services Wesleyan University

Advantages of web surveys Low costs - only software, no printing, envelopes or postage needed. No data entry costs. Minimal data entry errors. Easy to correct problems during survey administration. Much quicker completion time for project. Response rates are comparable.

Population It’s important to keep in mind your survey population. Do you have good addresses for sample? Does everyone use software that allows hyperlinking? Do some people not use at all? Students (especially grad) may not use institution assigned s. Do you collect home addresses? Some low-tech faculty don’t use or check infrequently.

Security and web surveys Security can be a big issue – you have two choices: Ask for name and other identifying information such as userid and password. Multiple responses can be eliminated. Responses can be linked to institutional data. No evidence this affects response rates, but be aware many people are nervous using SSN’s on the web. Important to state that only aggregate data will be released.

Security and web surveys Allow anonymous responses. In theory, anyone can answer the survey. Multiple responses will vary with topic and survey length. Cannot use incentives. Research indicates that promises of anonymity and/or confidentiality do not affect response rates except for sensitive topics such as sexual behavior.

Security and web surveys Sending out id numbers and passwords can be cumbersome. It’s possible to embed an id number and password in a unique hyperlink that is ed to each survey participant. This approach has worked well for us, but make sure participants know that the survey is not anonymous.

Survey structure Keep it simple: avoid complicated designs with lots of colors. Make the survey one (screen) page in length. For drop down boxes, make sure first response category is not the visible line of the box. Keep the survey as short as possible. See Dillman (2000) pp for a good set of detailed recommendations.

Survey administration The Dillman (2000) “tailored design” approach Pre-notice, survey, reminder, follow-up survey, and so on. For web surveys it is simply multiple s. Considered the best method possible for surveying - used for example by the Census Bureau. If you do only one survey mailing, you WILL get a low response rate. With multiple s you need to take out respondents from your list.

Survey administration

The should be concise, with hyperlink to survey visible when participant opens the . Avoid sending s on Monday. We usually wait a week between reminder s. How many? 2 or 3 reminders are fine, especially if you allow participant to opt out. Offering a web option via “snail mail” does not seem to work.

For more information Dillman, Don A. (2000) Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. New York: John Wiley & Sons. National Computer Systems, Inc. (NCS) has a great website with a sample size calculator, survey research glossary and a set of short reports on various survey research topics: Talk with your institutional research or assessment office – no need to reinvent the wheel.