1. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Capturing them in the Web: Using Web- Based Surveys to Increase Response Rates for College Freshman Debbie Bond-Hu Evaluation Intern Syracuse University Project Advance

2. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Overview Why do you want to use online surveys now? Transitioning a paper survey to an online survey Types of online surveys and data collection and return methods

3. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Why the Time is Now to Use Online Surveys? Participants are considered the ‘millennium generation’ Main form of communication with friends are Email and Chat functions Gather most of their current events via the Internet 95% of four year institutions provide freshman students with email addresses 92% of higher educational institutions have web access available to its students

4. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Basic Paper Survey Principles Make the survey meaningful to the participants Keep the survey short and simple Use white space wisely Clear and concise directions Have a way for participants to contact you in case of questions Have at least two contacts with the participants

5. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Basic Principles for Online Surveys User friendly Ease of navigation Use of radio buttons instead of pull down menus Limit scrolling Limit number of actions on each page Questionnaire length and time on home page Allow for non-response on questions Use formatting similar to paper surveys

6. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Non-Response Behavior: Online and Paper Surveys Not salient/meaningful Too long (issue of time) Poor directions Confusion in navigation Too complicated

7. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu How to make a paper survey an online survey Understand online survey methods and techniques for sampling Understand basic survey principles on response and non-response Design an effective online tool SIMILAR (not identical) to the paper survey for data collection

8. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Surveys, Surveys and More Surveys Type of SurveySolicitation MethodsWays to Respond Examples Web-BasedPop-upsWeb PageAd pops up when you visit a site On-lineEmailsWeb PagePerson asked to go to a site in an email PaperMailingMailReceive a mailing Email You are asked to respond in an email Mixed MethodEmail Mailing Web Page Mail Receive a letter asking you to go to an online survey or respond via the paper survey

9. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Context for the Study Syracuse University Project Advance wanted to increase its response rates for its yearly post-graduate survey Traditionally: First mailing Second mailing New Strategy: Allow students the option to complete the survey online First Mailing Second Mailing Postcard Mailing Time Frame December 15 th - First Mailing January 2 nd – Second Mailing March 1 st – Postcard Mailing

10. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Results 4283 participants 1496 surveys returned (35%) 45% of the returned surveys were completed online Contact #1 Contact #2 Post Card Total Online313234123670 Mail4213978826

11. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu The Transformation from Paper to Online at Project Advance Paper Survey Online Survey

12. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Basic Design Considerations Concise Introduction with Directions Secure login

13. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Basic Design Considerations Personalized Radio Buttons

14. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Basic Design Considerations Compact pages to eliminate scrolling

15. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Basic Design Considerations Personalized Thank You Re-cap Feedback

16. NACEP Conference 2004 dbond@advance.syr.edu Conclusion Online ≠ Paper Survey Simple Short Salient