Henrietta OConnor Online Questionnaires and Technical Guide Structure

• Henrietta O’Connor • Online Questionnaires and Technical Guide

Structure of Presentation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Overview of module content The Online Questionnaires Module: Overview Online Questionnaires: Design Issues The Technical Guide Module: Overview Technical Guide: Choosing Software

1. Overview of Module Content • This website emerged from our earlier research project ‘Cyberparents’; • Made ‘pioneering’ use of online questionnaires and online interviews; • Lack of literature and few technical skills; • Great deal of interest in how we had used online methods; • Modules designed around our areas of expertise; • Aim that each module included material on different levels: academic, methodological, practical examples and resources.

2. The Online Questionnaires Module • First substantive module; • Covers issues including: – Advantages/disadvantages, types of online questionnaire, sampling issues, good design principles, implementation procedures, FAQs, further resources, e. g. software links; • Also include range of learning activities: – when to use an online questionnaire, designing question types.

3. Online Questionnaires: Design Issues • Vital to ensure that the questionnaire type and question format addresses aims of the research; • First design unit looks at issues such as consistency of design, colour, text appearance; • E. g. text appearance has been shown to be important in terms of transmission time, perceived length and screen configuration; • Second unit looks at academic principles of good content design including welcome screen and questionnaire length; • E. g. welcome screen important and must adhere to relevant guidelines and fulfil purpose.

4. Technical Guide • Awareness that there was a need for simple, straightforward guidance on producing online questionnaires; • Overview of ‘how to’ produce an online questionnaire; • Includes software details, introduction to HTML and javascript, technical aspects of question design, accessibility issues; • Links to relevant questionnaire software; • Detailed practical module to complement more academic content elsewhere.

5. Choosing Software • Questionnaire software makes process of producing a questionnaire possible for those with few or no technical skills; • Huge range of software available; • The site aims to provide guidance on available features, services and costs; • Allows users to create a checklist of features required and match these to available software; • Detailed guidance including ‘screen shots’ provided.

• www. geog. le. ac. uk/orm • onlinerm@le. ac. uk