LI Course
CE Hours: 3 contact hours

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this course is to provide instruction aimed at guiding the development, implementation and reporting of online surveys. Online survey research is conducted by individuals and groups in a wide variety of academic and applied settings. Public health professionals use needs assessment surveys to evaluate services, determine necessary interventions, and track disease; those who oversee clinical trials in biotechnology and pharmacology use online surveys to test the outcomes of interventions; government agencies use them to gather demographic data; and, academic researchers use online surveys to test hypotheses and support theory development. Although, technology has been a boon to survey researchers, it has also created substantial challenges. For example: SPAM blockers, grey-listing and black-listing, the proliferation of pay-for-participation surveys, mobile surveys and more, create unique obstacles that must be addressed in any program of research that includes online surveys. A multitude of software options has opened the field to a broad range of researchers and the need for education on and sharing of best practices surrounding valid and reliable online surveys is greater than ever. General topics will include: •When to use an online survey, including a needs, resources and objectives inventory •How to write survey objectives •How to write survey questions for an online environment •How to evaluate validity and reliability of online questionnaires •Sampling strategies •The psychology of survey participation •Techniques for increasing response rate •Software selection •Cost of developing an online survey •Building an panel of online survey participants •Cleaning and coding of data

Session Objectives: 1.Describe probability and non-probability sampling techniques appropriate to online surveys. 2.Identify best practices surrounding the layout and design of online questionnaires. 3.Describe how follow-up invitations, incentives and behavioral theory can be used to increase response rate in online surveys.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)