Are you ready to create surveys that minimize burden on respondents and maximize the usefulness of results?
Join us September 21 & 28 for a two-part online course in Designing Quality Survey Questions!
Surveys are a popular data collection tool because they are so easy to use and have the potential to reach large populations even with a relatively small investment of time and technical resources. But, as survey fatigue grows, we must craft richer, more concise, and more focused survey questions to keep respondents engaged and yield accurate and useful data.
During this live online course, you’ll spend a total of five hours with survey question design experts Sheila B. Robinson & Kim Leonard. Sheila & Kim will use rich examples and engaging activities to demonstrate why and how to engage in a respondent-centered, intentional survey design process to craft high quality survey questions.
Course Details
Session 1, September 21, 10am – 12:30pm Pacific/ 1pm – 3:30pm Eastern
In Session 1 we will:
- Demonstrate through rich examples and stories why a respondent-centered, intentional survey design matters.
- Introduce and describe our survey design process.
- Use interactive activities to practice identifying common problems that show up in survey questions.
- Save time for Q&A.
Session 2, September 28, 10am – 12:30pm Pacific/ 1pm – 3:30pm Eastern
In Session 2 we will:
- Dive into research-based guidance about specific question types such as rating scales, check all that apply questions, and open-ended questions.
- Talk about how to handle potentially sensitive questions such as demographic questions.
- Address common questions such as:
- When should we use “I don’t know”, “Unsure” or similar response options?
- How can we effectively deal with annual surveys?
- How best to label response options in rating scales?
- How many response options should we offer?
- Introduce and describe our question design assessment tool:The Checklist for Quality Question Design.
- Practice revising problematic questions.
- Save time for Q&A.
As a result of completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Use a respondent-centered, intentional question design process as a key to designing an effective survey.
- Understand the cognitive processes involved in answering survey questions and their implications for question design.
- Identify several common problems with survey questions and ways to address them.
- Craft high quality open and closed ended survey questions with appropriate response options.
Participants will also have an opportunity to practice their question design skills and will leave with resources to further develop their skills, including a copy of The Designing Quality Surveys Checklist.
Refunds: Full refunds for cancellations are available until 10 days prior to the first session, after which partial refunds may be available at the discretion of the facilitators. Contact Kim directly at kim@leonardrande.com to request a refund.
Once approved, your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within 30 days.
Recordings: This is a live, interactive course. Participants will benefit most from attending the entirety of both sessions. Recordings will not be available.
Accommodations: The course will be conducted in English via Zoom. Live closed captioning will be available in English, but translation will not be available at this time. You will be prompted to let us know about other accommodation needs when you register.
Pricing for the fall 2023 course is:
Early bird, through August 18 — $400
Full price, starting August 19 — $500
Student (proof of status required) — $350
Registration will open in mid-July.
Facilitators
Sheila & Kim met on Twitter over a decade ago, began blogging together and facilitating standing-room only conference sessions and sold-out pre-conference workshops on survey design, and ultimately co-authored Designing Quality Survey Questions, (SAGE Publications, 2018). They combined decades of experience in non-profits, education, philanthropy, social work, assessment, and evaluation to create this course based on the latest research on survey questions.
Kim Leonard
Co-Author/Faciiltator
Sheila B Robinson
Co-Author/Facilitator
Frequently Asked Questions
This course is intended for anyone who wants or needs to create surveys. No prior knowledge or experience is assumed, but we find that most participants come with some basic knowledge about what not to do when crafting survey questions. For those with extensive experience creating surveys, this may serve as an excellent refresher, and will introduce our tool – the Designing Quality Survey Questions checklist. While we do discuss the psychology of survey response and practical approaches to ensuring validity, we do not cover advanced testing techniques (e.g., psychometrics).
This course focuses on the overall survey design process and emphasizes crafting effective questions that engage respondents, minimize burden, and yield meaningful data and actionable insights. This course does not address advanced validation techniques, sampling or analysis. The course is also format-agnostic; we do not recommend nor discuss specific survey software. Course content is designed to be useful regardless of survey administration format or software.
Please email kim@leonardrande.com with any of the following as proof of your status as a student within 48 hours of registration.
- Photocopy of your dated student ID (with current date)
- Photocopy of your class registration
- Photocopy of your class schedule (must include your info)
- Photocopy of your school bill
Registration is designed for individuals. Email Kim (kim@leonardrande.com) to ask about a discount for groups of 5 or more.
This is a live, interactive course. Participants will benefit most from attending the entirety of both sessions. Recordings will not be available.
Registered participants will receive a comprehensive handout with key concepts and resources. The course will not be recorded.
Full refunds for cancellations are available until 10 days prior to the first session, after which partial refunds may be available at the discretion of the facilitators. Contact Kim directly at kim@leonardrande.com to request a refund.
Once approved, your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within 30 days.