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)