Requirements
Shown below are the common requirements in summary form identified thus far. They are intended to give faculty, staff, and students an overview so they can assess how well their individual needs will be met. In addition to these, the project team has prepared and is continuing to expand upon detailed requirements to collect the needs of the campus community in an organized fashion. A summary of the requirements will provide the clearest overall view of the campus needs.
Summary of Survey Instrument Requirements as of 11/17/2008 (In-Process)
Administrator
The ability to define accounts, subaccounts, and roles associated with accounts. Roles should be related to varying levels of access and authorization.
Sample Management
The software should be designed to manage the sample, but not (necessarily) be able to select a simple or complex sample. Tag and identify those cases selected for pretesting activities vs. main study. Set schedule for the period of data collection, including initial timing of the initial electronic notification as well as reminders throughout the data collection period for those who have not yet completed the questionnaire. Software should have flexibility with respect to importing data that identifies respondents. Software should allow for randomization of respondents to different questionnaire treatments.
Survey Questionnaire Design
Software should be flexible to allow for different question and response option formats. Question formats include open, closed, and partially closed questions. Response options include (but are not limited to): single answer, multiple answer, text box and combinations of these. Response option formats should include horizontal and vertical display of responses, using radio buttons, check boxes, pick lists, radio or check boxes in a grid format, ruler/slider, and semantic differential boxes.
Software will be capable of the following design features:
Provisioning Systems
The system should be capable of incorporating data from other systems.
Survey Operations and Monitoring
Survey designer will have the option of anonymous or confidential data collection, with the capability of tracking completion for confidential surveys. The software will facilitate notification (electronic) to respondents of the existence of the survey and (non-anonymous surveys) selection as a respondent. System will receive completed questionnaires and monitor respondent status (for non anonymous surveys), including the distribution of reminder notifications as defined by the schedule.
Response Process
Data submitted by respondents will be secured (level of security dependent upon type of data collection). Respondents may have the option of completing survey in one sitting or multiple sittings (designer specified). Partially completed interviews accepted.
Analysis
The software should be able to produce statistics related to the data collection (number of completes, number of completes by time/effort, response rates, etc.) for both the main study as well as any pretest efforts.
The software should allow for the capture of paradata, including, but not limited to question response times (latency times), keystroke files, and completion times.
Finally, the software should allow for the exporting of the data to appropriate analysis software, including statistical software (e.g., Excel, SPSS, SAS, Stata), text software (for open-ended items), qualitative software.
Shown below are the common requirements in summary form identified thus far. They are intended to give faculty, staff, and students an overview so they can assess how well their individual needs will be met. In addition to these, the project team has prepared and is continuing to expand upon detailed requirements to collect the needs of the campus community in an organized fashion. A summary of the requirements will provide the clearest overall view of the campus needs.
Summary of Survey Instrument Requirements as of 11/17/2008 (In-Process)
Administrator
The ability to define accounts, subaccounts, and roles associated with accounts. Roles should be related to varying levels of access and authorization.
Sample Management
The software should be designed to manage the sample, but not (necessarily) be able to select a simple or complex sample. Tag and identify those cases selected for pretesting activities vs. main study. Set schedule for the period of data collection, including initial timing of the initial electronic notification as well as reminders throughout the data collection period for those who have not yet completed the questionnaire. Software should have flexibility with respect to importing data that identifies respondents. Software should allow for randomization of respondents to different questionnaire treatments.
Survey Questionnaire Design
Software should be flexible to allow for different question and response option formats. Question formats include open, closed, and partially closed questions. Response options include (but are not limited to): single answer, multiple answer, text box and combinations of these. Response option formats should include horizontal and vertical display of responses, using radio buttons, check boxes, pick lists, radio or check boxes in a grid format, ruler/slider, and semantic differential boxes.
Software will be capable of the following design features:
- Complex branching between questions and between sections of a questionnaire
- Design specifications for within and between screen movements (navigation control)
- Randomization of questions and response options within questions
- Text fill capacity, based on previous answers
- Flexibility with respect to the import of different file formats for questions (e.g. video, audio, geo-specific maps, etc.)
- User-specified print option
- Progress indicator
Provisioning Systems
The system should be capable of incorporating data from other systems.
Survey Operations and Monitoring
Survey designer will have the option of anonymous or confidential data collection, with the capability of tracking completion for confidential surveys. The software will facilitate notification (electronic) to respondents of the existence of the survey and (non-anonymous surveys) selection as a respondent. System will receive completed questionnaires and monitor respondent status (for non anonymous surveys), including the distribution of reminder notifications as defined by the schedule.
Response Process
Data submitted by respondents will be secured (level of security dependent upon type of data collection). Respondents may have the option of completing survey in one sitting or multiple sittings (designer specified). Partially completed interviews accepted.
Analysis
The software should be able to produce statistics related to the data collection (number of completes, number of completes by time/effort, response rates, etc.) for both the main study as well as any pretest efforts.
The software should allow for the capture of paradata, including, but not limited to question response times (latency times), keystroke files, and completion times.
Finally, the software should allow for the exporting of the data to appropriate analysis software, including statistical software (e.g., Excel, SPSS, SAS, Stata), text software (for open-ended items), qualitative software.