Abstract:

Surveys are a common and valuable tool for collecting the data needed by universities to guide continuous improvement efforts and to satisfy accreditation requirements and mandates. To ensure the data collected through surveys is valid and reliable, educational researchers should be aware of the trends and advances in survey methods, response modes and best practices. Recent increases in the use of tablet and mobile technologies are changing how respondent’s complete education based surveys. In less than a decade, tablets and cell phones have become common methods used by respondents to interact with a survey. These technologies have made web based surveys accessible in almost all locations and times. Students are no longer reliant on access to desktop computers and WIFI connectivity. Due to differences in screen size, keyboard size and connection speed, some survey question formats may be difficult for survey respondents to complete. This may increase question skipping or limit the depth of responses.

The proposed presentation will provide information about global and national technology use trends among college students. Then, using data from a large United States (U.S.) based research university, the researchers will present findings from recent surveys showing the respondent demographics most likely to use tablet or mobile technologies to respond to surveys, review average time to complete surveys by technology type and review response patterns for differences by technology. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of best item types based on the findings of the research.

Keywords:

Survey research, mobile technology, tablet, smart phones, survey response modes, survey methodology.