Web Survey Bibliography
Relevance & Research Question
When developing web-based course evaluation tools (for evaluating teaching e.g. in university or secondary schools), researchers and practitioners put much effort into reaching high psychometric properties of the instruments, realizing high participation rates, suitable and useful reports of the results, and the drawing of consequences (see Thielsch & Hirschfeld, 2011). However, there are three more vital aspects not to be overlooked, especially when using technology to aid collection, processing, and presentation of data: privacy, data security, and the ethical dimension of our actions. To account for these aspects is critical not only from a judicial point of view (European Union Data Protection Directive, 95/46/EC or, for Germany, Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG); considering them will arguably also foster acceptance of course evaluations among evaluators and evaluatees. This presentation therefore aims at discussing issues of privacy, data security and its ethical dimension when conducting online course evaluations.
Methods & Data
A review of the literature on the mentioned issues of course evaluations was conducted and paralleled to existing practice. Additional theoretical and practical aspects were examined. The following are key aspects being discussed: (1) carefully selecting (and limiting) the variables to assess; (2) securing assessment and storage of data via access control and encryption; (3) anonymized or pseudonymized archiving of data; (4) ethical aspects such as using non-reactive data and reporting of negative results.
Results
Online course evaluations show potential for very high data quality and benefits over traditional paper-pencil evaluations, in part due to the facilitated way to collect and process large data sets. However, the risks accompanying these facilitations are discussed, and recommendations for researchers and practitioners are given on how to control or even avoid them altogether.
Added Value
The study raises awareness for aspects of course evaluations that are often taken for granted or neglected, but may endanger data integrity as well as acceptance when not paid attention to. The study gives recommendations for conductors of web-based course evaluations on how to handle these aspects.
GOR Homepage (abstract) / (presentation)
Web survey bibliography (281)
- Overview: Online Surveys; 2017; Vehovar, V.; Lozar Manfreda, K.
- Standard Definitions Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys; 2016
- Retrospective Measurement of Students’ Extracurricular Activities with a Self-administered Calendar...; 2016; Furthmueller, P.
- Pitfalls, Potentials, and Ethics of Online Survey Research: LGBTQ and Other Marginalized and Hard-to...; 2016; McInroy, L. B.
- Computer-assisted and online data collection in general population surveys; 2016; Skarupova, K.
- A Statistical Approach to Provide Individualized Privacy for Surveys; 2016; Esponda, F.; Huerta, K.; Guerrero, V. M.
- Social Media Analyses for Social Measurement; 2016; Schober, M. F.; Pasek, J.; Guggenheim, L.; Lampe, C.; Conrad, F. G.
- Doing Surveys Online ; 2016; Toepoel, V.
- An Overview of Mobile CATI Issues in Europe; 2015; Slavec, A.; Toninelli, D.
- Utilizing iPads in the Field; 2015; Kiser, P.
- Standard Definitions: Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys 2015; 2015
- The Web Survey Revolution ; 2015; Murray, D.
- Methodology of the RAND Mid-Term 2014 Election Panel; 2015; Carman, K. G; Pollack, S.
- 28 Questions to Help Buyers of Online Samples; 2015; Cape, P. J.; Phillips, A.; Baker, R.; Cooke, M.; Ribeiro, E.; Terhanian, G.
- Ethical decision-making and Internet research 2.0: Recommendations from the AoIR ethics working committee...; 2015; Markham, A.; Buchanan, E. A.
- Doing online research involving university students with disabilities: Methodological issues; 2015; De Cesarei, A.; Baldaro, B.
- Exploring ethical issues associated with using online surveys in educational research; 2015; Roberts, L. D.; Allen, P. J.
- An Introduction to Survey Research; 2015; Cowles, E. L.; Nelson, E.
- Ethical issues in online research; 2015; James, N.; Busher, H.
- Leading Edge Insights: Foundations of Quality 2.0; 2014; Fuguitt, G.
- Methods and systems for managing an online opinion survey service; 2014; Mcloughlin, M. H., Seton, N., Blesy, K.
- Recent Books and Journals in Public Opinion, Survey Methods, and Survey Statistics; 2014; Callegaro, M.
- Undisclosed Privacy: The Effect of Privacy Rights Design on Response Rates; 2014; Haer, R., Meidert, N.
- Tailoring mode of data collection in longitudinal studies; 2013; Kaminska, O., Lynn, P.
- How do we Know Cognitive Interviewing is Any Good?; 2013; Willis, G. B.
- Quality of Web surveys; 2013; Revilla, M.
- Experiments in Obtaining Data Linkage Consent in Web Surveys ; 2013; Sakshaug, J. W., Kreuter, F.
- Response Burden in Official Business Surveys: Measurement and Reduction Practices of National Statistical...; 2013; Giesen, D., Bavdaz, M., Loefgren, T., Raymond-Blaess, V.
- Internet as a new source of information for the production of official statistics. Experiences of Statistics...; 2013; Heerschap, N.
- A standard with quality indicators for web panel surveys: a Swedish example; 2013; Nyfjaell, M.
- How Mobile Stacks Up to Traditional Online: A Comparison of Studies; 2013; Knowles, R.
- How to make your questionnaire mobile-ready; 2013; Cape, P. J.
- Phish Rising: How Internet Criminals are Undermining the Viability of Online Survey Research…and...; 2013; Kunovic, K.
- Self-Reported Participation in Research Practices Among Survey Methodology Researchers; 2013; Perez-Vergara, K., Smith, C., Lowenstein, C., Ozonoff, A., Martins, Y.
- Ethics, privacy and data security in web-based course evaluation; 2013; Salaschek, M., Meese, C., Thielsch, M.
- Beyond methodology - some ethical implications of "doing research online"; 2013; Heise, N.
- Code Comparison; 2012
- Evaluation procedures for Survey questions; 2012; Saris, W. E.
- Transparency, Access and the Credibility of Survey Research; 2012; Lupia, A.
- Anonymity and Confidentiality; 2012; Tourangeau, R.
- Cognitive Evaluation of Survey Instruments: State of the Science (Art?) and Future Directions; 2012; Willis, G. B.
- How to provide high data quality in online-questionnaires: Setting guidelines in design; 2012; Tries, S., Nebel, S., Blanke, K.
- Comparability of Survey Measurements; 2012; Oberski, D.
- Classification of Surveys; 2012; Stoop, I., Harrison, E.
- Enhancing Web Surveys With New HTML5 Input Types; 2012; Funke, F.
- Why one should incorporate the design weights when adjusting for unit nonresponse using response homogeneity...; 2012; Kott, P. S.
- Assessing the Quality of Survey Data ; 2012; Blasius, J.
- Designing and Doing Survey Research; 2012; Andres, L.
- Using break-offs in web interviews for predicting web response in mixed mode surveys; 2011; Beukenhorst, D.
- Standard Definitions: Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys 2011; 2011