Microcredential ekomex Introduction to Survey Design

Content 

This 2-day online course introduces participants to the basics of survey design that allows participants to understand the theoretical principles behind survey research and to obtain practical knowledge of survey design fundamentals including sampling and questionnaire design.

What Is This Course About?
This 2-day online course introduces participants to the basics of survey design that allows participants to understand the theoretical principles behind survey research and to obtain practical knowledge of survey design fundamentals including sampling and questionnaire design. The course starts with a brief introduction to survey research and its goals and applications in social science research, with a particular focus on public opinion research. Throughout the first day we will get an overview of the survey process and discuss topics related to sampling, weighing, data collection modes, and their implications for validity. The second day will be dedicated to questionnaire design, discussing issues surrounding concept operationalization, the development of survey items, and various forms of response and non-response bias.

Learning Goals

  • Be able to understand how and why public opinion surveys are applied in the social sciences
  • Be able to identify different sampling methods and data collection modes together with their advantages and disadvantages and their implications for validity
  • Be able to understand and apply the basics of survey questionnaire design for creating survey items that fulfil specific conceptualization goals
  • Gain an understanding of the various forms of validity and bias surrounding survey research and of various strategies for avoiding or reducing them


Assignments for the Course
Daily small-group exercises and daily quizzes (not graded).

Schedule
Tentative course schedule:

  • 13:30-17:30
  • 13:30-15:30 – Lecture & Q&A
  • 15:30-17:30 – Small group exercises and office hours


Recommended Readings for the Course

  • Robert M. Groves, Floyd J. Fowler Jr., Mick P. Couper, Roger Tourangeau, Eleanor Singer, James M. Lepkowski. 2009. “Survey Methodology, 2nd Edition.” John Wiley & Sons 
  • Zaller, John, and Stanley Feldman. 1992. “A Simple Theory of the Survey Response: Answering Questions versus Revealing Preferences.” American Journal of Political Science 36(3): 579–616
  • Berinsky, Adam J. 2017. “Measuring Public Opinion with Surveys.” Annual Review of Political Science 20:309-329


Who Is Your Instructor?
Ioana-Elena Oana is Assistant Professor (part-time) at the European University Institute (EUI) focusing on political behavior and public opinion formation, social movements and protest, and European solidarity and risk-sharing. Beyond these substantive interests, her work concentrates on research methodology and R software development with a pluralist outlook spanning a wide range of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Nena has extensive experience in survey methodology having been responsible for designing, collecting, and analyzing more than eight cross-national European-wide surveys. Her substantive work based on survey and survey experimental data has been published, among others, in European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, Journal of European Public Policy as well as in monographs with Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press.
Website: https://nenaoana.github.io
Twitter: @NenaOana

Bildungszeit (can be claimed by employees in Baden-Württemberg) 
Anforderungen des Bildungszeitgesetzes Baden-Württemberg sind erfüllt
Fee 
250 EUR / Early bird 180 EUR / Please note: you will gain access to our learning management system Moodle only after having paid your course fee
ECTS Credits 
1
Contact for Questions 
Date 
13.02.2025 (All day)
14.02.2025 (All day)
Requirements 
No pre-requisite knowledge required.