The SurveyLab is a tool designed to integrate and complement theoretical teaching of survey methods and traditional assignment work, promote active learning and facilitate the development of practical competencies in designing and conducting population surveys.
The SurveyLab consists of a simulated realistic human population that can be surveyed and analysed. The environment, remotely accessible through this interface, allow users to design a data collection plan, sample the population accordingly, and conduct virtual fieldwork to collect the data of interest that they can then analyse and interpret. All this in a reasonable amount of time, and in a safe and life-like, albeit simplified, environment.
Th current version of the SurveyLab is freely accessible at the URL https://surveylab.sun.ac.za, with any modern internet browser supporting html5 and javascript. There are no technical limitations for access from mobile devices, and the interface will adapt to any screen size. However, activities such as sampling, which requires exploring maps of the environment, are best conducted on large screens, and a minimum resolution of 1024x768 pixels is recommended.
You can download the user guide in PDF format from here.
These 4 video tutorials will give you an idea of what you can do with the SurveyLab:
The initial development of the SurveyLAb has been funded by a grant from Stellenbosch University, Fund for Innovation and Research into Learning and Teaching (FINLO).
The SurveyLab is an ongoing project, and future developments include:
Integration of the systems with an AI-based chatbot to allow direct interaction with the virtual individuals in natural language (virtual interviews)
Improvement of the graphical interface
