Survey Lab

Abstract

Engaging students in real-world data production is an important aspect of teaching survey methods. Active involvement in designing and implementing data collection strategies allows students to experience difficulties and costs of obtaining quality data and to gain a deeper understanding of the interdependency between elements of a research project (Foster and MacGillivray, 2010; Allen and Baugman, 2016). However, students have limited possibilities in this regard. Data collection is time-consuming, involves direct costs, and requires intense supervision to ensure ethical compliance (Birrell, 2020). These aspects are hardly compatible with the short time frame and limited resources of a semester teaching module. We built on previous experiences with simulated populations to support students’ projects (Bulmer and Haladyn, 2011) and developed the SurveyLab virtual environment to overcome these limitations. The environment, accessible through a user-friendly interface (surveylab.sun.ac.za), allows students to design data collection tools, sample a simulated human population of 40 000 individuals spread across the 21 villages and 5 regions of an imaginary country and conduct virtual data collection on the selected individuals for subsequent analysis. The realistic characteristics of the individuals – including sensitivity to data collection fatigue, varying propensity to refuse participation and temporary unavailability – allows for a first-hand experience of common challenges in survey research. The tool is implemented with non-proprietary technologies to ensure expandability, transportability and low maintenance cost. The development has been funded through the Fund for Innovation and Research into Teaching and Learning (FIRTL). The SurveyLab is conceived as a tool to complement theoretical teaching and facilitate the development of practical competencies in designing and conducting population surveys, with the potential for a broader utilisation across other teaching modules which require access to population data for training and assessment purposes. The tool is currently being experimented with the students enrolled in the Survey Methods module of the MPhil in Health Systems, and external evaluation by lecturers from various Institutions is underway. Preliminary results from the analysis of students’ feedback collected with a focus group at the end of the module and from the external evaluation are presented.