How to Conduct a Survey: Part 6 5/04/20

We cut off public access to the survey on Friday, May 1st. Since the survey went live on April 4th, the survey was open to the public for four weeks.  There was some confusion about the total respondents (there was a difference in the number of people who started and completed the survey). We ended up with 177 completed surveys. This was not quite the number I was hoping for, but COVID-19 and the closure of the public building probably had something to do with the lower than expected total.

The survey was through Google forms and there are a number of ways you can break down the data and create graphs. The last few days I have been trying to discern patterns, themes, or stories to be told from the survey responses, especially from the open ended questions.

The process of finding a story to tell, presenting the data, and polishing the presentation for the publishing of an article will be a project that will outlast my internship. Dr. Louderback is eager to work with me until completion of this project.

A few quick takeaways from the experience:

• Ideally, someone conducting a survey for the first time at an academic institution should begin the process several months in advance. While my project qualified for an expedited review, there were many details that were overlooked in the hustle to get paperwork and applications in in a timely fashion.  
• When conducting a survey, it is important to identify very clearly all the possible kinds people who may find and take the survey. I made a mistake of assuming everyone taking the survey had actually visited the website. It turns out that many faculty and staff had not, but all of the questions assumed they had! I believe this led to the discrepancy between the total number who began the survey, and those who completed it.
• If I ever have the opportunity to do this again, I think I will spend more time refining the goals and purposes of the survey. In other words, writing very specific questions that need answering.
• In going over the responses to the survey, I'm thrilled that the information might be used by the NSU staff in current efforts to restructure the website. It seems important that student internship work actually benefit the partnering institution. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed the experience of conducting a survey and am looking forward to putting this skill to use in future professional endeavors.