This document provides an overview, rationale, and resources for a workshop on designing effective surveys. The workshop aims to teach participants how to 1) design survey items and responses to answer a focused research question and 2) structure the overall survey so that the individual parts work together coherently. Participants will learn steps for constructing survey items, response options, and analysis methods through discussion and applying the techniques to their own work. The rationale is that medical education researchers need high-quality, low-burden surveys to obtain sufficient response rates from busy professionals.

1. We have conducted a survey to promote the School of Management on its programmes,
facilities ,strength of the programmes and supports given to students to the general public
during the convocation week from 23rd October 2018 until 28th October 2018. Our
intended audiences is visitors of USM during convocation weeks with the goals to
understand how to design surveys to answer a focused research question
1. To practice designing survey items and response options that will yield
interpretable and usable results
2. To understand how the structure of the survey as a whole – i.e., the sum of the
parts (individual items) – lends itself to a coherent answer to a research question
Overview: This workshop will walk participants through the steps needed to design
survey items that will answer their research questions. Participants are invited to bring
work in progress and to develop the survey further within the workshop. Discussion will
focus on item construction, response options, and consequent methods of analysis to
address the research question.
Rationale: Surveys are the most frequently used method used in medical education
research. However, because the medical community is the most frequently surveyed
population in the US, response rates are typically low. Therefore, it is critically important
that potential respondents perceive surveys as important and interesting so they are
more likely to participate in the research. Not only must the items be interesting, they
must be limited so that the survey is not a burden for busy people. If each item provides
a critical piece of information and response rate is high, the researcher should be in a
good position to answer his/her question.
Resources Needed:
Readings:
Fowler FJ. Improving Survey Questions: Design and Evaluation. Applied Social
Research Methods Series, Vol. 38. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishing, 1995.
VanGeest JB, Johnson TP, Welch VL. Methodologies for improving response rates in
surveys of physicians: a systematic review. Eval Health Prof 2007;30:303-321.
Faculty: An experienced survey researcher
Materials: Participants may bring works in progress, or the group may use examples the
facilitator provides. A room large enough to accommodate break out groups. White
board or flip chart.