Lessons on data security from MIT
Last week, we joined "Managing confidential research data," a class on research design and methods at MIT taught by Dr. Micah Altman. We thought SurveyCTO users would appreciate the key take-aways.
Save the date! Dobility India launch parties
We're celebrating the launch of our Dobility India subsidiary and some other cool things we can't talk about quite yet. Please join us for good company, Indian treats, and refreshing local brews on Wednesday, June 1 from 6—8pm at Workbar in Cambridge.
The shrinking worlds of adolescent girls
One of the research projects we're watching closely is the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) based out of the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. We asked GEAS Senior Research Program Coordinator Lydia Animosa, MSPH, about what they've learned so far about early adolescence from their 15 study sites around the world and if they have any lessons for researchers embarking on complex, multi-year studies.
Going digital at Brown University
In the past few months, we've been developing our online simulation toolkit so that faculty can digitize their public policy simulations. We checked in with Joshua Yardley about his experience using SurveyCTO to run a pandemic simulation in the "Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis" course he teaches at Brown University and the opportunities he sees for using online simulations in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
From online simulation to classroom discussion
After a successful pilot of a pandemic simulation using SurveyCTO earlier this year, members of our team had the pleasure of participating in its implementation as part of the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) module "Fundamentals of Policy Analysis and Decision Making," a required course for 250 Masters in Public Policy students.
Save the date! Join us at HumTech2016
This year, join SurveyCTO from June 7-9 at HumTech2016, the annual conference that brings "together scientists, engineers, technologists and policymakers from across academic, government, industry and non-government organizations to discuss, share and promote current research and recent accomplishments across all aspects of technology, from science to systems, that have a global humanitarian impact."
SurveyCTO in the U.S.: J-PAL evaluates Nurse-Family Partnership
SurveyCTO has been the data collection tool of choice for J-PAL South Asia for several years now, enabling researchers to collect and analyze quality data on dozens of India-based impact evaluations. Hundreds of other J-PAL and IPA projects have likewise used SurveyCTO in developing countries around the world.
Survey Design for Quality Data – Part 2
Let’s pick up where we left off in Part 1 of our survey design for quality data series, which was inspired by Dobility founder and CEO Dr. Christopher Robert's presentation in the TechChange course “Technology for Data Collection and Survey Design.” Lesson 1 focused on designing your survey with empathy for field staff and respondents. Lesson 2 highlighted SurveyCTO tools for building in relevance and constraints. With Lesson 3, we’ll jump into a number of ways that SurveyCTO enables you to automate monitoring and workflow.
Survey Design for Quality Data – Part 1
Last week, Dobility founder and CEO Dr. Christopher Robert presented on how to design surveys for quality data in the TechChange Course "Technology for Data Collection and Survey Design.” We thought it would be fun to share highlights from his talk with the larger community of mobile data collection users (while also showing off some of the cool ways that SurveyCTO can help you design smart surveys from day one).
Using data to improve the lives of women and girls
In recognition of International Women's Day, we thought we'd share two of the many ways that SurveyCTO partners have been using mobile data collection to improve the lives of women and girls around the world...
Join us for the DIL mobile data collection webinar series
Join SurveyCTO's very own Faizan Diwan for the next installment of the Development Impact Lab (DIL) Mobile Data Collection Webinar Series, presented in partnership with Engineering for Change (E4C).
Online simulation with SurveyCTO
For a Masters in Public Policy course at Harvard Kennedy School, we wanted to shift a pandemic simulation from in-class to before-class. Read more to learn how we did it with SurveyCTO...
Quality data key to achieving global goals
There is a critical difference between data and quality data. In this new era of #2030NOW, we must push for more than numbers that fill spreadsheets; we must push for good, quality data that reflects the needs of all members of society—young and old. We need data that covers conflict-ridden areas, refugee camps, and remote, disconnected areas. Read how inclusive, high-quality data will be key to achieving the new Global Goals...
Learning from SurveyCTO users
As SurveyCTO has grown, so has the range of projects for which the platform is being used to collect high-quality data, evaluate programs, and conduct research. Who is using SurveyCTO? And how have they leveraged the platform to get more accurate, real-time data? Below are a few case studies from our users...
Real-time project monitoring and visualization
SurveyCTO allows you to publish incoming data directly from the server to Google Sheets (formerly known as Google Spreadsheets), so you can create dashboards that present up-to-the-minute summaries of your data. You can then use these dashboards to monitor the progress of your surveys, share real-time results with your team, and more. This post shares a simple example.
Electronic vs. paper-based data collection
Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI or just “electronic”) and Paper and Pencil Interviewing (PAPI or just “paper-based”) are two different methods of conducting surveys and collecting data more generally. PAPI is the traditional method in which an enumerator fills in a paper form or questionnaire. CAPI is the newer method, gaining in popularity, where the enumerator uses a tablet, smartphone, or laptop computer to move through the interview and record responses...
The structure of the tech-for-dev marketplace
Thoughts on the structure of the technology-for-development marketplace, donor incentives, and the role for private-sector technology providers...
Integrating with SalesForce.com
The folks at open[Fn] have just released a SalesForce.com integration for SurveyCTO and other ODK-based systems, and we're very excited to have this new option available to our users. (SalesForce.com is a ridiculously powerful cloud platform that can be used for data monitoring, visualization, and management, priced at extremely steep discounts for nonprofits.) ...
Considerations for institutional review boards
If you sit on an institutional review board (IRB) or other research ethics committee, you need to know how to assess projects that use electronic forms of data collection. Rest assured that data confidentiality with electronic data collection can actually be substantially safer than paper... if handled properly. This post discusses a series of questions that a research ethics committee should ask of projects employing electronic data collection...
Considerations for students
Graduate students have more to think about when it comes to electronic data collection. As students, timelines and budgets are tight, especially for those collecting data abroad. There are three short months in the summer to land in-country and collect data before returning to campus. And there’s likely little room for error with the budget. Luckily, with some planning and preparation, electronic data collection can maximize results within these constraints.
Planning for electronic data collection
You need to collect some data. You’re familiar with pen-and-paper data collection, but you’ve decided to make the leap and enjoy the benefits of electronic data collection. Now you have a lot of questions...