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If you’re exploring how to create effective surveys, this post builds on our previous discussion on Using Qualtrics for Successful Surveys, where we covered strategies for defining survey goals, crafting effective questions, and keeping surveys concise. Now, we’re diving deeper into how Qualtrics’ ExpertReview feature can refine your survey design, ensuring it is accessible, mobile-friendly, and more likely to yield valuable data.
When you need to create a survey for a class, research project, office, or for any other reason, the go-to survey software we recommend is Qualtrics. Fordham University has a campus-wide license for Qualtrics that is open to all faculty, staff and students. Simply sign into the Fordham portal and go to “My Apps” or you can use the direct link: Fordham.Qualtrics.com. In either case, you’ll be asked to use your Fordham username and password to access the application.
Once inside Qualtrics, as you begin crafting your survey questions, you may notice a ‘lightbulb’ icon in the top right corner of your question box:
This icon is meant to alert you that the question you’ve just created is problematic. The concern may be one of accessibility for survey takers with vision or mobility issues. It could also be an issue that your survey question may be difficult to render well on a mobile device (Likert questions, for example, are notoriously difficult to render well on mobile devices).
You can, as you build your survey, click on the lightbulb icon/s and tweak your question one at a time. Or you can wait till the end, and click on the ExpertReview button in the top right corner or the survey, while also seeing a one-word summary of ExpertReviews’ analysis of your survey as a whole.
ExpertReview will rank your survey questions in groups with titles indicating how severe the issue/s are.
Qualtrics will also explain what is giving their algorithm pause, and will offer suggestions on how you can improve your survey design (or praise). Here are some examples:
- Question(s) in your survey aren’t WCAG 2.0AA compliant which means users with cognitive or learning disabilities, users with low vision, and users with disabilities on mobile devices may have difficulty completing your survey.
- Up to 53% of survey starts on Qualtrics happen on mobile devices, unfortunately many of these respondents on mobile end up leaving before they finish the survey – making sure that your survey is “mobile-friendly” can help increase both completion rates and the representativeness of your data.
- Enable checking for bots using the Google reCAPTCHA integration via Survey Options.
- Smooth move! By using correct display logic, your survey should flow nicely.
For a refresher on broader survey strategies—like defining goals, keeping surveys concise, and writing clear questions—check out our previous post. Together, these resources will ensure your surveys are not only functional but also inclusive and effective.
Enjoy using Qualtrics, and let ExpertReview be your second pair of eyes to help you create a more inclusive and effective survey.
Looking for assistance in integrating educational technology into your classroom? Visit the EdTech website for resources or reach out to our team!
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