Is now a good time? Surveying higher ed students in a pandemic

Is now a good time? Surveying higher ed students in a pandemic

One of the most common questions I am fielding today—with COVID-19 spreading across the nation, is now a good time to conduct surveys? Is the pandemic having an impact on response rates?

As one of my favorite grad school professors, Mick Couper, loved to say, “It depends.”

Whether one engages in a survey right now will depend on their current status. This may not be a good time to survey emergency department staff. Professionals who are engaged in conducting online surveys may also have their hands full of work (from home) and may not have much extra time to spare. But if you are surveying the general population, with exploding rates of unemployment, you may have better luck. Students in higher education have been ripped from their regular social routines and disconnected from others. They may welcome an opportunity to share their experiences . . .

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Why We Do Checklists

Why We Do Checklists

It has been a while since I have communicated about the importance of checklists.  It feels that the time is right to do so again… as it will become a more and more important element to what we do as we grow.

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Guiding Principles at SoundRocket:  A Self-Assessment

Guiding Principles at SoundRocket: A Self-Assessment

Everyone has self-assessed at some point or another.  Be it something formal with a Myers & Briggs inventory or a chat with a trusted friend or family member – we are driven to search for who we are.  To some it comes easier than others.  While I have always loved to self-assess, I have generally been shy…

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A Social Scientist’s Exercise in Gratitude – 12, 38, 400, 820, and 1.9 million

In the Summer of 2004, I set out to carve a new path.  I knew that I didn’t enjoy market research (or social science research within a market research firm).  I missed academic social science research, but I wasn’t keen on returning to a purely academic environment.  I took a leap of faith and quit my job with no plan.  With two young kids, I would test out being a “full-time dad” for awhile, as I explored what options I had.  I suspect I knew inside that I needed the urgency of not having a job to help me decide what was next.

I am grateful that…

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9 Reasons Why I Work in Survey Research

Anyone who has been in the field of survey research knows how difficult it is to explain to friends and family what exactly it is we do.  I have gotten so caught up with this question sometimes that I forget to consider why I do it – which in its own way helps answer the what question.

So here is why I do it:

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