This one day course will be offered via Zoom only. Attendance is required as it will not be recorded.

The rapid growth of mobile phones in developing countries opens up new possibilities for data collection. Short message service (SMS), interactive voice response (IVR), online surveys (web) and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) can produce data faster and less expensively than face-to-face surveys. This course will introduce students to the design and implementation of SMS, IVR, Web, and CATI surveys in low- and middle-income countries.

In this course, Dr. Lau will draw from real world examples to illustrate how these modes work. We will also discuss basic survey design principles in each mode, focusing on sampling, questionnaire development, and survey design. New for this year’s course: Students will work in small groups to design questionnaires and collect data in real time via SMS and IVR using a free, open source survey tool.

There are no prerequisites for this course, but basic familiarity with survey research in developing countries is helpful.