If, When and How to Use Surveys in Education Scholarship
Join this workshop to strengthen your ability to use surveys wisely and effectively—so your survey tools produce data that advance both scholarship and practice in health professions education.
Want us to offer this event again?
Register your interest now
Description
Surveys are one of the most commonly used tools in education scholarship—but using them effectively requires more than just good questions. Thoughtful consideration of survey appropriateness and alignment with scholarly goals is critical, as it impacts both data quality and interpretability. Without thoughtful planning, surveys may yield data that are unhelpful, misleading, or ethically problematic.
This workshop supports participants in making intentional, informed decisions about when and how to use surveys in education scholarship. It provides practical strategies to assess whether a survey is the most appropriate data collection method for a given question and, if so, how to align survey design with research goals, audiences, and paradigms. Through interactive discussion and activities, participants will (a) clarify the purpose and audience of their surveys, (b) explore how survey methods align with different scholarly goals, (c) learn best practices for item development, survey administration, and data interpretation and (d) identify potential pitfalls in survey-based scholarship and how to avoid them.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Determine whether surveys are the right fit for their scholarly project
- Draft a preliminary plan for designing and administering a survey
- Apply foundational principles of effective question development and ethical design
- Recognize when to seek further expertise or collaboration
- Access key resources for continued learning and support
Who would benefit most from this workshop?
Health professionals, education or academic scholars who are currently using—or considering using—surveys in education scholarship, evaluation, or research.
Relevant Resources
Click here to see resources related to: Program Evaluation, Methods and Methodologies.
Event Details
Recommended Events
-
10FebPlease join us for BPER Reads, our annual "Battle of the Papers"! We began this November with 5 scholars championing one paper of the past academic year they feel every health professional educator must read. We now have our top two papers! Join us for the discussion! -
18FebWhether you're new to program evaluation or refining your approach, this workshop will help you think critically and creatively about evaluation—so your efforts lead to deeper insights and more meaningful data-driven change. -
23FebThe Membership Mondays Community is for CFD members to engage in informal conversations on emerging curiosities, questions and tensions within health professions education. This community comes together virtually, three times a year. Topics are responsive to the needs of the community. Please join us to engage in thoughtful dialogue.
