Online Surveys A Look at Cardiff-TeleForm

1
Online SurveysA Look at Cardiff-TeleForm

• Denise H. Wells
• Planning and Research
• Central Piedmont Community College

2
A comprehensive look

• The software basically works as follows
• Setup survey in the Designer mode
• Initiate the database you want to use (Excel,
  SPSS, or CSV, DEL etc.)
• Export the form to HTML
• Retrieve data from the network drive
• Store returned data in your favorite database
  format
• Analyze data

3
How it works
4
Three different applications

• Software is divided into three parts
• Designer view where the preparation of survey
  takes place
• Reader view where the scanning and recognition
  of data takes place
• Verifier view confirms and verifies the data

5
Designer View

• This application allows you to initiate paper and
  HTML surveys
• The grid is already set-up
• Type in your text format and choose the response
  you desire

6
Designer, contd

• Various choices of responses
• Open ended
• Choice (bubble, T or F)
• Entry field (ssn, codes)
• Image zone (text)
• Comb style print field (print option)
• Constrained print field (print option)

7
Survey in Designer Set-Up
8
Exporting to HTML

• Once the survey is complete and all your
  corrections are made
• You then export the file to an .htm file using
  the TeleForm export designator

9
Export process
10
Process

• Once you export the survey then it immediately
  opens in HTML format as an .htm file
• You can then look at the finished internet survey
  for presentation purposes.
• At this point you can open your Notepad and
  make any changes or attributes to the source code
  as needed.

11
HTML form
12
HTML format

• Each form is exported to a single .htm file
  regardless of the pages in the original survey.
• Any graphics are saved as separate files and
  assigned sequential numbers.
• The file produces your URL or whatever submission
  method you have set up.

13
Collection and Retrieval

• You can either set-up a drive on your network or
  have responses emailed to you.
• There are two test submit methods
• Mailto (Netscape only)- does not need CGI script
• Cardiff test script CGI located at Cardiff and
  can be used for test scripts.
• ASP requires specific operating system or Web
  server software.

14
Collection and Retrieval

• When a participant clicks on the URL, the
  survey pops up and is ready to be accessed.
• Once the survey is completed, the participant
  hits Submit.
• The data is then captured in the designated drive
  or emailed via a TeleForm program.
• The TeleForm program processes the data and
  stores it on a subdirectory on the web server.

15
Retrieval

• Downloading of data is permitted by using the
  TeleForm Internet Server.
• This process allows the TeleForm server to go out
  in the directory where the files are being
  stored, grab it and bring it down to the file
  that you have designated for data population
  (Excel, SPSS, etc).

16
Retrieval of Data
17
Pros of TeleForm

• Software processing systems work well
• Easy to manipulate
• Data retrieval and exporting works fast and
  efficiently
• Can handle large HTML surveys with little effort
• Most graphic images can be used when designing
• Paper and HTML can be utilized with same set-up

18
Cons of TeleForm

• Software is unique configuration can be a
  problem
• Manipulation of source code can be tricky for
  users who do not have HTML background
• Expensive
• 3,500 for Elite version
• Upgrades run about 1,500
• Tech support runs about 900 a year

19
A copy of this presentation can be found on the
Planning and Research website

• http//inside.cpcc.edu/planning
• Click on Studies and Reports
• TeleForm presentation 2/10/03