Questionnaires and Data Gathering Techniques

For some types of projects, questionnaires provide a valuable tool for data collection (see guidelines for evaluation projects). However, students often use questionnaires in a poorly prepared fashion: this can reflect on the School as well as the student. To avoid this situation, any student wishing to use a questionnaire must arrange to meet with the Project Coordinator to discuss this, prior to the deadline for submitting a ``Questionnaire Form'' (see schedule).

Rules

Any student who does not meet with the Project Coordinator will not be permitted to use a questionnaire as part of their project.

Students who still wish to use a questionnaire should then fill in the questionnaire approval form and submit it by the published deadline (see schedule). The decision on whether to allow a questionnaire to be used will depend on the content of the form (which requests information on alternative methods of data collection, a schedule for distribution and return, target audience, method of analysis, etc.). The student will be notified within one week (in advance of the Mid-Project Report deadline).

The project supervisor should approve the design of the final questionnaire.

Please note that, in awarding marks for your project, your questionnaire and the conclusions which you draw from it will be judged against specific criteria.