In-class Activities - Week 11

Efficient Data Collection

Breakout: Process Audit of Data Forms

1. Look over these forms link and conduct a process audit.
2. Where and why do you think errors are most likely to sneak in?
3. Summarize your conclusions and prepare to present them to the class.

Break

Assignment: Data Sheet UX

1. Conduct a Process Audit of your personal data collection sheet (If you do not have one of your own, you can do the assignment with the “Line Transect Sheet” used in class)

2. Redesign your paper data sheet based on your process audit

3. Create an electronic version of the data sheet using Google Forms

4. When done, submit the following via Canvas:

   • the original form
   • the revised form
   • A link to the google form

Alt Assignment Option: Checklists

1. Make a checklist for your research - it can be for materials you need to take with you, procedures for interviews or field experiments, or for research compliance (IRB, permits).
2. There’s no need to format the list with numbers. checkboxes, headers, bolding, etc. - just submit the list of items and I will create and post an .Rmd document with them that will be editable by others.
3. You can see some examples of checklists here, along with the checklist last year’s course put together as a group Travel/Fieldwork Checklist
4. I asked around, and some useful ones people would really like to see include checklists for first aid kits (see this link) and research permits for different countries.

Grading Rubric:

50: Ways errors can get incorporated have been identified; revised form and google doc use UI/UX principles to reduce most data recording errors.
35: Some (but not all) ways that errors can get incorporated have been identified; revised form and google doc use UI/UX principles to reduce some of the potential data recording errors.
20: Few of the ways errors can be included are identified; data collection still likely to be error-prone and inefficient.