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Exploring online research methods - Incorporating TRI-ORM
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Introduction

1. Site overview

» Background

» Who should use this site? Will it help me?

» What's included in this website?

» What's not included in this website?

» How is this site designed?

» Accessibility and internationalisation

» Accessibility

» Use of scripting and third-party plug-ins

» Internationalisation

2. How to use this site

» Introduction to this page

» Site conventions

» Navigation

» Header links

» Footer links

» Breadcrumb links

» Main menu

» Site styles

» Information

» Learning activity instructions

» Examples

» Learning activities

» Links

» External links

» 'Mail to' links

» Open/close headings

» Module contents

» Online questionnaires (Clare Madge with Jane Wellens and Rob Shaw)

» Online interviews (Henrietta O'Connor with Rob Shaw)

» Ethics (Clare Madge)

» Technical guide: Online questionnaires (Rob Shaw)

» Case studies and examples

» Online questionnaires

» Online interviews

» Ethics

» Technical guide: Online questionnaires

» How to use the modules

» Site functionalities

» How to use the accessibility features

» Changing the look of the website

» Skipping repetitive content

» Navigating using access keys

Modules

1. Online questionnaires

» Aims and learning outcomes

» Introduction

» Why use online questionnaires?

» A note of caution

» Learning activity: Background reading

» Advantages and disadvantages

» Advantages

» Speed and volume of data collection

» Savings in costs

» Flexible design

» Data accuracy

» Access to research populations

» Anonymity

» Respondent acceptability

» Disadvantages

» Sample bias

» Measurement error

» Non-response bias

» Length, response and drop out rates

» Technical Problems

» Ethical issues

» Learning activity: Review quiz

» Types of online questionnaires

» Web-based questionnaire

» Example

» E-mail questionnaire

» Example

» Questionnaire attached to an email

» Example

» Sampling issues

» Recruitment

» Sampling

» Identity verification

» Response rates

» To improve response rates: A checklist

» Incentives

» Summary

» How to select a sample: A procedure

» 1. Specify the target population

» 2. Develop the sample frame

» 3. Choose a sampling method

» 4. Determine the size of the sample

» 5. Implement contacting procedures

» a. Soliciting visitors to web sites

» Example

» b. Emailing list based samples

» Example

» c. Transmitting appeals to mailing lists

» Example

» Case studies

» 1. Cyberparents (Clare Madge and Henrietta O' Connor, University of Leicester)

» 2. Folk perceptions of belief (Claire Hewson, University of Bolton)

» 3. A Critical Geography of UK Biotechnology (Tim Vorley, University of Leicester)

» Design issues 1: Appearance

» Design features of online questionnaires

» Consistency

» Colour

» Learning activity: colour

» Text appearance and layout choices

» Learning activity: Text and layout

» Design issues 2: Content

» Principles of good content design

» Welcome screen

» Example

» Question type

» Learning activity: Exploring question types

» Instructions

» General completion instructions

» Specific instructions for different question types

» Submission instructions

» Example

» Learning activity: Instructions

» Length

» Example

» Multi-media stimuli

» Example of static formats

» Example of streaming formats

» Good design for online questionnaires: a checklist

» Implementation: Piloting, evaluation and analysis

» Piloting

» Example of questionnaire from pilot study

» Evaluation

» Analysis

» Technical guide link

» Frequently-asked questions

» Glossary

» Print version

» List of references

» Further resources

Useful references for online questionnaires

» Websites

» Books and journal articles

Useful references for web-design

» Websites

» General

» HTML

» Cascading Style Sheets

» Colour

» JavaScript

» Website validation

» Books and journal articles

Useful references for usability testing

» Websites

» Books and journal articles

2. Online interviews

» Aims and learning outcomes

» Introduction

» Why use online interviews?

» A note of caution

» Learning activity: Background reading

» Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

» Savings of cost

» Location, geography and travel

» Equipment

» Flexibility

» Venue

» Engagement in the online interview

» Speed

Disadvantages

» Distracted participants

» Participant interest and motivation

» Language use

» Technological competence

» Access

» Identity verification

» Absence of visual cues

» Types of online interviews

» Introduction

» Asynchronous v synchronous interviews

» Asynchronous interviews: Email

» Asynchronous focus groups

» Synchronous online interviews

» Example of interface seen by participants in an online interview

» Sampling issues

» Sampling, locating and contacting participants

» Representativeness

» Case studies

» 1. Health information on the internet (Joëlle Kivits, University of Leicester)

» 2. Teacher professionalism, teacher identity (Nalita James, University of Leicester)

» Designing online interviews

» Introduction

» Selection of software

» Learning activity: Software and services for online communication

» Conducting the interview

» Designing the interview script

» Example

» Establishing respondent identity

» Rapport

» Language use, netlingo, netspeak and emoticons

» Learning activity: Netlingo, netspeak and emoticons

» Flaming

» Learning activity: Types of flaming

» The interview transcript

» Review quiz

» Part 1

» Part 2

» Technical guide to online interviews

» Introduction

» Asynchronous interviews via discussion board software and services

» Software and hosting

» Software only

» Synchronous interviews

» Free online chat providers

» 'Instant messaging' software and services

» Online meeting and collaboration software

» Online customer support software

» Audio and video

» The future

» Frequently-asked questions

» Glossary

» Print version

» List of references

» Further resources

» Software for online interviews

» General

» Free online chat providers

» Examples of 'Instant messaging' software and services

» Online meeting software

» Online customer support software

» Web links

3. Online research ethics

» Aims and learning outcomes

» Introduction: Ethical guidelines for online research

» Ethical dilemmas in online research

» Do we need a new set of ethical guidelines for online research?

» Current guidelines

» Some ethical questions: a checklist

» Learning activity: Background reading

» Informed consent including withdrawal and deception

» Informed consent

» Withdrawal from the research

» Deception

» Guidelines on informed consent

» Examples of good practice in gaining consent

» Confidentiality, subject anonymity and data security

» Confidentiality and subject anonymity

» Data security

» Learning activity: Confidentiality issues and online research

» Privacy including the public/private debate

» The public/private debate

» Expectations of privacy

» Alienation or privacy?

» Case study: Privacy and thirdspace in the research of gay online communities (James Barker, University of Wales, Aberystwyth)

» Debriefing and feedback procedures

» Debriefing

» Feedback procedures

» Case study: Participatory research and internet activism (Jenny Pickerill, University of Leicester)

» Netiquette including flaming and online harassment

» What is netiquette?

» Guidelines for netiquette

» Implications for online researchers

» Flaming and online harassment

» Practical issues including online libel, spam, viruses and copyright issues

» Online libel

» Spam and viruses

» Online copyright

» Useful links

» Inequalities 1: International inequalities

» Digital divide

» Censorship

» Language issues

» Implications for online ethical practice

» Learning activity: Guided reading

» Inequalities 2: Online power inequalities

» The racial ravine

» Gender and sexuality parity in online use?

» Lifespan and economic background

» Cultural differences

» Case study: Social Exclusion and the internet in Tanzania (Claire Mercer, University of Leicester)

» Conclusions

» Critical online reflexivity

» A concluding note of caution

» Frequently-asked questions and glossary

» Print version

» List of references

» Further resources

» Online codes of conduct

» Ethical guidelines for online research

» Useful resources for online research ethics

» Resources from an international perspective

» Useful resources for copyright, data protection and internet law

» Key books

» Special Journal Issues

» Other useful references

4. Technical guide: Online questionnaires

» Aims and learning outcomes

» Introduction to online questionnaire production: Overview and options

» Introduction

» Overview of the process of creating an online questionnaire

» Options for creating online questionnaires

» Institutional systems

» Example: Bespoke services

» Example: Standard procedures

» Using 'off the shelf' solutions

» Software and services

» Consultancy

» Self-produced questionnaires

» Example

» Technical knowledge and skills required

» Choosing software for online questionnaire production

» Introduction

» Software plus hosting

» Cost

» Available features

» Examples of services available

» Software only

» Open source options

» Locating software

» Choosing options

» Examples

» Commercial options

» Choosing options

» Examples

» Activity: Creating a checklist

» Using software for online questionnaire production

» Create the questionnaire

» Edit the questionnaire settings

» Select the distribution options

» Collect and analyse the results

» Introduction to HTML 1

» Introduction

» Producing and editing web pages

» Producing an HTML document

» Viewing the document

» Changing the document

» HTML Tags

» Elements

» Attributes and values

» HTML Document structure

» The head

» <title></title>

» meta commands

» Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

» Scripts

» The body

» Learning activity: Review

» Introduction to HTML 2

» Introduction

» Text

» Text elements

» Learning activity: Text elements

» Text attributes and values

» Alignment

» <font>...</font>

» <body> attributes and values

» Learning activity: Text and body attirubutes and values

» Links

» Linking text

» Linking images

» Email links and links within pages

» Relative and absolute linking

» Learning activity: Linking

» Images

» Formats

» Attributes and values

» Example

» Learning activity: Images

» Lists

» List elements

» 'Nested' lists

» Tables

» Table elements

» Table layout

» Learning activity: Table layout

» Attributes and values

» Learning activity: Table attributes and values

» Learning activity: Review

» Introduction to CSS

» Introduction

» Learning activity: CSS in action

» Linking CSS to HTML documents

» 1. Embedded CSS

» 2. External CSS

» 3. Inline CSS

» Style Sheet syntax

» Creating CSS Classes

» Classes with <div> and <span> tags

» The cascade

» Inheritance

» Resources for further development

» Learning activity: Review

» Web forms

» Introduction

» Learning activity: Web forms

» Task 1: The basics

» Task 2: Examining the HTML

» The form tags

» Form controls for input

» Hidden form fields

» Buttons

» Using tables to organise controls into grids

» Ensuring web forms are accessible

» Learning activity: Review

» Introduction to JavaScript

» Introduction

» Accessibility

» Example 1: A welcome message

» Explanation

» JavaScript within the HTML document structure

» Functions

» Event handlers

» Accessing data in controls

» Using arguments with functions

» Example 2: Simple validation

» Conditionals

» Learning activity: Review

» Form validation

» Introduction

» Example of 'once-only' text box validation

» The body

» Learning activity: Triggering validation

» The validation script

» Radio buttons

» Check boxes

» Select boxes

» Validating multiple form elements

» Learning activity: Validating multiple elements

» Putting it all together

» Alternative 1: One-by-one validation

» Alternative 2: Displaying messages within the questionnaire

» Adapting the code

» Validating before submission

» 'onclick' validation

» 'onblur' validation

» 'onSubmit' validation

» Accessibility

» Server-side validation

» PHP/MySQL

» ASP.NET

» PERL/CGI

» Key design issues

» Introduction

» Single or multiple-paged questionnaires

» Implementing a progress bar

» Table cells

» Graphics

» Delivering instructions via pop-up windows and alert boxes

» Alert boxes

» Pop-up windows

» Learning activity Examining the JavaScript code for creating a pop-up window

» Accessibility

» Key measures

» Consistency

» Browser issues

» Plug-in detection

» Screen size

» Colour

» Font

» Gathering information about participants

» Introduction

» Adding data to hidden form fields

» Client-side or server-side information gathering

» Data gathering via Server-Side Includes (SSI)

» Date and time

» Browser information

» User identification

» The referring page

» Data gathering via JavaScript

» Example

» The form

» Data collection

» The JavaScript functions

» Combining data gathering with validation

» Dealing with non-JavaScript browsers

» Cookies

» Examples

» Explanation

» Server-side processing

» Introduction

» Server-side v client-side processing

» Client-side processing

» Server-side processing

» Advantages and disadvantages

» Advantages of server-side processing

» Disadvantages of server-side processing

» Server and Client-side processing within a questionnaire

» Learning activity 1: Examining the interaction between client and server

» Learning activity 2: Checking understanding of the interaction between client and server

» Hosting options

» Access to server space on an institution's server

» Use of a commercial internet hosting service

» Use of a personal web server

» Domain names

» Server software

» Server-side technologies

» CGI

» PHP

» Microsoft ASP/ASP.NET

» Macromedia ColdFusion

» JavaServer Pages (JSP)

» Database software

» Setting up a development environment

» Using software tools

» Adding the server-side processing functionalities

» Resources

» General

» Books

» Websites

» PHP/MySQL

» Books

» Websites

» ASP.NET / ASP

» Books

» Websites

» CGI/PERL

» Books

» Websites

» ColdFusion

» Books

» Websites

» JSP

» Books

» Websites

» Frequently-asked questions

» Glossary

» Print version

» Resources

» Listings of software and services for online questionnaire production

» Services offering software plus hosting

» Open-source questionnaire software

» General information

» Examples of questionnaire software

» Commercial questionnaire software

» HTML

» CSS

» JavaScript

» Accessibility

» Design issues

» Form validation

» Client-side validation using JavaScript

» Server-side validation

» PHP/MySQL

» ASP.NET

» PERL/CGI

» Server-side processing technologies

» General

» Books

» Websites

» PHP/MySQL

» Books

» Websites

» ASP.NET / ASP

» Books

» Websites

» CGI/PERL

» Books

» Websites

» ColdFusion

» Books

» Websites

» JSP

» Books

» Websites

Resources

1. Key texts in the field of online research

2. Key journals in the field of online research

3. Bibliography

» Online questionnaires

» Online interviews

» Ethics

4. Glossary

5. Links

» Online research methods

» General

» Associations

» Online questionnaires

» Key links

» Listings of online studies

» Listings of software and services for online questionnaire production

» Services offering software plus hosting

» Open-source questionnaire software

» General information

» Examples of questionnaire software

» Commercial questionnaire software

» Software for online interviews

» General

» Free online chat providers

» Examples of 'Instant messaging' software and services

» Online meeting software

» Online customer support software

» Web-design

» HTML

» Cascading Style Sheets

» JavaScript

» Accessibility

» Design issues

» Form validation

» Client-side validation using JavaScript

» Server-side validation

» (PHP/MySQL)

» (ASP.NET)

» (PERL/CGI)

» Server-side processing technologies

» General

» PHP/MySQL

» ASP.NET / ASP

» CGI/PERL

» ColdFusion

» JSP

» Online codes of conduct

» Ethical guidelines for online research

» Useful resources for online research ethics

» Resources from an international perspective

» Useful resources for copyright, data protection and internet law

» Online experiments

» Websites

» Publications

» Research methods in general

» Various

6. Frequently-asked questions

» Online questionnaires

» Online interviews

» Ethics

» Technical guide: Online questionnaires

7. Key quotations

Project background

1. Project overview

» Background

» Aims

» Context

» Rationale

» A note of caution

» A cross-disciplinary approach

» A training need

» Recognising a clear demand

» The benefits of an online approach

» Training and dissemination

» Face-to-face training

» Online training and dissemination

» Evaluation

» Heuristic evaluation

» Usability Studies

» Trialling and user studies

» Content Evaluation

2. The unveiling of the project: Research Methods Festival, 2004

» Introduction: The problems and potentials of online research

» Session 1: Exploring the internet as a medium for research

» Session 2: Qualitative data at your fingertips

» Session 3: Virtual ethnography revisited

» Open forum debate

» Access and sampling

» The validity of online methods / ethical issues

» Virtual ethnography / Auto-ethnography versus autobiography

» Technical matters

» Further information

3. Project organisation: Planning, development and management

» Early planning

» Examples of early plans and designs

» Main content areas

» Example of early content outline

» Writing and development

» Example from draft of the 'Online questionnaires' module

» Issues in writing the 'Online questionnaires' module

» Evaluation and revision

» Evaluation of site design

» Screenshots of changes following evaluation of site design

» Content evaluation

» Evaluation format

» Example of feedback

» Final proofreading and checking

» Checklist for proofreading and checking

» Face-to-face meetings

» Email and Blackboard

» Example of team discussion via blackboard

» Examples of team emails

» 2004 Review meeting

» Project milestones 2004

» 2005 Review meeting

» Project milestones 2005

» Final reflections

» Report

4. The evaluation process

» Evaluation timeline

» October 2004

» December 2004

» Presentation on project evaluation

» Usability study

» Trialling with a group

» March/April 2005

» Usability study

» Heuristic evaluation

» October/November 2005

» March-July 2006

» March 2006

» Evaluation report

5. Training and dissemination

» Training and dissemination plan

» December 2004

» July 2005

» March 2006

» April 2006

» May 2006

» July 2006

6. The team

» Tristram Hooley

» Clare Madge

» Julia Meek

» Henrietta O'Connor

» Rob Shaw

» Jane Wellens

» All team profiles

7. Acknowledgements

» Project support

» Examples and case-studies

» Evaluation

» Advice and support

» Permissions

 

 

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