In health services research, child and
family research, education, and much of social sciences, the dominant data
source is the survey. The key components of the survey and their evaluation
will be introduced to students. The topics will include study design, sampling
method, questionnaire formation, techniques of interviewing, data management, data
analysis, and report writing. The course will request a semester-long project
in which each student will design a survey to tackle a real-life survey issue
and present the results at the end of the semester. The student will develop their abilities
of independent thinking, analytical reasoning and
problem-solving, and achieve the capacities of research planning and
implementation.