By Jody Record, Media Relations
University departments, organizations, and faculty members who want to construct and conduct customized surveys can save money by doing it themselves with “SurveyCat”, a service launched recently by UNH Web Solutions at Computer and Information Services.
In the past, Web Solutions has charged its going rate of $50 an hour to develop a survey, with the average cost running about $200. Now, for $100 a year, users can craft their own studies as often as they want.
“We have a lot of people who want to create online surveys,” says Heather Longe, manager of Web Solutions at CIS. “We had been doing them custom; as needed. With SurveyCat, we don’t have to do it, they can, and it’s more cost effective.”
What’s more, it’s simple. All someone has to do is open an account and log on to the site. Then a user can design whatever type of survey he or she wants, deciding for or against radio buttons—the circles that allow respondents to answer in degrees, i.e., “good, very good, excellent.” Questions can be marked “required” or not; there can be one-line or multi-line text boxes. And it can all be edited at anytime by the creator.
“Once it’s filled out, they can log in and check the results,” Longe says. “They can even download a spread sheet, which, with surveys, is an important piece.”
After a survey has been set up and published, a link is provided with a URL address so the surveyor can link it from his or her website or email address.
Michael Fraas, assistant professor of communication disorders, is one of the first faculty members to sign on with SurveyCat. He has just sent out his first survey so has not yet received results but he praised the ease of using the service.
“The process of designing and completing the survey was fantastic,” Fraas says. “And Heather Longe was a great help.”
Fraas’s survey asks clinicians to describe the characteristics that go into a successful day center for people with acquired brain disorders. He says his department is getting set to use SurveyCat to reach alumni.
“There are so many applications for use. It really provides a professional product,” Fraas says.
CIS had been exploring the self-service survey idea when they learned UNH Cooperative Extension had their own. The computer service group was able to capitalize on the Extension’s internal application and enhance it to create SurveyCat.
“That made it easy for us to launch,” Longe says. “We tried to make it affordable so more people can use it.”
The cost is less for CIS because now, instead of having to recreate each survey, all they have to do is host the application and maintain the programming.
“And it puts a lot more into their hands,” Longe says.