The Bureau of Sociological Research is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a speaker series, which begins with a two-day workshop by questionnaire design expert, Jolene Smyth.

The workshop will run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 18-19 in the Chimney Rock Room at the Nebraska Union.

Details about future speakers in the series will be announced in the coming weeks.

Smyth’s workshop, jointly sponsored by BOSR and the Sociology Department, focuses on how to design questionnaires and implementation materials for self-administered mail and web surveys. The course includes an overview of sources of survey error and covers topics such as writing nominal, ordinal, and open-end questions; visual design of questionnaires; design considerations specific to mail and web surveys; designing mixed-mode surveys; and designing implementation materials (i.e., recruitment letters, emails, etc.). Empirical evidence and examples will be provided, and participants will apply what they learn through several activities.

Smyth is a professor in the Department of Sociology. She is co-author (with Don Dillman and Leah Christian) of “Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method.” Her research examines measurement error and nonresponse in surveys, including questionnaire design, visual design, mixed-mode surveys, interviewer effects, mobile web design, survey recruitment methods, and within-household selection.

Registration fees for students are $50, $100 for University faculty and staff and $200 for those external to the university. Register for the event here.

Registration is limited to 17 people and closes at 11:59 p.m. on July 16. No late registrations will be accepted.

For questions regarding the status of this workshop, contact Amanda Ganshert at aganshert@unl.edu.