http://www.survs.com/
The basics
Survs is a simple, effective (and with some limitations) free online survey engine. “We wanted to simplify how people do surveys online. Our goal was the build a powerful, collaborative tool with a great user experience. So we made Survs” the site says. It looks more like a Web 2.0 application than some of the better-established tools and works just as well, though its limitations mean it is not the best tool for serious survey research. If you know about surveys, you know what this application does:
Survs snapshot
Survs does what it needs to, with a clean interface that students will have no trouble using – though of course they will need considerably more assistance in understanding how to write a good survey!
Knowledge networking
Data gathering (as opposed to ‘finding information’) is an essential part of knowledge work. Survs demonstrates how the move to digital networks makes this kind of task much easier to initiate and implement, reducing costs that would otherwise inhibit such research, and – because the data remains digital – dramatically reduces preparation of data for analysis. Indeed, for some simple purposes, the inbuilt analytical tools might suffice.
What is great
That it is free, online and easy to use. Since the use of Survs (within the domain of elearning) is not really about research but about cognition, simpler sites, like Survs, work best.
Pedagogic Challenge
In most cases, students do not participate fully in such original research (as researchers) until the final years of study or only when the move into higher degrees by research. However, survs, and similar applications, can be repurposed. The research does not need to be conducted: simply setting students the task of creating a survey can be a sufficient challenge. As one commentator says, this activity is an assignment for “learning and discovery”
Students in the class find themselves creating surveys, analyzing spreadsheets, developing websites, publishing podcasts, and evaluating software applications. On the one hand, the assignments are designed to introduce a new way to apply a specific technology to solve a specific problem. On the other, they are also intended to encourage critical thinking and the use of technology to present a student’s findings using a variety of media. These are the same goals as assignments given in an expository writing or a research methodology course, where students are introduced to concepts such as primary and secondary resources and are required to engage in advanced types of research. Such primary research activities give students an opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills as they formulate the questions and determine the goal of their projects. (Frydenberg, M. & Davi, A. 2006. Integrating Liberal Learning Principles into the Information Technology Classroom. MERLOT: Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
One scenario for using this tool
Quick peer-testing
Most quiz generators are designed for academics and teacher to use ON students: but it’s often better to get students to prepare the quiz that they all take. Survs can be used to do this easily. A small group of students studying advanced electronic engineering designs a quiz to test fundamental knowledge – the teacher assesses their abilities based on how good the quiz is.
Survs:
- was designed for research but can become a quiz generator; and
- is simple to use and engaging – digital creativity emphasises revision and development/li>
Alternatives
There are countless online survey applications, and an entire website, http://www.survey-reviews.net/, is decvoted to comparing and analysing them. Surveymonkey appears particularly good, as does SurveyGizmo. The purpose of including an online survey tool in this website is, however, to emphasise its application to learning: it may be that easier, smaller survey applications work better than the fully featured and expensive ones when the aim is creative learning, not full research.
