Training on Data Collection and Management using SurveyCTO

Course Overview

This 5-day intensive training empowers you to harness the full potential of SurveyCTO for efficient and scalable data collection. Designed for beginners, this course will take you from creating basic forms to managing complex projects and analyzing your results.

Target Participants:

This course is ideal for researchers, program managers, and data collectors who need to design, deploy, and manage data collection for field research projects using SurveyCTO. The target audience includes individuals with little to no prior experience with SurveyCTO, but who are comfortable using computers and mobile devices.

Course Objectives

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Understand the capabilities of SurveyCTO and its advantages over other tools (like ODK and KoboToolbox).
• Design and build complex digital forms from paper questionnaires.
• Collect high-quality, secure data online and offline.
• Integrate SurveyCTO with other tools and workflows.
• Monitor data quality in real-time during field data collection.
• Build and deploy basic mobile applications.
• Manage, export, and analyze data using statistical software.
• Visualize geographic data using GIS tools.

Course Outline:

The course is structured to provide a clear progression from basic concepts to advanced techniques.

Module 1: Introduction to SurveyCTO and its Ecosystem

• Introduction to SurveyCTO and its key features.
• Comparing SurveyCTO with ODK and KoboToolbox.
• Exploring case studies of successful SurveyCTO deployments.

Actionable Step: Create a free SurveyCTO account.

Module 2: SurveyCTO Server Administration

• Understanding the components of the SurveyCTO server.
• Setting up and managing a SurveyCTO server (if applicable).
• Managing users, roles, and permissions.
• Data aggregation, storage, and dissemination strategies.

Module 3: Setting Up and Using the SurveyCTO Collect App

• Installing the SurveyCTO Collect app on Android devices.
• Configuring the app for optimal data collection.
• Navigating the SurveyCTO Collect user interface.

Actionable Step: Install the SurveyCTO Collect app on a mobile device (Android).

Module 4: Building Forms with the SurveyCTO Online Form Builder

• Creating forms from scratch using the online form builder.
• Understanding and utilizing different question types and input methods.
• Implementing form logic (branching, skip logic, randomization).
• Importing and exporting forms.

Actionable Step: Create a simple survey form with branching logic.

Module 5: Advanced Form Building with XLSForms

• Introduction to XLSForm design principles and best practices.
• Creating forms using XLSForms: defining questions, constraints, and logic.
• Utilizing XLSForm operators and functions for complex data manipulation.
• Importing XLSForms into the SurveyCTO server.

Actionable Step: Create a simple survey form using XLSForm.

Module 6: Data Collection and Monitoring with SurveyCTO Collect

• Managing forms within SurveyCTO Collect.
• Collecting GPS data and integrating it into your surveys.
• Submitting data to the SurveyCTO server.
• Real-time monitoring of submission statistics and data quality.

Actionable Step: Conduct a test data collection using a simple form and the SurveyCTO Collect app.

Module 7: Data Management and Export

• Exporting data from SurveyCTO in various formats (CSV, etc.).
• Importing data into statistical software for further analysis.
• Data cleaning and preparation techniques.

Module 8: Geographic Data Visualization

• Exporting GPS coordinates for use with mapping tools (Google Maps, Google Earth).
• Visualizing geographic data to reveal spatial patterns and trends.