Dwelling on data
Deep into explaining data collection techniques to undergraduates, I was (not too) amused to be asked to provide some data. I ignored the email because it didn't provide any explanation, hoping that there would be another email with further information on it, because we have all hit the send button before finishing an email.
Silence.
Then a repeat request (a reminder), but no explanation.
It felt wrong, so I started to ask questions: who wanted the data and why?
The answer was actually quite simple - the data is for HESA. I checked the web site at http://www.hesa.ac.uk and fifteen minutes later had unearthed the detail that I needed so I could send a useful reply. Whoever is organising the data collection probably knows what they need and could be disappointed if the responses do not easily translate to the required categories.
I sent feedback saying this is the info you wanted, and this is how it could have been collected more effectively. As a lecturer and researcher, experience of being on the receiving end of surveys is a sharp reminder of how important it is to encourage students to develop good data collection techniques.
