[Air-l] Teaching Survey Methodology on the WWW [developing the thread]

[Matthew Allen]

Dear all

Am very interested in these questions of methodology.

At Curtin University we are currently developing a unit (course in US-speak)
entitled

Internet Studies 306/506 - Cyberanalytics

It aims to teach both some practical techniques of online survey
methodology, and some more conceptual knowledge about the
problems/advantages of surveying.  It's part of our attempt to created a
fused currriculum in which there is sufficient responsiveness to the demands
(in Australia at least) for 'practical' studies, as well as a commitment to
the critical, analytical positions traditionally associated with the
humanities old and new.

The most likely 6 areas of concentration are...

(1) online survey design (focusing on the items, etc rather than the
technical implementation)

(2) online focus groups (analysing the debate for and against them)

(3) analysis of website server logs (hence the name cyberanalytics)

(4) research design - how to formulate hypotheses, testability, method
selection etc

(5) virtual ethnography

and

(6) critical analysis of the differences and overlaps offline / online with
special reference to ethical issues

I'll happily share the final currriculum when finished...anyone care to
contribute further by suggesting...

what we've missed or underemphasised
what business/industry needs from graduates in Internet Studies
how we might teach these in innovative ways
whether these kinds of courses are valuable or not

Matt