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When deciding on a method to distribute an assessment tool, the following should be taken into consideration:

• Budget
• Time needed to develop and conduct the assessment
• Practicality
• Political situations

Source: (http://oira.syr.edu/oira/Assessment/AssessPP/Plan.htm)

The following methods of assessment distribution are described below:

• Surveys
• Interviews
• Focus Groups

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Surveys: Online and Telephone

Online: Typically, there are two types of online surveys: web-based and e-mail.

Web-Based Survey: Unlike other methods of data collection, most online surveys have the capability to offer immediate results. Many web surveys are linked directly to an online database.

Advantages of web-based assessment include the following:

• Web-based surveys are essentially paperless.
• Delivery of the surveys themselves, along with the results, can be made easy by sending out an e-mail to the desired respondents.
• Survey takers can typically respond at their own convenience.

Disadvantages of web-based assessment may include:

• Respondents may not be familiar with technology. Furthermore, not everyone has Internet access or access to a computer.
• Problems can be experienced with technology (e.g., faulty Internet access, sluggish computer). It is important to note that with technological advances becoming more ubiquitous, these issues are becoming less significant.

E-mail Surveys: E-mail surveys are usually administered as part of the e-mail itself (as opposed to web-based surveys which can be sent out through e-mail, but would typically contain an invitation via web link to take a web survey). Similar to web-based surveys, e-mail surveys can be useful when a surveyor is looking to administer a paperless assessment with quick results.

Surveys provided through e-mail may not be ideal for the following reasons:

• Intended target may think the e-mail is “spam”
• Size of survey may be too large to administer via e-mail
• Undeliverable (bounce-back) e-mail addresses

As with web-based surveys, intended targets may not always have easy access to the Internet. Even if survey takers do have regular web access, however, there are other various circumstances (e.g., limited e-mail use at work or school, URL links) that may prevent them from taking e-mail surveys.

Sources:
(http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/hospculture/hospcult6.htm)
(http://cit.ucsf.edu/events/event_nov05.php)
(http://knowledge-base.supersurvey.com/phone-vs-web-surveys.htm)
(http://www.busreslab.com/tips/tip37.htm)

Telephone Survey: A cost-efficient way to garner quick results is through a telephone survey. If surveyors are looking for a sample of the general population, they may choose this method over an online survey, based on the fact that most homes in the United States have a telephone, while a smaller percentage of homes have Internet access.

Computers are also prevalent in phone surveys. Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) is a type of software that can be used to dial desired phone numbers, as well as to compile data immediately by gathering responses at a rapid pace. When using CATI, the surveyor will read questions off a monitor and type in the answers as they are provided.

Disadvantages of using a telephone survey:

• Lack of visual material
• May be considered impersonal
• Respondents may feel annoyed or interrupted by the telephone survey
• Losing ground due to increases in call screening, hang-ups, refusals, and decreases in land-line phones

Sources:
(http://www.riger.com/know_base/research/pros.html)
(http://knowledge-base.supersurvey.com/phone-vs-web-surveys.htm)
(http://www.smari.com/cati.stm)

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Interviews

Face-to-face interviews can be a preferred method of assessment when presenting visual materials. If graphs, pictures, or even aromas are needed in a survey, a personal question and answer session would be ideal. Respondents are often interviewed in their homes (door-to-door) or in public places.

Like phone surveys, subjects may feel that they are either too busy to answer interview questions or they may have no desire to answer at all. Because of this, response rates for interviews tend to be lower. When asking questions directly, the issue of bias can also become a factor.

Sources:
(http://www.riger.com/know_base/research/pros.html)

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Focus Groups

The focus group is a qualitative method of assessment, encouraging a free flow of ideas, and is typically led by one moderator. For assessment purposes, a focus group will usually consist of 8-12 pre-screened members and can last anywhere from 1-2 hours.

Rather than simply analyzing numbers and statistics (as would be done with a quantitative assessment tool), researchers can witness and take note of visual aspects such as respondents’ body language and facial expressions as they are given topics to discuss.

Advantages

• Focus groups are meant to start discussions among its members.
• The unstructured, free-flow format is appealing to respondents who feel comfortable talking in front of others.
• There is little chance that members will be confused by a question or topic, as moderators can go back and repeat or clarify a question.
• Visual aids (e.g., charts, posters, video clips) can be used.
• It is thought that focus groups provide believable answers and results that are high in validity.

Disadvantages

• Focus groups are not meant for large sample sizes. Rather, they are qualitative and tend to concentrate on a smaller sample and more specifically on human behavior.
• Members of the focus group could either be naturally shy or feel uncomfortable discussing subject matter that can be deemed provocative in front of others.
• Members may not want to “go against the grain” as he or she may suffer from the group dynamic and feel an amount of peer pressure.
  • They may not want to be singled out if they feel a different way, essentially forcing them to provide a dishonest answer

A focus group can also suffer from an insufficient moderator. If a moderator’s skills are lacking, he or she may display the following traits:

• Little control over group
• Lack of confidence
• Unknowledgeable when it comes to subject matter
• Does not create comfortable and inviting atmosphere

Because focus groups are qualitative, and therefore not a scientific sampling, it is recommended by researchers that focus groups are followed up “with a quantitative survey to try to confirm their apparent findings…” (http://www.mysterypollster.com/main/2006/03/focus_groups_wh.html)

Sources:
(http://www.riger.com/know_base/research/pros.html) (http://www.mysterypollster.com/main/2006/03/focus_groups_wh.html)