surveying paper with people
Short course - Statistical Consulting Centre

Design and analysis of surveys

At a glance

Frequency

At your convenience

Duration

2.5 days (5 half-days)

Study mode

Online or in person

Fees

$440-$880 info below

Course bookings

What you will learn

This course covers the principles and practice of designing surveys and the analysis of data from them. The sessions will mix lecture presentations with practical work. The course is 2.5 days and can be delivered with flexible timing (2.5 consecutive days or five mornings, for example), either in-house or online.

Course topics

  • Survey methods: face-to-face interviews, online surveys, phone interviews, paper questionnaires.
  • Questionnaire design: open and closed questions, wording and ordering, layout and length of questionnaire, memory and recall, sensitive questions, pilot testing.
  • Measurement: types of data, Likert scales, reliability.
  • Sampling methods: simple random sampling, stratified sampling, systematic sampling, cluster sampling, multi-stage sampling, non-probability methods.
  • Sample size and non-response.
  • Estimation of population means, totals and proportions.
  • Cross-tabulation and analysis of survey data.
  • Analysis of ordinal responses.
Portrait of Jeremy Silver
Dr Jeremy Silver

Presenter

Dr Jeremy Silver

In July 2026, Jeremy delivered an abridged version of our short-course Design and Analysis of Surveys (DAS). The DAS course has been developed over decades by A/Prof Graham Hepworth, who recently retired from the SCC after more than 25 years of service to the University. The abridged course was run for the Strategy and Impact team of a small Federal government agency, in a bespoke format, covering a selection of key material.

More about Dr Jeremy Silver

Who should take this course?

The course is suitable for those involved in the design and analysis of surveys from any discipline. If you are at the stage of planning your survey, considering possible survey methods and designing your questionnaire, you can learn more about quality survey design and appropriate statistical methods in summarising and analysing the data.

Course bookings

What people are saying

"Thorough, well-presented course which included a balanced mix of theory and 'hands-on' examples and exercises."

"Provides an in-depth explanation of proper survey design, including an extremely valuable discussion on the pitfalls!"

"A good introduction for those about to become a survey practitioner."

"The course is taught in a way that makes stats accessible to people who are unfamiliar or lack confidence."

More information

  • Course cost

    $880

    Course cost for University of Melbourne staff

    $660

    Course cost for University of Melbourne postgraduate students

    $440

    • All prices include GST.
    • GST does not apply if paying through your University School.
    • $30 cancellation fee applies.

  • 5 half-days duration

    Each of the 5 mornings will consist of two approximately equal-length sessions.

    • The first session of the day will be from 9:00am to 10:30am.
    • The second session from 11:00am to 12:30pm.

    The sessions will mix lecture presentations with practical work.

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