This web site is a complement to regular class meetings, which all students in the course are expected to attend. This web site provides convenient access to course related materials, including a class roster with e-mail addresses, handouts, and assignments. Only students currently registered in CHSC-577 may access the roster, handouts and assignments. These features require a valid UIC computer account, netID, and password.

To access the handouts and assignments through a non-UIC account, follow the instructions for Off-Campus Access to Library Resources at the UIC Library web site at http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/systems/resources/bluestem.shtml. Students who need to sharpen their skills in using the World Wide Web (Internet) or other aspects of modern computer technology should consult the list of free workshops offered by the UIC Academic Computing and Communications Center.

Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required to read and print the handouts, assignments, etc. You may download and install the Reader FREE by clicking on the icon below.

Registration

Consent of the instructor is required to register for CHSC-577. Students may obtain this consent by contacting the course instructor by e-mail (fkviz@uic.edu). Please include your student status and whether you meet the course prerequisite as described below.

Students must meet the course prerequisite, which is having completed CHSC-446, Research Methods in Community Health (or equivalent) — OR — CHSC-447, Survey Planning and Design (or equivalent). Contact the course instructor if there is any question about meeting the course prerequisite or if having completed course work other than CHSC-446 or CHSC-447 qualifies as equivalent preparation. Students who do not meet the course prerequisite must petition the course instructor for consent to register in CHSC-577.

Because of the seminar course format auditors are not permitted in CHSC-577.

Enrollment Limit

Enrollment in CHSC-577 is limited strictly to 17 students. There are two reasons for this limit.

• This is a 500-level course that is conducted in a seminar format. A relatively small class size is essential to enable appropriate discussion of course topics.
  
• A major part of the course consists of student presentations of individual questionnaire design projects. In order to cover the required course content appropriately and to allow adequate time for student presentations, 17 is the maximum number of student presentations that can be scheduled during a semester.

After the course limit is reached and the course is closed to further registration, any student wishing to enroll in CHSC-577 should request to be placed on a waiting list by contacting the course instructor. Students on the waiting list will be notified of an opportunity to enroll in the course via e-mail, when and if openings occur.

The history of this course is that very few students withdraw from it. Therefore, students on the waiting list should not be optimistic about an opportunity to enroll.

Auditing

Because of the seminar course format auditors are not permitted in CHSC-577.

Work Load

The student work load in CHSC-577 is heavy but appropriate, considering that this is a 500-level course and that questionnaire design is very work intensive. The required readings are substantial. In addition, students are expected to engage in individually selected reading and searching of questionnaire archives at a level that at least is equal to the assigned reading load. Students are required to complete three assignments, which are demanding in terms of time and effort, for a grade. Students also are expected to complete critical reviews of draft questionnaires distributed by the instructor and students in the class, and be prepared to discuss these during class sessions.

These activities provide a solid foundation in questionnaire design based on the survey research methodology literature, and practical experience in revising and developing questionnaires for real surveys.

The course work load is emphasized here to caution students that a casual approach to taking this course will not result in a successful outcome.

As mentioned elsewhere, space in this course is strictly limited and is very competitive. Each semester about 6 to 10 students who strongly want to register for the course are not able to do so. Therefore, please do not register for CHSC-577 if you think there is any chance that you might withdraw after the course begins. Doing so almost certainly will mean that you will have used a space that would have been valued by one of your fellow students.

Please contact the course instructor if you have any questions or concerns about the work load for CHSC-577.

Recommended Word Processing Proficiency

The physical format and layout aspects of survey questionnaires require proficiency in using the format functions (page, paragraph, line, font, and table) of a word processing software package, such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. It is very important for CHSC-577 students to be proficient in using the format functions of a word processing software package prior to undertaking the two graded assignments.

Although some of word processing format skills are discussed in CHSC-577, this is not a course in word processing.

Students who need to sharpen their word processing format skills are strongly encouraged to do one or more of the following:

• Review the formatting information in your word processing software "help" section
• Review the formatting information in a users' guide about your word processing software
• Complete your word processing software tutorial about formatting - the tutorial may already be installed on your computer as part of your word processing software, or you may be able to access an online tutorial by visiting your software provider's web site
• At the Handouts page of the CHSC-557 web site, download/print the following handouts:
  • Questionnaire Format & Layout Examples -- 1
  • Questionnaire Format & Layout Examples - 2
  • Follow the instructions in Questionnaire Format & Layout Examples - 2 and try to reproduce the questionnaire as it appears in Questionnaire Format & Layout Examples - 1
• Consult the list of free workshops offered by the UIC Academic Computing and Communications Center (http://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/workshops/index.html) - some previously archived ACCC workshops are available online.

This class web site and all course-specific materials available through it, including course descriptions and syllabi, handouts, and assignments, are intended for the exclusive use of students who are enrolled in CHSC-577 through the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. These materials may not be copied, posted to another web site, or otherwise reproduced and/or distributed without the expressed written permission of the web site author.

© Copyright 2011, Frederick J. Kviz, Ph.D. All rights reserved.