Dear all,

I am happy to inform you that the Geography Research Unit will organize a PhD course on survey data collection methods. The course will take place at Linnanmaa, May 5-7 (Tuesday to Thursday; 9-16.00).

The course information for DP00BD95 Survey data collection methods in social sciences and humanities can be found here: https://www.oulu.fi/en/education-search/survey-data-collection-methods-social-sciences-and-humanities, or at the end of this message. Registration is via Peppi. Although Geography PhD researchers are prioritized, I recommend registering as soon as possible and booking the dates on your calendar.

Among the course teachers you’ll have:

Professor Christa Brunnschweiler, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Brunnschweiler is an expert in quantitative development studies. She uses surveys and experiments in her research on natural resource endowment, citizen engagement, and how people’s attitudes and behavior can be changed. https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/christa.brunnschweiler

Dr Joni Vainikka, Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki. Vainikka is a human geographer who uses surveys in qualitative studies of identities, spatial transformation, and mobilities. His current research focuses on sustainable living, climate-related identities, and geographies of time. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/people/people-finder/joni-vainikka-9431201

Dr Sabrina Scherzer, Department of Geography and Social Anthropology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Scherzer is a quantitative geographer whose research focuses on polarization and social cohesion as well as citizen engagement in natural resource management. She collects primary data for her research using surveys and experiments. https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/sabrina.scherzer

Our local stars, Juha and Eeva-Kaisa, will also contribute to the course, as will I.

The primary aim of this course is to develop students' skills in designing and implementing surveys to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Throughout the course, the participants learn about the entire survey lifecycle, from planning and questionnaire design to sampling strategies and survey implementation. The participants will learn about the principles and practices for collecting survey data, as well as the ethical and data privacy considerations they must address at different stages of the process. Experiments, such as randomized controlled trials, will be discussed as part of the course. The course consists of interactive lectures, case studies, and hands-on exercises to help participants gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• understand principles and practices of survey data collection

• understand principles and practices of survey experiments and randomized controlled trials

• design clear, unbiased, and reliable survey questions

• design effective surveys

• use different sampling techniques

• understand the importance of representative data

• mitigate challenges related to nonresponse, measurement error, and data quality

Teaching

Pre-course assignment (2h), lectures with discussions and exercises (21h), reading the course material (8h), and a term assignment (24h)

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Best wishes,

Päivi

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Professor

Geography Research Unit ǀ University of Oulu ǀ Finland