Designing and Using Questionnaires for Research: Practical Insights and Challenges

Questionnaires are common tools for collecting empirical data from a target population in health-related research fields such as epidemiology, social sciences, and economics, as well as for evaluating health-related programs and interventions. 

The response rate and validity of findings based on questionnaire data depend heavily on the development, selection and validation of the questions, the design of the questionnaire as well as the administration of the questionnaire and participant recruitment. 

This introductory course is intended to familiarize the students with the basic terminology and concepts related to electronic and paper administered questionnaires, providing practical insights and highlighting key challenges.

This course is part of the SSPH+ Inter-university Graduate Campus.

un chercheur qui analyse un formulaire de recherche sur son ordinateur
Type de formation : Formation courte
Langue : English
Délai d'inscription : 18.12.2026
Prochaine session : Du 18.01.2027 au 20.01.2027
Crédits ECTS : 1 ECTS
Inscription
  • Description
  • Programme
  • Session(s)
  • Modalités
  • Équipe
  • Contact
Thèmes

Analyse de données, Épidémiologie, Recherche qualitative, Systèmes de santé

Objectifs

After the 3-day course, the students will be able to: 

  • Identify the usefulness of collecting data with questionnaires in various contexts 
  • Evaluate the quality and validity of a questionnaire and its results in terms of questionnaire development and validation, and data collection mode 
  • Identify the implications of questionnaire design and types of questions on data entry, data management, data analysis and data interpretation (qualitative vs quantitative data) 
  • Apply the methodological knowledge and practical skills acquired during the course to conceive and plan an original health-related project using a questionnaire 
  • Identify and address the methodological, technical, and ethical issues of questionnaire data collection method in research
Public cible

Open to students, health professionals, and researchers in the health field

The course will consist of lectures, presentations, group exercises, and group discussions. 

Throughout the course, we will illustrate our lectures and base the group exercises on various examples of questionnaires used in health-related fields, covering a wide range of topics and populations.

Assessment

  • Completion of an individual assignment before the course
  • Active participation during the course
  • Active participation to group exercises
  • Peer evaluation of group work
  • Feedback by course leaders on group work
Délai d'inscription : 18.12.2026

Description

 

Location: 
Unisanté - Biopôle
Room Mont Cheseau
Route de la Corniche 21
1010 Lausanne

Date de début : 18.01.2027
Date de fin : 20.01.2027
Horaire : 08:00 - 17:00
Organisation :

Ann Walser
Graduate Campus Manager, SSPH+

E-mail

Délai d'inscription : 18.12.2026
Inscription

Coûts

  • SSPH+ IGC PhD and MD Students: 30 CHF
  • Postdocs from SSPH+ partner institutes with a SSPH+ Faculty Member as line manager: 30 CHF
  • External PhD students, external MD Students, postdocs from SSPH+ partner institutes without a SSPH+ Faculty Member as line manager and Swiss Public Health Doctors in training: 300 CHF
  • Others: 800 CHF

Credits

  • 1 ECTS
    • Preparation work: 5 h; Contact time: 22 h
    • (1 ECTS corresponds to appr. 25-30 hours workload)

Facilitators

Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems (DESS), Unisanté, Center for Primary Care and Public Health, University of Lausanne

Ann Walser
Graduate Campus Manager, SSPH+

E-mail