Live Online Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course
Live online, instructor-led · next cohort Nov 9, 2026 · from USD 800
A survey is only as reliable as its questionnaire, sample and field process. Leading questions, weak sampling, enumerator error and unsecured devices quietly corrupt findings that donors, governments and boards then act on.
This advanced five-day programme is for people who already collect data and want to do it at a higher standard. You work on questionnaire architecture, question wording and translation, pretesting, cognitive interviewing, sampling frames, stratification, clustering, design effects and sample size calculation. Practical sessions in KoboToolbox, ODK and SurveyCTO cover XLSForm syntax, skip logic, constraints, repeat groups, calculations, cascading selects, GPS and photo capture, offline sync and server administration. Further modules address enumerator training, supervision, back-checks, high-frequency checks, data cleaning, ethics, consent and data protection. Research officers, monitoring and evaluation specialists, survey managers, statisticians, programme analysts and academics in NGOs, government agencies, research institutes and consultancies will gain most. You complete the programme able to build and test a production-ready form, plan a field operation and produce a clean, documented data set. Sessions run in the classroom, online or in-house, followed by a CPD-accredited certificate.
At a Glance
How Live Online Training Works
Live online training, led by a trainer in real time, for participants anywhere.
More about live online training →- Format
- Live online, instructor-led
- Duration
- Mon - Fri (5 Days)
- Fee
- USD 800 (KES 80,000)
- Next start dates
- Nov 9, 2026, Dec 7, 2026, Jan 4, 2027
- Certificate
- Certificate of Completion
- What you need
- A computer with a reliable internet connection, a webcam and a headset
About this course
Evidence-based decisions depend on data that can be trusted, yet many surveys suffer from avoidable design and field problems. Ambiguous questions, unrepresentative samples, long interviews and untested digital forms produce results that look precise but mislead. As organisations shift from paper to tablets and phones, new risks appear around device management, version control, connectivity and the protection of respondent information.
The Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course builds on basic survey knowledge. It opens with research design choices and instrument development, then covers probability and non-probability sampling, weighting and power considerations. A substantial part of the programme is devoted to building sophisticated forms in XLSForm, deploying them on servers, testing them on devices and managing multiple enumerators. The final days concentrate on field operations, quality assurance, cleaning routines and documentation for archiving and sharing.
Learning is laboratory-style: participants build, break and repair forms, simulate field collection and examine incoming data for errors. By the end, each person has a complete survey package including questionnaire, sampling plan, form file, training plan and quality protocol.
Training Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Translate research questions into instruments with valid, reliable and unbiased questions.
- Apply pretesting and cognitive interviewing to refine questionnaires.
- Select sampling designs and calculate sample sizes allowing for clustering and non-response.
- Construct advanced XLSForm surveys with skip logic, constraints, repeats and calculations.
- Configure and administer collection servers, user roles and offline synchronisation.
- Plan enumerator recruitment, training, supervision and field logistics.
- Run back-checks and high-frequency checks to detect errors and fabrication.
- Clean, document and protect data in line with ethical and legal obligations.
What you'll learn
Key Takeaways
Participants leave the course with:
- A tested, production-ready XLSForm built for their own study topic.
- A sampling plan with a documented sample size calculation.
- A pretest report format and a revised questionnaire.
- An enumerator training agenda and field supervision checklist.
- A set of high-frequency check rules they can reuse.
- A data management and protection protocol for the project.
Training Methodology
The programme is lab-driven, with most time spent building and testing instruments:
- Laptop labs in XLSForm with immediate testing on phones or tablets
- Critique clinics on real questionnaires brought by participants
- Sampling calculations worked through in spreadsheets
- Mock field exercises with deliberately seeded data errors to detect
- One-to-one review of each participant's survey package
Day 1: Research Design and Questionnaire Development
- Linking research questions to indicators and survey modules
- Question types, response scales and common wording errors
- Sensitive topics and social desirability bias
- Translation, back-translation and local language adaptation
- Pretesting and cognitive interviewing
- Exercise: critiquing and rewriting a flawed questionnaire
Day 2: Sampling and Sample Size
- Sampling frames and coverage problems
- Simple random, systematic, stratified and cluster designs
- Multi-stage sampling and probability proportional to size
- Design effect, power and sample size calculation
- Non-response, weighting and replacement rules
- Exercise: designing a household survey sample
Day 3: Building Forms with XLSForm
- XLSForm structure: survey, choices and settings sheets
- Skip logic, relevance and constraints
- Repeat groups, cascading selects and dynamic choice lists
- Calculations, hidden fields and metadata
- GPS, photo, audio and barcode capture
- Lab: building a multi-module household questionnaire
Day 4: Deployment, Servers and Field Operations
- KoboToolbox, ODK Central and SurveyCTO compared
- User roles, form versions and offline synchronisation
- Device preparation, battery and connectivity planning
- Enumerator selection, training and piloting
- Supervision structures and daily field reporting
- Lab: deploying a form and simulating collection
Day 5: Quality Assurance, Cleaning and Data Protection
- High-frequency checks and dashboards for incoming data
- Back-checks, spot-checks and detecting fabrication
- Cleaning workflows and codebooks
- Informed consent, confidentiality and secure storage
- Exporting, documenting and archiving data sets
- Action plan for participants' next survey
The course is aimed at experienced data practitioners and managers, including:
- Monitoring, evaluation and learning specialists
- Survey managers and field coordinators
- Research officers and academic researchers
- Statisticians and data analysts
- Programme managers commissioning household or facility surveys
- Government planning and statistics officers
- Market research and social research consultants
- Data managers supporting digital collection platforms
On completion of the programme and the lab exercises, each participant is awarded a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course Venues
KenyaNairobiNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,500- KenyaMombasaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,600
- KenyaNaivashaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaKisumuNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaMachakosNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,600
UgandaKampalaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,900
RwandaKigaliNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,900
TanzaniaArushaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,900- TanzaniaDodomaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,800
- TanzaniaDar es SalaamNext Oct 26· 13 dates$2,000
- TanzaniaZanzibarNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,600
NigeriaLagosNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,800- NigeriaAbujaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$2,800
South AfricaPretoriaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,200- South AfricaJohannesburgNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,400
- South AfricaCape TownNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
UAEDubaiNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
GhanaAccraNext Nov 16· 13 dates$4,500
Scroll sideways to see all 18 cities →
Frequently Asked Questions About Live Online Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course
Everything you need to know about this course before you register.
By the end of the Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools programme, you'll be able to translate research questions into instruments with valid, reliable and unbiased questions, apply pretesting and cognitive interviewing to refine questionnaires, select sampling designs and calculate sample sizes allowing for clustering and non-response, and construct advanced xlsform surveys with skip logic, constraints, repeats and calculations. The full breakdown of topics is covered session by session in the Course Outline tab above.
The course is aimed at experienced data practitioners and managers, including: Monitoring, evaluation and learning specialists, Survey managers and field coordinators, Research officers and academic researchers, Statisticians and data analysts, Programme managers commissioning household or facility surveys, Government planning and statistics officers, Market research and social research consultants, and Data managers supporting digital collection platforms.
Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course typically runs as 5 Days. It's available as in-person classroom, live virtual, and in-house corporate training — every course can also be delivered on-site for your team on dates that suit you.
Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course is scheduled in-classroom in Nairobi, Kenya, Mombasa, Kenya, Naivasha, Kenya, and Kisumu, Kenya, and 14 other locations, plus a live interactive virtual classroom you can join from anywhere. Check the schedule panel above for exact upcoming dates and fees in each location.
The next live virtual cohort of Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools starts November 9, 2026, with new classroom cohorts also running on a rolling basis. Pick a date and location in the schedule panel above, then click "Register for the Course" — it takes a few minutes and your seat is confirmed once payment or a signed purchase order is received.
Yes — delegates who meet the attendance requirement receive a Certificate of Completion for Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course from Vision Reach Global Consultancy, issued in the name you register with, so double-check the spelling at checkout.
Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course is pitched at advanced professionals. If you're unsure whether it's the right fit for your current role or background, message our training advisors before you register and they'll help you confirm.
Fees for Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course vary by delivery location and format and are shown in real time in the schedule panel above once you pick a date. Register 3 or more delegates on the same course together and a 5% team discount is applied automatically — larger cohorts can request a custom corporate quote.
Yes — Advanced Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course can be delivered on-site at your offices (or virtually for distributed teams), with case studies and examples tailored to your industry and the specific challenges your team is working through. Switch to the "In-House" tab in the schedule panel above to request a proposal.
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