Reports, evaluations and policy decisions are only as reliable as the data behind them, and poorly worded questions, biased samples or untrained enumerators quietly undermine all three. Five days equip research and programme teams to collect data that stands up to scrutiny. You work through research questions and indicators, questionnaire writing, question types and skip logic, sampling methods and sample size, translation, ethics and informed consent, and enumerator training. The mobile side is fully practical: building XLSForms, deploying them on KoboToolbox, ODK and CommCare, collecting offline, capturing GPS and photos, syncing and monitoring submissions on a server.
The last sessions cover data quality checks, back-checks, cleaning, documentation and secure storage. M&E officers, researchers, survey coordinators, programme managers, statisticians, field supervisors and students in NGOs, government, universities and research firms will gain directly. Delivery is in the classroom, online or in-house, with a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion at the end. You leave able to design a survey from concept to analysis-ready dataset, pilot it on devices and manage a field team with confidence in the numbers they bring back.
Organisations in development, health, agriculture and business now collect more data than ever, yet much of it cannot be trusted because the design and fieldwork were rushed. Ambiguous questions, convenience samples, missing consent procedures and unsupervised data entry all produce results that mislead decision makers. Mobile data collection has removed paper and double entry, but it has also made it easy to deploy a flawed form at scale.
This training course covers the whole survey process and the mobile tools that support it. Participants begin by linking the research purpose to indicators and then write and test questions that respondents can answer accurately. They learn probability and non-probability sampling, sample size calculation and weighting basics, and the ethical safeguards required when collecting personal data. Practical sessions teach XLSForm design, validation rules, repeat groups, cascading selects and multilingual forms, followed by deployment and monitoring with KoboToolbox, ODK Central and CommCare.
Participants work in teams on a live mini-survey: they draft the instrument, program it, pilot it on tablets or phones, review the submitted data and apply cleaning rules. Sessions also address supervision structures, daily quality dashboards and responsible data handling after fieldwork.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Participants leave with:
The course is a workshop in which participants build a working survey. It relies on:
Day 1: Planning the Data Collection
Day 2: Questionnaire Design
Day 3: Sampling
Day 4: Mobile Data Collection Tools
Day 5: Field Management, Quality and Data Handling
The course is designed for people who plan, run or use surveys, including:
Participants who attend the sessions and complete the practical labs receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy.
Upcoming cohorts
CPD-Accredited
Official invoice & confirmation letter provided
Team discount for 3+ seats
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Everything you need to know about this course before you register.
By the end of the Best Practices in Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools programme, you'll be able to translate research questions into indicators and a clear data collection plan, write unbiased questions and structure questionnaires with logical flow, select appropriate sampling methods and calculate sample sizes, and build, test and deploy forms in xlsform, kobotoolbox, odk and commcare. The full breakdown of topics is covered session by session in the Course Outline tab above.
The course is designed for people who plan, run or use surveys, including: Monitoring and evaluation officers and managers, Research officers and survey coordinators, Programme managers who commission baselines and assessments, Field supervisors and enumerator trainers, Statisticians and data managers, Public health and agricultural extension researchers, Graduate students and university research staff, and Market research and consultancy staff.
Best Practices in 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.
Best Practices in 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 Best Practices in Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools starts November 2, 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 Best Practices in 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.
Best Practices in Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course is pitched at intermediate 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 Best Practices in 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 — Best Practices in 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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