Programmes, policies and investments rest on data, and poor collection quietly undermines everything built on it: leading questions, unrepresentative samples, unsynchronised devices and unchecked entries. Across five days, monitoring and research staff learn to collect data that decision-makers can trust. You turn information needs into indicators and data collection plans, write clear questionnaires, choose between quantitative and qualitative methods, and draw random, stratified and cluster samples with sensible sample size calculations.
The practical sessions cover building forms in KoboToolbox and ODK, using skip logic, validation and GPS, deploying tablets and phones offline, training enumerators, piloting instruments and running live quality checks. You also look at consent and ethics, data protection, cleaning, and moving collected data into Excel and analysis software. Monitoring and evaluation officers, survey coordinators, researchers, programme managers and statisticians from NGOs, government agencies, universities and private firms will gain skills for immediate use. Classroom, online and in-house options lead to a CPD-accredited certificate. Afterwards you can field a small survey from design through to a clean dataset.
Many organisations collect large amounts of data yet struggle to use it, because questions were not linked to decisions, samples were chosen for convenience or the collection process was not checked. Paper forms still cause delays and transcription errors, while poorly configured digital tools can produce data that looks tidy but is wrong. Strategic planning of collection, from the first indicator to the final dataset, saves money and protects credibility.
The programme starts at the planning stage: clarifying information needs, selecting indicators, matching methods to questions and drafting a data collection plan. Participants then learn questionnaire design principles, including question wording, response options, translation and sequencing, followed by sampling approaches and the practical limits of precision. The technical core covers building and testing mobile forms, managing servers, devices and users, and designing quality assurance routines such as back-checks, spot checks and automated flags. Closing sessions address ethics, privacy, data cleaning and documentation.
Learning is hands-on. Participants build a working mobile survey, pilot it with colleagues and analyse the returned data, leaving with reusable templates for their own projects.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Participants return with:
The sessions are practical and tool-based, with these learning methods:
Day 1: Planning Strategic Data Collection
Day 2: Questionnaire and Instrument Design
Day 3: Sampling and Survey Methods
Day 4: Mobile Data Collection Tools
Day 5: Fieldwork, Quality and Ethics
The course is suited to people who commission, manage or carry out data collection, including:
Participants who complete the practical labs and attend the sessions receive a Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy, which is CPD-accredited.
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 Strategic Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools programme, you'll be able to translate programme questions and indicators into a data collection plan, write unbiased questionnaires with clear wording, logical flow and suitable response options, choose probability and non-probability sampling methods and estimate sample size, and build, test and deploy mobile data collection forms using kobotoolbox or odk. The full breakdown of topics is covered session by session in the Course Outline tab above.
The course is suited to people who commission, manage or carry out data collection, including: Monitoring and evaluation officers and managers, Survey coordinators and field supervisors, Research officers and academic researchers, Programme and project managers in NGOs and development agencies, Statisticians and data analysts in public agencies, Market and social research staff, Health, education and agriculture programme officers, and Enumerators moving into supervisory roles.
Strategic 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.
Strategic 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 Strategic Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools starts October 26, 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 Strategic 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.
Strategic 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 Strategic 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 — Strategic 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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