Live Online Strategic Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course
Live online, instructor-led · next cohort Oct 26, 2026 · from USD 800
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.
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
- Oct 26, 2026, Nov 23, 2026, Dec 21, 2026
- Certificate
- Certificate of Completion
- What you need
- A computer with a reliable internet connection, a webcam and a headset
About this course
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.
Training Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will 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.
- Build, test and deploy mobile data collection forms using KoboToolbox or ODK.
- Recruit, train and supervise enumerators and manage field logistics.
- Apply real-time quality assurance, back-checks and data cleaning routines.
- Uphold informed consent, confidentiality and data protection in all stages of collection.
What you'll learn
Key Takeaways
Participants return with:
- A data collection plan template linking indicators, methods, sources and timelines.
- A tested mobile survey form they built themselves.
- A sampling worksheet for calculating sample size and selecting respondents.
- An enumerator training outline and field supervision checklist.
- A quality assurance protocol with back-check procedures.
- A data protection and consent checklist for survey work.
Training Methodology
The sessions are practical and tool-based, with these learning methods:
- Computer labs where each participant builds and deploys a form on a phone or tablet
- Peer testing of instruments in a mock field exercise
- Sample questionnaires from health, livelihoods and education surveys for critique
- Spreadsheet exercises for sampling and sample size
- Troubleshooting clinics on participants' real data collection problems
Day 1: Planning Strategic Data Collection
- Linking decisions, evaluation questions and indicators
- Primary and secondary data sources
- Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods
- Data collection plan: roles, budget, timeline and risks
- Reviewing existing data before collecting new data
- Exercise: drafting a collection plan for a programme
Day 2: Questionnaire and Instrument Design
- Question types, wording and common sources of bias
- Response scales, coding and sequencing
- Interview guides and focus group discussion tools
- Translation, back-translation and cultural fit
- Piloting and cognitive testing
- Exercise: critiquing and rewriting a flawed questionnaire
Day 3: Sampling and Survey Methods
- Population, sampling frames and representativeness
- Simple random, systematic, stratified and cluster sampling
- Sample size calculation, margins of error and design effects
- Purposive and snowball sampling for qualitative work
- Non-response and weighting concepts
- Exercise: drawing a sample in a spreadsheet
Day 4: Mobile Data Collection Tools
- Overview of KoboToolbox, ODK and comparable platforms
- Building forms with skip logic, constraints and calculations
- Capturing GPS, photos and signatures
- Offline deployment, synchronisation and device management
- Server set-up, user permissions and data security
- Lab: building and testing a survey form
Day 5: Fieldwork, Quality and Ethics
- Recruiting and training enumerators
- Field logistics, supervision and daily monitoring
- Back-checks, spot checks and automated quality flags
- Informed consent, privacy and data protection
- Cleaning, exporting and documenting the dataset
- Field simulation and action planning
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
- Enumerators moving into supervisory roles
Participants who complete the practical labs and attend the sessions receive a Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy, which is CPD-accredited.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
Strategic 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 Strategic Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course
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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