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:

• 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.
• Build, test and deploy forms in XLSForm, KoboToolbox, ODK and CommCare.
• Apply informed consent, confidentiality and data protection practice.
• Train and supervise enumerators and monitor data quality during fieldwork.
• Clean, document and securely store survey data for analysis.

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
• Market research and consultancy staff

Participants leave with:

• A tested questionnaire and an XLSForm they built during the course.
• A sampling plan and sample size worksheet.
• A deployed mobile form and an understanding of server management.
• An enumerator training outline and field supervision checklist.
• A set of data quality checks and back-check procedures.
• A data management and protection protocol for their next survey.

The course is a workshop in which participants build a working survey. It relies on:

• Hands-on labs using KoboToolbox, ODK and CommCare on laptops and phones
• A team mini-survey piloted during the week
• Exercises in question writing, sampling and quality checking
• Review of sample forms and datasets with common errors
• Group feedback on each team's instrument and plan

Participants who attend the sessions and complete the practical labs receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy.