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PhD-course on survey experiments

A PhD-course in survey experiments was run at DIGSSCORE in April 2017, with lecturer Mike Tomz from Stanford University. The course was a success, and next time we need larger rooms to accommodate the interest.

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The Digital Social Science Core Facility (DIGSSCORE) at the University of Bergen hosted a PhD course in design and data analysis of survey experiments. The course aimed to help PhD students and graduate students who plan to use experimental design as a part of their dissertation. The experimental method is gaining ground and is relevant for various disciplines, as political science, communication science, sociology and economics. The intention of the course was to help PhD students conduct and design major studies that will launch their careers.

Time: Wednesday April 26th – Friday April 28th, 2017.
Place: The Citizen lab at DIGSSCORE. 2nd floor of Sofie Lindstrøms hus, Rosenbergs gate 35.

Lecturers
Mike Tomz, Stanford University.Endre Tvinnereim, UniResearch Rokkan Centre.

Compulsory Requirements
10 ECTS:Attendance of full three-day program and attendance of the Bergen-Gothenburg-Barcelona Workshop on Experimental Political Science. Paper (5000 words, detailing experiment design)
7,5 ECTS:Paper (5000 words)

You can find the reading list for the course here.

Note: The PhD course was held in combination with the Bergen-Gothenburg-Barcelona Workshop on Experimental Political Science. 

 

Program

Wednesday 26 April 2017

0900-1000. Registration
1030-1200. Introduction to survey experiments
1200-1300. Lunch
1300-1430. Introduction to analysis of survey experimental data
1500-1630. Analysis of survey experimental data, individual work on own/provided data set
1900. Course dinner, instructors and participants.

Thursday 27 April 2017

0830-1000. Designing effective survey experiments
1030-1200. Hypothesis development. Independent, supervised work on own project. Output: Students to write a brief summary of hypotheses they hope to test with their first survey experiment.
1200-1300. Lunch.
1300-1430. Students present initial hypotheses orally. Feedback by instructor(s) and by other students.
1500-1630. Independent work on own survey experiment; hypothesis development. Students work on a description of an experiment to test hypotheses.

Friday 28 April 2017

0830-1000. Presentation of students' experiments. Feedback to students' experiments.
1030-1200. Supervised work on experiments.
1200-1300. Lunch.
1300-1630. Group work session: Development of experiments ready for pre-testing and/or fielding in a survey.