Surveyor: a case study of a web-based survey tool for academics

'Many universities are actively looking at ways in which the use of technology can be mainstreamed across the university, linked with external clients and made convenient and accessible for students. These changes require coordination, planning and resourcing at an institutional level, in an environment where technological change is rapid and the demands for tailored applications are growing.' (Coaldrake, 1999) How we effectively plan, coordinate and resource change is of ongoing concern to those who work in educational development support. Some initiatives take hold in the university environment and some do not. This paper seeks to examine one initiative, which arose from academic demand for a web-based survey program, to assist in distribution to global markets. The program needed to be simple and intuitive to use, minimize data processing and collection, and allow for academic construction, development and management of online survey questions. This paper reviews the selection, implementation and evaluation of a web-based survey tool, from an organisational change management and constructivist perspective, and whether the selection and adoption of such a tool will trigger the workplace cultural change necessary for sustained educational development.