Anthony R. Artino, Jr., PhD, Professor & Associate Dean for Educational Research, GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Lies, damned lies, and surveys: Designing better surveys for education and research
Mark Twain once wrote, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Surveys could be added to this list: both statistics and surveys are grounded in “facts” and thus imply objectivity and unimpeachable authority. Yet surveys, when poorly designed and conducted, can include (and often hide) important flaws that can bias results and lead to distorted interpretations, erroneous claims, and unsound decisions. In this interactive workshop, Dr. Artino will introduce six design principles to help educators create high-quality surveys for evaluation and research.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to…
• Recognize the elements of a survey;
• Describe how cognitive processes and motivation guide the way people understand and respond to survey questions;
• Identify poorly written survey items and other design pitfalls;
• State several design principles; and
• Discuss expert reviews and cognitive interviews.
Handout Links:
• Developing Questionnaires for Educational Research: AMEE Guide No. 87
• The Survey Checklist (Manifesto)
• Guidelines for Reporting Survey-Based Research Submitted to Academic Medicine
• Getting the Most Out of Surveys: Optimizing Respondent Motivation
An in-person event sponsored by the SMHS CFE Academy of Education Scholars.
Presenter:
Anthony Artino is a tenured professor and Associate Dean for Educational Research at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Connecticut and also holds master’s degrees in physiology and education. Before joining GW, Dr. Artino served 23 years as an active duty naval officer; he retired as a Navy Captain in 2020.
In his current role, Dr. Artino teaches graduate courses, conducts research, mentors students and early-career faculty, and provides administrative leadership in educational research. As a researcher, he has been an investigator on more than a dozen research grants funded by diverse organizations, including the Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Board of Medical Examiners. His most highly cited works are a blend of research and education articles on topics ranging from analyzing and interpreting quantitative data, examining questionable research practices, understanding academic motivation and self-regulation, measuring long-term physician outcomes, and developing questionnaires for educational research.
He publishes widely in medical and health professions education and serves on several editorial review boards, including Academic Medicine and the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. He is a fellow of both the Association for Medical Education in Europe and the Aerospace Medical Association.
Dr. Artino is married with four children. He lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC.