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Statistics 36-303: Sampling, Surveys and Society\\
Survey Project Ideas and Proposals
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\section{Introduction}

In this course you will be expected to make two {\em serious}
proposals for survey projects.  To help get you started I have listed
some past project ideas below. 

\subsection{How I Will Evaluate Projects}

The easiest projects typically will involve an on-campus survey of
some of your fellow students, especially a subset who are easily
accessible to you.  The easiest mode of administration is by e-mail
and/or a web service like {\tt surveymonkey.com}, but followup and
high response rates are often easier to achieve with other modes of
data collection (especially interviews and other face-to-face
methods), though they may require more time and effort.

In my evaluation of your project work (both proposals and completed
projects), there will be a tradeoff between originality and cleverness
on the one hand, and thoroughness and difficulty on the other.  If you
are willing to do a more complex and difficult project this may make
up for lack of originality.  For example, I will specifically evaluate
all proposals for thoroughness, including plans for non-response
followup.  On the other hand, I definitely do give credit for
originality.  Thus a project that is really dull and boring but does
hard statistics may not score higher than a project that is easier
statistically but involves a clever problem or one of intrinsic
scientific, social or policy interest.
 
\subsection{Inferring Causal and Lurking Variables}

Sample surveys are good at measuring things as they are, and only can
be used to measure causal effects in very special and limited
circumstances.  Many questions of interest that are expored using
sample surveys nonetheless are related to causal questions.  In almost
any statistical problem of comparing two or more subpopulations, or
where we are studying the ``effects'' of some variables on others,
there will be {\em Lurking Variables}, i.e. variables that---if not
measured and accounted for in your analysis---will cause a distortion
of the results, especially when you are looking at relationships.  I
will mention a few of these in class.  I expect that your project will
consider and measure lurking variables that are especially relevant
for your question(s) of interest.

\subsection{Thoroughness, Creatitivy and Impact}

As suggested above, I will give a subjective evaluation of your
proposals, based on two factors: First, is the idea really clever or
really of scientific interest, and second, have you done a reasonably
thorough job of things?  I am hoping that this will induce you to
think of a project that is both interseting and leaves scope for some
statistical analysis.

For example, if you simply state that you plan to compare GPAs of male
and female students, you are being neither creative nor thorough.  It
is easy to see that there are lurking variables (college and major),
and there are also possible regression relationships with other
variables of interest (e.g. SAT scores).

A good rule of thumb for whether your survey is interesting is whether
anyone outside this class would pay attention to it.  This might be
because there is an actual client for the work, or because the work
caught the interest of someone after it was completed.  For example,
the following 36-303 surveys were interesting:
\begin{itemize}
\item CMU dining services changed some of its offerings after seeing
  the results of a 36-303 survey on student satisfaction with food and
  restaurant choices on campus.
\item A 36-303 survey on student attitudes toward introducing $+/-$
  grading for undergraduates was written up in the {\em Tartan}.
\item A 36-303 survey for {\em The Jewish Chronicle} (a client) led to
  changes in the Chronicle's website and publications.
\end{itemize}
Not all 36-303 surveys reach this level of impact, but if yours does,
it will count positively in my evaluation of your project.

\subsection{Other Notes Relating to the Project}

\begin{itemize}

\item {\em I suggest that you spend approximately 80 hours as a team on
  this project.}  You may spend more time if you are convinced that the
  benefits of spending more hours on this project are greater than the
  costs.

\item {\em Keep a diary} (e.g. in the form of a lab book, or an on-line
  document), and update it regularly througout the project (no less
  than once a week!).  Record your expenditures of time and other
  resources, as well as any notable events that may influence the
  interpretation of your data or data analyses.  Keep track of which
  team members attend each meeting.  You will not turn in this diary,
  but it will help you keep track of your effort and your team's
  effort throughout the semester.

\item {\em You will invest a certain amount of time, energy, money and
  other resources, in doing this project.}  As is the case with all
  investments, the amount of return you will receive on this project,
  both now and later in your career, depends on the amount you invest
  in it and the risk you take.

\end{itemize}


\section{Some Project Ideas}

\noindent
Here are some topic ideas.  Some of these have been used by past
36-303 teams, some have been used in other survey sampling courses,
some have never been used.  

You are welcome to ignore these ideas and come up with your own (more
creative), or use one or more of these ideas as-is or in modified
form.  Either way, you will have to make a strong case that you would
do a {\em thorough and creative} job on the topic, and that the survey
could have {\em impact} outside this class if it is done this
semester.

\begin{itemize}
\item {\em Surveys that have been or could be conducted using
  campus email and websites like SurveyMonkey.} {\bf Because of
  the large number of groups in this class, I will limit the number of
  groups that will be able to conduct this type of survey.}
\begin{itemize}

\item CMU community smoking habits and attitudes toward smoking

\item Workload at Carnegie Mellon vs other universities

\item Student attitudes towards plus/minus grading at CMU

\item Student attitudes toward PAT bus passes

\item Perceived versus actual use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit
  drugs

\item What makes Carnegie Mellon students read email?

\item CMU student perceptions of academic integrity and old
course-materials archives

\item Student attitudes toward CMU dining facilities

\item Post-Graduation plans of Carnegie Mellon University's
  undergraduate class of 2010

\item Knowledge and utilization of CMU SafeWalk and Escort Services

\item Student perception and utilization of mandatory student fees

\end{itemize}

\item {\em Surveys that have been or could be conducted with other
  methodologies (not on-campus email/SurveyMonkey surveys).}
\begin{itemize}

\item Academic departments' uses of information technology

\item Randomly sample classes/classrooms and give surveys to everyone
  in each sampled class.  For example: Students' use of and
  satisfaction with Faculty Course Evaluations and other means of
  evaluating faculty teaching

\item Measure use or visibility of bulletin boards by posting flyers
  with tear-off strips people could use to enter a contest.
%  Bulletin boards that
%    saw more traffic generated more contest entries

\item Sample job placement records for CMU graduates to find out how 
  their job matches their degree, what they earn, where they go, etc.
  
\item Sample books in the library to assess various forms and costs 
of physical damage to books, etc.

\item Sample ``card catalog'' or ``patron borrowing'' records at the 
library to assess the level of lost books, length of overdue periods, etc.

\item Measure the danger of an intersection by sampling or designating
  30 minute blocks of time over a couple of days, and then counting
  the number of traffic violations (e.g. bikes running red lights) in
  each 30 minute block.


% \item Impact of the Consol Energy Center (new hockey stadium) or the
%   Rivers Casino xon businesses in downtown Pittsburgh

% \item Randomly sample area bars (and possibly blocks of time) and
%   count the number of people of a certain type (men, women, age range,
%   etc.) in each bar during that time.

\item Man-on-the-street surveys.  For example, ask people to answer
  questions to assess their knowledge of world geography

\item Measure facility usage by interviewing or observing people who
  use the facility. Example include
\begin{itemize}
\item Sample building entrances and count the number of smokers who do
  not stand far enough away from the doors when smoking.
\item How often do students break rules like no food/drinks in the computer 
clusters?
\item Who eats lunch at the lunch trucks on Margaret Morrison?
\item Who uses the exercise rooms at the UC?
\end{itemize}

\end{itemize}

\section{Your Project Proposals}

\begin{enumerate}

\item Each team will need to submit {\bf two} proposals.  {\em Exact due date TBA, but sometime next week!}

\item
  For each proposal, each \ul{team} should prepare a 1--2 page
  proposal.  Each proposal should begin with a title that indicates
  the topic, and the names of every team member.  Your description
  should include the following three section heads:
  \begin{enumerate}
    \item[A.]  Why is this topic interesting?  Why does {\em this}
      survey need to be done {\em now}?  Is there a client for whom
      you might do the survey?
    \item[B.]  What question(s) do you propose to study? Give a brief
      answer that would have been understandable by a
      non-statistician.
    \item[C.]  What research has already been done on the topic or on
      the theoretical construct of central importance to your topic?
      What could be learned from survey results? Each group member
      should locate and review 1 relevant item of research (e.g.,
      article, report, book, etc.).  For each item, provide:
      \begin{itemize}
        \item Full author name(s), date, title, where it appeared
          (book title and publisher, if it appeared in a book;
          magazine title, date, page numbers, if it appeared in a
          magazine; website title and web address if it appeared
          online, etc.)
        \item A sentence or two summarizing the item and what its
          connection is to the survey you are proposing.
        \item The name of the team member who found this item.
      \end{itemize}
   \end{enumerate}
\item
   There is no restriction on what kind of surveys you propose, except
   that they should be doable by your team, in this semester.

  \end{enumerate}
  
  \end{itemize}









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