David Demarco | Reporter
Jan. 4, 2016; 3 p.m.
In an effort to do away with third-party sites like Survey Monkey and eSurvey Creator, Lindenwood University in September attained a license for Qualtrics, a professional survey builder and data collection tool.
“We felt moving forward it would be more cost effective to lump it all together under one license for the institution,” said TJ Rains, Lindenwood’s Chief Information Officer. The software was officially made available to students in mid-October.
Used by companies, such as MasterCard and Southwest Airlines, Qualtrics was primarily aimed at businesses to conduct large surveys with their customer bases or own employees.
Its growth, however, has led to the launch of an academic section used by over 1,600 colleges or universities in the United States, including 99 of the top 100 business schools, according to the company’s website.
Their software includes features such as test taking, case studies, experimental research, student feedback and data analysis. Essentially anything with data gathering and surveying can be completed with Qualtrics, Rains recommended.
Qualtrics will be made available to Lindenwood students by completing an online form. After students explain their project, target audience and a handful of other criteria, the website will submit the information to be approved. Once authorized, students will be provided access to the software using their Lindenwood login ID and password.
