DCARF - Deakin Computer Assisted Research Facility
Faculty of Business and Law
DCARF's primary service is data collection for research projects.
At DCARF we utilise computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology. Trained research interviewers conduct household and organisational surveys in out CATI facility.
DCARF has considerable experience at adapting survey instruments for CATI, including telephone script development, question wording, and skip logic.
DCARF uses CASES – a Computer Assisted Survey Execution System, in its administration of telephone surveys. CASES was developed at the University of California at Berkeley. Further information about CASES can be accessed from their web site (Link opens in a new window).
CASES allows for detailed call scheduling including careful monitoring and management of callbacks and case histories.
RDD is a technique used in telephone surveys in which households are randomly sampled within some geopolitical area using one of several random-digit dialing techniques that generate telephone numbers.
At DCARF we construct a sample frame of all possible telephone numbers within each eligible project area by identifying telephone exchanges servicing households within those areas and generating all logically possible numbers from those prefixes. We then undertake a preliminary check of those numbers using procedures developed in-house. From this we create a sample of live numbers which are sent to the CATI system. Filter questions at the beginning of an interview select eligible adults within eligible households.
DCARF has facilities and experience at conducting mail surveys for a variety of samples, including household and organisational samples. Our high volume, OCR-capable scanner can read both text and marked responses, meaning we can provide high quality scanning services for our clients.
DCARF utilises Dillman's Tailored Design Method (2000), which represents best practice in administering mail surveys.
Example DCARF questionnaire (PDF approx 80kb)
DCARF also has the capability to conduct web-based surveys for clients. Web surveys have the advantage of being easily deployed, and are extremely accessible to survey respondents. Our software can handle large numbers of respondents (4000+), and allows for respondents to be registered, or to complete surveys anonymously.
DCARF has the capability for Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing using notebook computers. This allows the efficiency of computer assisted data entry with the advantages of face-to-face interviews at a variety of locations. DCARF's development plans, through ASRIN, include an extensive CAPI facility through a national field operations network.
For further information on any of our services, please contact us directly.
