Controlling a Survey

adavis

I have a survey to build from my son's school. Well, actually, I already have the survey built, all except the login feature. I want each person to log in with a userid that they already have for checking their student's grades and then just tick them off on the database as having taken the survey, not relating this fact to their response to the survey in any way. Some on the school's board is concerned that the parents will not be completely open with their responses because their answers may be tied to their name in some way.

One board member suggestion IP addresses, but that won't work for several reasons. First off, most people have access to muliple computers, and second almost no one has a static IP addess. I can't think of any other way to do it other than what I have already suggested. Do any of you have any other suggestions on any other way to insure that each family only takes the survey once, but maintains their anonymity?

Thanks,
Alisa

tomhath

If the parents won't trust you to keep the survey anonymous I don't see any way to do it online. Any vote or survey collection system assumes that the person collecting the data is trustworthy (or is being watched by someone trustworthy).

adavis

I agree with you. They have to trust me.

I don't know of ANY client side control that can be put on a survey that will keep a user from being able to take a survey multiple times. IP addresses won't work because nobody has static IP addresses and cookies won't work. I have access to 6 computers. Without even deleting my cookies, I could take a cookie controlled survey 6 times.

The only way I know to control it is with a login. If you have 1 student, they want you to take it 1 time. If you have 5 students, they want you to take it 5 times. So, the only way I know that this can happen is if you have them log in with the kids student id number. It's easy enough to find. I have it in the database and I can just build an interface to retrieve it if they don't already know it.

Tnx,
Alisa