Script Junkie
Web-Based Opinion Polling with Active Server Pages
By Chuck McNichols
Like most business professors, I've done my share of data gathering. To simplify my efforts I've created an application called WebPoll that supports browser-based creation, administration, and analysis of opinion-capturing surveys. WebPoll produces a questionnaire as an HTML form from a definition stored in a Microsoft Access database table. After answering questionnaire items using radio buttons and check boxes, a respondent submits the form and the Web server records the answers in the same database. Respondents can receive immediate access to the current poll results by triggering the WebPoll analysis and presentation software. Since all of the application's components are run from a browser, ad hoc polling is supported. During a meeting or presentation in a computer lab, I can create a set of questionnaire items on the spot to survey opinions or knowledge of a concept, then distribute the survey, gather responses, analyze the results, and immediately feed back a results summary.
WebPoll incorporates the following types of items: yes/no, five-point Likert scale, seven-point semantic differential scale, multiple choice, and all-that-apply. Multiple choice and all-that-apply items allow up to 26 responses. WebPoll requires only a browser and support from Web-server scripts implemented as an Active Server Pages (ASP) application. ASP is incorporated into current Microsoft Web servers and is becoming available for other servers and computer platforms (see
