NOVA Research Company proposes to design and develop a Questionnaire Development System for Web Administration (QDS-Web) as a Windows XP-based application to generate files necessary for Web-based questionnaire/form data collection and data management, including diagnostic scoring and reporting. Primary use is targeted toward behavioral research surveys, multisite clinical trials, and health care/service provider data management and reporting. The application will be based on NOVA's commercial Questionnaire Development System (QDS(tm)), which has a user base of more than 500 users and more than 2,500 modules sold to date to U.S. Government, university, and commercial customers. Phase I will involve: (1) enhancing QDS (tm) Design Studio module, where a questionnaire/form is specified, to generate an output control file that can be deployed by the new Web administration module; (2) designing and implementing a Web administration module, which will generate and post HTML code to permit survey administration using Internet Explorer (IE), encrypting all responses for secure transmission to the Web server database; and (3) developing a set of database templates to assist users in implementing their own Web server database for receiving and storing data to be interpreted by an enhanced QDS(tm) Data Warehouse module for permanent storage and downloading of collected data to statistical analysis applications. To demonstrate in Phase I that the system is feasible, NOVA proposes to prototype a brief instrument, selected in collaboration with the NIDA Program Official, from instrument specification in the redesigned QDS Design Studio through sample data collection to reporting responses from the database generated on NOVA's Web server. Near conclusion of Phase I, individual demonstrations, hands-on use, and in-depth qualitative interviews will be conducted with several novice research users to elicit feedback on user ability to implement Web-enabled questionnaire administration, including input about ease of questionnaire specification and Web posting, general usefulness, and satisfaction with conducting Web-based research surveys using NOVA's newly developed QDS-Web questionnaire administration module. For more information on NOVA's current QDS(tm) software suite, please see URL: www.novaresearch.com/Products/QDS/index.html for a free downloadable trial version, and under Support/Documentation, NOVA's Quick Start Guide and detailed Version 2.x Manual (PDF).
