Data About Us - Class Survey Questions
Categorical Variables
Nominal (No Natural Order):
- What is your favorite color? (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple, Orange, Other)
- What is your birth month?
- Are you left-handed or right-handed?
- What is your preferred method of transportation to campus? (Walk, Bike, Car, Bus, Other)
- What type of phone do you have? (iPhone, Android, Other)
- What is your major or intended major?
- Are you an in-state or out-of-state student?
- What is your preferred social media platform? (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Snapchat, Facebook, None)
Ordinal (Natural Order):
9. What year are you in school? (First-year, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate)
10. How would you rate your comfort level with math? (Very uncomfortable, Uncomfortable, Neutral, Comfortable, Very comfortable)
11. How often do you drink coffee? (Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Daily)
12. What is your typical bedtime? (Before 10pm, 10-11pm, 11pm-midnight, Midnight-1am, After 1am)
Numerical Variables
Discrete (Countable):
13. How many siblings do you have?
14. How many states have you visited?
15. How many hours per week do you work (including work-study)?
16. How many hours did you sleep last night?
17. How many different majors/minors are you pursuing?
18. How many pets do you have?
19. How many courses are you taking this semester?
Continuous (Measurable):
20. How tall are you (in inches)?
21. What is your commute time to this classroom (in minutes)?
22. How much did you spend on textbooks this semester (in dollars)?
23. What is your current GPA? (Optional - can be sensitive)
Fun/Interesting Questions
- What is the last digit of your phone number?
- How many countries have you visited?
- What temperature do you keep your dorm/apartment in winter?
- How many unread emails do you currently have?
Instructions for Students:
- Please answer honestly - responses are anonymous
- For numerical questions, give your best estimate
- Skip any question you're not comfortable answering
- This data will be used for examples throughout the semester
Teaching Notes:
- Keep it anonymous - collect without names
- Make participation optional for sensitive questions
- Mix question types to demonstrate different data types
- Keep it short - aim for 10-15 questions maximum for first day
- Consider your class context - adjust questions for your specific student population