The cohort study forms an important methodology within the area of health promotion. When a change over time needs to be identified (without intervention) in a group, the cohort study is the go-to methodology. It often involves long term observation to, for example, determine the cause of an addiction, behavior or disease. Smartphones have become a key technology for studies in this area of research. Its high level of mobility, recording capabilities and ease of acquisition, make it a great tool for observation and intervention.
Recording equipment and smartphones
The right recording equipment can make a big impact on your ability to analyze studies. Whether you use television studio like mobile field recording kits, static microphones, camera systems, the analysis or even simple smartphones can be of great use. Luckily the BMS lab has licenses for transcription software Amberscript and its very own Sociometry app. For a reliable analysis a good recording is essential. The assortment of recording equipment at the BMS lab features many items, ranging from the handy Zoom H4N microphones, to full field recording sets. Video recording is also possible thanks to the full sized (television like) cameras, a variety of Go Pros and smartphones.
The TIIM app
An alternative to survey software is our very own TIIM app. It however is far more advanced in a few key aspects. TIIM is meant as both a delivery system for interventions and the questionnaires or observation system itself. One could for example monitor long term usage of a newly designed piece of equipment by sending specific guides or tips at specific intervals and asking follow-up questions at similar intervals. This is where TIIM excels and where the advanced options surrounding group and intervention creation come in very handy. Read more about TIIM or visit us to learn more.
>>> Read our FAQs in the Info Hub
>>> Watch or read our TIIM tutorials
Questionnaires from Qualtrics
The piece of software most students and staff members will be familiar with is Qualtrics. This highly customizable and reliable software suite offers many possibilities within the field of digital questionnaires, ranging from quizzing, to advanced randomization (of questions and stimuli), graphical scales and inhouse analysis. Students and staff members of the University of Twente can make use of the University’s license by following this guide provided by the BMS faculty.