Seminar series - Collecting social data (during COVID-19)
The Gauteng City-Region Observatory, in collaboration with Social Surveys Africa and the Human Sciences Research Council, hosted a seven-part online seminar series on adapting social data collection practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series started in July 2020, and ran through to October 2020. This seminar series brought together social researchers from a range of disciplines to explore different approaches to collecting social data during the COVID pandemic. It provided an opportunity for researchers to share learnings and innovations with a diverse audience, discuss challenges with colleagues with different backgrounds, and contributed to the collective strengthening of social research during this unique and challenging time.
Details for each seminar session, along with presentations and links to recordings, are available below.
Seminar 7: Large scale surveys, and plans/experiences with returning to the field (22 October 2020)
The seventh and final webinar in our seminar series held on Thursday, 22 October 2020, featured 7 presentations:
Ayesha Ismail and Tamika Fellows, Genesis Analytics; Solly Molayi and Niel Roux, Statistics South Africa; Prof Robert Mattes, University of Strathclyde and Afrobarometer; Dr. Benjamin Roberts, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC); Dr. Julia de Kadt, Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO).
The webinar's recording and presentations of our featured speakers are available below for download:
Agenda and Q&A
Seminar recording (on YouTube)
Presentation slides: Client exit interviews across seventeen countries in the time of COVID-19: What lessons did we learn? (Ayesha Ismail and Tamika Fellows)
Presentation slides: Between the devil and the deep blue sea: navigating data collection in a time of uncertainty (Solly Molayi and Niel Roux)
Presentation slides: Afrobarometer and the Challenges of Covid to Cross-Continental Research in Africa (Prof Robert Matte)
Presentation slides: The South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) (Dr. Benjamin Roberts)
Presentation slides: The GCRO’s Quality of Life survey (QoL) (Dr. Julia de Kadt)
Seminar 6: Monitoring & evaluation and health data (08 October 2020)
The sixth webinar held on Thursday, 08 October 2020, featured 5 presentations:
Charlene Deacon, JET Education Services; Tshepo Baloyi, JET Education Services; Amreen Choda and Itago Winnie, Genesis Analytics and Dr Musawenkosi Mabaso, Human Sciences Research Council.
The webinar's recording and presentations of our featured speakers are available below for download:
Agenda and Q&A
Seminar recording (on YouTube)
Presentation slides - Educational research in a time of crisis: Bootcamp methodology (Charlene Deacon)
Presentation slides - Experiences with using or planning to use remote methods (Tshepo Baloyi)
Presentation slides - Research and data gathering in a time of lockdown and social distancing (Amreen Choda and Itago Winnie)
Presentation slides - Producing updated policy-relevant health research during a time of national crisis (Dr Musawenkosi Mabaso)
Seminar 5: Technological platforms to support data collection and generation (10 September 2020)
The fifth webinar held on Thursday, 10 September 2020, featured 5 presentations:
Irma Mare, University of the Witwatersrand; Katherine Johnston, University of Cape Town; Rosella Bandini, University of the Witwatersrand; Thomas Chapman, biNu; and Dr. Benjamin Roberts (Human Sciences Research Council).
The webinar's recording and presentations of our featured speakers are available below for download:
Agenda and Q&A
Seminar recording(on YouTube)
Presentation slides - REDCap user perspectives (Rosella Bandini)
Presentation slides - Increasing research reach through enabling #datafree participation (Thomas Chapman)
Presentation slides - biNu user perspective (Dr. Benjamin Roberts)
Seminar 4: Community level research (27 August 2020)
The fourth webinar, held on Thursday, 27 August 2020, featured three presentations: Katherine Brown, Foundation for Human Rights, Candice Groenewald, Human Sciences Research Council, and Marlise Richter and Kristen Abrahams, Community Action Networks. The webinar's recording and presentations of our featured speakers are available below for download:
Seminar recording (on Youtube)
Presentation slides - Community-based research during Covid-19 (Katherine Brown)
Presentation slides - Research through social media in the time of ‘social’ distancing (Candice Groenewald)
Presentation slides - Lessons from remote CAN learning sessions (Marlise Richter and Kristen Abrahams)
Seminar 3: Trackers and panels (13 August 2020)
The third webinar, held on Thursday, 13 August 2020, featured three presentations: Mariëtte Croukamp, Ask Afrika, Shirley Jeoffreys-Leach, Petronella Tizora and Bobby Berkowitz, FinMark Trust, and Kim Ingle and Timothy Brophy, SALDRU, University of Cape Town. The webinar's recording and presentations of our featured speakers are available below for download:
Seminar recording (on Youtube)
Presentation slides - Methods and madness during COVID-19 (Mariëtte Croukamp)
Presentation slides - Implementing and interpreting multi-country longitudinal studies through the COVID-19 pandemic (Shirley Jeoffreys-Leach, Petronella Tizora and Bobby Berkowitz)
Presentation slides - Experience from re-engaging with an existing face-to-face panel via CATI in a rapid response survey (Kim Ingle and Timothy Brophy)
Seminar 2: Understanding and responding to ethical challenges (28 July 2020)
The second webinar, held on Tuesday, 28 July 2020, featured three speakers: Mokhantso Makoae, Human Sciences Research Council and HSRC Research Ethics Committee Member, Dr Abigail Hatcher, Wits University School of Public Health and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Mr Mfundo Majola, University of Western Cape. The webinar's recording and presentations of our featured speakers are available below for download:
Seminar recording (on Youtube)
Presentation slides - The ethical challenges of conducting research during the Covid-19 pandemic (Mokhantso Makoae)
Presentation slides - Ethics and practice of asking about intimate partner violence in COVID-19 surveys (Abigail Hatcher)
Seminar 1: Introduction and overview (14 July 2020)
The first webinar, held on Tuesday, 14 July 2020, featured three speakers: Ms. Lebogang Shilakoe from Social Surveys Africa, Dr. Benjamin Roberts from the Human Sciences Research Council, and Mr. Solly Molayi from Statistics South Africa. Over 120 people attended the session. The webinar's recording and presentations of our featured speakers are available below for download:
Seminar recording (on Youtube)
Presentation slides - Constructing representative samples for telephone surveys: debating strategies and creative solutions (Lebogang Shilakoe)
Presentation slides - Truth be in the field: experiences and lessons from the South African Social Attitudes Survey (Benjamin Roberts)
Presentation slides - Some thoughts on the immediate and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on Stats SA's household survey program (Solly Molayi)
Useful Resources
Moya #datafree Audience Profile
https://www.odi.org/publications/16977-primary-data-collection-covid-19-era
If you're interested in joining us for future seminars and webinars, as we collectively think through how best to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality social data while protecting the rights, health, and well-being of participants and researchers, please contact julia.dekadt@gcro.ac.za to be added to the seminar's mailing list. Presentation proposals are also welcomed.