Step 6. To maximize the likelihood that respondents will cooperate, identify what you can do to minimize the burden you place on them (R).

(R) = report example

The following are steps you can take to maximize the likelihood that the respondents will cooperate:

• Minimize the amount of time they need to devote to you. Do this by making the list of questions as short as possible without compromising your evaluation goals. One way to cut down on length is to seek only the answers from them that you cannot just as easily obtain elsewhere. For example, it would be a mistake to ask all the teachers on a questionnaire to answer technical questions about their school computer lab if they all share the same lab. You could instead ask one or two of them, or ask a lab coordinator.
• Schedule your data collection to occur when respondents have the fewest competing demands. For example, do not schedule teacher or student interviews during a week when their school is administering standardized tests.

For tips about using incentives and reminders to obtain a high response rate from questionnaire respondents in particular, see the Administering Questionnaires module.