***apologies for cross-postings*** Dear colleagues, we are looking forward to your abstract submission (max. 400 words) for the session "Innovative tools in computer-assisted survey measurement: opportunities and challenges" at the Second International Conference on Survey Methods in Multinational, Multiregional and Multicultural Contexts (3MC) in Chicago, USA July 25 - 29, 2016 Session Organizers: * Silke Schneider, silke.schneider@gesis.org<mailto:silke.schneider@gesis.org>, Senior Researcher and Consultant, Department Survey Design and Methodology, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, Germany * Verena Ortmanns, verena.ortmanns@gesis.org<mailto:verena.ortmanns@gesis.org>, Junior Researcher, Department Survey Design and Methodology, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, Germany * Roberto Briceno-Rosas, Roberto.Briceno-Rosas@gesis.org<mailto:Roberto.Briceno-Rosas@gesis.org>, Junior Researcher, Department Survey Design and Methodology, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, Germany Session Abstract: No survey today is conducted without the support of computers. Especially the use of computers for data collection itself, i.e. computerized questionnaire administration, is the state of the art: routing through the questionnaire is automatic for the interviewer or respondent, some consistency checks can be performed "on the fly", and there is no need for separate data entry. Another example is adaptive testing, widely used in educational studies, where items are administered depending on performance on earlier items. However, the survey community is not even close to exhausting the opportunities offered by computer-assisted interviewing, and efforts to improve methods and technology in this area are scattered and uncoordinated. With this session, we would like to bring together researchers and practitioners thinking about and developing "tools" for computer-assisted survey measurement, with a potential for cross-national usage. This will allow people working in different areas to present their innovative ideas, discuss challenges, learn from each other, and possibly identify opportunities for future collaboration. As an example, we will present the CAMCES project (Computer Assisted Measurement and Coding of Educational Qualifications in Surveys), running at GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, from 2013 to 2016. It has developed and tested an international database of educational qualifications, a universal coding scheme for educational attainment, a questionnaire module available in (at least) 5 languages, and a software interface to allow database searches in the questionnaire and provide context-sensitive (i.e. corresponding to the country in which respondents received their education) response categories to respondents. This will improve measurement quality for the (pivotal) education item in several ways, for example by allowing migrants to report the educational qualification they have actually achieved rather than guessing at some face value 'equivalent' in the survey country; by measuring at a detailed level so as to not confuse respondents with abstract aggregations of educational qualifications on long show cards and losing a substantial amount of information for analysis; and by standard coding routines for harmonization into various comparative education coding schemes during data processing, which could improve cross-survey and cross-national consistency. For further details, see http://www.gesis.org/en/research/external-funding-projects/projektuebersicht... How to submit a paper abstract ------------------------------ 1. To submit a paper abstract for the 3MC conference 2016, you should visit: https://www.csdiworkshop.org/index.php/3mc-2016/submit-abstract 2. Complete the form in full. You may wish to cut and paste your abstract into the Abstract field from another document. 3. Please indicate the session title and organizers in the topic field. Once complete, click submit. The submission deadline is January 15th. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Best wishes, Silke Schneider, Verena Ortmanns and Roberto Briceno-Rosas -- Dr. Silke Schneider Senior researcher and consultant GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences Survey Design and Methodology P.O. Box 12 21 55 68072 Mannheim Germany silke.schneider@gesis.org<mailto:silke.schneider@gesis.org> Tel: +49 621 1246 556 Fax: +49 621 1246 100