USING THE OPTICAL MARK READER
ACNS BULLETIN UT-02
SEPTEMBER 1993
USING THE OPTICAL MARK READER
Description
-----------
Lamar users can access a National Computer Systems Optical
Mark Reader (OMR) to scan tests, student evaluations,
surveys, demographic data and other materials. The OMR reads
No. 2 pencil marks on custom designed forms which are
printed on special stock. The scanned data is placed in a
file designated by the user on his/her lamar account. The
information collected from the forms can be transferred to a
PC or Macintosh and used by a database or spreadsheet
program. The data can also be processed on lamar using the
GRADER program or a statistics package such as SAS.
Academic Computing and Networking Services (ACNS) maintains
a centralized OMR, located at ACNS's Main Site in the
basement of E-Wing in the Engineering building, for low
volume users. High volume users are expected to purchase
their own OMR.
Designing a questionnaire
-------------------------
ACNS staff can help you design an inexpensive, easily
generated, machine-readable form that can be scanned by the
OMR. Any lamar user may use the procedure described in this
document to generate forms that can be read by the OMR.
Because the format of these forms varies widely between
applications, ACNS has set up a generic template which is
available on lamar. (See Appendix A for an example of this
template.) This generic template is simply a text file that
can be edited by the user to create customized forms that
meet specific needs.
The following overview will give you an idea of the steps
involved in designing a questionnaire. For detailed
instructions, see the next section of this document.
* Copy the template to your lamar account.
* Edit the template to create your questionnaire.
* Print a rough draft of the questionnaire.
* Proof the questionnaire.
* Verify the questionnaire.
* Print the final forms, separate them and remove
the perforated edges.
* Fill in the forms using a No. 2 pencil.
* Scan the forms.
* Analyze the data.
Access
------
You may use the following procedures to design machine-
readable forms that can be scanned by the OMR. If you have
questions, stop by the Computing Help Desk in room 224
of the Weber Building or call 491-7276.
Copying the template
--------------------
To copy the generic template to your directory, log
into your lamar account and issue the command:
cp /usr/local/src/omr.template omr.template
This command will place a copy of the file
omr.template in the current directory. The template is
an ASCII (text) file that contains columns of response
areas represented by the letter "O". The template is
105 columns wide and contains 48 lines. You may edit
this file on lamar or transfer it to another machine
(e.g., a PC) for editing.
Editing the template
--------------------
You create a customized questionnaire by editing a
copy of the generic template. Your questionnaire
should be formatted as closely as possible to the
template. When editing the template, keep the
following information in mind:
First line
----------
Make sure the first line of the survey form is
BLANK. This will ensure that your forms print
correctly.
Second line
-----------
The second line of the form must be a row of
alternating asterisk and blank characters:
* * * * * ...
exactly as they appear on the template. These
marks are used to align the printer. Without
these marks, alignment cannot be ensured, and
the forms will not scan properly.
Response areas
--------------
The "O" characters on the template indicate
valid response areas known to the scanner. You
may remove response areas from the template by
replacing them with text or blank spaces. You
may not add response areas where they do not
appear on the template, since the scanning
device has been programmed to only look for
responses in those positions. Any responses that
occur outside the valid response areas will not
be detected by the scanner.
Developing a response code
--------------------------
Develop a response code and put abbreviations
above the responses, such as:
Response Key:
SA=Strongly Agree A=Agree N=Neutral
D=Disagree SD=Strongly Disagree
S S
A A N D D
1. I like the color blue. O O O O O
2. I would do this again. O O O O O
Multiple pages
--------------
Multiple page surveys require some scheme of
identifying pages. A common approach is to use a
row of bubbles on the first line for page
identification. Under this scheme, the response
position for the page ID is shifted one position
from one page to the next, for example:
(page 1) PAGE O
(page 2) PAGE O
Some designers include instructions to darken
the bubble to the right of "PAGE"; others darken
these areas themselves after the surveys are
returned.
Encoding a respondent ID
------------------------
When designing a multiple page survey, you may
want to relate information from multiple pages
to a given respondent. For example, you may
collect demographic information on page one that
needs to be correlated to information scanned
from page two. If so, you also need an area for
encoding a respondent ID. This field could look
like:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1st digit of ID . . . . . . .O O O O O O O O O O
2nd digit of ID . . . . . . .O O O O O O O O O O
3rd digit of ID . . . . . . .O O O O O O O O O O
If anonymity is important, the ID area can be placed
in an area separate from the question and response
area, perhaps with a "For administrative purposes
only" message. In this case, the ID field must be
filled in by the administrator once the survey pages
are returned.
Printing a rough draft
----------------------
Before printing a large number of forms, you should always
print a rough draft of your questionnaire and proof and
verify it as explained in the following sections.
To print your questionnaire, log into lamar and issue the
following command:
omrprnt
The screen will prompt you to enter the name of the file to
print, the number of copies you want and the seven character
name that should appear on the banner page of your output.
The questionnaire will be printed on special stock by a line
printer at ACNS's Main Site. A red ribbon is used for
printing since the scanner cannot distinguish black ink from
user responses.
Since special processing is necessary to print the forms, it
may take up to 12 hours before your output is ready. After
the job has been printed, you may pick it up at Main Site.
Proofing your questionnaire
---------------------------
Proof your questionnaire by printing one copy each of the
template and your completed questionnaire using the omrprnt
command described above. Overlay your completed
questionnaire with a copy of the template to verify that the
response areas on your questionnaire occur only where they
appear on the template. Copying one of the pages to an
acetate sheet may make it easier to compare the two forms.
NOTE: You can make proof copies of your questionnaire and
the template on ANY printer, as long as the copies
are made on the SAME printer. If you make the proof
copies in your office, you will save yourself the
12-hour wait that is needed when you print the forms
at Main Site.
Verifying your questionnaire
----------------------------
Once your questionnaire has been finalized, use the omrprnt
command to print a small number (10-20) of forms. Fill these
out and take them to Main Site to be scanned. (See the
section, "Scanning the forms," below.) By running a small
set of test forms, you can verify that they are being
scanned correctly and generate a sample data file to be used
in developing the data analysis phase of the project.
Printing the final forms
------------------------
After you have proofed and verified your questionnaire, use
the omrprnt command to print the desired number of final
forms.
The final forms will be printed on special stock using a red
ribbon as explained above in the section "Printing a rough
draft." Before filling out the forms, you must separate them
and remove the perforated edges.
Filling out the forms
---------------------
Mark the forms using a number 2 pencil.
It is often useful to make deliberate mistakes (leave
questions blank, fill in more than one answer to a question,
etc.) on at least one form. This allows you to see how these
responses are represented by the scanner.
Scanning the forms
------------------
After the forms have been filled out, you must return them
to Main Site for scanning. You will be asked to fill out a
"Scanner Batch Control Sheet," which is available from the
operators at Main Site. (See Appendix B for a sample Control
Sheet.)
NOTE: When filling out the Batch Control Sheet, use the
Scanner form name "frm803" and the Header name "none."
If you have questions about how to fill out the Batch
Control Sheet, ask the operators for assistance.
After you have submitted the forms and the Batch Control
Sheet, the operators will scan the forms and place the data
in a file on your lamar account. You designate the name of
this file on the Control Sheet. If the file specified on the
Control Sheet already exists, it will be over-written by the
new file. You can transfer this data file to a PC or
Macintosh to be used by a database or spreadsheet program.
Analyzing your data
-------------------
You can analyze your data using any of several common
statistical or spreadsheet applications. If you need help
with the analysis part of the process, you may seek the
expertise of someone you know or contact the Statistics
Department for professional assistance.
Appendix C shows the column number where each response area
will appear in the data record. Marking the left most
response results in a `0' (zero) written to the appropriate
data column; the next response to the right results in a
`1', etc. A response area that is left unmarked results in a
blank space in that column. When more than one response is
selected for a given area, an asterisk appears in that
column. Columns 236-242 contain the sequence number of that
form. Sequence numbers start with 0000001 and are printed on
the forms as they are scanned.
What if your application doesn't conform to the template
--------------------------------------------------------
If a user's application does not conform to the template,
several options exist:
* Design a form that can be printed on the same stock as the
"standard form" even though it doesn't fit the template.
You may contact the Computing Help Desk for help. An
hourly fee will be charged to develop a scanning program
for your application.
* Use a separate answer sheet, such as the 180-question
answer sheets sold by the campus book store. No extra
development fee is charged for this option, although some
find it awkward not to have response areas on the same
sheet as the questions.
* Have custom forms designed and printed by a third party
vendor. This is the most expensive and time consuming of
the three options, but results in a fine quality form that
meets your needs exactly. This option also requires a new
scanning program for which an hourly programming fee will
be charged.
Appendix A
----------
The facing page shows a sample copy of the generic template
which will be printed on special OMR stock.
Appendix B
----------
The facing page shows a sample copy of the Scanner Batch
Control Sheet. The sample has been filled out to show the
correct Scanner Header and Form names. Use your name, lamar
user number (login ID), password and data filename to
complete the form.
Appendix C
----------
The facing page shows a sample data file format. The sample
shows how the data file corresponds to the generic template.
The number in parentheses indicates which column in the data
file contains the value scanned for the response area next
to it.