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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Below are some frequently asked questions about CensusAtSchool. The CensusAtSchool team will continually update this page with additional questions as they arise.
The CensusAtSchool Project
Getting Involved in CensusAtSchool
CensusAtSchool In Action
The CensusAtSchool Project
CensusAtSchool is a non-compulsory education project brought to you by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). It is a FREE Internet based data collection and analysis project being conducted for the second time in 2008. Students respond to questions of interest about themselves by completing the CensusAtSchool online questionnaire. The questionnaire response data is then released back to teachers and students providing real, relevant data, for use with the supporting activities across the curriculum in all states and territories.
For more information please visit the Project description page.
- Who is the CensusAtSchool project for?
The CensusAtSchool project is free for students and teachers across Australia to participate in. Upper primary through to senior secondary school students will find the data invaluable. Attention has been paid to ensuring the questionnaire and supporting materials were designed in line with the national and state curriculum outcomes for students enrolled in years 5 to 10, however its educational value spans into the senior years too. The project takes an integrated approach to allow for its use in Mathematics, ICT, Physical Education and Health, Studies Of Society and its Environment (SOSE) as well as Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE).
CensusAtSchool allows students to increase their statistical literacy and understand how to work with information by collecting and analysing data that interests them. They will also gain a heightened awareness of the role of the Australian Bureau of Statistics within our society.
Senior students will find the continuos data samples to be a goldmine of analysis possibilities for trend analysis, correlation, normal and binomial distribution, and much more. Best of all, they will be able to undertake statistical analysis on real, raw data.
- When is the CensusAtSchool project being held?
CensusAtSchool is conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in two phases comprising of the Questionnaire Phase and the Data Usage Phase. It is planned that the CensusAtSchool questionnaire phase will be conducted twice every five years; once with the Census of Population and Housing and once in between census years. The Random Sampler and classroom activities will remain available on the ABS web site on an ongoing basis.
Phase One: Questionnaire Now Closed
The 2008 Questionnaire Phase is now closed. Australian school students access and complete an on-line questionnaire, which contains questions about their everyday lives and relates to their experiences, opinions and interests. The next live questionnaire is scheduled for 2011, in line with the Census year.
Phase Two: Data Usage Now Open
Using the Random Sampler, teachers and students can take samples of raw, Australian-wide data from a large database.
The CensusAtSchool database contains the responses to the on-line questionnaire completed by Australian students. Students can use this data to investigate questions that interest them! Responses to the 2006 & 2008 questionnaires are available now from the Random Sampler.
- What is on the CensusAtSchool web site?
The CensusAtSchool web site is designed to provide all the materials required for teachers to conduct and manage a successful CensusAtSchool project within their classrooms. For students, the web site contains information resources and interactive elements to support statistical literacy. Teachers can also use this area to set assignments and demonstrate statistical concepts to students.
To find our more about the website, please explore the CensusAtSchool Website guide.
- How does CensusAtSchool relate to the Census of Population and Housing?
The CensusAtSchool project aims to raise awareness of the Australian Census of Population and Housing while providing an opportunity for students to collect and analyse real data about themselves. Students will not only be modelling their parent's role in the Census process, but they are also placed in the role of the statisticians that collect and compile data into meaningful information. Exploring the stories in real data helps make the process more meaningful and relevant to students.
Some of the questions on the CensusAtSchool questionnaire relate directly to questions being asked on the Census of Population and Housing, allowing for comparisons to be made by students.
For more information about the National Census, last conducted on 7 August 2006, please visit the Census 2006 page.
- What systems are in place to protect privacy and confidentiality?
Respecting privacy and safeguarding confidentiality are fundamental components of the ABS business, and have been core to its success over the 100 years of its history. The ABS has a very sound reputation in this regard. For CensusAtSchool all reasonable measures have been made to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of schools, teachers and students participating in the project.
Please refer to the CensusAtSchool Privacy & Confidentiality page for full details.
- Is the student's parent/guardian consent needed to participate in the project?
Parent/Guardian consent may only be required for the Questionnaire Phase of the project. Schools are responsible for informing parents/guardians and, if they deem necessary, seeking consent before a student participates in completing and submitting the questionnaire. You can download a sample letter to send to parents/guardians explaining the non-compulsory nature of the questionnaire from the Project Reference Documents page.
- Can schools participate without Internet access?
There are still ways for schools to be involved in the project, even if their participation in the project may have some technical barriers.
The questionnaire will need to be completed online, but it does not need to be completed by every student on one particular day. Other options such as local libraries or setting the questionnaire as a home task or as homework can be explored.
However, if your school cannot participate in the Questionnaire phase, teachers can still use the Questionnaire Response Data in CensusAtSchool by contacting the CensusAtSchool team by email censusatschool@abs.gov.au or on free call 1800 623 273 between 9:00am and 5:00pm (AEST) Monday to Friday. Many of the teacher resources have been designed to be adapted in a variety of teaching and learning situations.
Please visit the CensusAtSchool Data page for more information about what resources are available.
Getting Involved in CensusAtSchool
- Is there a cost to participate in CensusAtSchool?
No, the CensusAtSchool project is FREE to all schools, teachers and students in Australia.
- What is School Registration?
School registration is required to be eligible to participate in the Questionnaire phases of the project and to be notified of when these phases occur. School Registration ensures that only legitimate schools and teachers participate in theproject.
School Registration is carried out by completing a School Registration form and returning it to the CensusAtSchool team by post or fax. Once the form is processed, a CensusAtSchool Information Pack, containing information about the project, will be promptly posted to the registered address.
For more information about registering your school please visit the How To Get Involved page.
- What is a School Participation Number (SPN)?
A School Participation Number (SPN) uniquely identifies your school and is a security requirement for teachers to be eligible to participate in the Questionnaire Phase of the project. A SPN is allocated upon registration. Please keep your SPN in a safe place as you will need it for certain phases of the project.
- What is a Student Access Number (SAN)?
Used during the Questionnaire Phase of the project, a Student Access Number (SAN) is a randomly generated number distributed by teachers to their students in order for them to access, complete and submit the CensusAtSchool online questionnaire. These numbers are generated and managed by teachers from within their CensusAtSchool Account.
- What is a CensusAtSchool Account?
Only used during the Questionnaire Phase of the project, a CensusAtSchool Account provides facilities to create, access and manage Student Access Numbers (SANs) for your school or class. The account also allows you to monitor the use of the SANs, generate more SANs and manage your account details.
- Why am I unable to access my account, I set one up during the Questionnaire Phase?
CensusAtSchool accounts are removed from the system at the end of each Questionnaire Phase and therefore cannot be accessed. CensusAtSchool accounts are not required to access any of the resources available during the Data Usage Phase of the project.
- Can I receive updates about CensusAtSchool? If so, how?
Yes, to receive our Newsletter, subscribe to the CensusAtSchool email list by visiting the CensusAtSchool email list page. If you are a school and would like to stay in touch with project and be eligible to participate in the Questionnaire Phase, please visit the How To Get Involved page for details about registering your school.
CensusAtSchool In Action
- Is there a sample copy of the questionnaire I can download and review? If so, where can I find it?
The 2008 CensusAtSchool Questionnaire is available in PDF format for download. You can download a copy of the 2006 and 2008 CensusAtSchool Questionnaire now from the 'Project Support Materials page.
Please note that this document is best viewed in Adobe Acrobat Read version 6 or above. If you do not have the reader please visit our download page.
- Can my Year 11 and 12 students participte in CensusAtSchool and use CensusAtSchool data?
Yes. All students are encouraged to participate and use the questionnaire response data.
- I am a teacher and need information about how I can use CensusAtSchool, where do I go?
All information for teachers is in the Teacher Area. This area provides practical advice, Microsoft Excel training units and access to information, advice and classroom activities provided by teachers who are part of the CensusAtSchool community. The CensusAtSchool Data within the Teacher Area provides access to the questionnaire response data and classroom activities written by the CensusAtSchool team.
You can also contact the CensusAStSchool team who are move then happy to take you through the project and help you get started.
- I have a question that is not answered on the web site, who do I contact?
Please send your question via email to the CensusAtSchool team censusatschool@abs.gov.au.
- My browser freezes when I try to open an Excel Workbook.
The solution to this problem is to save the Workbook to your computer. Close the browser and start Excel. The workbook can now be opened in Excel.
This problem arises because the computer tries to open the workbook inside the browser. A problem may occur depending on your network and browser settings.
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This page last updated 25 July 2008 |
