The Efficiency of Free Survey Services

The use of new information technologies in the educational process intensifies the need for analyzing the existing resources suitable for teaching students in conformity with professional standards. The objective of this study is to consider the significance of survey services in teaching students market research, to analyze the efficiency of survey services, to prove their positive impact on the learning process and to determine requirements for educational survey services. The materials of the study were students' reports on conducting consumer surveys using either paper or online questionnaires. The research is based on a pedagogical experiment to analyze the applicability of Internet resources in the educational process. The results of students' research were processed through the comparison of the data obtained. The authors of the article have developed the life cycle of educational survey services. Based on stages of the life cycle, the authors have determined desired functional characteristics of free survey services, which will simplify the task of selecting a suitable educational tool. It has been confirmed that the exclusive use of Internet technologies in teaching students market research cannot be sufficient, and they should be used in combination with basic approaches to a marketing theory. The conducted pedagogical experiment has proved the consistency of Internet technologies as an educational tool. The authors of the article have revealed that despite undeniable advantages of online survey services they also have significant shortcomings, which makes it impossible to completely replace classic methods of collecting market information from this moment on. The introduction of free survey services into the educational process increases teaching efficiency and develops professional competencies within the existing standards. Defining functional requirements of the above-mentioned life cycle, teachers can choose the best educational survey service taking into account the stages students will go through while using it. An extensive use of information technologies is essential to the formation of new teaching materials and the renewal of the existing ones based on the synthesis of the classical theory of marketing and innovations.