SCD-MVA: A mobile application for conducting single-case experimental design research during the pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak emphasizes the need for alternative methods for data gathering and collaboration among researchers in a virtual research environment. One experimental design that is well suited in a social distancing research context is the single-case experimental design (SCD). SCDs can handle disruptions as (a) they do not require large groups gathering for data collection or intervention administration, (b) interventions are administered individually and in some cases remotely, (c) no comparison group is needed, and (d) they are adaptive and flexible designs. The purpose of this article is to introduce the mobile application, SCD-MVA (2019), developed to assists in the design of an SCD, data gathering, data analysis, and remote collaboration. The application allows data management and data sharing among researchers, provides an in real time visualization of the gathered data, stimulates interaction between researchers in terms of designing the SCD, gathering the data, and analyzing the gathered data, and does all these things with no need for in-person meetings of the research team.