Using Electronic Surveys to Enhance FYC Program Identity and Development by Kim Murray, PhD

1
Using Electronic Surveys to Enhance FYC Program
Identity and Developmentby Kim Murray, PhD
2
Program Identity and Development

• Collaboration requires applying new technologies
  as well as multiple methods, theories, and
  pedagogies that are constantly being reconfigured
  or updated.
• The program changes as students, teachers, and
  administrators change.
• According to Shelly Reid, changing and its
  benefits are hardly new ideas to writing
  teachers. We recommend change to our students
  almost as often as we breathe (14).

3
Surveys

• Encourage contact between students, faculty, and
  administrators.
• Encourage cooperation (participants feel as if
  their voices are being heard).
• Encourage active learning (teachers and
  administrators change curricula partially based
  on survey feedback).
• Provide prompt feedback (results are immediate).
• Communicate high expectations (ongoing
  improvement).
• Allow for diverse points of view and ways of
  learning (by inviting teachers and students to
  participate in decision-making and course
  evaluations).
• Adapted from Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamsons
  seven principles that tend to improve learning
  outcomes. See Flashlight Online Q A page
  http//www.tltgroup.org/programs/ffaqs.htmlWhat2
  0is20the20Flashlight20Program

4
What kinds of electronic surveys do we create and
use?

• Program Assessment Surveys
• FYC Teachers provide program feedback anonymously
  to administrators.
• Midterm Course Assessment Surveys
• Individual teachers use these to improve their
  classes at midterm.
• Final Course Evaluation Survey
• Students evaluate their teacher and the course
  (This replaces the standard bubble sheet
  evaluation forms for Comp I and II).

5
Online surveys are easy. They help us discover
whats working

• and what isnt.

6
For example in a Program Survey

• We learned that our FYC teachers care enough to
  take time to share their opinions. Out of 88
  teachers, 44 provided thorough responses. (Note
  This was a long survey, with 18 questions
  resulting in 37 single-spaced pages of comments.)
• We discovered that 13 people were not pleased
  with our choice of handbooks 17 were relatively
  happy with it, and 14 were neutral.

7

• After we began requiring teachers to meet with
  students twice during the term for individual
  conferences, we asked teachers if they found
  conferencing useful. The results were
  overwhelmingly positive
• 39 out of the 44 were enthusiastic.
• 2 were borderline.
• 1 online instructor attempted conferences using
  Elluminate, but students didnt want to
  conference.
• 2 preferred not to use conferences.

8
We also discovered other useful information that
helped improve our program.

• Since we eliminated two weeks on the syllabus
  due to required conferencing, one teacher
  suggested that we reduce some of the class
  busywork such as the required MLA and
  plagiarism quizzes or other homework.
• One person suggested that we add a documentary as
  one of the text options in the Social Justice
  project.

9

• As a result of a suggestion that we add more
  research-based options to Project 1, we added,
  Exploring Public Writing, an assignment that
  encourages students to research the challenges
  associated with publishing in MySpace, Spacebook,
  or blogging on the Internet.
• We hear about new ideas.because we invite them
  through the survey.

10
Policy Committee

• We also invite teachers to submit ideas for
  essays and other assignments to the FYC Policy
  Committee for approval. After new projects are
  approved, we put it on the College Writing
  website (http//collegewriting.us) under the
  appropriate course.
• The Policy Committee meets once per month to
  guide program development and vote on particular
  issues.

11
Some of our FYC teachers also use anonymous
online surveys at midterm.

• Here are two examples

12
Example of a Midterm Course Assessment Survey
13
(No Transcript)
14
(No Transcript)
15

• For Program Assessment and Midterm surveys, we
  use Flashlight Online, but some programs or
  schools use Survey Monkey, which is available for
  individual accounts.
• Flashlight Online is a Web-based system that
  allows us to create our own survey questions or
  access a database of standard question items.
  Using this system, we can administer surveys as a
  URL link and collect data using the Web. There
  are no limits to how many surveys we can create.
  
• All surveys must be related to institutional
  research.
• Currently, the system operates from servers at
  Washington State University. Institutions using
  Flashlight Online do not need to buy equipment,
  install software, or provide technical
  administration.  Flashlight Online is normally
  available only through institutional site license
  and only to institutions with site licenses for
  Flashlight tools http//www.tltgroup.org/subscri
  ption/SubscriberList.htm

16
Using Flashlight Online

• http//flashlightonline.wsu.edu/

17
(No Transcript)
18
The USF Office of Assessment created an online
course survey that all FYC students submit at the
end of each semester.

• We dont use Flashlight Online for this, but we
  created our own questions.

19
End-of-Term Online Evaluation Surveys for Comp
I and II

• Replaces institutional bubble sheets.
• Includes standard questions at the end (to comply
  with University requirements)
• Can be adapted to program needs
• We included questions about conferences, teacher
  responses to student papers, etc.
• The Office of Assessment collects the data and
  sends reports to the FYC Program.
• The FYC Program sends individual reports to
  teachers via email.

20

• From our USF FYC Teachers Guide
• If you wish to see how you will be evaluated by
  your students, go to http//usfweb2.usf.edu/eval/c
  omposition/basicsurvey.htm (NOTE  this is not
  the URL you will be giving to students).  The
  survey link the FYC Program uses each semester is
  on a different URL because it needs to be opened
  two weeks prior to the end of the semester and
  closed on the last day of finals week
  http//usfweb2.usf.edu/eval/composition/.   All
  ENC Class evaluations are online.  You will be
  given the web-address in an announcement that
  appears in your department mailbox and via the
  FYC-Instructors listserv. If you would like to
  see a copy of your students evaluations, then
  you can request it, as we only print out copies
  by request.   Please allow 24-48 hours for the
  request to be processed.  

21
Final Course Evaluation Survey
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
Some Suggestions

• Anonymity and accountability are both important.
• Combine feedback from anonymous surveys with
  listserv discussions or group meetings.
• According to James Surowiecki, author of The
  Wisdom of Crowds, The more you can ask people to
  put themselves on the line to back up their point
  of view, the better the judgment will be.

32

• Be cautious of flooding teachers/students with
  surveys.
• Develop a survey routine
• Classroom survey at midterm
• Program survey at midterm or a month prior to the
  end of the semester.

33

• Basically, what we hope to do at USF is apply
  Mark Bosquets point that WPAs can use collective
  agency rather than administrative control to
  enhance program development.

34
For More Information

• See our FYC Website http//collegewriting.us
• The Flashlight Online Homepage (check to see if
  your institution has a site license)
  http//www.tltgroup.org/programs/flashlight.html
• Flashlight Survey User Tips http//www.tltgroup.o
  rg/resources/Flashlight/Helpsheet.htm
• Survey Monkey (200 per year)
  http//www.surveymonkey.com/

35

• Work Cited
• Bosquet, Marc. Composition as Management
  Science. Tenured Bosses and Disposable
  Teachers Writing Instruction in the Managed
  University. Marc Bosquet, Ed. Carbondale, IL
  SIU Press, 2004 11-35.
• Reid, E. Shelley. A Changing for the Better
  Curriculum Revision as Reflective Practice in
  Teaching and Administration. WPA Writing
  Program Administration 26 (Spring 2003) 10-27.