Beginning of Semester Survey

Dear Student- As you probably know, distance education is a relatively new, experimental form of instruction. Since the format of this course differs from more traditional courses, we would like to collect some information on the effectiveness of the course as the semester progresses so that we can design distance courses in the future that will best benefit students' needs.

One of the important dynamics of the effectiveness of any course and instructional technique is the students in the course, and their skills and expectations at the beginning of the semester. Therefore, we would like to begin by collecting some basic information about you and your expectations for the course. This information will be kept confidential (I will see it, but your instructor will only see a summary of responses). The data you have provided will only be used to see what relationships exist between student dynamics and the effectiveness of distance education as a course delivery format.

The survey is set up so that 1 and 9 are extreme positions on any given question, with 5 being neutral. In responding to the questions, please CIRCLE the number that best represents your anwer. Your written comments are especially useful in our understanding how you feel about the issues raised in the questions. If you have any questions or problems responding this survey, please feel free to call or E-mail me. Thank you for your assistance.

Tom Creed, Professor of Psychology
Saint John's University
Collegeville, MN 56321
(320) 363-3133
tcreed@csbsju.edu

Name of the course you are taking:	Instructor:
Last four digits of ID#:	Age:
Major:	Gender:
Academic standing/# of college credits earned to date:	Campus:
# of credits you taking this semester:

Prior to this course, how many distance learning courses have you had? What was your general level of satisfaction with it/them?

What are your ultimate educational goals (Please circle the appropriate answer below):

Take courses that interest me Obtain a degree: AA BA Graduate degree
(Please specify major if you are pursuing a degree:)

Comments:

How convenient is it for you to attend this class?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
very convenient somewhat inconvenient very inconvenient

Comments:

Please rate your degree of competence with the following computer applications:

Graphing/drawing		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Writing (word processing)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Organizing information (database/spreadsheets)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Statistical calculations		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Personal communication (E-mail)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Researching (World-wide web)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Group discussion (Electronic conferencing)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Course tutorials/simulations		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
General use of a computer		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Not at all competent				adequately competent				very competent

Comments (please include a brief description of your computer experience):

Please rate the degree to which you enjoy using computers for the following applications:

Graphics/drawing		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
Writing (word processing)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
Organizing information (database/spreadsheets)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
Statistical calculations		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
Personal communication (E-mail)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
Researching (World-wide web)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
Group discussion (Electronic conferencing)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
Course tutorials/simulations		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
General use of a computer		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	NA
	Very much dislike using a computer				the benefits and cost are balanced				Very much like using a computer

Comments:

How does this course fit into your overall educational needs?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Not at all adequately Necessary
Comments:
How does this course fit into your overall career goals?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Not at all will help in my career Necessary

Comments:
Independent of your overall educational/career needs, how interesting do you find the topic of this course?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Not at all interesting fairly interesting Very interesting

Comments:
How knowledgeable are you about the topic of this course?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Not at all knowledgeable fairly knowledgeable Very knowledgeable
Comments:
Overall, how motivated are you to do well in this course?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Not at all knowledgeable fairly motivated Very motivated
Comments:
Overall, how confident are you that you will do well in this course?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Not at all confident fairly confident Very confident
Comments:
If this course was being taught in a traditional format, do you believe you would do:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Much worse about the same Much better
Comments:
In terms of student learning, how important do you think it is for the student and teacher to be in the same room?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Not at all important somewhat important Very important
Comments:
If you had a choice, what format would you prefer for this course?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Very much prefer distance format doesn't matter Very much prefer traditional format
Comments:
In an ideal course, what percent of your learning would come from:

______ Your own independent work
______ Presentations by your instructor
______ Discussions with classmates
______ Other (specify)
100%
Comments:
In an ideal course, what percent of your time would you spend engaged in:

______ Your own independent work
______ Presentations by your instructor
______ Discussions with classmates
______ Other (specify)
100%
Comments:
Please think of a time (preferably fairly recently) when you enjoyed being a learner. Please describe the situation, what made it enjoyable, and what insights the incident gives you about yourself as a learner.
Please think of a time (preferably fairly recently) when you disliked being a learner. Please describe the situation, what made it unsatisfying, and what insights the incident gives you about yourself as a learner.
Besides this course, what other demands do you have on your time (job, family, etc.), and to what extent do these demands limit the amount of time you can devote to this class?
Is there anything else that you think it would be of value for me to know about you with respect to my understanding your performance/satisfaction with this distance ed course?
[Survey last modified January 13, 1997]

Take courses that interest me	Obtain a degree:	AA	BA	Graduate degree
(Please specify major if you are pursuing a degree:)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	very convenient				somewhat inconvenient				very inconvenient

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Not at all interesting				fairly interesting				Very interesting

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Not at all knowledgeable				fairly knowledgeable				Very knowledgeable

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Not at all knowledgeable				fairly motivated				Very motivated

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Not at all important				somewhat important				Very important

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Very much prefer distance format				doesn't matter				Very much prefer traditional format

______		Your own independent work
______		Presentations by your instructor
______		Discussions with classmates
______		Other (specify)
100%

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Not at all				will help in my career				Necessary

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	Much worse				about the same				Much better