An alternative approach

[helenbeetham]

This is rather self-regarding, but in contrast to the readiness questionnaires I’d be interested in feedback on these (fairly new) questionnaires I devised for some work I did at the University of Exeter (with thanks to Dale Potter for the programming). There are two: bit.ly/learnerquiz and bit.ly/researcherquiz, and they aim to help people identify existing strengths and preferences, and build on them. The focus is not online learning but learning in a digitally rich environment, which is becoming the norm in English speaking HE provision. I didn’t want to focus on discrete skills but on generic aptitudes and attitudes, and I also wanted to include ‘scepticism’ about technology as a positive trait given that more experience leads to more discrimination rather than more enthusiasm. Comments please!

[DaranPrice]

Hi the links do not appear to be working.

[DaranPrice]

It appears to pick up a bit of the ocTEL URL in the link for some reason? I tried to amend on an iPad with safari but it still duplicated the issue! Must be a bug with the editor and browser versions?if might have to dig out a netbook.

Daran

 

[David Jennings]

Hmmm, I don’t know how/why that happened. Please try these links:

• http://bit.ly/learnerquiz
• http://bit.ly/researcherquiz

[SueFolley]

Those links worked fine. I liked these questionnaires Helen. I particularly liked the graph in the results and the detailed feedback indicating how we can improve on some of the skills. It is all done in a positive and encouraging way. I tended to score quite highly on all except digital scepticism, so perhaps I need to tackle that area and curb my enthusiam for a bit more discrimination 🙂

[ElizabethECharl]

I just want to echo Sue’s comments about your questionnaires Helen. Very encouraging and positive I scored highly on all areas including the digital scepticism.  I would like to share these with a colleague of mine who is also interested in self-assessment about preferences and areas for development. 🙂
 

[trabimechanic]

Hello Helen, these look extremely good.

My 2p – where I work the general feeling is that students are survey-fatigued. I noticed that yours wasn’t called a ‘survey’ or a ‘questionnaire’ but a ‘quiz’, which I thought was really smart and dangled the attractive prospect of getting something back for the time spent completing it.

Is Exeter actually using this to collect data (as well as stimulating reflection and signalling parameters and areas of development to students)? If so, I’d amend the question “I know the difference between Google scholar and Google books – and use both to find resources” – as it stands it’s asking two separate things in one question, which would make data interpretation difficult. But it’s a small thing, especially if the emphasis is on getting students to reflect and develop.

The spider diagram is very helpful, as is the report detailing areas to focus on. I was wondering how individualised the report is. I know that our Library, for example, finds it hard to get students’ attention, and would like to personalise their contact with students with links to different resources based on their self-reported attitudes and aptitudes.

The recognition of digital scepticism is a brilliant idea – but I was surprised at my own low score, since I’m often the one putting the brakes on and looking for non-digital alternatives and contingencies. It would be great to make the workings and weightings available to respondents along with the diagram and report.

All the best,

Mira (now at UCL)

[AliSheph]

Helen

I think the detailed feedback from the quizzes was very well put together and would sell itself in terms of the benefits for students to develop skills further.   I think we could all benefit from mapping ourselves, and asking our students to do the same at various stages.  Thanks for the useful links.

[Megan Kime]

I’d also echo these comments – a really helpful resource. I also scored high on most areas except digital scepticism – something to work on!

[ElizabethECharl]

Helen – I shared it with Eleni Zazani and as you mentioned her in the webinar today you can see that she made use of it.  She found it very informative and is already thinking of how she can best introduce it to the researchers that she works with.

[cbokhove]

As mentioned on twitter I think these are much better than the other ones, in my opinion, but as stated in a separate post, I’m struggling with the actual point of these questionnaires. Although this one’s quite good it would really have to be validated. And what is the purpose? Do learners find it useful? Do they change their actions?

But even then, you could get things like ‘ A digital native scale’  (see for example http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131513000511). Questions based on an informal, un-proven and rather non evidence-based concept but because ‘ alpha is high’  etc etc Well, you get the point.

[James Kerr]

Helen,

Your quizzes are quite comprehensive and the feedback is extremely helpful.  I wonder though, would these results have a treatment effect (or such) in that they could cause a new online learner anxiety if they felt they didn’t score high enough, or the opposite, even reducing anxiety for one who thinks they’re not ready?

[Anortcliffe]

I think any quiz would be helpful if the questionnaires afterwards pointed out to the learner where they can seek the learning to improve in the areas of weakness, i.e. reading sources, You Tube lesson videos, hyperlink to digital delivered courses, etc.

Though as computing academic it is little difficult to score higher in computing sceptic in this questionnaire, when technology is core part of job.  Though I use blend of digital and analogue approaches.  Maybe question should be asked do you use technology where it is appropaite in personal and worklife, I still prefer to draw on board to explain code and design concpets, post it notes as reminders, analogue notebook (but on my iPad always use to have tradional log book and iPad, but back damage means lighter handbag).  I prefer communicating with friends by letter (snail mail).  So not quite the sceptic.

[ShunaMarr]

I did both the questionnaires and agree with comments above, but there is room for ambiguity in what the questions are measuring. When it asks ‘do you worry about risks of digital dependence’ are you measuring my level of worry? or the level I think we are at risk of digital dependency? When it asks do ‘I actively make time in my diary when not using digital technology’ I immediately thought of me making myself appointments in my diary to go to the gym to do a workout (which I have recently taken to do, so I purposefully make time for it) – but I have my heart rate monitor hooked up to my iphone to measure my calorie burn. Does that count as using digital technology or not? It might affect the way I answer.

Maybe that’s a bit pedantic but as others have said elsewhere, what is the purpose of these surveys, questionnaires or quizzes, apart from a bit of fun (which they were – I laughed at me being described as an ‘information junkie’ and the analysis that ‘you cannot live without your smartphone’ LOL – got me to a ‘T’!)

The only thing that any of these online questionnaires have done is make me reflect on what is involved in studying online. But then if that’s all it’s meant to do, fair enough. 🙂

[PollyClark]

I agree with most of the comments here regarding struggling to see the purpose of the questionaires. At the point at which the learner is asked to complete such a questionaire, they have already made a decision to undertake an online course.

For me the questions about readiness should come even before this happens… from a personal experience, I recently thought about undertaking an online MSc. I did my research, asked around and found the ‘part-time’ ‘online’ and ‘flexible’ option I wanted. When I dug deeper I found that actually this meant I still neeeded to put away a minimum of 10 hours a week studying, which to be honest I don’t have (don’t want to make) the time to do. I don’t know why this came as a surprise to me as I work in HE in online health education, but it did!

The question for me therefore becomes – Are you ready to learn? (irrespective of whether it’s online, part time, whatever…).

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