Annual Survey of SDSU Faculty’s Current Information Technology

Needs and Practices

***Fall, 1999***

Conducted annually by the Education Center for Computational Science and Engineering for the Dean’s Office. Your participation is critical to the College obtaining an accurate assessment of your current needs.

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Please use the Reply function on your e-mail system to mail back a completed survey. This survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. To respond to the questions, type in the correct response or place an X in front of the best answer unless otherwise instructed. Your responses will be kept confidential and anonymous by the researchers conducting this survey and will be used only as part of a compilation to help the SDSU administration and technical support services better meet your college’s and department’s technological needs. We appreciate your help in assessing these needs accurately.

**Please return this survey by ??????**

(1) What is your gender?

___(a) Male

___(b) Female

(2) In which College are you appointed?

___(a) Arts and Letters

___(b) Business Administration

___(c) Education

___(d) Engineering

___(e) Health and Human Services

___(f) Professional Studies and Fine Arts

___(g) Sciences

(3) In which Academic Department are you appointed?:

(4) How many years have you been teaching at the university level?:

(5) Do you have tenure?

___(a) Yes

___(b) No

(6) How frequently do you use each of the following computer applications? Use this scale to indicate the approximate frequency:

0=never;

1=a few times a year;

2=monthly;

3=weekly;

4=daily;

___(a) E-mail, such as Eudora

___(b) Electronic presentation programs, such as PowerPoint

___(c) The Internet or World Wide Web

___(d) Electronic indexes (like ERIC, Dissertation Abstracts, etc.) that

are stored on CD-ROMs or on the Internet

___(e) Interactive models or data visualization applications available

over the Internet

___(f) “Digital libraries” (containing large datasets that may be used by

anyone) on the Internet

(7) What is your approximate level of skill for each the following computer-related activities? Use this scale:

0=I have never tried this

1=I have only the most basic skills

2=I am fairly skilled

3=I am highly skilled

___(a) Finding materials and information on the Internet

___(b) Using interactive models or data visualization programs on the

Internet

___(c) Creating electronic presentations using programs like PowerPoint

___(d) Creating Web pages or other materials for the Internet

___(e) Creating or adapting interactive computer materials for use in

instruction

(8) How much more skill would you *like to have* in these areas? Use this scale to rate how interested you would be in increasing your skills:

1=I am not interested in gaining more skills

2=I would like to add to my skills in some areas

3=I would like to be much more skilled

___(a) Finding materials and information on the Internet

___(b) Using interactive models or data visualization programs on the

Internet

___(c) Creating electronic presentations using programs like PowerPoint

___(d) Creating Web pages or other materials for the Internet

___(e) Creating or adapting interactive computer materials for use in

instruction

(9) How many undergraduate courses do you typically teach?:

(10) Have you ever created a World Wide Web page for your courses?

___(a) Yes

___(b) No

(11) While teaching at SDSU, how often have you used a “smart classroom” (equipped with a computer presentation system) or brought a computer to your classroom to present information to your students?

___(a) Never (skip Q11b)

___(b) Rarely

___(c) Sometimes

___(d) Often

(11b) How many of these computer presentations involved use of the Internet?

___(a) None of them

___(b) Some of them

___(c) Most of them

___(d) All of them

(12) While teaching at SDSU, how often have you had your students use computers in the classroom, “hands-on,” as part of the regular in-class curriculum?

___(a) Never

___(b) Rarely

___(c) Sometimes

___(d) Often

(13) In a typical course in the last year, how often have you required your students to engage in the following computer-related activities? Use this scale to rate the frequency:

0=Never;

1=Rarely;

2=Sometimes;

3=Often;

___(a) Obtain course materials/information from my course Webpage

___(b) Retrieve information from the Internet for class assignments

___(c) Interact with classmates about class assignments via a computer

___(d) Use interactive computer models or demonstrations to learn a

concept

___(e) Use computers to analyze and/or visualize data

___(f) Learn how to program computers

___(g) Use a high performance workstation or supercomputer

(14) What degree of *interest* do you have in using computers in instruction?

___(a) I am completely opposed to it

___(b) Absolutely no interest, though I am not opposed to it in principle

___(c) A small degree of interest

___(d) A fair degree of interest

___(e) A great degree of interest

(15) What do you feel is the *greatest obstacle* to you using computers in the instruction of your students?

(16) What would you see as the *greatest benefit,* if any, to using computers in the instruction of your students?

(17) Do you see yourself as having any use for high-performance computation, modeling, or visualization programs in your courses?

___(a) Yes

___(b) No

___(c) I am unsure

If *Yes*, for what purpose?:

(18) How familiar are you with the San Diego Supercomputer Center?

___(a) I’d never heard of it before now

___(b) I’d heard of it before now but know little or nothing about it

___(c) I have a basic knowledge about it and its purpose

___(d) I am very familiar with the Supercomputer Center and its purpose

(19) How familiar are you with the Education Center for Computational Science and Engineering on the SDSU Campus?

___(a) I’d never heard of it before now

___(b) I’d heard of it before now but know little or nothing about it

___(c) I have a basic knowledge about it and its purpose

___(d) I am very familiar with the Education Center and its purpose

(20) How did you become informed about the Education Center? Check all that apply:

___(a) I have no information about it

___(b) Through on-campus fliers or announcements

___(c) Through newspaper or magazine articles about the Center

___(d) Through the College Dean or my department chair

___(e) Through colleagues on campus who have used or considered

using it

___(f) Through personal contacts with Center staff

___(g) Through faculty presentations or workshops given by Center staff

___(h) Through participation in the Center’s “NPACI hours”

___(i) Through the Center’s Faculty Fellows program

___(j) Through the Center’s Website

___(k) I have inquired about the services the Center provides

___(l) I have worked or consulted with Center staff regarding my

courses

(21) How useful do you see the Education Center as being in regards to your own needs and plans as an instructor?

___(a) I do not know enough to answer

___(b) Not very useful

___(c) Somewhat useful

___(d) Very useful