FINAL+Instructor's+Survey

Distance Learning Instructor Readiness Survey

//**The Purdue**// //**University**// //**Calumet Office of Instructional Technology would like to ask you some questions about your background and experiences as a potential online course instructor. By answering these questions**// //**,**// //**you are providing valuable feedback that will help us better evaluate your particular needs and**// //**concerns**// //**with online teaching. We realize that as a new online instructor, it can be challenging to be successful in teaching your first online course. By completing this survey**// //**,**// //**you are discovering your own __overall readiness__ to become an online course instructor.**// **//__ Your participation in this survey is voluntary and your responses will remain confidential. Please do not put your name on the survey. __ Completion of the survey //****// should take approximately 10-15 minutes. Thank you in advance for your time and participation. //**

**Learner Assessment Questions** Section #1 - Course Structure and Assessment

1. Online instructors should modify all traditional instructional materials to meet the educational demands of the online learner.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

2. I am able to design effective collaborative learning activities within an online course.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

3. I will use multiple forms of assessment when evaluating my students in the online learning environment.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

4.My teaching methods and understanding of learning styles should be strongly considered before deciding to teach in an online learning environment.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

5. Teaching an online course will take more of my time than a traditional class.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

Section #2 - Communication

6. It is important for the instructor to communicate to students the importance of being respectful and courteous to peers when communicating in an online course.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

7. Online learning increases my opportunities for instructor and student interaction.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

8. I believe that the learning outcomes for online learning are just as important as the learning outcomes for face-to-face learning.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

9. Timely student feedback contributes to the overall corrective measures of student performance in the online environment.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

10. It is important to keep students regularly engaged (i.e. via threaded discussions, chat sessions and email) in an online learning environment.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

11. When teaching online, instructors should provide students with an alternative plan to communicate if extended periods of downtime oc cur in the course management system.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

Section #3 - Technical Competency

12. I am knowledgeable in integrating my instructional materials into a course management system (CMS) like Blackboard Vista or Moodle. 13. Peer collaboration is very important when developing and teaching an online course, particularly if teaching online for the first time.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||

14. I am willing to attend training sessions on how to develop and teach an online course.
 * 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 ||
 * Disagree || Somewhat Disagree || Neither Agree or Disagree || Somewhat Agree || Agree ||


 * // The last set of questions are in regards to your background as PUC faculty. //**

15. How many //total years// have you been employed as a faculty member at PUC?

16. What is your primary academic program on campus? 17. What percentage of your classes are taught at the //undergraduate// level?

18. What percentage of your classes are taught at the //graduate// level?

19. How many classes //(total)// are you teaching this semester?

20. How comfortable are you with using computer technology to develop your instructional materials?

**// Thank you for your time in participating in this survey. //**

__**Scoring the Survey**__

Using the scale below, add your points for numbers 1-14 above to find out if you are ready to instruct an online course.

Disagree = 0 Somewhat disagree =1 Neither Agree or Disagree = 2 Somewhat Agree=3 Agree=4

44 - 56 = Ready for instructing classes in an online learning environment

33 - 43 = Somewhat ready to instruct online, but may need more preparation

0 - 32 = Not ready to instruct an online course

**__Justifications__**

Section #1 - Course Structure and Assessment

1. __Item:__ Online instructors should modify all traditional instructional materials to meet the educational demands of the online learner. __Justification:__ Instructors should note that they cannot simply transfer instructional materials from a traditional class and import them into an online course. It is recommended to work with an online course designer to design instructional materials for the online learning environment. []

2. __Item:__ I am able to design effective collaborative learning activities within an online course. __Justification:__ It is important to use collaboration in online learning environments. One of the goals on online learning is that students develop skills in collaborative learning. []

3. __Item:__ I will use multiple forms of assessment when evaluating my students in the online learning environment. __Justification:__ Online instructors need to use a combination of formative and summative evaluations within their online courses (Rovai 2003).

4. __Item:__ My teaching methods and understanding of learning styles should be strongly considered before deciding to teach in an online learning environment. __Justification:__ Online instructors need to design a course while considering the various learning styles of their online learners. Activities should incorporate learning styles for auditory, visual-spatial, and kinesthetic. []

5. __Item:__ Teaching an online course will take more of my time than a traditional class. __Justification:__ It takes a substantial amount of time to prepare for and teach an online course. In many cases it takes more time than teaching a traditional class (Cavanaugh 2005).

Section #2 - Communication

6. __Item:__ It is important for the instructor to communicate to students the importance of being respectful and courteous to peers when communicating in an online course. __Justification:__ It is important for instructors to establish ground rules such as "netiquette" for their online students (McInnerney 2004).

7. __Item:__ Online learning increases my opportunities for instructor and student interaction. __Justification:__ Students and Instructors actually spend more time interacting when learning online. []

8. __Item:__ I believe that the learning outcomes for online learning are just as important as the learning outcomes for face-to-face learning. __Justification:__ It is important for the instructor to communicate regularly with their students when teaching in an online course. []

9. __Item:__ Timely student feedback contributes to the overall corrective measures of student performance in the online environment. __Justification:__Timely student feedback can make students engaged in learning, because they want substantive comments on their work. []

10. __Item:__ It is important to keep students regularly engaged (i.e. via threaded discussions, chat sessions and email) in an online learning environment. __Justification:__ A key factor of learner participation includes student engagement for an online course. Instructors need to design areas in an online course which encourage learner participation. []

11. __Item:__ When teaching online, instructors should provide students with an alternative plan to communicate if extended periods of downtime oc cur in the course management system. __Justification:__ Students should feel that instructors are available when needed to answer questions and offer suggestions. []

Section #3 - Technical Competency

12. __Item:__ I am knowledgeable in integrating my instructional materials into a course management system (CMS) like Blackboard Vista or Moodle. __Justification:__ An online instructor needs to be knowledgeable on how to properly integrate their instructional materials into a course management system. If not, they need to participate in training with their Office of Instructional Technology. []

13. __Item:__ Peer collaboration is very important when developing and teaching an online course, particularly if teaching online for the first time. __Justification:__ With peer collaboration, instructors can be part of a continued and growing online community to keep in touch other online instructors and online course development ideas. []

14. __Item:__ I am willing to attend training sessions on how to develop and teach an online course. __Justification:__ There are few online instructors who know how to properly develop a course in an online learning environment without some proper training. Without training, many instructors may be unsuccessful in teaching their online course for the first time. []