eduMOOC OERu Planning Group

Objectives

The purpose of this page is to collaboratively develop an eduMOOC survey to assist in gathering data about the participant profile and to facilitate comparisons with previous MOOCs. The survey instrument and data will be released under a Creative Commons Attribution license to facilitate learning, sharing and reuse in designing future MOOCs and considering the strengths and weaknesses of the model for OERu implementation.

Resources and process

Collaborators working on the development of this survey should:

• Consult previous MOOC surveys to facilitate data comparisons, including:
  • CCK08 survey
  • mobiMOOC survey
  • OCL4ED survey
• Submit and edit proposed questions on this page.
• Discuss the development of the survey on the corresponding discussion page.
• Adhere to the collaboration protocol which is to make language and editorial improvements directly on this page while discussing more substantive changes on the corresponding talk page to achieve rough consensus before implementing the changes.

Considerations

1. There are many dimensions which cannot be adequately explored with a survey like this and it would be more appropriate to utilise participant reflections, focus group interviews, ethnography etc for these purposes.
2. The primary purpose of this survey is to quantify dimensions of the learner profile to facilitate cross-MOOC comparisons and to inform future planning of the OERu's pedagogical model.
3. Have avoided duplication relating to, for instance, preferred technologies and sites which can be independently verified from server statistics, tracking etc.
4. The optional survey will be administered online (eg Google, survey monkey or similar)

Draft eduMOOC survey

Personal information

How old are you?

• <15
• 15-24
• 25-34
• 35-44
• 45-54
• 55-64
• >65

Is English your primary or first language?

• Yes
• No

How would you rate your proficiency in English as a medium for learning?

• Basic
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• Primary or first language user

(Note: Will be able to map to Fini's research on CCK08)

• Suggestion: How would you rate your proficiency in academic English? Proficiency in academic English is the information we need, because it is the information that influences curriculum. The instrument is used to survey professionals who identify themselves with education and not the general public, so a request for this information is not likely to be misunderstood. Jenny

Jenny, I see the issue you are trying to address -- however the concept of "academic English" introduces a potential level of confusion which can be avoided. To many the concept of academic English will refer to English as a subject of study rather than medium of instruction. I think the majority of respondents will understand what the question is aiming to ask. So rather than using the concept "academic English" I've appended the words "medium for learning" which I think addresses your suggestion --Wayne Mackintosh 05:39, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

• Mother tongue/speaker could be changed to: primary or first language user. Jenny

Done. Agreed that's a good point as you indicated earlier -- particularly in the case of children growing up in a bilingual family where each parent uses a different first language. --Wayne Mackintosh 05:35, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

On a regular basis, where are you located?

• Caribbean
• East Asia and Pacific
• Europe
• Central Asia
• North Africa
• Middle East
• North America
• South America
• South Asia
• Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands
• Oceania and South Pacific

note: just wondering why Europe is linked to Central Asia? --Ignatia / Inge de Waard 08:05, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

A legacy issue (read copy and paste) from earlier WikiEducator surveys drawing on Worldbank continental classifications. I think there is good reason to separate Europe out as well as the Middle East. Thanks for the pointer. --Wayne Mackintosh 08:11, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

What is your gender?

(Optional question)

• Male
• Female
• Transgender
• Other

Note

Advice on sensitivity of the question taken into account, see for example. The data is important from the perspective of gender inclusiveness associated with ICTs and gender inclusiveness is a specified MDG.

Are you in full-time employment or full-time voluntary engagement?

• Yes
• No

Note Hybrid question from mobiMOOC to facilitate comparisons Added the engagement, for some people choose to do full-time volunteering work or similar, which does put a time restraint on them as well (Ignatia / Inge)

Good thinking, thanks --Wayne Mackintosh 01:18, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Which best describes your current roles(s)? Select relevant options(s).

• Educator (teacher, lecturer or trainer)
• Professional staff developer
• Manager or administrator
• Technologist (e.g. web developer, software developer)
• Researcher
• Learner (student, scholar, school pupil)
• Government official / public servant
• Entrepreneur or business person
• Concerned citizen
• International agency official
• Media representative
• Independent consultant
• Other (Please specify)

Note: It appears that MOOCs attract education professionals and this item will facilitate comparisons with Fini's CCK08 study, OCL4ED as well as data collected from the international Wikieducator community.

If your work is specifically education-related, what is your main focus?

• Pre-primary school
• Primary school
• Secondary school
• Community College or Institute of Technology 
• University
• Vocational education
• Not involved in education

Note: Would it be worthwhile to break up Higher Education to Community College, BA/BS Institution, MA/MS/PhD institution? this distinction might be interesting in the US context at least. -- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011

Thanks - have distinguished between college and univeristy. PhD institution distinction is not that useful internationally and could be confusing. So suggest we live with the compromise ;-) --Wayne Mackintosh 01:28, 7 July 2011 (UTC))

How would you rate your general Internet skills (searching, navigation and browsing) compared to the average user?

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Note: I think it would be worth it to have an "I don't know" category -- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011 

mmmm -- don't think that a "don't know" option is sensible in this context.  The respondent will be completing the survey online and will clearly know how to navigate the web. If the respondent feels they are unable to assess their own skills, they can skip the question. This way we avoid ambiguity of what is meant by know but encourage a self-evaluation. For the purposes of this survey, we are less interested in the ability of users to self-evaluate skills. I recommend we leave as is --Wayne Mackintosh 01:32, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

How would you rate your skills in using social software (blogs, microblogs, wikis' social bookmarking) when compared to the average user?

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

How many years have you been using social media (blogs, twitter, social networking...)?

• never before this MOOC
• 1 year or less
• 3 years or less
• 5 years or less
• more than 5 years

Which of the following best describes your interest in innovation and the use of technology?

• Early adopter -- (first to experiment with new technology innovations)
• Mainstream user -- (I tend to use new technologies once they are used by many.)
• Trailing -- (I prefer to adopt new technologies only when it is necessary to do so.)

Note An interesting addition -- but not sure how relevant this is to the objectives we've listed. Is the hypothesis that people with an interest in computers are more attracted to register for MOOCs? --Wayne Mackintosh 01:40, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

hi Wayne, I am working on a research hypothesis that says that successful MOOC learner profile's have a link with their tendency to be interested in new things, be it technology or educational innovative methods or similar. This can be of interest to both OERu or others, if we want to extrapolate possible success ratio's at the start of a MOOC while looking at this factor. --Ignatia / Inge de Waard 07:55, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Hi Ignatia -- Aaah, I understand now, thanks! --Wayne Mackintosh 08:13, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Note I wonder if it should be reworded "exploring technological innovations from an early age" as a 60+ person I found "exploring innovations" a bit vague...I found myself asking "What kind of innovation?"--Joyce McKnight

Good suggestion -- have removed the word "computer" (to satisfy those who were born before computers became mainstream including myself ;-) ) and shifted the focus to innovations and use of technology. Good point -- thanks. --Wayne Mackintosh 05:54, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I understand Ignatia's goal of identifying early/late adopters use of tech to see if it links to participation in a MOOC. Is a Yes/No better than a multiple choice? Jenny

How would you describe your interest in computer innovations and use of technology:

• Early Explorer: I eagerly experiment with new tech and then put it to use before most others do.
• Early Adopter: I usually adopt new technology before most others do.
• Mainstream: I usually adopt new technology at the same time as the majority.
• Trailing: I usually choose to continue using the technology I have and adopt new technology only when I find it necessary to do so. Jenny

That's a valuable addition -- I hope Ignatia agrees. I've toned down the explanations a little to satisfy the critics of this technology particular adoption typology. --Wayne Mackintosh 05:54, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Open online courses

Including eduMOOC, how many MOOCs have you registered for?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5 or more

Note What is "the past"? Can we specify a time-frame? -- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011

This question can be answered by the following question IF we add a fill-in OTHER field to that question -- keith.hamon July 6, 2011

Have simplified by removing "in the past from the suffix of the original question. I don't think we need to specify a time frame since the first instance of this kind of course was in 2007, so not too long ago. Keith good point about the redundancy of this question when considering the next one. I've simplified the question (to save time with data processing associate with extracting multiple responses in the question which follows.). Good point about adding an other option -- Done. --Wayne Mackintosh 01:51, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Which of the following MOOCs did you register for?

• EduMOOC - Online learning today ... and tomorrow (Summer 2011)
• DS106 - Digital story telling (Summer 2011)
• MobiMOOC - Mobile Learning (Spring 2011)
• LAK11 - Introduction to learning and knowledge analytics (Spring 2011)
• CCK11 - Connectivism and connective knowledge (Spring 2011)
• OCL4ED - Open content licensing for educators, Wikieducator (Mar 2011)
• PLENK2010 - Personal Learning Environments Networks and Knowledge (Fall 2010)
• eL4C - Learning for content workshops, WikiEducator (various)
• CritLit - Critical literacies (Summer 2010)
• EC&I 831 - Social Media and Open Education (Winter 2009)
• CCK09 - Connectivism and connective knowledge (Fall 2009)
• EC&I 831 - Social Media and Open Education (Fall 2009)
• EC&I 831 - Social Media and Open Education (Winter 2008)
• CCK08 - Connectivism and connective knowledge (Fall 2008)
• FO08 - Facilitating online (2008)
• EC&I 831 - Social Media and Open Education (Fall 2007)
• INST 7150 Introduction to Open Education, (Fall 2007)
• Other (please specify)

(Note: Check month of start date and replace with Month. Summer in the N.Hemisphere is not the same as the south.)

Have you participated in a MOOC as a formal or "for-credit" student in MOOCs which provided the option for formal course credit?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

In your view, would a formal assessment requirement in a MOOC increase levels of active participation?

• Definitely
• Probably
• Probably Not
• Very Probably Not
• Not sure.

Question: What is the difference between possibly and probably? - I don't think many (american) native speakers would discern a difference -- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011

In this part of the world where we speak Kiwi English we have no problems with discernment between probably and possibly <just kidding>. Agreed, there is a problem with the sementic differential in the scale of Very Probably, Probably, Possibly, Probably Not. Have changed the scale -- not always easy to find a good scale for likelihood -- but I think this is better. --Wayne Mackintosh 02:13, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Suggestion: We should add an "I don't know" category -- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011

Done --Wayne Mackintosh 02:13, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

In your view, would a formal assessment requirement in a MOOC increase the rate of course completions?

• Definitely
• Probably
• Probably Not
• Very Probably Not
• Not sure.

(same as above for both the question and the suggestion -- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011 )

Changed the scale --Wayne Mackintosh 02:15, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

(: As per recommendations discussed on the talk page, the series of questions relating to formal assessment needs a brief introduction and rational why these are being surveyed --Wayne Mackintosh 03:21, 7 July 2011 (UTC))

The introduction of formal assessment requirements in a MOOC will decrease the number of registrations

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree

I would consider completing the formal course requirements given a "for-credit" option in a MOOC if all tuition and course fees were covered by a grant or scholarship

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree

I would consider completing the formal course requirements given a "for-credit" option in a MOOC assuming the formal assessment fees were restricted to the actual costs of providing the assessment for the course credit

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree

Based on your MOOC experience, indicate the relative importance of the following prerequisite skills for successful learning in the MOOC learning model?

Writing skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Communication skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

- These questions are a bit confusing: What is the difference between 'writing skills' and 'communication skills'? - Eva Dobozy

Online learning skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Online teaching / facilitation skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Critical thinking skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Research skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Creative thinking skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Organizational skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Problem solving skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Time management skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Collaborative working skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Using web tools and technologies?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Information and communication technology (ICT) skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Note:  Do you have to use initials?  I had to look up ICT on Google to see what it meant.  Joyce McKnight

Well spotted -- the use of acronyms does not fall into the category of good survey design -- thanks Joyce. --Wayne Mackintosh 06:22, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Web communication skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

Self-regulated or self-directed learning skills?

• Very important
• Moderately important
• Of little importance
• Unimportant

eduMOOC

How did you first hear about the eduMOOC course?

• Not sure
• The Online learning update blog (Ray Schroeder)
• The Educational technology blog (Ray Schroeder)
• Microblog post (Twitter or identi.ca)
• A blogger you follow
• Online reading list you follow
• Personal feed aggregator
• Post on professional association or community email list
• Media publication (eg Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Personal email from a colleague or friend
• General email announcement
• Face-to-face communication (eg water cooler conversation, workshop)
• Other

Which best describes your participation in eduMOOC?

• Voluntary
• Required

(Note: While eduMOOC has no formal course option -- an external course may have required or suggested participation. Also this item will be important for cross MOOC comparisons - will also be able to map to Fin's CCK08 research)

What was your primary motivation to register for eduMOOC?

• Professional development
• Personal development
• Formal study requirement
• Research
• Curiosity
• Other

Note: This maps to Fini's research on CCK08 Suggestion: add a category like "because I knew others who were taking part" - something like peer encouragement. example: I knew that people I know were going to be part of it, so I joined even though I wasn't sure about it -- -- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011

I see your point -- but by adding another option we will loose the ability for comparisons with Fini's research. There is still the other option which people can use. So we need to assess what's more important --- the ability to compare with CCK08 research / or to find out more by adding the option. --Wayne Mackintosh 02:24, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

How would you rate your knowledge and experience of online learning BEFORE joining eduMOOC?

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

(Get an idea of the prior knowledge on the "discipline" area of the relevant MOOC.)

How would you describe your INTENDED levels of participation before registering for eduMOOC?

• Registered knowing that actively following the course was unlikely
• Silent observer
• Moderate contributor (= adding contributions from time to time)
• Memorably active (= writing contributions and reactions in at least 6 of the 8 weeks)

(Note: Hybrid from the mobiMOOC survey -- in this case we are unable to run a pre and post survey.)

How would you describe your ACTUAL levels of participation during eduMOOC?

• Registered but did not regularly follow the course
• Silent observer
• Moderate contributor (= adding contributions from time to time)
• Memorably active (= writing contributions and reactions in at least 6 of the 8 weeks)

(Note: Hybrid from the mobiMOOC survey to facilitate comparisons.)

Which of the following were barriers to your participation in eduMOOC? (Check all that apply)

• Not applicable
• Lack of time
• Lack of personal motivation
• Course did not meet my expectations
• Information overload
• Uncertainty regarding how to participate
• Unfamiliar technologies
• Unforeseen circumstances
• Other

Note:  Should we add "check all that apply" to this and similar questions?  I think it would be clearer. Joyce McKnight

Done. Agreed -- best to include the all that apply bit. --Wayne Mackintosh 06:24, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Prior to joining eduMooc, did you maintain a regular blog?

• Yes
• No
• Other

Prior to joining eduMOOC, did you have a microblog user account (eg Twitter or identi.ca)?

• Yes
• No
• Other

Prior to joining eduMOOC, did you have a user account on a public wiki platform (eg Wikipedia, Wikibooks, Wikiversity or WikiEducator)?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

Prior to joining eduMOOC, did you have a user account on a social book marking service (eg. Delicious, Diigo)=

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

Prior to joining eduMOOC, did you have a user account on a social bibliographic services (eg. Zotero)

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

Prior to joining eduMOOC, did you maintain and use a RSS reader or feed aggregator?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

I discovered concepts or ideas as a result of eduMOOC which I will apply in my professional or personal context

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Uncertain
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree

(Derived from mobiMOOC survey -- but applied Likert scale)

I connected with other eduMOOC participants and will collaborate on identified projects AFTER eduMOOC

• Yes, almost certainly
• Likely, more likely than not
• Even, about as likely as not
• Unlikely, more unlikely than not
• No, (almost) certainly not

(Derived from mobiMOOC -- but improved scale to gauge likelihood.)

With whom outside eduMOOC have you shared something you learned in eduMOOC? (Check all which apply.)

• Face-to-face colleagues
• Virtual (online) colleagues
• Friends
• Family
• Fellow students
• No one

(Item copied from mobiMOOC survey)

How did you share what you learned in eduMOOC with others? (Check all which apply.)

• Talked to them
• Called them
• emailed them
• sms text message
• microblog post (Twitter, identi.ca etc.)
• Posted on a social networking site like Facebook
• Wrote publicly about it (eg Blog post, public wiki entry)
• Other

(Modified from mobiMOOC survey)

To what extent did you keep a record of the websites (e.g. aggregate, bookmark, annotate sites) you encountered during eduMOOC?

• Often
• Sometimes
• Seldom
• Never

To what extent did you create new digital resources or artefacts during eduMOOC (eg detailed blog posts, slideshow presentations, podcasts, videos etc.) as outputs of your learning and reflections on eduMOOC?

• Often
• Sometimes
• Seldom
• Never

Did you have a clear idea of why you were joining the eduMOOC or how it would improve your professional or personal knowledge?

• yes
• no

Would you say that participation in eduMOOC has improved your skills in the following areas?

Writing skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Communication skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Online learning skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Online teaching / facilitation skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Critical thinking skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Research skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Creative thinking skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Organisational skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Problem solving skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Time management skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Team working skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Using web tools and technologies?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Information and communication technology (ICT) skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

Note:  Please see my earlier comment on initials.  Could we use Information and Communication Technologies instead?   Joyce McKnight

Web communication skills?

• Yes
• Maybe
• No

eduMOOC toolset and technologies

Which of the following best describes the overall course toolset and technologies used by eduMOOC? (Check all that apply.)

• Complete
• Confusing
• Too rich
• Almost sufficient
• Adequate
• Other

(Note - to facilitate comparisons with Fini's CCK08 survey).

Which of the following describe the informational design of the course? (Check all that apply.)

• Clear
• Intuitive
• Friendly
• Confusing
• Overwhelming
• Other

(Note: to facilitate comparisons with Fini's CCK08 survey. Responds can choose more than one option.).

Did you use a mobile device to access any of the eduMOOC resources?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

(Modified from mobiMOOC survey -- removed the would you have uses one if you could inclusion in the question. Poor survey design.)

Which of the following was your preferred device(s) for accessing eduMOOC resources? (Check all that apply.)

• Did not use a mobile device
• mp3 player
• cell phone
• smartphone
• handheld internet capable device (eg iPod touch)
• eBook reader
• personal computer
• Notebook / laptop
• Netbook
• Tablet device (eg iPad, Android tablet)
• Other

Which of the following eduMOOC resources did you regularly access using a mobile device? (Check all that apply.)

• eduMOOC home page
• eduMOOC Discussion forum on Google Groups
• eduMOOC microblog (Twitter) feed
• Live panel sessions
• Recorded panel sessions
• Video resources (eg Youtube, Vimeo, BlipTV etc.)
• Social bookmarking sites (e.g. delicious, diigo)
• Wikispaces discussion forums
• Blog posts about eduMOOC
• Websites resources recommended through eduMOOC
• Study group wiki pages
• eduMOOC Google Map
• Moodle site
• Other

Note:  Again should we say "Check All that Apply" in the beginning?  I know it seems obvious but I have known the obvious to be confusing.  :-)   Joyce McKnight

Done. Good sugestion. --Wayne Mackintosh 06:33, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Did you use a mobile device to contribute or post anything to the eduMOOC course?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

Further suggestions

To consider as part of this line of questioning: If yes: which parts did you contribute to:

• Wiki
• Google Group
• eduMOOC Google Map
• Diigo/Delicious
• etc.

-- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011 -- & Sean C. Abajian - July 6, 2011

My suggestion is to leave out this option -- its potentially complex and messy. a) We will have detailed server data to gauge and measure participation from the server stats and records. The problem with this kind of questions is the plethora of contribution channels on the web which are not on the list. Also, the question does not do a good job of distinguishing between modality of communication. Eg discussion group on (for example Google Groups, discussion post on Wikispaces, Discussion post on Mailman list, Discussion post on WikiEducator talk page etc.). We will get an idea of the nature of contributions from other questions and when this is added to server stats, I think we will get a reasonably good picture. --Wayne Mackintosh 02:40, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Some additional services to consider including in this line of questioning:

• Zotero (or other bilbiopgraphic service)
• Online bookmarking service (delicious/diigo)

-- Apostolos K.-- July 6, 2011

Have added social bookmarking and Zotero related question. --Wayne Mackintosh 02:48, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

An interesting question to add is one open ended question in the sense of "Is there something else you would like to share? Feel free to write it here". This will bring along new insights. --Ignatia / Inge de Waard 08:02, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Yip -- agreed. Was planning to insert the open ended questions last. Good that you've listed it here so we don't forget. --Wayne Mackintosh 08:14, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

Polls

First poll

Our study group has been discussing the Likert scales for MOOC participation related questions, for example: How would you describe your ACTUAL levels of participation during eduMOOC?. We have been reflecting on the advantages and disadvantages of using terms like "Lurker" and considering the nature, extent and alternatives for MOOC engagement. The current scale proposed in the draft survey is:

• Registered but did not regularly follow the course
• Silent observer
• Moderate contributor (= adding contributions from time to time)
• Memorably active (= writing contributions and reactions in at least 6 of the 8 weeks)

(Note the scale was derived from the MobiMOOC survey but exchanging the concept of "lurker" with "silent observer" and adding a category for people who registered but did not follow the course.)

1. What is the best way to set the scale?
   • Keep the scale in the draft survey above unchanged, that is;
     
     Registered but did not regularly follow the course
     silent observer
     moderate contributor
     memorably active
   • Edit it
     
   • Replace it with the following suggestion (see discussion):
     
     Passive Registrants
     Receptive Participants
     Productive Participants
     Enablers (or Enabling Participants)
   • Refine it
     
   • Collaborate to produce some other scale

Second poll

Without any open questions, we estimate that the current draft survey will take between 12 and 17 minutes to complete. We are aiming to add one or two open questions.

1. In your view, should we shorten the current survey
   • Yes
   • No
   • The number of questions is fine -- keep it as is