Highlights of the Evaluation Report 1995-2000
Overview of the SURWEB Evaluation
Chapters:5
Appendices:
A | B | C | D | E
F | G | H | I | J
Contacts:
SURWEB
Dr. F. Lynn Bills
Director
435-637-1173
Media,
Analysis & Practice
Kathleen Tyner
About
the Author
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Educators Access to Technology Resources |
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The
SURWAN study and a follow-up study in 1997 contained large
representational samples of elementary and secondary teachers that are
used comparatively to generalize results longitudinally. A small selective
survey of SURWEB-using teachers in 2000 is not a representational sample
and cannot be generalized. However
the 2000 study can be used comparatively to highlight possible SURWEB
trends, thus directing future research that can contribute to the on-going
design and responsiveness of SURWEB. Comparison
of the results of the three studies indicates dramatic growth in access
and integration of educational technology resources, including SURWEB. Tables of comparative data about
technology access and use by Utah teachers are located in Appendix B: Comparison of Teacher Access and Use of Educational
Technology in Utah 1995-2000. A
summary of the 2000 survey of Utah teachers, as well as the survey
instrument, is located in Appendix
C: SURWEB-Using Educators Uses of Technology Resources. Comparative data from the three studies of teacher use of educational technology conducted in 1995, 1997 and 2000 indicate sharp increases in the availability of technology resources to teachers. Table 1: Educators Access to Technology Resources at Work compares data derived from the three studies. Table 1 shows that the trend is moving rapidly from stand-alone computers to more powerful networked computers that can take advantage of SURWEB’s full capacity to integrate multimedia. Table 1: Educators Access to Technology Resources at Work
Educators
also indicate increased use of on-line resources, including SURWEB over
the last five years. Table 2: Educators Use of On-Line Resources displays the results of
comparative data taken from the three teacher surveys in 1995, 1997 and
2000. The use of email
has increased 64.1 percent over five years with 100 percent of respondents
in 2000 saying they now have access to it.
In addition, 79 percent of the respondents reported using the
Internet in 2000, an increase of 10.8 percent since 1997. Because the sample in 2000
targeted only SURWEB-using teachers, it is expected that the percentage of
SURWEB users would be high in the 2000 study, demonstrating an increase of
77.9 percent since 1997. Table 2: Educators Use of
On-Line Resources
*
This item was not included on the 1995 questionnaire. The time
that educators report spending on-line reflects the greater acceptance of
the Internet as an integral part of teachers’ daily routine. Table 3: Educator Time Spent On-Line
Weekly compares the time that educators reported on-line from
1995-2000. Educators in Utah
went from 78.1 percent who spent no time at all on-line in 1995 to 88.1
percent who reported more than 3 hours per week on-line in 2000. Table 3: Educator Time Spent On-Line Weekly
Table 4: Barriers to On-Line Resources demonstrates
that teachers have come to increasingly value the Internet as a classroom
resource. However, they still
report that the number one barrier to its use is the fact that computers
are not located in the classroom. In
addition, respondents indicate that available computers are still too
often inadequate to take full advantage of networked, multimedia
applications such as SURWEB. Table 4: Barriers to On-Line Resources
Identified barriers to on-line resources have declined in all categories. Table 4 indicates that strategies to address barriers identified in past studies about teacher access to on-line resources have made progress in overcoming them. |
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