Survey+Tools

= Survey Tools =

Brian Berling

Description and Uses of Technology[[image:paid-surveys.JPG width="250" height="250" align="right" caption="Copyright 2011 - Online Surveys Australia http://www.onlinesurveysaustralia.com.au/"]]
Surveys have a storied history in post-secondary classrooms. For generations, college students have been given a paper-based survey (often accompanied with a Scantron sheet) once per quarter/semester to evaluate their instructor. However, with the increasing presence of technology in the K-12 classroom, along with the variety of survey tools that are now available online, surveys are becoming a mainstay in the K-12 classroom as well. Surveys, particularly online surveys, are now being viewed as a valuable tool for K-12 teachers to use in their classrooms to both facilitate student learning and validly and reliably asses what students have learned.

There are four main reasons why a teacher might want to use online surveys as a tool in his or her classroom. These reasons are: 1.) assessment; 2.) documenting student preferences; 3.) constructivist projects; and 4.) eliciting parent satisfaction/discontent. (Brennan, K.M., VSI, 2009) As we know, assessment is a very broad and vague term, as it can take many forms such as summative, formative, formal, or informal. Surveys are versatile in the sense that they can fall into any of these assessment categories. For example, online surveys can be used in place of paper and pencil tests to summatively assess students at the end of a unit. Alternatively, surveys can be used as short-cycle assessments to formatively assess students, especially in technologically advanced classrooms. Teachers who have the luxury of a one-to-one computer/student ratio can easily administer electronic exit slips via one question online surveys. Similarly, teachers can supplement their instruction with clickers, which allow students to share their thoughts and feelings toward the topic at hand in a fun and anonymous way.

While surveys are useful when assessing student learning, they can also be very useful when teachers wish to discover student preferences in relation to their teaching practices. ("Attitude Surveys,” 2011) Documenting student preferences is good way for teachers to show students that they about their success and comfort in the classroom. The Florida Center for Instructional Technology provides several sample surveys that have been designed to document student preferences. These sample surveys include questions such as “This course is too time consuming (agree or disagree)” and “This course offers valuable information.” (“Attitude Surveys,” 2011) Unlike end of the term instructor evaluations, these surveys are given throughout the term so that teachers can react to student preferences and change their instruction accordingly before the students leave their classroom.

Contrary to popular belief, the functionality of surveys in the K-12 classroom does not end with the assessing student learning and the garnering of student preferences. As a matter of fact, teachers do not even have to create surveys in order to use them in the classroom. They can have their students create them! In other words, online surveys can serve as the crux for many in-class constructivist projects. For example, Marilyn Western, a first grade math teacher, asks her students to design their own surveys and administer them to their classmates. The surveys, which can be about anything, give the students practice at gathering data and counting numbers. (Western, 2003) Similarly, Tom Barrett asks his students to create and administer surveys via Google Forms to practice data gathering. (Barrett, T. 2008) These projects turn surveys into constructivist as opposed to behaviorist tools, forcing students to climb Bloom’s taxonomy and use higher order thinking skills.

Finally, teachers can send online surveys to parents to “help measure their perceptions of the quality and effectiveness of curriculum and teachers, and gather information that can be used for self-assessment and administrative performance evaluations.” (VSI, 2009) There is no doubt that parents appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback on their child’s education. However, similar to the use of surveys in the classroom, the effectiveness of parent satisfaction surveys depends on the number of parents who have access to the internet. In addition, teachers must find a reliable way to gather parent email addresses and compile a listserve.

There are many survey generators available on the internet to perform the four aforementioned functions of surveys. Some are free while others requires a paid subscription. Many companies, such as SurveyMonkey, take a hybrid approach in which they offer a basic or rudimentary version of their product free but require a paid subscription for a teacher to gain access to all of the bells and whistles. Along with SurveyMonkey, other popular online surveys include: SurveyGizmo; Google Forms; and PollEverywhere. In addition, schools or districts can invest in clickers, which allow teachers to embed questions in their instruction and gives students a fun, anonymous, and technological way to answer those questions.

Important Findings on Student Outcomes
When the correlational or causual relationship between online surveys and student satisfaction, engagement, and learning is analyzed, it is often identified as positive. ClassroomPolls.com states that “survey data helps [teachers] plan and design curriculum, improve teacher performance and interpersonal skills, encourage greater student engagement, improve faculty satisfaction, and other areas vital to the success of faculty and students.” (VSI, 2009) While this is a lofty claim, it is supported by other evidence. For example, Mai Neo, author of “Web-enhanced learning: engaging students in constructivist learning,” states that web-enhanced learning “engages students actively in participating in their own learning process… they are responsible for their own learning, constructing new knowledge based on their experiences.” (Neo, 2005, p. 13) While Neo did not use a case study featuring a survey to reach this conclusion, the survey-based projects described by Marilyn Western and Tom Barrett both fall under Neo’s definition of “web-enhanced learning.”

However, research shows that surveys do not have to be constructivist to increase student learning and engagement. For example, clickers have been found to be beneficial simply because they “provide a mechanism for students to participate anonymously… [and] integrate a ‘game approach’ that may engage students more than traditional class discussion.” (Martyn, 2007) However, while this thought-process makes sense, Martyn was unable to provide quantitative evidence to back up her claim.

Nonetheless, West Carolina University faculty member Kathleen M. Brennan asserts that surveys are viable tools for K-12 teachers to use because: they are of low social cost, they take little time to create and administer, and their confidential and anonymous nature reinforce an aura of trust in the classroom. (Brennan, 2008) Once again, Brennan’s assertion is not backed up by anything but her own research and credentials. It seems as if surveys are popular, but have yet to be empirically linked to increased levels of student learning and engagement.

Emerging Trends and Open Issues
This popularity seems to indicate that as technology’s presence in the K-12 classroom continues to grow, surveys will assume a more prominent role in teacher instruction, assessment, and data gathering. In particular, one emerging trend worth mentioning is cell phone surveys. For years, teachers have struggled with the ubiquitous nature of cell phones in the classroom. However, some scholars and educators such as James E. Katz have advocated for teachers to use cell phones to their advantage. For example, teachers can use one of the aforementioned survey site, PollEverywhere.com to turn their students’ phones into free clickers. In addition, many young teachers are willing to take advantage of the internet connection that some of their students bring with them into class everyday by simply by carrying their mobile phone in their pockets. Katz says that by harnessing instead of fighting cell phones’ energy, teacher can benefit their students' education. Mobile-phone communication benefits education “on at least three levels. Operationally, it makes class management, including attendance and administration, easier and more effective. On the time-management level, it enhances coordination between teachers and students. Finally, it provides students with greater access to course and supplementary educational resources.” (Katz, 2005, p. 101) With this emerging trend in mind, it appears as if surveys will continue to be recognized as a valuable instructional, assessment, and data gathering tool for teachers.

In conclusion, online surveys can be used in the classroom for four main purposes: 1.) assessment; 2.) documenting student preferences; 3.) constructivist projects; and 4.) eliciting parent satisfaction/discontent. Teachers who wish to supplement their instruction with the use of online surveys can choose from a variety of options, the most popular being SurveyMonkey, SurveyGizmo, Google Forms, and PollEverywhere. Although surveys enjoy a general popularity amongst students and teachers, there is a dearth of empirical evidence to prove their effectiveness. Nonetheless, their use in the K-12 classroom seems to be increasing, especially in the realm of cell phone technology.