Approved-By:  "EDTECH Moderator" <21765EDT@MSU.BITNET>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Date:         Thu, 3 Sep 1992 00:32:51 EDT
From:         ATILARO@BESTSD.SDSU.EDU
Subject:      SURVEY RESULTS - PART I

  A big thank you goes to all the respondents who
participated in last semester's survey.  Your
diligence and willingness to complete the survey
was much appreciated.
  This portion of the report, Part I, is a 122-line
summary of the findings and conclusions.  Part II,
Recommendations, is in a separate 222-line file.
  I am interested in submitting the complete report
for publication in a professional journal.  If anyone
knows of an appropriate journal, I would appreciate
your suggestions.  (Also, additional resource
articles that specifically discuss Listservs would
be helpful.)  Thank you --         Angie Tilaro

=====================================================
CMC: Use of the EdTech ListServ

Overview
  Worldwide electronic communication, known as computer-
mediated communication (CMC), has been expanding in the
past two decades, mainly due to the proliferation of
personal computers (PCs).  Linked through networks of
mainframe computers, such as those connecting
educational and governmental institutions, computer
users can tap into a variety of networks.
  Accompanying the increased use of computers has been a
parallel growth in the number of discussion forums that
allow computer users to exchange information
electronically.  Listservs, one type of discussion forum
of which there are more than 1,500 worldwide, allows
users to share information and post queries on specific
topics.  One of these lists, the EdTech Listserv (ET
LS), has existed for two years and was the focal point
of this study.
  The major purpose of this study was to examine how the
ET LS is being used by participants and if its use is
making any difference in the way practitioners, faculty,
and students in Educational Technology are communicating
with each other.  During April 1992, an on-line survey
was sent from the VAX system at San Diego State
University (SDSU) to 106 subscribers on the ET LS.  Of
that group, 86 represented the entire population of
subscribers who had initiated a query on the ET LS
during the previous two months; an additional 20
represented the entire population of subscribers who had
responded to a query during the last week in March.
Responses were received from 54 of the 106 participants;
51 of those responses had usable data.  In addition, 10
respondents were  contacted for a follow-up interview;
and 1 system manager from SDSU's computer services was
interviewed.

Findings
  Of those who responded to the questionnaire, a large
majority expressed satisfaction with the ET LS:  87% of
the respondents indicated they will continue using the
list, and 63% agreed that use of the discussion forum
has made them more productive.
  Out of the replies received by subscribers who had
posted queries on the ET LS, approximately 65% were
rated "good" and 24% "fair", while only 9% were rated
"poor".
  Although the overall opinion of respondents is that
the ET LS is valuable, 86% indicated the number of users
at their institution is limited, with 37% of the
respondents being the only user.  Several obstacles were
listed by respondents as contributing to the problem of
limited usage:
  - Difficulty with equipment availability or network
    access
  - Lack of time
  - Lack of interest or awareness
  - Lack of training
  - Information overload
  - "Technophobia"
  One of the major frustrations for users is
"information overload".  The large volume of messages
received, the inability to quickly select topics of
interest, and the lack of time to read e-mail were all
factors.  One respondent indicated he was going to stop
subscribing to the ET LS because reading incoming
messages took so much time.
  An overwhelming majority of respondents indicated
"keeping up-to-date with new technology" and
"Educational Technology issues" as top priorities, with
"computer-mediated communication", "research", and
"professional announcements" following close behind.
  The big surprise of this study was that nearly half
the respondents were technical support or media
resources personnel.  Only 10 individuals were college
professors, and only 2 of those individuals were from
Educational Technology departments.

Conclusions
  Electronic information exchange is still evolving.  As
one of the interviewees commented during the follow-up
phone interview, "The list is only as good as the people
who are [participating]."  In order to be truly
effective for professionals in Educational Technology,
the following items need to be addressed:
  - What are the goals of the ET LS?
  - What topics of discussion should be allowed on the
ET LS?
  - Can screening of responses by the Moderator of the
list be improved?
  - Is it possible for the EdTech Moderator to design
guidelines for the "Subject" line so readers can easily
determine which messages to read/ignore?
  - Should participants who post technical questions be
encouraged to contact their computer support personnel
or find a specific Listserv that meets their
technological needs?
  - What is being done to make systems more user-
friendly and less user-hostile?
  - Can every e-mail user have access to 'filtering'
software that screens incoming messages?
  - Are there good interfaces for PC software available
right now?
  - How can individuals in Educational Technology be
informed about the availability of the ET LS?

Recommendations (see part 2)

Angie Tilaro   ATILARO@bestsd.sdsu.edu
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU