Instructional Technology Utilization Survey of Mid-Western Adult Literacy Programs - Survey Questionnaire John Sabatini and Lynda Ginsburg, Senior Researchers National Center on Adult Literacy, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania SURVEY OF TECHNOLOGY IN ADULT LITERACY PROGRAMS CONTACT INFORMATION Name of agency/program: _________________________________________ Address of agency/program: _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Your Name: ___________________________________ Position: ________________________ Telephone Number: (_____)_______________ Electronic Mail Address:____________________ A. YOUR PROGRAM ("Program" refers to the aggregate of all sites your agency serves. We know it is not easy to provide accurate information for multiple sites; please give your best estimate as you respond to questions.) A1. How many sites does your program have? ______ A2. In what type of area are you located? (circle the number of your response) 1. Large metropolitan area - inner-city/urban location(s) 2. Large metropolitan area - suburban location(s) 3. City/small town within 30 miles of a large metropolitan area 4. Small town in a rural area, or other locations not near a metropolitan area A3. Which best describes your organization? (circle the number of your response) 1. Community-based organization 2. Community college 3. Correctional institution 4. Library 5. Literacy volunteer organization 6. Private school 7. Public school/school district 8. Religious/church organization 9. University outreach/extension 10. Other ____________________ A4. Over the last 12 months, how many students were served by your program at all sites? (give total number and then estimate the number of students in each category) _____ TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN PROGRAM _____ adult basic education/basic literacy (Levels 0 - 4) _____ pre-GED (Levels 5 - 8) _____ GED/adult secondary education/diploma programs (Levels 9+) _____ English-as-a-second-language (ESL) _____ skill-specific adult literacy instruction (e.g., career related) _____ life-skills adult literacy instruction (e.g., parenting or consumer related) A5. How many employees and/or volunteers working in adult literacy do you have? Administrators/Coordinators Full-Time Paid _______  Part-Time Paid ________  Volunteer________ Instructors/Tutors Full-Time Paid _______ Part-Time Paid ________ Volunteer________ A6. What is your annual adult literacy program budget? (circle one) 1. Under $50,000 2. $50,000 - $100,000 3. $100,000 - $200,000 4. $200,000 - $500,000 5. $500,000 - $1,000,0000 6. More than $1,000,000 B. TECHNOLOGY USE B1. Which of the following statements characterizes your program's use of computer technology for any purpose? (circle one) 1. Do not use computers and do not plan to do so (skip to question G1) 2. Do not use computers, but would like to do so in the near future (skip to question G1) 3. Limited use of computers, not planning to expand 4. Limited use of computers, would like to expand 5. Significant use of computers B2. How frequently are computers used in your program for each of the following tasks? (circle frequency levels) never rarely sometimes often daily administrative activities? (e.g., letter/report writing or record keeping) 1 2 3 4 5 instructional preparation activities by teachers? (e.g., preparing lessons, materials ) 1 2 3 4 5 instructional activities for students? (e.g., classroom instruction or tutoring ) 1 2 3 4 5 assessment activities? (e.g., testing, advising, or placement) 1 2 3 4 5 computer networking activities? (e.g., e-mail, internet, WWW) 1 2 3 4 5 B3. Who provides technical support/assistance? (circle all that apply) 1. no one 2. full-time technology specialist 3. part-time technology specialist 4. full-time staff member 5. part-time staff member 6. volunteer 7. outside consultant 8. other C. SOFTWARE USE IN ADULT LITERACY INSTRUCTION C1. Are you using any of the following types of software in your instructional or instructional preparation activities? (circle all that apply) 1. word-processing 2. desktop publishing 3. digitized speech 4. tutorial 5. educational games 6. spreadsheet 7. multimedia 8. authoring tools 9. simulations 10. drill and practice 11. database 12. problem solving 13. indiv. learning system. (ILS) 14. other _____________ C2. Is software used for instruction in any of the following areas? (circle all that apply) 1. reading 2. math 3. writing 4. GED preparation 5. assessment 6. life skills 7. vocational/work-related training 8. guidance/career options 9. ESL D. COMPUTER USAGE/ACCESS BY TEACHERS D1. What percentage of teachers in your program use computers for instructional preparation? (e.g., planning, assessing student work, preparing course materials) ________% D2. What percentage of all of your program teachers have access to computers for any purpose at the following places? (circle the number in the appropriate column)    Less than 10%  10% to 50%  50% to 90%  More than 90%  At the learning site where they teach  1 2 3 4  At a site managed by the program but not where they teach  1 2 3 4  At home  1 2 3 4 D3. Do your instructors receive any formal technology training? (circle one) Yes No If yes, about how many hours per year per person? ________hours Who provides the training? (circle all that apply) 1. product vendors 2. program staff 3. community/state trainers 4. outside trainer/consultant 5. other __________________________________ Please briefly describe content of training. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ D4. How would you rate your instructors' access to computers in your program? (circle one) 1. Inadequate for our present needs and priorities 2. Adequate for our present needs and priorities but inadequate for the future 3. Adequate for our present needs and priorities and also for the foreseeable future E. COMPUTER USAGE BY STUDENTS E1. What percentage of students in your program use computers during instruction? ________% E2. On average, how many hours do these students use computers per week? (circle one) 1. less than 1 hour 2. 1-5 hours 3. 5-10 hours 4. more than 10 hours E3. In which types of instructional programs do students use computers? (circle all appropriate categories) 1. adult basic education/basic literacy (Levels 0 - 4) 2. pre-GED (Levels 5 - 8) 3. GED/adult secondary education/diploma programs (Levels 9+) 4. English-as-a-second-language (ESL) 5. skill-specific adult literacy instruction (e. g., career related) 6. life-skills adult literacy instruction (e.g., parenting or consumer related) E4. In what contexts do students use computers? (circle the number in the appropriate column; base your percentages on all students participating in your program) Less than 10% 10% to 50% 50% to 90%  More than 90% During classes primarily devoted to developing technology skills (e.g., keyboarding, word processing, using spreadsheets, or navigating the Internet) 1 2 3 4 During classes primarily devoted to developing skills other than technology skills, but using technology as a tool (e.g., writing using a word processor, simulations, practice tests, researching with the Internet) 1 2 3 4 In media labs outside of regular class periods at their program site 1 2 3 4 In media labs outside of regular class periods at a different site 1 2 3 4 By signing out laptops/portables for home use 1 2 3 4 E5. How would you rate your students' access to computers in your program? (circle one) 1. Inadequate for our present needs and priorities 2. Adequate for our present needs and priorities but inadequate for the future 3. Adequate for our present needs and priorities and also for the foreseeable future F. INVENTORY OF AVAILABLE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY F1. Please estimate the number of computers used in your program for adult literacy activities. (include computers used in administrative, instructional, assessment, and networking activities) Computers (not including laptops) ______ Laptops ______ F2. Please indicate the computer operating systems in use in your program. (circle all that apply) 1. DOS 2. Windows 3. Windows 95 4. UNIX 5. Apple IIe System 6. Macintosh System 6 or below 7. Macintosh System 7 8. OS/2 9. other ________________________ F3. Where are computers physically located in your program and how are they distributed?   Number of Rooms Avg. Number of Computers  Classrooms without computers      Classrooms with computers      Technology labs      Open access (libraries/community rooms)     Laptops to be signed out by students     F4. Please indicate any computer peripherals used in your adult literacy program. (circle all that apply) 1. CD ROM 2. color monitor 3. modem 4. scanner 5. touch sensitive screens 6. video laser disc 7. computer pen tablets 8. voice/speech recognition 9. digital sound tools F5. Rate the quality of the program's computers (e.g., memory, speed) and necessary peripherals (e.g, printers, scanners) for use by teachers. (circle one) 1. Inadequate for our present needs and priorities 2. Adequate for our present needs and priorities but inadequate for the foreseeable future 3. Adequate for our present needs and priorities and also for the foreseeable future G. NETWORKING AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS G1. Do you use any of the following distance education technologies? (circle all that apply) 1. broadcast television 2. videoconferencing 3. audioconferencing 4. satellite transmissions 5. other___________ If so, please briefly describe how? _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ G2. Is the Internet used in your program for any purposes? (circle one) Yes No (skip to G3) If yes, for what types of activities? (circle all that apply) 1. e-mail 2. network instruction 3. database searches 4. student record keeping 5. consumer/job information 6. file sharing 7. Listservs 8. group writing 9. on-line conferencing 10. courseware/software access 11. storage of student assignments and work files 12. source material for classroom activities 13. other ______________________________ How are your computers connected to the Internet? (circle all that apply) 1. Slow modems (less than 14400 bps) 2. Fast modems (14400 bps or more) 3. T1 lines (generally available at colleges, corporate sites, and some high schools.) How many computers are connected to the Internet? _________ If your program has multiple classrooms and/or sites, what percentage of your classrooms/sites are connected to the Internet? _____% out of ______ program sites _____% out of ______ classrooms Who in your program has access to the Internet?   Number of individuals in the program Avg. number of hours/week of Internet access  Students      Teachers      Administrative staff      Technology support staff     G3. Is increased access to the Internet a priority for your program? (circle one) Yes No If yes, what are the barriers to increasing access to the Internet? (circle all that apply) 1. Not enough computers for both computer applications and Internet access 2. Computers are not located conveniently for Internet use 3. Internet connections too slow 4. Too many technical difficulties with existing equipment 5. Insufficient staff development/training 6. Insufficient funds for telephone lines/Internet provider charges G4. Rate the overall capacity of your networking capabilities. (circle one) 1. Inadequate for our present needs and priorities 2. Adequate for our present needs and priorities but inadequate for the foreseeable future 3. Adequate for our present needs and priorities and also for the foreseeable future H. FINANCES H1. Does your program have a formal technology plan? (circle one) Yes No H2. What is your approximate annual budget for computer hardware and software? Last Year Current Year Next Year Hardware/Software Budget $__________ $__________ $________ H3. What is your approximate annual budget for technology training for program staff? Last Year Current Year Next Year Technology Training Budget $__________ $__________ $________ H4. Do you purchase computer technology from your operating/program budget? (circle one) Yes No H5. Have you received additional financial resources to purchase computer technology? (circle one) Yes No If yes, from whom have you received additional funds? (circle all that apply) 1. federal grants 2. state/local grants 3. private foundations 4. corporate donations 5. community agencies (e.g., United Way) 6. fundraising events/campaigns 7. other __________________________ H6. Who is invoved in making decisions about technology purchases? (circle all that apply) 1. advisory board/board of directors 2. funding agency 3. instructors 4. program director 5. supervisors (e.g., dean, executive director) 6. students 7. technology specialist/coordinator 8. other program staff 9. others _____________________ I. OBSTACLES/SOLUTIONS TO INCREASING TECHNOLOGY USE I1. How would you rate your program's overall computer capacity (including both hardware and personnel skills) to meet your program's needs and goals? (circle one) 1. Inadequate 2. Adequate for some purposes, inadequate for others 3. Excellent by any standard I2. Please rate each statement as to its importance as an obstacle in the expansion of computer technology in your program. (circle one) 1=Not Very Important 2=Important 3=Very Important Expanding technology use is not a program priority 1 2 3 Lack of financial resources 1 2 3 Inadequate information about the use of technology 1 2 3 Too many choices, hard to make decisions 1 2 3 Lack of time for staff to learn how to use computers 1 2 3 Lack of adequate training for staff/instructors 1 2 3 Staff/instructors resistant to using computers 1 2 3 Federal/state policies constrain the purchase of technology 1 2 3 Additional staff required 1 2 3 Concerns about security for expensive equipment 1 2 3 Other ____________________________________ 1 2 3 I3. What kinds of help would be most valuable to you to enhance your program's use of computer technology? (circle one) 1= Not Very Valuable 2=Valuable 3=Very Valuable Research on the effectiveness of computer 1 2 3 technology in adult literacy instruction Information on available technologies 1 2 3 and their uses for adult literacy Information on organizational technology 1 2 3 planning Training on the use of computer technology 1 2 3 for instruction Software/hardware evaluations and reviews 1 2 3 Case studies of other programs' planning and/or 1 2 3 implementation processes and activities A technology in education "help line" 1 2 3 Other ____________________________________ 1 2 3 YOUR ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ARE WELCOME Thank you again for your time and thoughtful answers. We appreciate your willingness to participate in this survey. Introduction | Survey Questionnaire | Descriptive Statistics | Technology Use of Programs | Software Use in Adult Literacy Instruction | Computer Usage/Access by Teachers | Computer Usage/Access by Students | Inventory of Available Computer Technology | Networking and Telecommunications | Finances | Needs Assessment: Increasing Technology Use To contact the authors: 1. e-mail sabatini@literacy.upenn.edu or ginsburg@literacy.upenn.edu 2. call 215-898-2100 or fax 215-898-9804