This report summarizes student
comments written on the Fall 1999 IEI student survey which had
3218 respondents. The specific questions were:
Question 14: Please suggest how the Web site for this course could
be improved for future students in the course or make any additional
comments you would like to make about the use of the web in this
course.
Question 15: Are there any additional comments you would like
to make about the student computing labs?
The comments are summarized here and the original survey forms
were returned to the instructors so that they might obtain feedback
on their course Web sites.
Overview
In general, students had positive things
to say about both the web sites and the computer labs. However,
they also had numerous suggestions for improvement and a variety
of complaints about the way that the web sites were utilized.
For the most part, when a particular student provided written
comments, that student had both positive and negative comments.
Often, a student would express a general positive attitude towards
the web site and then offer suggestions for specific areas that
could be improved.
The Web Sites
Students' comments about the web site
were fairly positive. The majority of students who wrote comments
had at least one positive thing to say about the web site. In
particular, when lecture notes were posted on the web site, the
students responded quite favorably. Further, students particularly
appreciated it when a web site was adapted to meet the needs of
a particular class. For example, students wrote positively about
being able to view art images on-line in an art history class
and anatomy pictures in a biology class, being able to download
homework and problem sets, and having access to additional readings
or texts on-line. Students also commented favorably on being given
practice questions, example problems and example papers. Other
students really enjoyed the classes in which the web site was
used as a teaching tool and not just a way to provide information
that was available in other formats.
Students also had numerous suggestions of ways to improve the
sites. Many students requested that the professors provide lecture
notes, if they did not already, and if they did, the students
requested that the lecture notes be put up a day before class.
They also requested more practice exams, more practice papers,
more examples of problems and links to other sites. They also
thought that many of the sites could have been organized more
efficiently. In addition, students thought that the discussion
board could be utilized more effectively. They wanted to be able
to post questions anonymously and have rapid responses from a
professor or TA. Many students also requested that the log-in
password be eliminated. They found it cumbersome and did not understand
why the security was needed.
The students also had several problems with the web sites. Many
complained about the IEI fee. In particular, they did not understand
why the fee was so high and why they were charged the fee in classes
that did not use the web. In addition, even when they thought
the web site in the particular class they were evaluating was
good, they often commented that in other classes the web site
was not effective. They were also frustrated when they had problems
accessing the web site or particular parts of the web site, because
there was too much to download, they did not have the proper plug-in
to view aspects of the site, or they could not connect to the
internet at certain times. They specifically did not like the
use of files that had to be viewed using Adobe Acrobat. In addition,
in team taught courses, they were frustrated when different professors
used different formats for lecture notes. They also complained
about lecture notes that could not be downloaded or printed or
were formatted with only small amounts of information per page.
Finally, while some students applauded the integration of the
web site into teaching, others did not. Students who did not have
access to a computer or the internet at home found the reliance
on the web to be frustrating. In addition, students who had limited
internet access at home also complained about too much reliance
on the web sites. They felt that their limited access to the internet
put them at a disadvantage when certain things were only accessible
on the web. Further, some students complained that professors
posted last minute changed or additions to the web sites that
made it necessary to check the site daily. Again, those with limited
access to the web found this stressful. In one class, students
complained about too much reliance on technology because their
class was cancelled when Power Point would not work.
The Computer Labs
Students were also relatively positive about the computer
labs. Of the students who reported using them, most appreciated
them. Several students reported that the computers in the labs
were fast and updated. They liked the flat screens in CLICC and
the laptops in Powell.
However, at the same time, many of the students who liked the
labs also complained that they were overcrowded or that they needed
more hours. While many students commented that there should be
more 10 minute computer stations around campus, others complained
about the two hour time limit on some computers. It appeared that
in some classes, they had to complete assignments on-line and
that the time limit made it hard to finish the assignment, particularly
if they had computer trouble. Other students said that they did
not know that the labs existed or if they did know they existed,
they did not know where they were. Even students who used the
labs suggested that the labs' locations were not advertised effectively.
In addition, many students were frustrated by rules that only
allowed certain people to use certain labs. Given that the IEI
fee is accessed for classes that the students felt did not use
the web site or classes that were in departments that did not
have limited access computers, it seemed unfair that they could
not use any computer on campus.
Students also had relatively mixed feelings about the staff in
the computer labs. Some students spoke very highly of them, while
others had very negative reports. Again, in some instances the
same student would say that some of the staff had been very helpful
while others had not. Students complained that the staff were
not knowledgeable enough about computer to be helpful or that
they were simply unapproachable.
Finally, students frequently commented about printing. Many believed
that the printing fee was too expensive. In addition, students
spoke very favorably of being able to print for free in certain
labs or when they were accessing particular web sites.
Limitations
It is important to note that the evaluations were of particular
web sites and not the web sites in general. Many students who
spoke positively of the web site they were evaluating also complained
that other classes did not use the web site effectively. Further,
the structure of the questions makes it hard to accurately gage
positive evaluations of the web site because the questions actually
asked for suggestions to improve the site. Consequently, students
who were perfectly happy may not have commented on the site or
may have offered a suggestion for improvement even when they were
happy in general. This is not to say that the written comments
are not useful but rather that when reading them, one should keep
these limitations in mind.
February 2000
