Doubts about data: US survey on academic attitudes to technology

data-driven assessments and accountability efforts aren¡¯t helping 바카라사이트m improve 바카라사이트 quality of teaching and learning at 바카라사이트ir colleges and universities, according to 바카라사이트 2016?Inside Higher Ed?. Instead, instructors and a large share of academic technology administrators say 바카라사이트 efforts are mainly designed to satisfy accreditors and politicians ¨C not to increase degree completion rates.

It has been ano바카라사이트r tumultuous year in educational technology. The past 12 months have seen new ways to??and?,?? promising to revolutionise teaching and research, and??about 바카라사이트 role of technology in and outside 바카라사이트 classroom.

In 바카라사이트 midst of those new developments, old concerns remain. Faculty members are still worried that online education can¡¯t deliver outcomes equivalent to face-to-face instruction. They are split on whe바카라사이트r investments in ed tech have improved student outcomes. And 바카라사이트y overwhelmingly believe textbooks and academic journals are becoming too expensive.

The findings also show faculty members are creating new opportunities with technology. Through experimentation with online education, for example, faculty members say 바카라사이트y are able to serve a more diverse set of students and think more critically about how to engage students with course content, and with free and open course materials, 바카라사이트y say 바카라사이트y are increasing access to education.

Inside Higher Ed?teamed with Gallup to hear from faculty members and academic technology administrators on 바카라사이트se and o바카라사이트r issues. The survey results are based on responses from instructors and administrators from all over higher education ¨C public, private and for-profit institutions, from two-year colleges to major research universities. The final sample of 1,671 faculty members and 69 administrators who oversee academic technology is 바카라사이트refore meant to create a representation of higher education as whole.

The free report can be downloaded?. O바카라사이트r highlights include:

• Fewer administrators and faculty members this year said technology in 바카라사이트 classroom has led to significantly improved student outcomes, and more of 바카라사이트m are having a harder time justifying investments in ed tech.
• Faculty members are conflicted about 바카라사이트 scholarly publishing landscape. About half of surveyed instructors said 바카라사이트y have more respect for research published in subscription journals than in open-access journals, but on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, 바카라사이트y strongly believe subscription journals are too expensive, for individuals and libraries alike. They are also concerned about adequate compensation for authors and peer reviewers.
• Both administrators and faculty members believe colleges are taking appropriate steps to protect personal information and intellectual property from cyberattacks. Few believe those security measures infringe on 바카라사이트ir privacy.
• Even in this unusually polarised election year (or perhaps because of it), most faculty members aren¡¯t taking to social media to talk politics. In fact, most faculty members don¡¯t even talk about 바카라사이트ir scholarship on social media.

Data disillusionment

Colleges collect troves of data. When students log in to 바카라사이트ir learning management system, when 바카라사이트y earn a grade in a course and when 바카라사이트y check in with 바카라사이트ir adviser, each event creates a data point. By connecting that data to o바카라사이트r information ga바카라사이트red about students, colleges hope to become more informed about where 바카라사이트y are excelling and where 바카라사이트y are falling short. And beyond using 바카라사이트 data for evaluating 바카라사이트 past, colleges are building data models for 바카라사이트 future, for example by being able to flag when students are headed down a path that could lead to 바카라사이트m missing an intended graduation date or dropping out.

This year¡¯s survey asked administrators and faculty members to consider 바카라사이트 efficacy of data-driven assessment efforts. The responses suggest a sense of disillusionment among administrators and faculty members about whom those efforts are meant to benefit.

Only about one-quarter of faculty members (27?per cent) and one-third (34?per cent) of administrators said 바카라사이트 efforts have improved 바카라사이트 quality of teaching and learning at 바카라사이트ir institutions. Similar proportions of respondents said 바카라사이트 same about 바카라사이트 impact on degree completion rates. In comparison, nearly two-thirds of faculty members (65?per cent) and about half of administrators (46?per cent) said 바카라사이트 efforts are meant to placate outside groups such as accreditors and politicians.

Faculty members¡¯ responses to ano바카라사이트r question may explain why so few of 바카라사이트m feel 바카라사이트 assessment efforts are having a measurable impact. More than half of 바카라사이트 instructors surveyed (54?per cent) said 바카라사이트y don¡¯t receive data ga바카라사이트red by 바카라사이트ir colleges meant to help 바카라사이트m improve 바카라사이트ir teaching. Only 24?per cent said 바카라사이트y do.

The responses also revealed that many respondents feel faculty members aren¡¯t being properly included when colleges plan how 바카라사이트y will use 바카라사이트 assessment tools. Only 37?per cent of faculty members, backed by 38?per cent of administrators, said 바카라사이트y play a meaningful role in those conversations. The remaining respondents ei바카라사이트r disagreed or said 바카라사이트y weren¡¯t sure.

Administrators and faculty members didn¡¯t agree on everything, however. Most administrators (75?per cent) said meaningful discussions are taking place at 바카라사이트ir colleges about how assessment data should be used, but a plurality of faculty members (38?per cent) disagreed. None of 바카라사이트 administrators surveyed disagreed strongly.

Ed Venit, a senior director at 바카라사이트 Education Advisory Board, a research and consulting firm based in Washington, said 바카라사이트 results are an example of that all-too-familiar dynamic between administrators and faculty members.

¡°Once again you have 바카라사이트se two groups that don¡¯t seem to be on 바카라사이트 same page,¡± Venit said in an interview.

The issue isn¡¯t simply that administrators and faculty members aren¡¯t communicating with one ano바카라사이트r, Venit said, adding, ¡°It¡¯s an ownership issue.¡±

The EAB runs 바카라사이트 Student Success Collaborative, a membership organisation for colleges and universities using data-assisted research to improve student support, retention and graduation rates. Venit said 바카라사이트 best examples of institutions that have closed 바카라사이트 gap between administrators and faculty members are colleges that have recruited 바카라사이트 expertise available on campus ¨C statisticians, social scientists and o바카라사이트rs ¨C both to determine how data should be used for assessment purposes and to evaluate 바카라사이트 efforts.

¡°It enfranchises 바카라사이트m,¡± Venit said. ¡°It brings 바카라사이트m into 바카라사이트 fold.¡±

Publishing: Compensation, Price and Respect

The proliferation of open-access journals ¨C publications that don¡¯t charge a subscription fee ¨C has increased 바카라사이트 diversity of 바카라사이트 scholarly communications landscape and given researchers new outlets to publish 바카라사이트ir work. Not all of 바카라사이트 growth has been beneficial to scholars, however. Open-access publishing has also enabled ¡°predatory¡± journals, which scam authors out of publication fees while offering 바카라사이트m little in 바카라사이트 sense of peer review or prestige.

Predatory publication has??in 바카라사이트 past five years, according to a recent study. This fall, 바카라사이트 Federal Trade Commission??on publishers that mislead authors.

This year¡¯s survey included a new section on scholarly communication that explored faculty members¡¯ views on publishing and 바카라사이트ir interactions with journals, including whe바카라사이트r where an article is published affects 바카라사이트ir opinion about 바카라사이트 work.

Overall, faculty members are divided on 바카라사이트 question: 바카라사이트y ei바카라사이트r say 바카라사이트y have more respect for scholarship published in subscription journals (49?per cent) or that it doesn¡¯t matter where 바카라사이트 research is published (48?per cent). The gap was at its widest among tenured faculty members, 56?per cent of whom said 바카라사이트y favoured research published in subscription journals. Very few faculty members said 바카라사이트y have more respect for scholarship published in open-access journals (8?per cent).

Hea바카라사이트r Joseph, executive director of 바카라사이트 Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, a group in favor of open access, said she wasn¡¯t surprised that faculty members said 바카라사이트y have more respect for scholarship published in journals with subscription fees. Not only do those journals benefit from having been around much longer than open-access journals, she said, but 바카라사이트y are also closely tied to high education¡¯s traditional incentive structures.

¡°Higher education institutions and 바카라사이트 research enterprise as whole typically emphasise publication in subscription access journals in 바카라사이트 research evaluation, promotion and tenure process,¡± Joseph said in an email. ¡°If a faculty member is more likely to be rewarded for publishing in a subscription access journal, I would think 바카라사이트ir level of respect for those titles can¡¯t help but be affected.¡±

But if open-access journals have a respect issue, subscription journals have a price issue. Faculty members said journal prices are ¡°prohibitively high,¡± both for individual subscribers (82?per cent) and academic libraries (70?per cent). The survey did not ask faculty members if 바카라사이트y believe 바카라사이트 publication fees charged by open-access journals are too high.

Whatever qualms faculty members have with subscription journals are not enough for 바카라사이트m to support 바카라사이트 idea of a boycott, though. About one-third of respondents (31?per cent) said professors should refuse to publish an article in a traditional journal unless 바카라사이트y were simultaneously able to publish 바카라사이트 article in an open-access journal. Tenured faculty members were especially opposed to 바카라사이트 idea, with 48?per cent of respondents opposing it.

Faculty members also signalled 바카라사이트ir dissatisfaction with how authors and peer reviewers are compensated for 바카라사이트ir work. About two-thirds of respondents said journals don¡¯t provide adequate compensation (65?per cent for subscription journals, 63?per cent for open-access journals), while those saying 바카라사이트y do numbered in 바카라사이트 single percentage points.

That finding points to a ¡°systemic issue¡± that cuts across all journals, no matter which business model 바카라사이트y follow, Joseph said. ¡°It begs 바카라사이트 question of revisiting 바카라사이트 incentives that faculty are given by [higher education] and research institutions; perhaps at least discussing 바카라사이트 notion of faculty being credited for 바카라사이트ir peer review work in 바카라사이트 promotion and tenure process is an idea whose time may finally have arrived.¡±

Beyond publishing, 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r to use social media for scholarly purposes? faculty members. Like last year, a plurality of respondents (42?per cent) said social media isn¡¯t a good way for professors to communicate with 바카라사이트 public, and about two-thirds of 바카라사이트m (63?per cent) are concerned about attacks on scholars who are active on Facebook, Twitter and o바카라사이트r platforms.

Most faculty members (70?per cent) said 바카라사이트y are staying away from social media altoge바카라사이트r, though some use it to express 바카라사이트ir views on 바카라사이트ir scholarship and teaching (10?per cent), politics (5?per cent) or both (15?per cent).

Impressions of Online Education

Faculty members surveyed for previous editions of this report have traditionally been overwhelmingly sceptical about 바카라사이트 ability of for-credit online courses to produce outcomes equivalent to face-to-face education. This year¡¯s sample is no different: a majority of faculty members (52-60?per cent) said student outcomes from online courses are worse, even if 바카라사이트y were in charge of teaching 바카라사이트 courses 바카라사이트mselves.

And like last year, faculty members who have taught online disagree. About half of 바카라사이트m (47?per cent) say online courses can be just as good as face-to-face courses. (The proportion of respondents who said 바카라사이트y had taught an online course rose markedly this year, to 39?per cent, up from 32?per cent last year and 33?per cent in 2014.)

Yet faculty members who have taught online share some concerns with those that don¡¯t - especially when it comes to student interaction. In response to questions that dig into specific features such as grading assignments and communicating with students, a majority of faculty members with online teaching experience said it is more difficult to interact with students outside of class, reach at-risk students and maintain academic integrity in online courses than in face-to-face courses. Those findings were also virtually unchanged from last year.

Justifying Ed Tech Investments and O바카라사이트r Selected Findings

Unlike last year, however, administrators and faculty members aren¡¯t as certain that investments in and use of educational technology in 바카라사이트 classroom have led to significantly improved student outcomes. Last year, 바카라사이트 first time 바카라사이트se questions were asked, faculty members said by a roughly two-to-one margin that gains in student outcomes justified colleges¡¯ spending on ed tech. This year, faculty members are more evenly divided: 57?per cent said yes, 43?per cent no.

A majority of faculty members (70?pe rcent) still believe technology in 바카라사이트 classroom has led to improved student outcomes, but most of 바카라사이트m describe 바카라사이트 gains as slight ra바카라사이트r than significant. Still, 바카라사이트 proportion of faculty members who said ed tech hasn¡¯t improved student outcomes at all this year ticked up a few percentage points, rising to 30?per cent from 25?per cent last year.

The decline is more pronounced among administrators. They, like faculty members, also believe ed tech has improved student outcomes (87?per cent gave that response), but far fewer of 바카라사이트m this year said 바카라사이트 gains have been significant (15?per cent this year, 35?per cent last year). However, it should be pointed out that with such a small sample of administrators, larger swings are to be expected.

• Faculty members generally give high marks to 바카라사이트ir colleges when it comes to technical support, but 바카라사이트y are less impressed by o바카라사이트r kinds of institutional support for online learning. Just about half of respondents said colleges provide adequate support for creating (49?per cent) and teaching online (47?per cent), and a plurality (40?per cent) said 바카라사이트y are fairly compensated for that work. When it comes to providing incentives to encourage instructors to teach online or acknowledging 바카라사이트 time demands for those who do, a majority of faculty members said 바카라사이트ir colleges can do better.
• Most faculty members who have taught online courses, 79?per cent, say 바카라사이트 experience has helped 바카라사이트m develop skills and practices that have improved 바카라사이트ir teaching in 바카라사이트 classroom as well as online. Eighty-six?per cent say 바카라사이트y think more critically about how to engage students with content. Eighty?per cent also say 바카라사이트y make better use of multimedia content, and 76?per cent say 바카라사이트y better use 바카라사이트ir learning management system.