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Learning about your IT community via online surveys

Shanna E. Smith, Ph.D.

Thomas M. Bohman, Ph.D.ITS Research Consulting

The University of Texas at Austin

Four key topics

• Defining and maximizing survey benefits

• Online surveys: Advantages and disadvantages

• A multiple-method approach

• Realizing survey benefits

Potential Survey Benefits• Documents services

– Usage of current services– Perceived importance of services

• Evaluates services– General satisfaction– Problem areas

• Informs managerial decisions– Reactions to policy– Needs assessment and marketing

• Communicates care and concern

Designing to Maximize Benefits

• Buy-in is required– Sponsor– Other stakeholders– Developer

• Questions must be relevant and useful

• Questions should adhere to social science research guidelines and practices

• Sampling and data collection must be unbiased to allow generalization of results

Possible Survey Methods

Telephone Mail Online

Online Surveys

• Advantages:– Inexpensive, efficient data collection– Questionnaire flexibility

• Disadvantage:– Possibility of sample bias

Respondent currentlyuses• austin.utexas.edu or forum.utexas.edu• uts.cc.utexas.edu• a non-UT fee based account• and ‘my other e-mail account’

The user answerssatisfaction questions onlyregarding the services that arecurrently used.

Online Surveys

• Advantages:– Inexpensive, efficient data collection– Questionnaire flexibility

• Disadvantage:– Possibility of sample bias

Generalizing to your Population

Population: all the people to whom you want

to apply your survey results. For example:

• All students who use computer labs at your University

• All student residents at your University

• All faculty teaching graduate courses at your University

A Population

A representative sample

A biased sample

Who might be more likely to respond to your online survey?

• People who more widely use computers and the Internet

• People who already use your services

A multiple-method strategy

• Choose a random sample• Send an initial contact through postal mail • E-mail all respondents with an invitation to

complete the survey online• For those without valid e-mail addresses,

send a paper version of the survey• Send reminders!• For those who do not respond within two

weeks, attempt a telephone interview

ITS Survey 2002 Responses

Telephone24%

Paper3%

Web73%

Realizing Survey Benefits

• Report results in timely, appropriate fashion– General results– Individualized reports for each stakeholder

• Acknowledge public feedback– Publicly available results– Press releases

• Keep interest piqued

ITS Survey 2002 Results Areas• Usage and Satisfaction: Familiarity, usage, satisfaction with core

services, e.g., Internet access, e-mail, Help Desk• Computer Labs: Usage of student computer labs and satisfaction with

lab software, hardware, proctor helpfulness, etc. • Technical Support: Types of computer problems experienced by

faculty and staff, and where they go for help• Computer Use: Purchase information, operating system, age, and other

details regarding home and office computers• Training: Necessity for various types of technical training and

preferences regarding training methods • UT Direct: Usage of UT Direct portal and its various components• Needs Assessment: Importance of e-mail, the campus network, and

other services to respondents' work at UT • Computer Security: Familiarity with ITS acceptable use policies,

usage of anti-virus software, password sharing behavior• Specific Issues: Questions of interest to particular Directors, e.g.,

familiarity with Microsoft Campus Agreement.

Example: the Help Desk and Instant Messaging

• Faculty and staff were more likely to use the Help Desk, but all groups who used it were uniformly satisfied with the service.

• Over half of the UT population uses Instant Messaging, but most of them are students.

Instant Messaging

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

Fac

ulty

Staf

f

Gra

ds

Und

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% useIM

• Undergraduates are most likely to use IM

• Undergraduates were most satisfied with IM (94% said they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’).

For more results. . . See our ITS Survey 2002 website at http://www.utexas.edu/its/surveys/2002/