EDUCAUSE DIY Survey Kit: Evaluating the 2020 Spring Semester

As the dust settles on a spring semester of rapid transition to remote modes of teaching and learning, institutions will need to take stock of their successes and challenges and begin preparing for improvements and adjustments to remote experiences in subsequent academic terms. Short online surveys of students and faculty can serve as the beginning of a conversation with end users and provide indicators of where institutions should focus.

To save time for our community, the EDUCAUSE team of researchers and data experts has compiled short lists of survey questions IT professionals can adapt and deploy to students and faculty at their institution to begin evaluating remote teaching and learning and identify areas of success and growth for the next academic term. Using the links below, anyone can download these questions and access a Google Forms template to begin disseminating these questions and gathering feedback at your institution today.

To help serve all of higher education, we encourage institutions using these templates to submit summaries of their results to EDUCAUSE, though this is not required. EDUCAUSE research staff might use the data, in aggregated form across all participating institutions, to develop resources that inform and benefit the general EDUCAUSE membership. If you'd like to contribute your results, email us for instructions on how to share your data securely.

For Students

Objective: to help institutions evaluate the spring remote learning experience. As institutions consider continuing remote learning into the fall, these data would help the higher education community provide students with the tools and support they need for a successful fall term.

Student Demographics

(These questions can be useful as context for viewing responses to other questions.)

1. In which of the following learning environments had you taken a college-level course prior to March 2020? (check all that apply)
   • One that is completely face-to-face
   • One that is mostly but not completely face-to-face
   • About half online and half face-to-face
   • One that is mostly but not completely online
   • One that is completely online
   • One that offers both: attending class in person, in addition to making online/video lectures available (HyFlex course model)
   • None of the above
2. Before March 2020, were you a residential student (residing on campus), or did you commute to campus?
   • Residential
   • Commuter
3. [for those who indicate they were typically residential students] After your institution shifted to remote learning, did you:
   • Remain on campus
   • Remain in close proximity to campus (i.e., you could have commuted if in-person classes were still offered)
   • Travel to your hometown, with family, or other location that is not close to campus
   • Other

Institution Level

1. Overall, how would you rate your institution's support in the transition to remote learning this semester?
   • Poor
   • Fair
   • Good
   • Excellent
2. What could have been done to better support you in making this transition? __________________________________________
3. Please rate the quality of the following campus services (if you used them during remote learning). (Did not use / Poor / Fair / Good / Excellent)
   1. Internships or practicum placements
   2. Health services
   3. Mental health services
   4. Emergency financial aid
   5. Housing/food services
   6. Career services
   7. Financial services/bursar's office
   8. Academic advising services
   9. Tutoring or academic coaching
   10. IT support—obtaining loaner equipment such as a laptop
   11. IT support—support in using technology to complete coursework or attend class
   12. Disability services
   13. Other
4. If you could change one thing about your experience with remote learning, what would it be? _________________________________________________________________

Teaching and Learning Remotely

1. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, in what format(s) were your spring 2020 classes delivered? (check all that apply)
   • At least one course was delivered synchronously (the class met with instructor at a specified time, using virtual meeting software).
   • At least one course was delivered asynchronously (content for the course, such as videos or slide decks, was uploaded for students to view at any time).
   • At least one course used a combination of synchronous and asynchronous formats.
   • Other
2. For synchronous learning: Which aspect(s) of the synchronous learning experience were most challenging for you? (check all that apply)
   • Reliable/stable internet connection on my end
   • Attending class meetings as scheduled due to family or others needing to use shared technology
   • Attending class meetings as scheduled due to time zone differences
   • Lack of a quiet or private place to attend class
   • Confusion about how to use the videoconference software or application for class
   • Unclear communications or expectations from instructors about attending class
   • Distractions from friends or classmates during class
   • Issues related to taking tests (i.e., proctoring, time on tests)
   • Lack of live or closed captioning or ASL interpreters
   • Access to assistive technology hardware
   • Access to assistive technology software
   • A requirement to have my video on (not just my microphone)
3. For asynchronous learning: Which aspect(s) of the asynchronous learning experience were most challenging for you? (check all that apply)
   • Reliable/stable internet connection on my end
   • Lack of a quiet or private place to complete coursework
   • Managing my time and completing all my coursework
   • Confusion about how to access or use course materials
   • Unclear communications or expectations from instructors about participating in the course
   • Feeling disconnected from instructors
   • Feeling disconnected from classmates
   • Lack of closed captioning for video or transcripts for audio materials
   • Access to assistive technology hardware
   • Access to assistive technology software
   • Issues related to taking tests (i.e., proctoring, time on tests)
4. Take a minute to think back to the first week of remote learning. Comparing how you feel now to how you felt then, how has your experience of learning in a remote environment changed?
   • I have become much more comfortable learning remotely.
   • I have become a little more comfortable learning remotely.
   • I feel about the same.
   • I have become less comfortable learning remotely.
   • I have become much less comfortable learning remotely.

For Faculty

Objective: to help institutions evaluate the spring remote teaching experience. As institutions consider continuing remote teaching and learning into the fall, these data would help the higher education community provide faculty and instructors with the tools and support they need for a successful fall term.

Faculty Demographics

1. In which of the following learning environments had you taught a course prior to March 2020? (check all that apply)
   • One that is completely face-to-face
   • One that is mostly but not completely face-to-face
   • About half online and half face-to-face
   • One that is mostly but not completely online
   • One that is completely online
   • One that offers both: students attend class in person, in addition to making online/video lectures available (HyFlex course model)
   • None of the above

Institution Level

1. Overall, how would you rate your institution's support for faculty in transitioning to remote teaching this semester?
   • Poor
   • Fair
   • Good
   • Excellent
2. What could have been done to better support faculty during this transition? __________________________________________
3. If you could change one thing about your experience with remote teaching, what would it be? _________________________________________________________________

Teaching and Learning Remotely

1. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, in what format(s) were your spring 2020 classes delivered? (check all that apply)
   • I taught at least one course synchronously (students met with me at a specified time, using virtual meeting software).
   • I taught at least one course asynchronously (content for the course, such as videos or slide decks, was uploaded for students to view at any time).
   • At least one course used a combination of synchronous and asynchronous formats.
   • Other
2. For synchronous teaching: Which aspect(s) of the synchronous teaching experience were most challenging for you? (check all that apply)
   • Reliable/stable internet connection on my end
   • Students not attending class
   • Students attending but not participating in class
   • Lack of a quiet or private place to teach class virtually
   • Confusion about how to use the videoconference software or application for class
   • Trying to deliver content I had planned for a face-to-face class through an online format
   • Privacy issues, such as requirements for me or my students to have cameras turned on
   • Lack of closed captioning for video or transcripts for audio materials
   • Access to assistive technology hardware
   • Access to assistive technology software
   • Issues related to testing students (i.e., proctoring, time on tests)
   • Other
3. For asynchronous teaching: Which aspect(s) of the asynchronous teaching experience were most challenging for you? (check all that apply)
   • Reliable/stable internet connection on my end
   • Difficulty communicating with students
   • Feeling disconnected from colleagues
   • Feeling disconnected from students
   • Trying to repurpose or rewrite course materials I had planned for a face-to-face class to be delivered in an online format
   • Overall workload too high
   • Lack of closed captioning for video or transcripts for audio materials
   • Access to assistive technology hardware
   • Access to assistive technology software
   • Issues related to testing students (i.e., proctoring, time on tests)
   • Other
4. Take a minute to think back to the first week of remote teaching. Comparing how you feel now to how you felt then, how has your experience of teaching in a remote environment changed?
   • I have become much more comfortable teaching remotely.
   • I have become more comfortable teaching remotely.
   • I feel about the same.
   • I have become less comfortable teaching remotely.
   • I have become much less comfortable teaching remotely.
5. Many institutions have not finalized their plans for the fall 2020 semester. In the event that you are asked to teach remotely in a manner similar to spring 2020, what would be most helpful for your institution to provide to you? (check all that apply)
   • Laptop
   • Monitor(s)
   • Webcam
   • Videoconferencing / communication software or applications
   • Remote desktop
   • Remote exam proctoring
   • Virtual lab software
   • Secure file upload service
   • Plagiarism detection tools
   • Pedagogical support in designing and delivering online classes
   • Reliable/stable internet access
   • Other
6. If you are asked to resume teaching in-person classes this fall, how much of a concern would each of the following be to you? (No concern at all; Some concern; Moderate concern; Great concern; N/A)
   • My own personal safety and health
   • Safety and health of those I am close to
   • My students' safety and health
   • Too many students choosing not to attend
   • Too many students choosing to attend
   • Trying to teach in a socially distanced classroom
   • Midsemester closures or interruptions due to continued spread of virus
   • Inequalities in students' access/ability to attend class
   • Legal or financial risk to institution in opening too early
   • Other

Links to Survey Resources

• Access a Google Form of these survey questions. To use the Google Form template, sign into Google, click the link to the form, and choose the "Make a copy" option to save a copy of the form to your own Google Drive. Use as is, or edit and distribute the form to meet your particular institutional needs.
• Download a Word file of these survey questions.