OECN

1. testing feedback mechanism

Given some of the concerns about the speed test data and it running automatically, would it be helpful to embed skip logic at the end of the previous page, where participants can click to continue to the speed test or to skip the speed test to complete the demographic information.

This is information about the start page and zip code and is the first box. I suppose it should have an admin label.

There are 3 visible questions, and the fourth is visually dependent on the answer to #3 being yes. Changes to #1 included “where you access class materials and complete class assignments?” For #2, it was changed to “personal mobile hotspot” which may include a smart phone or a carrier device. Number 3 uses “person device” and examples that allows you to …

This is the speed test page. The statement “An internet speed test is going to run from your connection (maybe, current location and internet connection). When it completes (takes about 30 seconds or less), it will display download and upload speeds.

Do we need to know where they are in the context of online learning? At home on their desktop or laptop connected to an ISP. At a cafe connected to a public wifi. Connected to their personal hotspot.

Should there be an opened response here to ask about what else they need or expect to be helpful for online learning this fall and going forward.

Need to improve the Thank you statement.

No changes from me.

1. No change. Are we determining whether they have access or whether they “own” or “borrow” their access? If we are determining only whether or not they have access, it looks good.
2. Just wondering if this question begs a “(typically a smart phone)” insertion after “personal mobile hotspot.” I’m okay with or without it.
3. “Person” should be “Personal,” and I’m not sure reviewers will know whether to check the “Yes” radio button so that question number four appears.
4. No changes. The qualifier for this question being “own AND use” not just one or the other, but both requirements must be met.

No changes.

I think we’re moving in the right direction.

#3…I think it should read “personal device” (not person device)

General…I don’t have a specific idea on how to fix this, but I do think a point that was made on the call hasn’t been fixed here yet…and that is a person may answer questions #1 and #3 affirmatively, but the answers may not be adequate. For instance, they could answer “yes” to #1, but it is because they go to the library, which doesn’t tell us what we need to know. I’m less concerned about #3, but the answer could be “yes”, but they have limited availability because of sharing with family members also engaged in work/online learning. (Perhaps we could have an option that is “yes but” In other words, they have access but only part-time because of sharing among others in the household.)

Good – short and simple for an Aspire student

Instead of saying “It consists of 5 pages” change to “consists of 10 questions”… “Five pages” up front made me want to delete.
#3 personal device
We talked about adding a statement in the message about why we need their involvement in collecting this data (such as – for helping the state determine under-resourced areas…)

3. Do you have access to a person device

personal device

Your Name* – Be specific. First Name, Last Name
Your Email* – Personal or Student

Note: Students tend to be hesitant to include their name and email or anything that will personally identify them with a survey unless there is something offered to them in return (a raffle, a gift card, etc.)

I suggest changing the response options for questions 1 and 2 to use a frequency scale: always, often, occasionally, rarely, never.

Also, there is a misplaced apostrophe in question 1, I dont’ know

This takes some time to run. A suggestion would be to add more details about the steps within the test and that a panel will show you the rates at the end.

In addition to the Yes / No data in question #3, it would be helpful to know what device students use. A smart phone might be sufficient for accessing class materials but it’s going to be a difficult way to write papers.

It would also be helpful to know where / how students access technology (I.e., are students at home, at a library, at a friend or family members home, at a local business).

Question 5 and 6: should specify exactly where to find the ‘Download’ and ‘Upload’ values. It seems intuitive, but not all students will be able to readily understand that one should read the figure above the questions for values once the test is complete.

Can students provide more than one zip code, e.g. if they split time between home and work or multiple households?

Might be useful to ask if students must share devices with others in the household – we’ve seen students experience challenges with this. Also define “reliable” – i.e. do we mean broadband? Is ability to stream video expected?

“reliable” internet connection doesn’t cover questions like bandwidth caps, or other concerns around internet access. This may need more detail like the devices question.

Concerns we face that are not directly addressed here include:

– A space to work with the technology (do you have a quiet room/place to use the technology)
– Do you have consistent access to the connection, and are you able to use it for all of your school work (bandwidth caps)
– Are you able to afford your Internet connectivity or do you have ongoing concerns with paying for it?
– Do you frequently use devices in more than one location for learning, and do those locations differ in capability or other critical features

I struggled to make sense of the instructions to “Enter the zip code of the location where you access class materials and complete class assignments” and I think students will also struggle. Would it be helpful to provide a couple likely scenarios to illustrate? Something like, “For instance, if you most often connect to the internet from X, then list that zip code. On the other hand, if you typically connect to the internet from Y for your classes but complete your assignments at Z, then list the zip code for Z.” Or should students have the option to list multiple zip codes?

I think our students could struggle to answer this question because many of them connect to the internet from MULTIPLE locations. They come to campus and connect to the internet there during the day to attend class. They connect to the internet from a different zip code during the afternoon to access class materials. In the evenings, they connect to the internet to complete assignments from a third zip code. This simplistic question makes it appear as if connecting to the internet and access to the internet were a single type of simple activity that occurs consistently in the same way every day, and we know that is not true for many students. Shouldn’t this initial question itself reflect the complicated nature of simply connecting to the internet and completing class work online?

Again, shouldn’t these questions reflect that students access a variety of internet connections during the day? They might have a reliable internet connection during the day or when they are on campus or at work, but they might not have a reliable connection at home. Or maybe they are using their phone as their device during the day and a family laptop in the evenings?

Again, which connection are students testing? Are they testing their connection at school, at work, or at home? What if they rely on a variety of connections? Which connection should they test?

I would be interested in reading how you plan to explain the survey at its goals. If the intent is to understand where additional resources are needed or how we better support student’s in accessing reliable internet, it would be nice if this was made clear to those taking the survey. I know this is a huge concern of our students and the framing will of course impact whether they choose to participate.

#2 – does the reference to personal mobile hotspot include a mobile phone? If it does, are they simply asking if they use their phone as a mobile hotspot or asking if they use their phone to access course content. Might be good to clarify: “Do you use a mobile hotspot to access class materials and complete class assignments? This could include a mifi device or the use of your cell phone as an internet hotspot for a laptop or tablet.”
#2 – What is meant by “personal device”. Is this question asking if the student has access to a device to type documents, access class materials, etc? Or is it asking if they have access literally to their own personal device that they do not have to share with anyone?

General feedback on the wording on page 3 – “ An internet speed test is going to run from your connection [add: to assess your internet service]. When it is complete…”

Could we ask a question about the number of learners in the household that could be doing online learning and/or working from home; this could affect their internet speed and ability to do complete online learning.

For question 1–I would think we would want to separate the Yes answer into two: Yes-I have a reliable internet connection at home, or Yes–I have can travel to another location for reliable internet.
Or this could be a separate question, but students who have to travel or can only access internet from their cars in a parking lot at their campus is a very different experience and they have very different needs than someone who has it at home.
Or make question 1–do you have reliable internet connection at home and then when they say no, then ask if they can travel to a location with a reliable connection.

Also for question 3, some of our students are having to share devices with their siblings or others in their household. I would think that we would want to distinguish between these situations–Do you have exclusive use of a personal devise or do you have to share a personal device.

Consider adding “where you participate in live classes / class streams” so students consider sharing the location where they are live streaming.

Do you care if the students participate live from one location and complete class assignments from another? If yes, consider how to let them enter a second zipcode

For question 2, students/adult learners may not equate “personal mobile hotspot” to their phone. Other idea for wording… “Do you use a personal mobile hotspot or cell phone data tethering to access….”

For question 3, do you want to know if their personal device has a camera / microphone? If yes, consider adding a statement like ” participate in live video sessions for class”

edits to consider:

“Please wait approximately 20 seconds while we test the internet speed test runs of your connection. When it is complete, you will see your download and upload speeds from your current location.”

Do you want to give them any context about the results? XXX download / upload speeds are sufficient to participate in a live video class without delays?

You may not even need to go into specifics about what is good/bad. Sometimes just giving them succinct info about what the download / upload speeds mean might be useful. Download speed means XXXX, Jitter means XXX, Ping means XXX, Upload means XXX. An opportunity to build internet literacy! of a group of learners!

simple questions — great!! This is coming together really well after a lot of thoughtful deliberation 🙂

Works well with collecting immediate geo-location data points

– Like the change in the description of device options. Suggestion
– make “Q4” appear only if Q3 is “Yes”
– Possibly add a “Select All” option

– Would be great to scrape the data and add it automatically to the submit fields.

– May need instructions to add “full name”.