ECUR 809 Assignment #5 - Survey

The goal of this survey for the History Study Tour Program is to get feedback from student participants after their return from the two and a half week trip in Europe.  I used the website www.surveymonkey.com to build the questionnaire, and when it is published it will allow students to answer the questions anonymously.  I am hoping that this will enable them give thorough answers that are honest, and they can take their time to work through the survey. I made all the questions mandatory and there are quite a few that require students to reflect on their experience with a written response.  The reason for that is to get more specific opinions on the success of the program, or areas where it could be improved.

I created a preliminary version of the survey and tested it with a pilot group.  The group consisted of two teachers and one parent.  Before they received the survey I asked them to critique the language that I used to make sure that it was in student friendly language, to see if the purpose of the survey was clear, if there were any questions that were redundant or unnecessary, or if there were any issues that weren't addressed and should be with additional questions.  Below is my preliminary survey and responses from my pilot group. 

ECUR 809 History Study Tour Program Survey

1. Were you satisfied with your overall experience in the History Study Tour Program at Centennial Collegiate?

Yes No

2. Please explain.

3. How well did HSTP meet expectations?

Exceeded expectations Met expectations Almost met expectations Did not meet expectations

4. Did you keep up with your course work in your other classes while away on your HSTP trip?

Yes No

5. Was there sufficient study time provided during the HSTP trip to enable you to complete course work given to you by your other teachers?

Yes No

6. Upon your return from the HSTP trip, did you feel like you fell behind in your other courses while away?

Yes No

7. Please explain.

8. Was the length of time missed at school worth the experience of the HSTP trip?

Very worth the experience Worth the experience Not worth the experience The length of time was too long

9. Did you feel like you missed out on extra-curricular opportunities while you were on the HSTP trip?

Yes No

10. Did the timing of the HSTP trip affect your decision to participate in any extra-curricular opportunities at Centennial?

Yes No

11. Please explain how the timing of the HSTP tour affected, or did not affect your decision to participate in extra-curricular activities.

12. Did the History Study Tour Program at Centennial instill in you a love of travel?

Yes No

13. Please explain.

14. How likely is the chance that you will travel again as a result of participating in the HSTP?

Very likely Likely Potentially Not likely at all

15. Overall, rate your experience in the History Study Tour Program with 5 being most enjoyable, and 1 being not enjoyable.

5 4 3 2 1

The responses that I received were very helpful to make my survey more clear.  Some of the suggestions were geared towards rewording certain questions to make them more student friendly or specific (ie: what kind of expectations in #3?).  There was also a recommendation to take out #4 because it was a little repetitive, and move #6 ahead of #5.  The most beneficial feedback I received was comments on areas that I forgot to mention.  Including a question on how the learning was improved in History and Art as a direct result of the trip was something that I completely forgot to include, but I had on my flow chart as one of my initial inquires about the program.  Another question I missed was asking students if they would still participate in the program if it was attached to another school break in order to avoid missing so much instructional time.

I took the advice of my pilot group and made changes to my survey.  Below is the revised version:

ECUR 809 History Study Tour Program Survey

1. Were you satisfied with your overall experience in the History Study Tour Program (HSTP) at Centennial Collegiate?

Yes No

2. Please explain.

3. How well did HSTP meet your academic expectations?

Exceeded expectations Met expectations Almost met expectations Did not meet expectations

4. Did you feel like you fell behind in your other courses while away on the HSTP trip?

Yes No

5. Were you given enough time during the trip to keep up with your homework in your other classes?

Yes No

6. Please explain.

 

7. Was the experience of HSTP worth losing the amount of instructional time from your other curricular classes?

The length of time was not long enough The length of time was necessary The length of time was appropriate The length of time was too long

 
8. Would you still have participated in HSTP if the trip was attached to a school break?

Yes No

9. Did you feel like you missed out on extra-curricular opportunities while you were on the HSTP trip?

Yes No

10. Did the timing of the HSTP trip affect your decision to participate in any extra-curricular opportunities at Centennial?

Yes No   11. Please explain how the timing of the HSTP trip affected your decision to participate in extra-curricular and community activities.   12. Did the HSTP trip give you a stronger understanding of the concepts in, and relationship between History and Art? Yes No   13. Please explain how your learning in the areas of History and Art improved as a direct result of touring overseas.     14. Did HSTP at Centennial Collegiate instill in you a love of travel? Yes No   15. Please explain. 16. As a result of participating in HSTP, is it likely you will have the confidence to travel overseas again on your own? Very likely Likely Potentially Not likely at all   17. Overall, rate your experience in the History Study Tour Program with 5 being most enjoyable, and 1 being not enjoyable. 5 4 3 2 1 18. Please provide your own suggestions for improving the HSTP at Centennial Collegiate.

Link to the online survey.  Since survey monkey only allows 10 questions per survey, I had to break it into 2 parts:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?PREVIEW_MODE=DO_NOT_USE_THIS_LINK_FOR_COLLECTION&sm=1SHDgI%2bduIga%2fZs3QYbtvmugVFOzWw%2fdwHQLbIC5kCI%3d

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?PREVIEW_MODE=DO_NOT_USE_THIS_LINK_FOR_COLLECTION&sm=O67lnrLplzQy%2bhtWBUa7rM8MwM10C6TAOW3oYC9kT%2fo%3d

After going through the process of creating a survey, I was even more aware of how important it is to have colleagues and peers pilot test questions before making the survey available to students.  I could have included a couple of students in my pilot group, but I didn't want to make the questionnaire available before it was decided on whether or not the program will be evaluated.  The suggestions that I received really helped me make my survey more student friendly and clear in its intent.