Faculty Survey - Fall 2024

Survey Interpretation
Survey Text
Survey Results
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Survey Interpretation

Computer Lab Management (CLM) periodically surveys faculty who teach in our computer classrooms. CLM uses this information to improve the quality of service in the computer classrooms. The survey results (especially question #2) show that overall faculty are generally happy with the computer classrooms.

However, there were some concerns raised in the comments:

  • We had an unfortunate incident on November 19th where a student damaged the AV system in 2102 SCC. We were able to find a temporary workaround but it didn't support audio. We were able to perform a complete fix over break.
  • There were some issues with the Computer Room Consultants in Olson. We will investigate and work to improve the situation.

We have seen an increasing number of students using their personal devices instead of the CLM installed computers during classes. We are trying to get more information to determine if and how we should modify computer classrooms to support these students. This survey had the first set of questions around the issue and we will continue to collect data.

Survey Text

On 12/2/2024 Computer Lab Management sent an email to faculty who had taught in the computer rooms during Fall 2024 asking them to fill out this survey.

Survey Results

There were 6 responses.

Question 2. Please rate the following aspects of our services:

  Needs significant improvement Needs some improvement Needs little or no improvement No opinion
Classroom availability (able to reserve times needed) 0 0 1 5
Support from computer lab managers 1 0 3 2
Support from the Computer Room Consultant (CRC) 1 1 2 2
Preparedness of the classroom (room cleared out, whiteboard supplies, etc.) 2 0 3 1
Computer usability and reliability 1 4 1 0
Preventing classroom interruptions 0 0 4 2
Classroom size (too small or too large) 0 1 5 0
Temperature control (room was too hot or too cold) 0 0 6 0
Layout of the classroom 2 1 3 0
Classroom environment (cleanliness, sound, etc.) 0 1 5 0
Other - Please specify below 0 0 1 2

Classroom environment and Other reasons:

  • The AV deck in my room broke about week 8 and hasn't been fixed--this required a significant workaround by student staff (thank you!), but the audio still comes out of just the computer itself. Problematic for a film class like ours. (2102 SCC)
  • There were keyboards in each of the rooms that didn't work. Each time, I reported this to a CRC, and they would advise using a different computer, which I had had the students do, but then I would explain that I was reporting the problem so it could get fixed--and that sometimes seemed to confuse the CRC ("oh, so you just wanted me to know?").
  • The layout is very "stiff": very difficult for forming small groups, immovable desks, impossible to move chairs to form groups, and computers all lined up "stiffly." I have made it work, but it is not my favorite classroom (2103 SCC)
  • Twice I had to skip my video presentations because the audio or visual projection was not working.(2102 SCC)
  • One room was locked randomly. The 30 person rooms are a bit bigger than ideal. And the fixed nature of the rows makes it less than ideal for group work.
  • The CRC was AWOL much of the time during my 4:40-6 class in Olson 1. It was always the same person, and he was simply missing for long stretches of time. Once he didn't respond for 15 minutes, once 22 minutes, once 40 minutes. Twice I could not function on my computer, which was locked. That's a major problem. The CRC was also not where he said he had been when I went looking for him on the 2nd floor. I went into the only classroom in use and asked the instructor if the CRC had been there, and the other classroom was dark and locked. I have taught in these classrooms for 17 years and have never, ever had a situation in which a CRC took longer than a few minutes to respond. I suspect he was taking long breaks and lying about it. I was furious.

Question 3. How would you rate your overall experience teaching in CLM Computer Classrooms this quarter compared with previous quarters?

Better 0
Same 4
Worse 2
N/A 3

"Better" Reasons given:

  • None

"Same" Reasons given:

  • None

"Worse" Reasons given:

  • The abovementioned av stack/deck issue--would have been nice for this to be fixed more promptly.
  • In addition to the above reasons, the classrooms the past few years have in general not been cleaned between classes or tended as well as before Covid. I frequently erase the board from a previous instructor. And the CRCs frequently don't check the quality of the markers or replace them promptly.

"N/A" Reasons given:

  • None

Question 4. Do student often use their own personal laptops in your classes?

Yes 6
No 0

Question 4a. In which classes do you see this behavior?

  • 102L UWP
  • All of them
  • Recently in all computer labs students seem to prefer to bring tablets or their own laptops
  • All classes
  • All the writing classes
  • In all of them, but many still use the desktops, or they use both.

Question 4b. Roughly how many student per class?

  • A quarter to a third
  • 23 ouf 25
  • 23-25
  • 5-10
  • Maybe one third of them.
  • 12

Question 4c. Do you know why they prefer to use their laptops? Please share anything you have heard from students.

  • No
  • Some of them don't know their kerberos password. I ask them to use the school computers for some in-class activities, which is how we found the problem with the keyboards.
  • They can use them throughout the day in all their classes, and esp. the ones where there is no access to laptops. Makes note taking easier, Zoom office hours, etc.
  • They have all their files together and some prefer their own (small screen) device.
  • They have their documents already on their laptops. Not sure besides that.
  • Ease of keeping notes and documents, but I also suspect it's to make it easier to be off task. I hate the configuration of Shields 90A because it makes it so easy for students to be off task. Students are much more likely to not be paying attention in that room because I can't see what they're doing on their screens. It's a terrible set up that's not student centered. And I teach in that room often; there's definitely a pattern. The sideways configuration is much better. I can move among the students more easily and see what they're doing at a glance.

Question 5. Do you have any other comments or suggestions regarding the computer classrooms.

  • I would like to know what the supervision is for the CRCs and whom to contact during the quarter when someone isn't doing their job.

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