Computer Lab Management would like to know how we can improve the
quality of service in the computer classrooms. We have used feedback in
the past to improve our services and facilities, and hope to use your
feedback to improve further.

Our records show that you taught a class in one of our computer
classrooms during the past quarter. If you were not the person actually
teaching in the room, please forward this message to that person (such as
a TA). Please take a moment to fill out the survey and try to be as
specific as possible. 

The survey contains seven questions which are listed below. To answer
the survey, reply to this message and mark your answers to the questions
below by putting an "x" or text, as appropriate, between the square
brackets provided (eg. [x]). Since a program will automatically tally your
responses for later analysis, please keep your responses between the
square brackets provided. There is space for comments at the end of the
survey.

If you have taught in multiple classrooms, please respond for each classroom
separately. For example, if you taught in both 21 Olson and 241 Olson 
please reply to this email twice, once for each room. This will allow us
to match your comments with the specific computer classroom.

Thank you for your time and input.

Tim Leamy
Computer Lab Management
tcleamy@ucdavis.edu

***** Computer Classroom Survey *****

1. Which computer classroom did you teach in during the last quarter?
(Please check only one. If you taught in multiple classroom, please
reply separately for each classroom.)
[] 1 Olson [] 21 Olson [] 27 Olson 
[] 241 Olson [] 247 Olson [] 1102 Hart
[] 73 Hutchison [] 93 Hutchison [] 1131 Meyer
[] 1154 Meyer [] 2020 SLB 

2. Please identify the top three areas (number 1 to 3 in order of 
priority) where we can improve our services:
[] Better support from the Computer Room Consultant (CRC)
[] Better equipment reliability
[] More classroom availability
[] Larger classrooms (to accommodate more students) 
[] Larger classrooms (to allow more workspace at each station)
[] Better support from computer lab managers
[] Better preparedness of the classroom
[] Newer/Faster equipment
[] Reduced classroom interruption
[] Improved classroom environment (for example: quieter, better 
temperature) - Please specify [ ]
[] Other - Please specify [ ]

3. Was your class ever delayed or interrupted by ... 
(please indicate the number of times each occurred)
[] hardware/software failure
[] A-V/projection failure
[] printer issues (slow, jams, etc)
[] room not cleared out prior to class
[] students entering the room during your class 
[] a class held prior to yours running over its scheduled time
 [] a double scheduling (two classes scheduled for the same time)
[] Other - please specify [ ]

4. How would you rate your overall experience teaching in CLM computer
classrooms this quarter compared with previous quarters?
[] Better 
[] Same 
[] Worse 
[] N/A (This is my first quarter teaching in computer classrooms)
Please explain [ ]

5. Were you able to find the Computer Room Consultant when you needed 
help?
[] Yes [] No

Do you have any additional comments regarding the Computer Room
Consultants?
[ ]

6. What can Computer Lab Management do to make your teaching experience
using computer classrooms better? 
[ ] 

7. Do you have any other comments about the computer classrooms.
[ ]

Thank you for your time and input.

Question 2. Please identify the top three areas (number 1 to 3 in order of priority) where we can improve our services:

 Other reasons given:

•  Signs to the computer class! It took me 10 minutes of wandering around Hart to find the place
• later version of Minitab (v14)
• flickering lights (1 Olson)
• put light switch and screen up/down switch closer to one another in some labs (27 Olson)
• better temperature (73 Hutchison)
• classrooms can be quieter
• software - dreamweaver - available at more labs?   
• 27 Olson does not have enough whiteboard space when the screen is down. Also, there is often a shortage of markers, or the ones available are almost out of ink.
• BETTER TEMPERATURE (73 Hutchison)
• Need new printer (241 & 247 Olson)
•  Tends to get too cold to quickly (73 Hutchison)
• On-screen display clearly visible only in almost complete darkness, which is OK for projected images, but not so much for maintaining the undivided attentions of sleep-deprived students.(1131 Meyer)
• in general, the air conditioning is up way too high. (1102 Hart)
• quality and color of projected image (1102 Hart)
• the angle that the students sit to the dry erase boards and projection screen does not allow for proper viewing of instruction (1131 Meyer)
• as part of the DES 153 curriculum, we listen to, create and discuss files with sound. the proximity of the lab to other classrooms caused disruptions in both directions. our class disrupted other classes, and upset faculty came to our class to ask (demand) that we stop using sound. also, the projectors seem to be too contrasty. newer models might help. (1131 Meyer)

Question 3. Was your class ever delayed or interrupted by ...

 Other reasons given:

• If I had not planned to be there 15 minutes ahead of time, I would have been late. Hart contains not a  single sign that I saw to the computer class (indeed hart, like most of  our buildings, has appallingly bad signage to any rooms
• A TA walked in at the beginning and stated that he holds his regular office hours in 27 Olson at the same time I had scheduled my class.
• cd player didn't work well
• upset faculty when we were playing sound files

Question 4.  How would you rate your overall experience teaching in CLM computer classrooms this quarter compared with previous quarters

Explanations:

• it's a great instructional lab (1102 Hart)
• the issues already mentioned: poor visibility for students, inability to play sound at a level that all students could hear well  (1131 Meyer)

Question 5.   Were you able to find the Computer Room Consultant when you needed help?

Do you have any additional comments regarding the Computer Room Consultants?

• always very accommodating!
• Great. Very helpful
• helpful, as always
• No, they do a good job
• CRCs seem to know less all the time about the kinds of software we use in CAI. By now, I've learned everything I need to know, but I think novice instructors could run into real problems with things that changed with OS X, like finding and using the desktop sharing software (which is located in an odd place) or PowerPoint
• Since the Meyer PC lab and media lab are separate, don't often see  the consultant. If there was a way to increase their visibility, it would serve to remind users that they're around to help.
• hey have all been great
• very helpful

Question 6.  What can Computer Lab Management do to make your teaching experience using computer classrooms better?

• I have no suggestions. Everything went very well.
• Signs in the building telling us where to find the Lab!
• Provide Lab workshops for New TAs and Keep Class Materials Folder over the courses -ex. during the summer to next fall- to keep it available for new TAs
• continue to keep up the great work!
• Can offer more classrooms, maybe smaller ones, so that there will be less interruption by the students who did not enroll in the class (posting the yield sign helps but it would be easier if there were none.)
•  The 'teacher's' computer could have a group of settings that allows it to be projected more effectively - each time I turn it on, I adjust the screen resolution so that the students can see my screen more clearly, and I set the mouse pointer to be the biggest that it can be (which is not very big) - it would be nice if the default set was designed to be projected clearly. Also, the color calibration is not great.
• Stop the interruptions and provide more whiteboard to write on in 27 Olson.
• THE HUTCH 73 CLASSROOM WAS CONSISTENTLY TOO COLD
•  Maybe get some more reliable equipment for the instructor's station
• Replace the recent "Fetch" system of accessing classroom files with something like the old telnet system. The new system is totally unwieldy, making it difficult or impossible to prepare for classes by setting up folders, changing privileges, or moving folders of material back and forth from our offices to the class folders.
• Doing a great job. Superb responsiveness and delivery.
• It's a great setup as is.
• just get/install new projectors. i think that you have them, but i don't think that they have been installed yet.
•  i have very good experiences with CLM. the physical layout of the Meyer classroom is problematic, but the CLM is great.

Question 7. Do you have any other comments about the computer classrooms.

• Even though students continue to enter the classroom when the "do not enter sign" is posted. It is fairly easy to ask them to leave. The sign system used in the classrooms really helps control the flow of students into the room. Typically, I will switch the sign to "Enter with Instructors Permission" towards the end of my session and this works great!
• Have more white-board markers available
• Only taught in there two days this quarter, but experience was fine, overall.
•  Great Job!
• always a pleasure!
• Thanks for extending the time-out on the projector to more than 2 hours. That prevented it from turning off during a workshop.
• Just appreciation.
• as i mentioned on my comments about Meyer, the desktop is too contrasty and competes with the visibility of files and folders.
•  i know that this will sound lame, but the screens with the rules of lab use are very contrasty and compete with seeing the names of files. it would be great if you could lower the contrast by using lighter colors (or any other solution). i have witnessed several students having a hard finding/transferring/saving their files due to a visual desktop that competes with the visibility of files and folders.

Overall the survey respondents were happy with their computer classroom experiences.   For most instructors their experience was better or the same as last time.

CLM has identified several issues that we plan to address this summer.

• Projector issues - Some of our projectors did not handle high resolution (1280x1024) well.  We will replace many projectors (1, 21, 27, 241, and 247 Olson; 1131 Meyer; 1102 Hart) with new Hitachi CP-X1200 projectors that have a higher resolution and are brighter than the existing projectors.
• Slow printing - We are replacing all printers with new faster HP LaserJet 4350dtn printers
• Class folders - We will investigate methods to streamline the class folders procedures and make them more intuitive.  A possibility is to create scripts to create new pick-up and share folders in a similar fashion to the current script to create drop-off folders.

More long term issues which we need to address include:

• We need to continue working on reducing class interruptions, especially students trying to enter the rooms.
• Question #2 shows that we need to work on some environmental issues.  Temperature control has been a historical problem across  multiple rooms.  We will continue to work with Facilities to better regulate the temperature to make the computer classrooms a more pleasant teaching environment.
• As we upgrade rooms we will look for ways to add more whiteboard space.

• Student Survey #1 (Winter 2005)
• Student Survey #2 - Laptop Use (Winter 2005)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 2004)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 2004)
• Student Survey #1 (Winter 2004)
• Student Survey #2 (Winter 2004)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 2003)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 2003)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 2002)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 2002)
• Student Survey #1 (Winter 2002)
• Student Survey #2 (Winter 2002)
• Student Survey #3 (Winter 2002)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 2001)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 2001)
• Student Survey (Winter 2001)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 2000)
• Duplex Printing (Summer 2000)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 2000)
• Student Survey (Spring 2000)
• Student Survey (Winter 2000)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 1999)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 1999)
• Student Survey (Spring 1999)
• Student Survey (Fall 1998)
• Faculty Survey (Winter 1998)
• Student Survey (Winter 1998)
• Student Survey (Winter 1997)
• ASUCD Student Computer Survey (Winter 1997)

Comments: tcleamy@ucdavis.edu URL: http://clm.ucdavis.edu/pubs/survey/faculty_f04.html   Last updated: Tue, 05-Jul-2005 Last reviewed: Tue, 05-Jul-2005