Faculty Survey - Spring 2023

Survey Interpretation
Survey Text
Survey Results
Other Surveys

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 quite happy with the computer classrooms.

However, there were some concerns raised in the comments:

  • Apple has changed the security configuration in macOS and requires each user authorize various applications to use the camera, microphone, etc. We are attempting to find ways to pre-authorize common applications, but have not found any methods which work consistently. Hopefully Apple will provide better tools to support computer classroom environments in the future.
  • There were several comments about the layout in different classrooms. Currently we have several layouts and each has trade-offs which favor some pedagogical methods but make other methods less effective. CLM needs to figure out how to better match faculty with their preferred classrooms. Unfortunately, in most cases course reservations are made so far in advance the faculty are not assigned until much later. We need work with the departmental schedulers to investigate processes to better place faculty.

Survey Text

On 6/5/2023 Computer Lab Management sent an email to faculty who had taught in the computer rooms during Spring 2023 asking them to fill out this survey.

Survey Results

There were 18 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 1 12 5
Support from computer lab managers 0 0 16 2
Support from the Computer Room Consultant (CRC) 0 1 15 2
Preparedness of the classroom (room cleared out, whiteboard supplies, etc.) 0 2 16 0
Computer usability and reliability 1 5 12 0
Preventing classroom interruptions 0 1 15 2
Classroom size (too small or too large) 0 2 15 1
Temperature control (room was too hot or too cold) 0 3 15 0
Layout of the classroom 2 1 15 0
Classroom environment (cleanliness, sound, etc.) 0 0 18 0
Other - Please specify below 2 0 6 4

Classroom environment and Other reasons:

  • SCC 2102 is excellent!
  • Rooms were too cold sometimes.
  • The damaged whiteboard partition needs to be replaced. It has been damaged for several years. (2103 SCC)
  • In 247, the teacher's computer needs system settings updated to allow Zoom to use the microphone and camera. I had 2 different CRCs come in and change settings, but they didn't change the system settings, so every class I had to open Zoom, click on use the camera and mic, then get into system settings and make the change, then close Zoom and reopen for those devices to work. This was not an issue last quarter in 247.
  • I was not able to control the temperature and the fan. It was a bit cold. You can stop the fan only for few minutes and then the fans start to run again (2212 & 2216 TLC)
  • The layout of 90A really prevents interaction among students
  • 90B is a great classroom. So glad I was not assigned 90A (very different layout that changes pedagogical approach and makes collaborative learning challenging).
  • TLC
  • It would be great if we have more labs for larger classes. The room temperature was a little too high.
  • I Love teaching in TLC 2211! However, the overhead speakers were sometimes turned off and sometimes the controls for the monitors near the students' tables didn't function properly. Also, the "call bell" icon on the desktop to call the CRC for help in the classroom didn't work.
    Shields 90A is much more difficult to teach in. The configuration of the room doesn't allow for group work, it's dark in the room, and there's no desk space in the room for the instructor to confer with students. Furthermore, there are two or three extra instructor chairs in the room, making it hard to move around.
  • Everything was great! It would be great if the blinds could get fixed though :) (2102 SCC)

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

Better 0
Same 12
Worse 2
N/A 2

"Better" Reasons given:

  • None

"Same" Reasons given:

  • Same excellent quality!
  • Good lab and support
  • the CLM computer room and staff was fantastic in all quarters
  • I have not had any issues with computer labs. Staff have always answered my question and kept the rooms very clean. :)
  • N/A
  • TLC 2211 needs to add another screen that is central. I suggest a drop down screen in front of the whiteboard behind instructor's desk. The tables and several screens are nice for collaborative work, but sometimes one really needs a central screen. When we did student presentations, students ended up looking at the screen by the table and not at the presenter, and when I did work on grammar etc. I was stuck on my desktop instead of being able to show things on the big screen like in other classrooms.
  • Support excellent as usual.
  • It's always a great space to teach in!

"Worse" Reasons given:

  • The problem isn't about anything on your end. I just can't get the students to use the classroom computers. Every one of them brings a laptop. One student didn't one day, but insisted on doing the work on his phone rather than logging in on the desktop. He seemed to think he would be unable to navigate a strange computer. I'm just not sure the current layout makes sense anymore, given their attachment to their own machines.

"N/A" Reasons given:

  • None

Question 4. What pedagogical issues, if any, have you faced while teaching in a computer classroom?

  • none
  • none
  • Just the system settings not giving Zoom access to the microphone and camera.
  • none
  • None, except that the layout makes such a difference!
  • See above. Students' attention on focusing on small screens when we actually needed to be focusing on a single central screen.
  • None.
  • N/A
  • See my comment above about teaching in 90A. All computer classrooms should be reconfigured to look much more like TLC 2211.
  • None
  • N/A

Question 5. What technological issues, if any, have you faced while teaching in a computer classroom?

  • none
  • The computer program that projects students' desktops onto the projector screen didn't work in Olson 241 and the consultant didn't know how to fix the issue. It worked in Olson 21, though.
  • computers need better Processors, RAM, & GPUs (2103 SCC)
  • Students not having good wi-fi, or in TLC, not having the monitors set up to show the teaching computer's screen.
  • none
  • I noticed that some computers in 90A needed updates
  • The small screens did not all turn on at once, so I often had to go back and forth trying to turn each one separately. This meant that unlike other computer labs, I had to be in the classroom much earlier to make sure all the screens were on. (2211 TLC)
  • None
  • N/A
  • See my comment above about technological issues

Question 6. Do you have any other comments or suggestions regarding the computer classrooms.

  • Please keep a blu-ray/DVD player in SCC 2102 and 2103 as well as printers. DES 016 prints 1-3 pages a class per week. Color and B&W
  • Please fix damaged whiteboard partition.
  • Update the names of the rooms on this survey, I was in 2060 Esau which I assume is 2060 SciLab.
  • from my perspective the CLM computer room and staff was fantastic
  • Thanks for all the support!
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • Working well!
  • Thank you!

Other Surveys

Survey Text
Survey Results
Survey Interpretation
Other Surveys