Ocotillo Technology Survey of Former Students

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Ocotillo Technology Survey of Former Students

• Maricopa Community Colleges Ocotillo Group
• Gene Schmidt
• Doug Sawyer
• http//www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/ocotillo/ae/

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The Survey

• April 2001
• 5000 surveys mailed, 499 responses
• Students who are no longer at MCCD, but attended
  no more than two semesters earlier
• They were asked about their experiences with
  technology at MCCD and their present experiences
  using technology

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Differences were found among groupings of
campuses for satisfaction with facilities,
assistance and access to instructional computer
technology, as well as instructional use of
computer technology.

• Group 1 campus users were significantly more
  satisfied with access, availability of
  technology.
• Group 1 campuses offered more technical
  instruction found more helpful by students.
• Group 3 campuses were significantly stronger in
  technical instruction in students' major.

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• Differences among campuses in demographics did
  not appear to influence satisfaction ratings,
  though group 3, larger, suburban campuses had
  younger students with significantly more credits
  and group 2 urban campuses had significantly
  higher educational degrees among students,
  Students at larger, suburban, or group 3 campuses
  (N225) had significantly more access to
  computers at home, school and work than students
  at smaller, group 1 (N60) or urban, group 2 (N
  60) campuses. Means of agreement with statements
  of good access, helpful assistance and currency
  of equipment. were compared for different groups
  of campuses.
• Values for ratings of technology instruction were
  means for student listings of any utilization of
  technology in instruction, including e-mail, web
  work, and instructional software. Values for
  helpfulness of instructional technology were for
  means of agreement statements with the value of
  e-mail, web work, and instructional software,
  etc. Comparisons were for small, urban and
  large campuses indicating differences in
  utilization of instructional technology in
  courses in the major compared to general
  courses, Comparisons were also for agreement with
  statements about helpfulness of instructional
  technology in courses in the major or in general
  courses.

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Satisfaction with use and helpfulness of
instructional technology differed for technology
majors compared to liberal arts majors.

• Tech majors were more satisfied with the
  helpfulness of instructional technology (p
  .061), but no difference in ratings of the use
  of technology in courses between tech and liberal
  arts majors.
• Tech majors placed significantly more job
  importance on spreadsheet and data skills (p
  .027).
• Tech majors found significantly more
  instructional technology on Group 3 campuses,
  while Liberal Arts majors found more
  instructional technology on Group 1 2 campuses
  (p .015)
• Tech majors from Group 1 2 campuses found
  communication skills important on the job (p
  .081)

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• For the above findings, an analysis of variance
  was conducted among ratings of importance on the
  job and college preparation of computer use
  skills (communication skills such as word
  processing data analysis skills such as use of
  spreadsheets, and graphics skills such as for
  presentations or web pages). Also analyzed were
  overall ratings of utilization of instructional
  technology in courses and helpfulness of that
  instructional use.
• Few key differences arose among campuses (Group
  1, N25, smaller, newer Group 2, N36, urban
  Group 3, N89, larger, suburban), or those
  employed in a field related to their major (N67)
  versus not employed in their major (N83). Only a
  few differences between tec hnology majors (N72)
  vs. liberal arts majors (N150). Interactions
  between campus and technology vs liberal arts
  majors were also found, with differences between
  Group 12 versus Group 3.

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The skills gap between ratings of importance on
the job and preparation at the colleges showed
differences by student major, by employment in
major, and among the campuses.

• Those employed in their major found significantly
  more Importance on job for data analysis skills.
• Technology majors found more Importance on the
  Job for data analysis skills (nearly
  significant).
• Group 3 campuses produced significantly less gap
  in preparation vs job, of communication skills.
• Major produced a significantly different pattern
  in gap, preparation to job, depending on campus.

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• An analysis of variance for the above was
  conducted on 222 cases with student ratings of
  importance on the job and preparation at the
  college for two areas of computer technology
  skills Communication (Word Processing, e-Mail
  and Web work) Data Analysis (Spreadsheet, Data
  Analysis and Problem Solving) and a combination
  of the two. The difference scores between
  Importance on the Job ratings and Preparation at
  the College ratings was used as a measure of the
  gap, typically with higher ratings of importance
  than of preparation for each student respondent.
• A significant difference in the gap between job
  importance and preparation at the college for
  data analysis skills was found for those employed
  in a field related to their major (N67) versus
  not employed in their major (N83). Similarly,
  technology majors (N72) vs. liberal arts majors
  (N150) showed a nearly significantly greater gap
  for data analysis skills. Group 3 campus
  respondents indicated significantly less gap for
  communication skills than for Group 1 or 2
  campuses.(Group 1, N25, smaller, newer Group 2,
  N36, urban Group 3, N89, larger, suburban). A
  significant interaction was found between campus
  groups and the gop for both communication and
  data analysis skills.

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Who detects a gap from job importance to college
preparation?

• communication skills gap
• older age, more formal education, and less access
  to computers, and less satisfaction with the
  helpfulness of of technology in course work
  predicted more detectable gap in importance to
  preparation.
• data analysis skills gap
• older age, field of employment in major, and less
  satisfaction with the helpfulness of technology
  in course work predicted a more detectable gap in
  importance to preparation.

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