Commonwealth of Knowledge Website Redesign Survey

Commonwealth of Knowledge Redesign Survey

Hello Virginia Educators! The Redesign of the Commonwealth of Knowledge website will be only as effective as the feedback and suggestions we get from you. As such, we greatly appreciate your time in completing the survey below pertaining to the Redesign effort. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete.

Before you begin the survey, please take a few minutes to review the current Commonwealth of Knowledge website so that you can refresh your memory about the features and functionality offered at the site. If you have never viewed the Commonwealth of Knowledge website, please do so before completing the survey. This will enable you to give us more helpful information for the Redesign. Click here to view the Current Commonwealth of Knowledge website. Note that the site has undergone a small reworking to reflect its transition status.

Did we mention the prizes you can win for completing the survey? Once you complete the survey, you will be given the opportunity to sign up for a chance to win one of 15 prizes from the Intel Play family of products (QX3 microscope, Digital Movie Creator, Sound Morpher). You will be given information about how to enter the contest after you click the submit button at the end of the survey form.

Finally, note that you will have the option to complete the survey anonymously or to provide your name. Either way, you will still be able to enter the contest.

(signed) The Commonwealth of Knowledge Web Redesign Committee


Computer/Internet Access

5.	Is Internet access available from your classroom?
		Yes	No

6.	If Internet access is not available from your classroom, from where else in your school do you access the Internet?
		Computer lab
		Library
		Another classroom
		Other
		I do not access the Internet from my school

7.	In your opinion, is the computer you use to access the Internet adequate for this purpose?
		Yes	No Please explain:

Awareness of Commonwealth of Knowledge Website

Were you familiar with the Commonwealth of Knowledge website prior to July 24, 2002 (that is, prior the time of the the JMU 2002 SOL Content Academy)?

Yes

Have you ever actually viewed the Commonwealth of Knowledge website?

Yes

10.

How many times have you accessed the Commonwealth of Knowledge website during the past year?

0 times

1-2 times

3-7 times

8-15 times

16+ times


New Features and Functionality Desired (Feature Wish List)

		While funding support for the Redesign is limited, we will make every effort to develop and implement new features that hold particular promise for supporting you and your teaching relative to the SOLs. Assuming that funding is not an issue, what features and functionality would you like to see added to the Redesigned website? Please be as specific as possible.

25.		Feature request 1:

26.		Feature request 2:

27.		Feature request 3:


The Final CatchAll Question

42.		OK, here's your chance to shine by addressing any issues that we may have missed in the questions above. If you were Redesigning the Commonwealth of Knowledge website, what would YOU do? What features would you keep? How would you enhance them? What new features would you add? What incentives would you provide to teachers to encourage them to submit materials? How would you ensure the quality of the materials available at the website? Feel free to be as open-ended in your response as you like.


Name/Identification (optional)

43.		Every educator who completes this survey and so desires will be listed at the Redesigned website as a Founding Member of the new site. In addition, these individuals will be placed on an email mailing list so that they can receive periodic updates as to additions and enhancements to the website (e.g., notification when new lesson plans are added). If you would like to be listed as a Founding Member of the redesigned website and be included on the mailing list for the new site, please enter your name and email address below. Otherwise, you can skip this question.

		Name:
		Email:


When you have completed the survey, click on the Submit Comments button below. You will then be directed to a website where you can enter to win one of the Intel Play products noted.


Teaching Experience

1.	How many total years of teaching experience do you have?
		0 years
		1-3 years
		4-8 years
		9-15 years
		16 years or more

2.	How many years experience do you have teaching your current subject? (If you teach more than one subject, please respond on the basis of the subject you teach primarily.)
		0 years
		1-3 years
		4-8 years
		9-15 years
		16 years or more

3.	What grade level(s) do you teach? (check all that apply)
		Pre-Kindergarten
		Kindergarten
		Grade 1
		Grade 2
		Grade 3
		Grade 4
		Grade 5
		Grade 6
		Grade 7
		Grade 8
		Grade 9
		Grade 10
		Grade 11
		Grade 12

4.	What subject(s) do you teach currently? (check all that apply)
		Art
		Early Childhood
		English
		Foreign Language/ESL
		Gifted Education
		History and Social Studies
		Math
		Music
		Physical Education
		Reading
		Science
		Self-contained Elementary Classroom (teach all subjects)
		Special Education
		Other Please specify:


Existing Features of Commonwealth of Knowledge Website

SOL Index/Search

11.	Have you ever used the SOL Index/Search feature at the website? For instance, have you ever searched for a Lesson Plan specific to a particular SOL?
		Yes	No

12.	How useful is the SOL Index/Search feature to you? If you have used the SOL Index/Search feature, please respond on the basis of your experience with the feature. If you have not used this feature, please respond on the basis of how useful you think the feature may be to you in the future.
		Not useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

13.	How do you think the SOL Index/Search feature could be made more useful to you?



Lesson Plans

14.	Have you ever used the Lesson Plan feature at the website? For instance, have you ever viewed and/or used a Lesson Plan from the site?
		Yes	No

15.	How useful is the Lesson Plan feature to you? If you have used the Lesson Plan feature, please respond on the basis of your experience with the feature. If you have not used this feature, please respond on the basis of how useful you think the feature may be to you in the future.
		Not useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

16.	How do you think the Lesson Plan feature could be made more useful to you?



Additional Features Currently Available

	In addition to SOL Index/Search and the Lesson Plan features, the main menu of the interim Commonwealth of Knowledge website include several other options: Success Stories, About This Site, Resource Links, and Site Map. For each of these features, please indicate how useful each is to you. If you have not used this feature, please respond on the basis of how useful you think the feature may be to you in the future.

17.	Success Stories
		Not useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

18.	About This Site
		Not useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

19.	Resource Links
		Not useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

20.	Site Map
		Not useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful


Other Features (Previously Available)

	If you are familiar with the original Commonwealth of Knowledge website, you will remember that it contained several features that are not reflected on the main menu of the current interim Commonwealth of Knowledge website. Specifically, the original site contained the following features - Volunteers, Calendar of Classes, Teacher-to-Teacher Discussion Forum, News and Events - that are not included in the current interim site. These features were removed from the current interim site because they received little use when available previously. Before these features are permanently removed from consideration for the the new Redesigned site, please take a moment to indicate whether they should be included in the new Redesigned site.

21.	Volunteers
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

22.	Calendar of Classes
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

23.	Teacher-to-Teacher Discussion Forum
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful

24.	News and Events
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful


Resources to Support Teaching and Learning Relative to SOLs


	One of the keys to an effective online resource is the usefulness of resource it provides. Please indicate the usefulness of each of the types of resources below. Use the comment field to provide details on the type of resource you would like to see.

28.	Lesson Plans for SOLs
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful	Comment:

29.	Teaching Materials for SOLs
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful	Comment:

30.	Curriculum Guides for SOLs
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful	Comment:

31.	Testing Materials for SOLs
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful	Comment:

32.	Professional Development Activities for SOLs
		Not Useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful	Comment:

33.	Other Types of Materials/Activities for SOLs:


Miscellaneous Issues

Incentives

34.	Currently, Virginia educators are awarded 10 recertification points for submitting a Lesson Plan that is of sufficient quality to be published at the website. Do you think this award of recertification points is a good incentive for encouraging teachers to submit lesson plans to the site?
		Yes	No

35.	What other incentives do you think would be effective in encouraging teachers to use the site and/or submit materials to the site?


Coordination with Other Websites/Resources

36.	It is preferable that the Redesigned Commonwealth of Knowledge website compliment other online resources that are available rather than replicate them. What other online resources (e.g., those offered by other organizations such as the Virginia Educational Technology Alliance) are you aware of that might coordinate well with the services offered via the Redesigned Commonwealth of Knowledge website?

	Resource 1:

	Resource 2:

	Resource 3:

Other Standards

37.	One of the key features of the Commonwealth of Knowledge website is the indexing of instructional materials by related Virginia SOLs. In your opinion, in addition to reference by SOLs, would it also be of use to reference materials by other bodies of standards, such as those offered by professional educational organizations (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics)?
		Yes	No

	If yes, the standards of which organizations do you think would be most useful to address?

	Organization 1:

	Organization 2:

	Organization 3:


Other Types of Instructional Materials

	Currently, Lesson Plans are the only type of instructional material housed at the Commonwealth of Knowledge website. However, it is possible to house other types of instructional materials at the site as well. For example, over the past three years, great interest has developed within the National Science Foundation for development and deployment of so-called 'Learning Objects.' These Learning Objects are small pieces of instructional content that the teacher can easily incorporate into his or her teaching.

38.	Prior to this survey, were you aware of the concept of and work in the area of Learning Objects?
		Yes	No

39.	As described, do you think that Learning Objects might hold promise for enhancing your teaching?
		Yes	No

40.	Would you be interested in finding out more about Learning Objects and possibly becoming involved in an effort to explore their use in Virginia within the K-12 classroom?
		Yes	No

41.	Aside from Learning Objects, what other types of online instructional material do you think would be useful to include at the site?

	Material 1:

	Material 2:

	Material 3:

JMU Web Redesign Committee Revised: 08/17/08.

JMU Web Redesign Committee
Revised: 08/17/08.