Abstract

Title of session: Creation of a Statewide Survey of Incentives and Disincentives
for the Use of OpenCourseWare in Utah

Overview
This session examines the creation and distribution of a survey tool used to assess Utah resident views of incentives and disincentives for use of OpenCourseWare (OCW) and how they fit into the theoretical framework of perceived innovation attributes established by Rogers (1983).

This was a descriptive study that employed a survey method. This study consisted of three stages: a preliminary Delphi technique questionnaire based on Rogers (2003) attributes of innovation, a pilot study, and the primary study. In the primary study, a mail survey was given to 753 Utah residents using the Tailored Design Method (Dillman, 2000). Several strategies were employed in data collection which included:
(a) detailed introductory letters with the questionnaires and postage prepaid envelopes,
(b) monetary incentives to potential participants, and
(c) a series of three follow-up letters to remind non-responding participants.

A survey instrument was developed using attributes that emerged from a Delphi technique with input from experts in the OCW field. Eleven experts where asked to participate and five were actively involved. After the attributes were identified they were placed into Roger’s attribute characteristics. It was then pilot tested with 44 individuals. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to assess inter-item consistency for the pilot test and required a reliability of .70 or higher before the survey instrument would be used (Schumacker, 2005). The survey was then sent via postal mail to a randomized group of 753 individuals residing in Utah between the ages of 18 and 64. The names and addresses, along with associated demographic information, were obtained from Alesco Data Group, LLC of Fort Myers, Florida. The demographic information used for this study included (a) gender, (b) age, (c) education, (d) income, (e) occupation, and (f) ethnicity.

Purpose of session (why is this important and who is the target audience):

This research has a direct relationship to education and particularly higher education since approximately 33% of all OCW visitor population at MIT are students in formal educational programs, and another 16% are educators (Carson, p. 13, 2006). Equally, open educational resources are becoming increasingly prevalent for self-directed learning. This research has a direct relationship to education because it will give a needs assessment of end user’s perceived incentives and disincentives for OCW style resource use throughout Utah.

Objectives of the session (what are you planning to do):
Review the survey that was completed in 2009 of 753 individuals across Utah and how said survey was created, distributed, and analyzed.

Practical applications (how can your results/strategies be used by others)
Others can incorporate best practices as well as lessons learned from this survey experience; they can also review and assess the questions that were formulated using the Delphi Technique with topic experts.

Information (data or theoretical base) to support what is advocated.
This study examines Utah resident views of incentives and disincentives for use of OCW and how they fit into the theoretical framework of perceived innovation attributes established by Rogers (1983). Rogers identified five categories of perceived innovation attributes which include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability.
The full report can be found at http://works.bepress.com/anne_arendt/1/

Hands-on experience (if applicable), and what particpants will need to bring to the session.
No hands on in this session

References

Carson, S. (2006). 2005 Program Evaluation Findings Report MIT OCW. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and Internet surveys the tailored design method (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press.

Presenter

Anne Arendt
Web Resource Director
Utah Valley University

http://www.mydeskdrawer.com

I currently work for Utah Valley University as the Web Resource Director in Marketing and Communications. Prior to this I worked in Distance Education as a resource manager. I was the Director of Web and Application Development at Walden University and Web Team Manager at Smyth Companies prior to working at UVU.
I have a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English from the University of Minnesota, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, a Master of Science (MS) in Educational Change and Technology Innovation from Walden University, and a recently completed Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) from Utah State University in Higher Education. My dissertation topic was “An Assessment of Utah Resident Incentives and Disincentives for Use of OpenCourseWare Resources.” As you can likely guess, I like learning. I will always like learning. I think education is and should be enjoyable.